Pat’s dream was coming true today. All of her life she’d dreamed of visiting Ireland, and today it would happen. Our ship pulled in to the port of Dunmore East about 8 am. We had to tinder into the port which for some reason took more time than we anticipated. We finally reached Irish terra firma about 11:30 am, and caught a bus to Waterford, which took about a half hour.

The first thing we noticed about Ireland was the people. They are so welcoming and friendly; everyone made us feel like family. We immediately started exploring Waterford since half of our day was taken up waiting to get to shore. Sandy was on a mission for a neighbor back home. Waterford is home to the famous crystal and Sandy’s task was to find a set of crystal salt and pepper shakers. We all wanted to meet the people, and understand the history of the area, so met at Waterford Crystal, which had attracted quite a crowd outside; people waiting for a tour of the crystal factory.

We had no idea that the Vikings once reigned in Ireland. I always thought they came from Norway, but Viking history was everywhere. We visited the Christ Church Cathedral and paid homage to Luke Wadding; an Irish Franciscan friar and historian.

We visited Reginald’s Tower which was used for many different purposes over the centuries, and is an important landmark in Waterford. I was also an important remnant of its medieval urban defense system. Reginald’s Tower was built by the Anglo-Normans after their conquest of Waterford, replacing an earlier Viking fortification. On 27 July 1399, Richard II left Reginald’s Tower as King of England and Wales; but on his arrival in England he was captured by the future Henry IV and was forced to abdicate.

Pat learned from her cousin that her Jarrell surname comes from FitzGerald. Her ancestor, Maurice Fitzgerald, is know as the “invader of Ireland.” He conquered a large portion of South Ireland, which included Waterford. History is literally around every corner, and we could have spent weeks exploring and learning about Irish history.

After lunch, and some shopping we had to catch the bus back to the port to catch the ship for Cobh and Cork. We are already prepared to plan for a return trip to this wonderful place and wondering what took us so long to get here.