Ireland, Birr - The Maltings

Rasta has a hard time when I start packing.

"Can't I go with you? Look, I can fit". I'll be taking some cat hair with me anyway.

I dropped Rasta at Si and Dan's and drove to Guelph. Dave drove Nicky and I to the airport. We had an uneventful flight on Aer Lingus to Dublin, with about 2 hours sleep. Picked up a car and drove an hour and a half to Birr (just missing the Pope's visit to Dublin)

We are staying the first night at The Maltings B&B. It used to be a granary, the part with the clock on top was a kiln for drying the grain. The current owners renovated it from derelict condition. 10 rooms, a breakfast room and a lounge. Lovely

In one direction out of our bedroom window, towards the waterfall that will give us the gentle sound of water all night. Yes, the windows open!

In the other direction we can see the sunroom where we will eat breakfast tomorrow, the deck over the river and the path that follows the river bank.

Although we were arriving at about 9:30am, the proprietor, Maeve, let us check in early. So kind. We settled in, oohed and aahed over our room,

admired the dead tree across the river

and this Grey Heron (sometimes called a "crane" here).

This is how close we were to the Birr Castle. Picture taken from the the Maltings parking lot.

We were in dire need of another coffee (the first was had with breakfast at the airport), so walked the block and a half to the Main Street.

We found Emma's Cafe and were able to get a large Cappuccino, half decaf and, even better, scones, jam and cream (gluten free for Nicky). Love 2nd breakfast.

 

 

It was a legitimate small town main street: 2 pubs, 3 cafes, 4 clothing stores, 3 pharmacies, 2 thrift stores, 1 grocery store and variety of other services and retailers.

We noticed this monument as we drove in

and this was the plaque at the base.

Robert Emmet (4 March 1778 – 20 September 1803) was an Republican, and Irish nationalist Patriot, orator and rebel leader. After leading an abortive rebellion against British rule in 1803 he was captured then tried and executed for high treason against the British king.^[1]
He came from a wealthy Anglo-Irish Protestant ascendancy Church of Ireland family who sympathised with Irish Catholics Protestant Dissenters such as the Presbyterians and their lack of fair representation in Parliament. The Emmet family also sympathised with the rebel colonists in the American Revolution. While Emmet's efforts to rebel against British rule failed, his actions and speech after his conviction inspired his compatriots.^{[2] from Wikipedia.}