This morning we departed the Trinity City Hotel for a driving tour with our local guide, Niamh. In addition to providing a historical account of the economic, political, and artistic influences on the city, the tour included stops to see the Oscar Wilde memorial statue, St. Patrick's Cathedral , the Children of Lir sculpture, which commemorates the freedom fighters, and the Famine statue . Our driving tour ended with a stop to visit EPIC , the Irish Emigration Museum. This interactive, self-guided museum tells the stories of Irish emigrants who became scientists, politicians, poets, artists, and even outlaws all over the world. Our last stop of the day was a visit to the award-winning Pearse Lyons Distillery for a guided tour and tasting of their Irish Whiskey. Built in the old St. James Church in the Liberties district, the distillery opened its doors in 2017 after a 24-million-dollar historical restoration of the old church structure. At the conclusion of our tour and t
After breakfast this morning, we reluctantly bid farewell to Kilronan Castle Estate and Spa to start our drive into Carrick-on-Shannon. Here we enjoyed a one-hour private cruise of the River Shannon aboard the Moon River , complete with live music and refreshments, all while taking in the beautiful scenery, including a picture-perfect rainbow! After disembarking the Moon River, we made a brief stop in downtown Carrick-on-Shannon to visit the Costello Memorial Chapel , which is the smallest Chapel in Europe and the second smallest Chapel in the world. Sixteen feet long by twelve foot wide, the Chapel was built by Edward Costello in 1877 as a devotion to his wife, Mary Josephine, who died that year at age 47. Both Edward and Mary Josephine are interred in the Chapel on either side of the altar. After departing Carrick-on-Shannon, we continued our journey into Dublin, where we were treated to a very special tour. The Deerfield Residence is the home of U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Clair