After taking the DART twenty minutes along the coast, we arrived in Malahide - a town probably most famous for its castle. You enter through a gate in a stone wall along the road, and it takes about 20 minutes of a liesurely stroll before you reach the castle. The air was brisk and lovely, but the sky was clouded with oncoming rain. We walked through a dense glen of trees along a winding path and all you see are branches. The smell of wet dirt gave a beautiful earthy tone to the estate. Suddenly the trees end and there are green fields as far as the eye can see. The castle stands in the distance.
Owned for 800 years by the same family, the castle has been an integral part of Irish history since the Norman invasion. Now, the fields have been converted to soccer pitches and rugby areas, but at one time, all of the land belonged to the castle's estate. They say that the castle is haunted by not one, not two, but actually Five ghosts. With 800 years of history, I suppose you are bound to accrue a few. And the castle has seen its share of death - During the Battle of the Boyne, 14 members of the family sat down to breakfast one morning, and by the end of the next day, all of them were killed.
We were able to go into the Great Hall where the family had their last meal. The walls are filled with portraits and a massive painting about the Battle of the Boyne appropriately looks over the room from atop the fireplace. It almost feels like the people from the portraits are staring down at you accusingly - why are you all in our family's home?
The government owns the castle now and allows you to rent the room and have banquets. The furniture is exquisitely carved with intricate designs and lattice work in the a massive mahogony table and each of the surrounding chairs. A balcony overlooks the seating area so that a quartet can serenade your guests while you dine. The room is undeniably elegant, but would you really want to sit in the same chair as a man who died? I know it's my own imagination, but I wouldn't want to be in the castle at night.
The Battle of the Boyne where all of them were killed was an epic fight which pitted the Catholic King James and the Protestant King William of Orange against each other for the English throne. The outcome of the battle in 1690 was really the starting point of Ireland's troubles between the two religious sects. It's a long and sordid story which could fill copious novels, but I will try to explain in two paragraphs.
Trouble had been brewing for a while. The Catholic landowners in Ireland (which was under British rule) were being heavily taxed and not allowed certain rights. As they fled to avoid taxation, their land was given to Protestant English aristocracy who were willing to migrate. James should have been next in line to the English throne, but under new British law, James could not be king because he was Catholic. His daughter was married to William of Orange, so William was able to claim legitmacy to the throne through her.
Many Irish supported James into battle, seeing a victory for James as a victory for Catholicism. On the other hand, many Anglo-Irish supported William. The Talbot family (owners of Malahide castle) fought for James, and you already know the outcome. James was trounced in the battle and is now known as "James the shit" because he fled before a single punch was thrown. After William won, a treaty was signed which was lenient towards the Catholic dissenters, but this only enflamed the Protestants and the Penal Laws were introduced.
And yes, William of Orange is where the protestant orange and the catholic green in the Irish flag originates. He and his wife are also the same William and Mary after whom the college is named after in Virginia.
So, enough of the history lesson...now back to more important things - food! After we visited the castle, I took my parents to Howth since the town offers the best fish and chips in the Dublin area. Unfortunately, a dense fog had descended upon the coastal village and you couldn't see anything. I had to describe the cliffs to my folks and hope that they believed me since all they could see was grey.
Later that night, we went to the Blarney Inn for a delicious meal of lamb stew and the most amazing bread. The night was topped off with live music and Irish dancing. The female dancer was about the same size as my pinky finger, but its no wonder that she was so skinny -- her legs moved a mile a minute! Everyone clapped along as she and a male dancer did their fancy footwork. The wooden floor definitely took a beating as they kicked their heels and clacked across the ground. Perfect to form, they kept their upper bodies completely rigid while their legs took on a life of their own. We were lucky enough to be sitting right in front of the dance floor so we were able to enjoy the show while finishing up our dinner. The night was definitely a feast for all of the senses. We returned to our hotel room pleasantly full and content.
Yes, there is a menu specifically for potatoes! Awesome!
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