Sandyford, Dalkey, Dun Laoghaire, Wicklow Mountains - Sept 27th

So it looks like I have been tasked with writing up another day. Apparently, my deputy would be short on detail if she did it.

We headed out just before 9:30 to Sandyford and the Imaginosity Children’s Museum. We went in and Liam had a great time for about 2-1/2 hours. The exhibits are hands on for children of all ages. On the first floor there were miniature versions of a grocery store, a diner, doctor’s office, garage, house, and garden. There was also a great train set that kids (and parents) could climb into the middle of. There were a lot of exhibits I wanted to try also. We did try out the Rally car in the garage. On the second floor there was a tv station, theatre, science stations, a music area, a fish tank and a construction area with balls and pipes and a working crane. Liam participated in the teddy bear picnic. Such a place would be great for Bermuda.

Following this, we drove to meet Dermot who took us to Martello Tower No 7, which overlooks Dalkey - just south of Dublin. One of his Royal Naval Officers Association colleagues , Niall O’Donoghue, has been restoring the tower for the last 6 years. He is still restoring the ammunition store and some of the details. We travelled around the defensive fortifications and he showed us how the various shapes and materials of construction deflected shells and other projectiles fired from the sea. Inside the tower the internal fixings had been restored as close as possible to the original. Several modern fixings had been added, such as windows over the musket ports and a stair for modern convenience and for health and safety for visitors. He also showed us a video of the forging and proofing of the replica cannon he had built for the top of the tower and the history and first firing. It was a superb private restoration and we were privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to visit.

After this, we travelled through Dalkey and Dun Laoghaire and had a late lunch at a shopping mall in Blackrock. Then I drove through some smaller roads back to the Merry Ploughboys Pub. This was the beginning of a trip up into the Wicklow mountains, this time over the Sally Gap. We were very lucky in that the clouds were lifted and the sun was partly out, so the visibility was excellent. We travelled over the top and then down the other side. At a particular crossroads, we went towards Blessington and drove along a valley, over the Liffey and around the north end of the Pollaphuca reservoir. It was quite a few feet deeper than last Sunday. We then headed back to the apartment to prepare for our departure tomorrow.