These days there is a pilgrim hostel here at the centre of 30 kilometres of walking trails. Visitors to Mount Melleray can visit the Abbey Church with its magnificent stained-glass east window, browse through the Cistercian Heritage Centre, and have a coffee in the volunteer-run café
Oh, how we laughed during the Celtic Tiger years. As we boarded the homeward flight with our bags of duty-free and real estate brochures, the cynics among us giggled at the home holiday , as they called it back then. The rain, the Irish salad (a hard-boiled egg, a slice of Calvita cheese, a limp leaf of lettuce) and the pubs closing at 10pm of a Sunday night; when Music Lounge meant misty-eyed ould fellas crying into their lukewarm pints, while singing some come-all-ye extolling the virtue of misery and the Emerald Isle.
Oh, how we laughed during the Celtic Tiger years. As we boarded the homeward flight with our bags of duty-free and real estate brochures, the cynics among us giggled at the home holiday , as they called it back then. The rain, the Irish salad (a hard-boiled egg, a slice of Calvita cheese, a limp leaf of lettuce) and the pubs closing at 10pm of a Sunday night; when Music Lounge meant misty-eyed ould fellas crying into their lukewarm pints, while singing some come-all-ye extolling the virtue of misery and the Emerald Isle.