Mahon Falls, The Comeragh Mountains in County Waterford

A few weeks ago on a sunny Sunday afternoon, Patrick, Maeve and I set off down the N25 for a leisurely drive through the Comeragh Mountains.

Like many places in County Waterford, before moving here I wasn’t aware that these mountains existed. Now that I know, I’m saddened thinking about how many other Canadians come to Ireland and never make it to the Sunny Southeast.

Although it seems to be a stop on many bus tours, Waterford doesn’t feature in as many travel articles or commercials. I’m not sure why that is – the weather is lovely, the beaches are gorgeous and relatively secluded, and the Comeraghs – well, the Comeraghs have some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever experienced.

In the far reaches of the mountains, there is a short hike to a place called Mahon Falls. This walk is highly recommended. Small children and seniors will have no problem walking to the falls and back – it took about 20 minutes of brisk walking for me to reach the end. The backdrop of mountains on one side and rest of County Waterford on the other is breathtaking, to say the least.

When we arrived, we looked back at Maeve and discovered she was sound asleep. Patrick and I looked at each other, each trying to think of a way around the situation. In the end, I walked to the falls by myself and Patrick said he and the baby would follow if and when she woke (she didn’t; she was still snoring when I got back about an hour later).

The path is well marked and maintained and when you reach the falls there are numerous spots for picnics. Just beware of the wind – it can be really harsh and cold, even on a sunny day. Higher up on the hills, if you squint, you can see sheep grazing on the stumpy grass and heather. It’s amazing to see how high they can climb.

Mahon Falls is about 40 minutes from Waterford City. You’ll see a sign for the waterfall about ten minutes before reaching Dungarvan on the N25 roadway. The hike will take at least another 40 minutes depending on how long you stay to admire the view.

What’s On My Mind:

• Over the April long weekend we took a gorgeous drive along the Copper Coast from Tramore to Dungavan. I’ve been hearing about The Moorings‘ outdoor patio for some time now. As every Canadian knows, there’s nothing better than beers on a patio on a beautiful, sunny day. This patio didn’t disappoint (and neither did the food or beer).

Scrummy fish chowder & zingy chicken wings at The Moorings

• Breathedreamgo is one of my favourite travel websites. It specializes in travel – mostly to India but also to other areas – and focuses on solo women travelers. Even though I’m married with a bebe I still like to travel alone and I enjoy following the author, Mariellen, on Twitter to see what she’s up to. There’s an amazing giveaway on her website right now: a 14 day food adventure to India, in partnership with Intrepid Travel. You can enter here.
• I know Maeve’s only 8.5 months old, but I think she may have a promising future in hip hop. She poo-poo’s Raffi but goes crazy for Wu Tang. I’m both proud and slightly scandalized.

• The World’s 50 Best Restaurants was announced last night and I wasn’t surprised to see there are still no Canadian restaurants making the cut. As chair of Vacay.ca’s Top 50 Restaurants in Canada I know there’s some pretty amazing stuff happening in Canadian restaurants, from old-school Newfoundland cuisine to fine dining with Aboriginal flair. Maybe more 50 Best judges should visit more often.

Auberge du Pommier, Toronto

My favourite Huevoes at Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, Toronto

• I ate at La Bohème again last Friday. They have some great value prix fixe menus – an early bird for €29 and a Market Menu, which is four courses for €35. The Market Menu had more interesting selections so we went for that. We also indulged in a kir royale made with the chef’s own creme de cassis – amazing. So many fine dining restaurants fail to hit the mark for me – trying to be creative, they get lost along the way. Chef Théze sticks to his French roots and doesn’t mess around when it comes to flavour.

Waterford Lamb Rump with Almond Cream at La Boheme

• I have been loving the spring-time weather in Ireland! Warm, sunny and beautiful. It puts you in a great mood. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

West Waterford Festival of Food

Most non-Irish don’t realize this, but Ireland truly is the land of festivals come spring and summertime. When you’re planning a trip to Ireland, you’re thinking you’ll spend your days drinking in quiet pubs and seeing the Cliffs of Moher. You should definitely still do those things, but also, take a minute and check out festivals.ie. More than likely, there will be some kind of food, music or art festival happening during your visit.

Posing with Mr. Blaa!

With that in mind, this past Sunday Pat and I packed up our baby and headed to Dungarvan for the West Waterford Festival of Food. The festival began last Thursday and ended yesterday, featuring demos from some of Ireland’s most iconic chefs, a massive farmer’s market with hundreds of vendors and lots of great discussion events about food and food culture.

It’s safe to say the weekend was successful. When we arrived yesterday afternoon we were extremely lucky to find a convenient place to park. Grattan Square, in the centre of town, was absolutely chock-full of people, vendors, dogs, babies and stuff.

What kind of stuff? Well, some people were selling plants. Others were selling their baked goods and confections (my favourite were the homemade marshmallows from Cloud Confectionery – Pat tried their lime and ginger crumble while I stuck with vanilla bean). There were entire pigs being roasted on spits, two trucks churning out Butler’s Ice Cream on different ends of the square, a Belgian frites truck (only my favourite all-time kind of frite) and lots of hand-made crafts and art pieces.

Some familiar artisanal products being sold included Badger & Dodo Coffee, Corleggy Cheese, Ballyhoura Mushrooms (I spent all my money on shrooms; I don’t see these guys enough!), Tastefully Yours Chutneys and Wild About Foods (their nettle syrup is one of my most favourite things). We had a great time eating and buying things at the market; it was crowded but still relatively easy to navigate (I was so glad we had Maeve in her sling instead of the buggy).

There were a few events this weekend I really wish I’d been able to attend. There were seaweed foraging walks on Clonea Beach and hikes out into the Comeragh Mountains. There were so many great kid’s programs that we’ll be taking advantage of when Maeve is older. There was a Middle Eastern Feast hosted by Eunice Power. And there was a Sunday Demo with Rachel Allen featuring the new generation of Irish chefs – all fabulous women (Jessica Murphy, Aoife Noonan & Grainne O’Keefe, to name a few). Next year I’ll have my priorities straight and arrange for some childcare!

As we drove back toward Waterford City, Patrick and I agreed that there couldn’t have been a better host town for a festival featuring County Waterford cuisine. Dungarvan is a hotbed of great restaurants, pubs and people and the festival was all the more special for that reason.

I’ve said this a few times, but I can’t believe more tourists aren’t coming to Waterford during trips to Ireland – we’ve got the beaches, the scenery, the history and the food. Although if you come to Waterford from Newfoundland you may feel like you haven’t left home.

An Rinn, County Waterford’s Gaeltacht Community

I need to start this post by saying this is the best Winter I’ve ever experienced.

OK, maybe second best. The best was when Patrick and I spent three months backpacking through Southeast Asia. The worst of the Korean Winter was spent on the beach and when we got back it was June. We timed it very well.

But this Winter has been nothing short of amazing for a Canadian gal like me. Today was chilly, but not too cold and it was absolutely, stunningly gorgeous. The temperatures have been pretty mild (in my opinion) and haven’t warranted more than a light jacket. We’ve gotten some pretty terrible rain and wind storms, but I’ll take those over snowstorms any day of the week!

(To my Canadian people: I hope I don’t sound like I’m gloating. OK, I’m kind of gloating. Love you.)

Today, as I mentioned, was gorgeously sunny. Tomorrow, we are told, will not be. So we decided to make the most of our day and drive out to County Waterford’s gaeltacht region (meaning the residents only speak Irish – no English allowed!), located just West of Dungarvan.

Our first pit stop was at the Butlerstown Farmer’s Market for a latte, some venison and a loaf of brown bread (for next week’s cheat day). If you haven’t been, this market takes place every Saturday outside the Harvey Norman in Waterford City. Fab vendors, lovely food and crafts. We got back in the car and headed to An Rinn, one of the Gealtacht communities.

True to form, everything was in Irish once we arrived. The community is beautiful – lovely, big houses overlooking the sea, a well-kept playground and the water sparkling away in the foreground. We made our way to the wharf, where some fishing boats were just coming in, and took some photos.

A friendly dalmatian found us and followed us around for a bit. We thought there was a café at one end of the wharf, but it turned out to be a seaweed spa! I had no idea there was such a spa in Waterford. It’s called Sólás na Mara. I will definitely be back – I’m in need of a spa day and I’ve heard these seaweed baths are beyond rejuvenating.

The guy working at the spa told us we could follow a small footpath to a nearby cove. On the way there, we passed an old man and his dog. The man had clearly been foraging for seaweed as his Tesco bag was bulging with different varieties. I was a little jealous (wishing I had brought my own Tesco bag). The cove itself was very pretty. We were glad we came.

On the way home, since it’s our cheat day, we stopped at Merry’s Bar in Dungarvan and each had a “Fungarvan” Burger with a side of skin-on chips (extra yum). I washed mine down with a Franciscan Well Red Rebel beer from Cork. We felt right at home since there were three other babies crawling around the floor – Maeve had a great auld time.

It’s days like this that I feel grateful to be living in such a gorgeous place with such friendly people. No Winter blues here.

County Waterford Beaches

Over the past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to get some serious beach time in. The weather’s been hot, the water’s been cold and refreshing and the scenery in our county of residence, Waterford, I have to say, is outstanding.

When we were about to move to Waterford, many of the people we told gave us looks that said, “Why would you want to live there?”

It certainly makes one feel a bit apprehensive. We had no need to feel that way, though. I love Waterford, almost as much as I love Tipperary.

We live on the edge of Waterford City; literally ten minutes from the nearest beach and a quick walk to the countryside. We have all the amenities you’d want from the city – a cinema, plenty of grocery stores/butchers/greengrocers/markets, gyms and spas and shopping centres – with the feel of living in a small town.

It’s also a university city, so there are lots of options for nightlife and we have some great restaurants. The house we rent is a ten minute drive to Patrick’s work in one direction and ten minutes to the hospital in the other (that was a big selling point for us).

No place is perfect and there are a few downsides to living here as well; I wish it were easier to access the downtown using public transit, for example. That said, I’m used to living in the middle of nowhere and this is far from the middle of nowhere. And. We. Live. So. Close. To. So. Many. Beaches.

I haven’t had a chance to try them all, but it is a constant work in progress. If you take the Copper Coast Drive between Tramore and Dungarvan, you’ll find numerous coves and beaches. On a hot, sunny Saturday, cars will be parked along the sides of the narrow road, so you can take mental notes on which beaches to come back to. Here are the beaches I’ve visited so far – I’ll be posting more as we visit them!

Dunmore East

I love the coastal village of Dunmore East, and I’ve expressed the opinion several times already that I wouldn’t mind taking up permanent residence there. Although I hear it gets slightly gloomy during the off-season, in the summertime the beach is packed, the pubs are slammed and the hotels/holiday homes are at maximum capacity (especially this unseasonably hot summer). There’s always a lot going on in the village with live music in the evenings at the many pubs and restaurants. If you’re a golfer, there is a beautiful golf course overlooking the cove.

Clonea

Clonea is located near the beautiful town of Dungarvan. The beach is large and sandy, and on hot days it’s full of holiday-makers. I love this beach because you seem to get more direct sun – it’s not as sheltered as some of the other beaches located in coves. Clonea is a great place to come with your kids because it’s closely monitored by lifeguards. There are also a lot of fun rentals – kayaks and boogie boards – that your kids will love. The downside to Clonea is just how busy it gets on a hot Saturday – it can be difficult to find parking, so getting there earlier in the day is recommended. I do like that they have public washrooms, though, and the water is cold and refreshing, even though there tends to be quite a bit of seaweed to wade through.

Stradbally

This might be my favourite beach yet. Located near the village of Stradbally on the Copper Coast Drive and tucked into a sheltered cove, Stradbally Beach is sandy, less crowded, the water is shallow a long way’s out and it’s the perfect temperature for long, relaxing swims. The beach is surrounded by high cliffs on all sides, and near the edges of the cliffs you’ll find tidal pools full of sea creatures to keep the kids enthralled for hours (although the rocks are slippery and you’ll want to take care with small children). The downside? There aren’t lifeguards, there’s nothing close by (it isn’t in the village, but a few kilometres out), no public toilets, and there is a sign at the beach warning strong currents. It may not be the best beach to bring children to, but it’s still my favourite. Next time I’ll be bringing lots of snacks, though.

Tramore

The beach at Tramore is massive. It seems to go on and on for days. It’s a haven for surfers, the waves are fun to play in and it’s got a carnival atmosphere to it (thanks to the many shops on the boardwalk and the fun fair on the opposite end). Tramore is a great beach for kids – whether for playing in the waves or searching for sea glass along the shore before taking them for fresh fish and chips and for a few rides at the fair. The downside? It gets crowded, it sometimes feels too big and the carnival atmosphere, while nice and fun, is not always what I’m looking for in a beach. We do love to take our nieces here, though; it really is number one if your looking for a kid-friendly beach.