DAY 12: Whiskey Saves Lives

Observation of the day: Irish men & women are proud of their heritage. We have met many folks here happy to tell us Ireland’s history and even share their own family stories, e.g. one of our tour guides told us about her ties to the McCarthy clan which according to her, and some other resources we have read, also had ties to the Carty clan (McCarthy-McCarty-Carty were supposedly all part of the same family and broke into separate clans due to family feuding). The Carty clan (JM’s grandfather) was from Newry, near Belfast, in Northern Ireland and became McCarty at Ellis Island in New York.

Wednesday was another day of adventure. Upon the recommendation of Gerrit, our Ring of Kerry tour guide, we left our thatched cottage in Kenmare and mapped ourselves to Cobh, a coastal town which was the last berth for the Titanic before it crossed the Atlantic on its fateful trip on April 11, 1912. Cobh is known for its natural deep water port. According to our guide, it is the largest after Sydney, Australia.

Cobh was originally called Queenstown after Queen Victoria. The Queen visited Ireland for the first time in 1849 & Cobh was the first spot she set foot on. The locals were so excited they renamed their town in her honor. In 1922, when the Irish were “liberated” from the English, they changed the name.

Cuppacity Coffee in Cobh got a big thumbs up, including the clever coffeeisms.

We arrived to Cobh by around 9:30am and set out to find a breakfast spot. One thing we have learned is the Irish don’t do early. Very few spots open before 9ish. We happened upon their local equivalent of Starbuck’s and had a fabulous breakfast including delicious cappuccino & lattes for mom and dad.

  

Titanic Experience in Cobh.

After being fortified we headed to the Titanic Experience. Now, those of you who are our theme park peeps know they have Titanic attractions in every tourist spot we know – Pigeon Forge, Branson, Orlando, but what made this different is this experience is actually located at the offices of the White Star Line, the parent company of the Titanic. The White Star Line later merged with Cunard which as you know, is still operating today. In homage to their White Star roots, Cunard apparently still offers “white star” service on their ships.

McCartys ready to board.

The Titanic Experience in Cobh is really well done. To make the stories come to life, each visitor is given a random “ticket” with the name of one of the 123 Queenstown passengers who sailed on the Titanic as part of its maiden voyage with more than 2,000 onboard. JM was traveling in 2^nd class, EM & I were in 3^rd and of course, HM was randomly assigned 1^st class. At the end of the tour, you find out if your passenger

                                                                                       survived or not.

Model of the Titanic.

My ticket. I was traveling in 3rd class, but at least they shaved 5 years off my age!

The other side of the ticket tells you how much the one-way tickets cost. In today's
dollars: 1st class - $2,400, 2nd class - $960  & 3rd class - $640.

It is incredibly poignant to stand exactly where the passengers stood & to see the actual pier where they boarded the tender that took them to the Titanic. One of the things we learned was White Star Line was one of the first shipping lines to market to lower income emigrants, offering a third class that was more attainable to them. It is sad to think of the hope and happiness they were all feeling as they boarded the ship, and just days later what happened.

We stood exactly where the man in the bowler hat is standing up near the window in this picture. Many of the reference pics
of the Titanic which exist today and were even used by James Cameron for the movie were taken by an Irish Jesuit priest, Francis Browne. Browne was aboard the Titanic for its maiden voyage as a gift from this uncle, he was traveling only from
Southampton, England to Queensland via Cherbourg, France. A prolific photographer, he took many photos of the ship. While he befriended some 1st class passengers who offered to pay for his round trip to New York & back so he could stay on the ship, his superiors unequivocally told him "no." What a fateful decision to disembark in Queenstown.

This sign stands on the very spot where the 1st & 2nd class passengers stood (the man in the bowler in the pic above), in front of the White Star Line ticket office, prior to heading out to the boarding pier.

The original pier where the passengers boarded the tender that took them to
the ship in the harbor.

It also struck us even more as on April 18, 1912, those who were saved from the Titanic were delivered to New York by a rescuing ship – the Carpathia. This past Tuesday was the 105^th anniversary of that day.

Titanic timeline.

First class on the Titanic was truly first class. We learned the word "posh" supposedly comes from
"port out starboard home."

  

Although not fancy by today's standards, the third class accommodations were also "posh" for its emigrant passengers including the running water which most had never experienced in rural Ireland.

There were many amazing stories aboard the Titanic.  As has been depicted before,
the band was asked by the captain to "keep playing" to keep the passengers calm as they boarded lifeboats.
All of the musicians perished.

This was another story we found incredible. Being a good man and whiskey may have saved this chap's life!

I didn't make it on the Titanic!

Ultimately, we all enjoyed this stop and our only regret was not having more time to explore this quaint town. By the way, HM & EM’s passengers survived, VM’s was lost at sea and JM’s was also lost at sea but heroically, his passenger gave up his seat on a lifeboat to make room for women and children. We all thought this was very appropo as we believe JM would do the same, although he seemed a little skeptical.

After Cobh, we headed to Cork County to visit the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. We arrived promptly for our 1pm tour. JM is the whiskey drinker in our family, but we all learned many interesting things about Irish Whiskey, its roots and its global influence. 

Cool Jameson chandelier!

Arriving at Jameson.

McCarty clan: Selfie-stick Jameson edition.

Jameson Whiskey was actually started by a Scot who later moved to Dublin. We learned the whiskey industry has had many ups and downs. For instance, they had a booming industry and then the start of WWI blocked all their resources. Next, just as they were building their overseas business, came Prohibition in the U.S. And finally, shortly after Prohibition was lifted, WWII began, halting the transatlantic trade. It was basically Murphy’s Law – everything that could go wrong, went wrong.

Other interesting facts:

• The difference between Scotch Whiskey and Irish Whiskey – the Irish dry their grain (barley or corn) away from direct heat, where as the Scots blow peat smoke through the grain giving Scotch a smoky peaty taste.

• Irish Whiskey almost died on the vine. In 1966, to save it, the three largest producers came together and this is when production of Jameson moved from Dublin to Midleton (the site we visited).

The triple distilling process is unique to Jameson. 

• Irish Whiskey is distinguished by its triple distilling process. No other whiskey maker does this.

• The taste of Irish Whiskey depends on the barrel in which it ages. The barrel is made by a “cooper.” Jameson’s barrels are actually recycled from the U.S. and Spain. In the U.S., our regulations do not allow a barrel to be used more than once, whereas here in Ireland, they “toast” or “char” the inside of the barrel and can use it up to three times.

JM and his girls: Jameson edition.

Jameson has the world's largest single pot still. 

Jameson barrels are actually recycled from the U.S. and Spain.

• Depending on how the barrel is readied – toasted or charred – it gives different flavor notes to the whiskey. For instance, charred barrels give a vanilla note whereas the barrels from Spain, that largely previously held Sherry, provide a fruity note.

• According to Irish regulation, whiskey must be in the barrel for three years for it to be called whiskey.

• While the whiskey is being aged, it evaporates. The amount that evaporates is referred to as the “angel share.”

• Jameson has been smart marketers since day one. For instance, in addition to getting paid cash, all their barley farmers also got a shot of whiskey when they came to sell their wares. And all the employees also went home with a shot of whiskey at the end of the day.

HUGE vats are part of the process.

Platform boots worn by gentlemen responsible for malting the barley at high heats.

Picture of Jameson's fifth generation "cooper" or barrel maker, Ger
Buckley, featured on the tour.

Clearly, we learned a lot! As the tour was ending, the sweet, young Irish tour guide casually mentioned that the “Cooperage” door was open and what a special treat this was. Well, one of the things which had intrigued me on the tour was learning the origin of the name “Cooper” as it is the last name of my friend and former boss, Jane. I also was intrigued as the tour guide mentioned Jameson’s current Head Cooper, Ger Buckley, was a FIFTH generation cooper. The craft, including its secrets and tools had been handed down from generation to generation.

A glance inside the "Cooperage," which is typically not part of the
tour gave us a glimpse of the master cooper himself!

Well, as luck would have it, we happened to walk by the Cooperage just as the man himself was there giving instruction to one of the employees. We said hello and said, “Aren’t you the master cooper?” and he affirmed he was and he invited our crazy family in to his Cooperage. This was an incredible treat as he took 15-20 minutes showing us the interior of the Cooperage including his forefather’s tools and how they are still used today. He also showed us the wood he was currently curating for new barrels.

As we talked with him, we realized the world is truly a small place as he told us he had two Irish aunts who live in Century Village in Florida and he visits about every two years. He was very familiar with Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach!

Mr. Buckley was kind enough to show us the tools of his trade, handed down to him
from his ancestors.

Mr. Buckley pointing out Jameson's past craftsmen, including an uncle of the Irish actor, Gabriel Byrne.

Mr. Buckley's toolbox, handed down by his dad.

Mr. Buckley explained that he currently has an apprentice as both his daughters are going into other fields besides the cooper vocation.

In the end, he popped two of the barrel plugs, put his unique stamp on these and autographed them for the girls. Needless to say, it was as if we had met a rock star. We all felt really privileged to have met him, gain a deeper understanding about his craft and best of all, his family’s heritage.

Of course, the trip to the gift store was a bit more meaningful on this trip and JM invested in a special “micro-blend” produced by Mr. Buckley. Needless to say, this was an amazing experience. 

Mr. Buckley making his "mark" on the barrel plug.

It was as if we met an Irish rock star!

Meeting Mr. Buckley & learning about his trade was a definite trip highlight.

Mr. Buckley's special blend was named after
one of his unique tools called the "croze."

  

This is his family's croze which is decades old.

Our complimentary drink was even better after our special VIP tour (note: girls are drinking ginger ale!)

The restored part of the castle looks into the ruins, even from our bathroom!

We left Jameson at around 3pm heading to Enniscorthy where we would spend the night at a castle. We arrived at Wilton Castle (http://wiltoncastleireland.com) at around 5pmish and we all literally cheered. The place is truly amazing and even better than we imagined after reviewing its web site.

Our castle away from home!

JM is king of the manor.

Both sides!

Turrets surrounding the moat.

The old farmyard, very Downton Abbeyesque.

JM & EM practicing hurling in "our" frontyard.

To enjoy every moment of it possible, we went to the store to pick up some items for a supper and for Thursday’s breakfast as our accommodations include a kitchen. In addition to owning the castle, our landlords are also dairy farmers so we quickly went out as the sun was setting to see the cows being brought in for milking. It was really neat and the girls really enjoyed having JM tell them all about the process and how he considered being a dairy veterinarian for a short time.

Bessie & Lulu were just as curious about us as we were about them.

We ended the evening with a roaring fire in our suite’s parlor. We all are pretending we are like the Granthams at Downton Abbey. Absolutely lovely.

Thursday we will head out for one last stop at Glendalough before heading to our last two nights in Dublin.

NOTE: this post was written as a family affair while sitting by our castle fire. Due to spotty WIFI, we are just now publishing it as we have just arrived in Dublin for our last two nights. More to come later...

ADDENDUM: Our stop in Cobh has extra meaning as I was just informed by my dad via email the Oil Refinery in the city was one of three my grandfather had under his supervision when he was Director of Manufacturing for Esso (now Exxon) Petroleum years ago when he lived in England. Very neat that we were able to see where his oil tankers went out to sea.

Random pic of the day

We noticed this stamp on the old vats at Jameson and now wonder if
JM's family has ties to the whiskey business as his grandfather's original name is Carty!