Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Ennis

  • Ireland – Ennis – Cooks Lane Cafe and Deli

    On the hunt for a breakfast that wasn’t some greasy fry-up, this cafe was well recommended on-line, although is just slightly hidden down a back street. When I went in I was the only customer, which isn’t necessarily a particularly good first impression.

    The welcome was lovely and the cafe was clean and comfortable, with the staff member being engaging and helpful. The cafe never got busy, but there were several more customers who entered whilst I was in there, so it clearly isn’t entirely unpopular.

    Some modern design without trying to make the cafe into some over-designed boutique environment.

    The latte was at a temperature that I could drink and had a rich taste, so my expectations were met there.

    And the breakfast, which was bacon, tomatoes and poached eggs on top of a sourdough bread base, with rocket placed on top. This was excellent, the bacon was cooked properly as there’s nothing more irritating (in breakfast terms only, as there are many more irritating situations in the world at the moment) than bacon which has just been wafted vaguely over a heat source. The bacon also wasn’t fatty, which saved me spending ages trying to cut the fat off, and the eggs were perfect so they were runny when cut into. The rocket added a peppery flavour and the tomatoes were plentiful and had some taste to them, not the watery taste variety that is far too common. The sourdough bread also had a pleasant taste and there was a quality across the ingredients, with a clean and simple presentation.

    The breakfast and coffee cost around £8, which for the quality entirely met my expectations. The service was engaging, warm and attentive, and the cafe perhaps deserves to be much busier in the mornings. All very lovely.

  • Ireland – Ennis – Independence

    A copy of the proclamation of independence from the Irish Provisional Government. It’s located next to the Centurial Sphere which was installed to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Easter Uprising.

  • Ireland – Ennis – Knox’s Pub

    I’ve been to many pubs in Dublin over the years, but this is the first pub that I’ve visited in Ireland outside of the capital city. It claims to be the oldest pub in the town of Ennis and was also well reviewed and looked like it had plenty of character.

    Looking down from the first floor down onto the bar, a mix of contemporary style without removing the character and historic charm of the interior.

    There was plenty of character in the pub, it felt all very Irish, which it should since it’s in Ireland. So it was just what I’d hoped for in terms of the general ambience. And the welcome was equally friendly, a swift acknowledgement and then an engaging and really helpful staff member. Indeed the service was friendly and welcoming throughout, so I can see that both visitors and locals would be content visiting here.

    Later on the staff member asked politely why I’d opted for this and not Guinness, but much as I like Dublin’s finest, I prefer Murphy’s. I think there’s a debate about this matter across the whole country, but this has a more chocolate milk and sweeter flavour for me. So it’s Murphy’s in the day and Guinness in the evening.

    Fish and chips, well presented and everything was hot and of a decent quality. I suppose the chips could have been cooked for marginally longer, but they still had a pleasant taste. The batter on the fish was rich and is apparently made using Western Herd beer, which I think explains the darker colouring. It was crispy and the hake had a subtle flavour. The salad element had some mustard dressing on and had a variety of tastes and textures.

    The bill came to around £15, which I felt was reasonable given the quality of the food and drink, as well as the friendliness of the service. For my first visit to a pub in Ireland outside of Dublin, I was though very satisfied and it met my quite high expectations. I can only hope that the other pubs on this trip will be equally as charming and welcoming.

  • Ireland – Ennis – River Fergus

    Just some photos of the River Fergus, which runs through the heart of Ennis.

  • Ireland – Ennis – Steele’s Rock

    This quirky little memorial marks where Tom Steele, a friend of Daniel O’Connell, would sit so that he could look over the river to try and see Matilda (Eileen) Crowe who lived in the house opposite. Matilda was the love of Tom’s life, but she didn’t acknowledge him and so after a while he went instead to Spain feeling just a little desolate.

    Steele, also known as Honest Tom Steele, certainly appears to have been a bit of a character, and I might have seen his grave in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin as it’s near to that of Daniel O’Connell. When O’Connell died in 1847 the loss hit Steele hard and he tried to commit suicide in London by throwing himself off a bridge into the River Thames. He was saved, but died shortly afterwards.

    And the rock which Steele sat on…..