Studs and Crystal

Famous Vintage Crop in the background
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Today we left Dublin and headed down country, through rolling fields of green and quaint villages. A misty rain was falling and our tour director Mike said that this was not rain, it was "Irish Softness".

The first stop for the morning was the Irish National horse stud in Kildare. Here we were taken on a walk around the stud farm. We watched as our 1991 Melbourne Cup winner Vintage Crop munched on green grass in one of the paddocks. On our walk we were told of the workings of the stud, how each stallion would "cover" up to 190 mares in each 4 month season. The stud has 9 stallions in service, with 7 currently being rested, one in Australia and one in NZ. Cover charges range from $2000 to $75,000 (Invinsible Spirit) - the most expensive stallion in Europe, whose offspring this year alone have 47 winnings. When the stallion itself won the French Derby, the Sheik who owns the stud next door (and bought the Inghams stud in Australia), offerred $65Million for the horse, and was knocked back by the board. It was determined with the stallion only being 7 years old, could earn upwards of $250Million alone in stud fees for the rest of its life - amazing.

Horses for courses...

Invinsible Spirit - Euroupe's most expensive stallion
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We were also amused by the story of Tommy the Tease, the shetland pony that is used by the stud to test whether mares are in season. They sidle the mares up to his stable, and if he jumps to attention, then they are ready to be moved to the next phase. That is about as close as Tommy gets though - on the other side of the stable door! We were also taken to the Cover ring and told of how the mares are prepared for "cover", and that cover charges are not paid unless the mare is with foal on oct 1 each year. They do not guarantee a live birth though, with the mare owner being responsible for insurance coverage of their fees in the event that a live foal does not result after this date. With a gestation time of 11 months, northern hemisphere owners are seeking foaling after Feb 1 the official birth date for horses in this hemisphere.

Stud Stallion Stables... try saying that fast 10 times!!
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At this location is also a full Japanese garden, built for the original owner of the stud farm - a member of the Johnnie Walker Family. When the owner retired in the 50's, the farm was gifted to the British Royal Family (in return for a knighthood). When Ireland gained their independance from Britain, the stud and japanese garden was handed over to the Irish Government. We walked throughout this garden, designed by the famous Eida, and which took 5 years to build.

After a light lunch in the visitor centre we boarded the bus for the two and a half hour drive to Waterford. Here we visited the Waterford crystal factory showroom, looking at the magnificent masterpieces crafted by the company masters, including a four foot wine glass and a grandfather clock. We were (luckily) not tempted to buy any of the pieces - how would we get them home!! It was a quick bus ride from here into the centre of Waterford where we are bunking for the evening at Dooley's Hotel. We had nearly three hours for dinner, so headed out once again with our city map to see the local sites, including a look at the ancient city walls, Reginalds Tower, and a visit to the famous T&H Hoolihans Pub, where we downed a half pint of guinnes - uck! I had asked the barmen for the smallest glass of guinness available, and with a sly smile, he placed a shot glass of guinnes in front of me, before following it with the half pint. We all had a good laugh at this.

Bridge in theJapanese garden
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Dinner was provided tonight at the hotel at 7pm. Joe opted out of the appetiser (I went for the Caesar Salad), then he had Roast Turkey, and I went the Bangers & Mash. This was followed by "Tiramisu" - not sure how this got to be Irish?? At our table tonight we had a couple from the British Columbia area of Canada, and a guy and his sister who found they lived less than 10 minutes away from the first couple. It's amazing how small the world can be sometimes.