Bask in the beauty & history of Ireland on luxury train
Irecently took a train tour in Ireland — and it wasn’t your garden-variety caravan, but the Belmond Grand Hibernian. Officially launched in August of 2016, the Grand Hibernian is a sister train of other Belmond acquisitions, which are often referred to as “country houses on rails.” They embody the very essence of luxurious train travel. I left Dublin’s Heuston Station for a twonight “Taste of Ireland” tour (north to Belfast on the first day and south to Cork on the second), but there’s also a four-night “Loughs and Legends,” or the two itineraries can be combined for a real Irish adventure.
Limited to just 40 passengers, and with a multinational staff dedicated to fulfilling your every wish, the train seems like one giant house party on wheels.
Just name your pleasure in the Observation Bar Car, and the genial bartenders can whip it up — everything from specialty cocktails using gunpowder gin to Manhattans and whiskey sours for bourbon lovers.
About the only thing they can’t conjure up is the lifeblood of Ireland, Guinness on tap, as there is no room for kegs, but there is a supply of Draught in cans.
Meal times in the two exquisitely appointed dining rooms are an excellent way to get acquainted with fellow passengers. With tables set for four (the Wexford) and six (the Sligo), friendships start to develop with the first dish. My dining companions ranged from an Ohio couple and a Californian to a lady from Edinburgh and a gentleman from Paris.
If dinner is dignified and refined, after-dinner in the bar car gets a bit livelier, when the Jameson flows and the entertainers (a mix of balladeers and musicians) start to warm up.
The train’s public spaces prove that Ireland’s greatest poet, William Butler Yeats, had it right when he penned, “There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.”
Once the frolicking ends and it’s time to retire for the night, guests make their way to one of 20 en-suite cabins that combine traditional design and modern amenities. Wood paneling and original watercolors are softened by the addition of soft woolen throws and vases of fresh posies. And since the train “stables” overnight, you’re guaranteed a restful sleep.
I loved the warmth of my cabin and its comfortable bed, but the bathroom provided some challenges — most notably taking a shower without bruising elbows and shins.
On Day 1, we headed north to Belfast, crossing the border that separates the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom.
There are no border formalities between the two. Our afternoon tour of Belfast included two stops — the first an area associated with Ireland’s “troubles,” and the second, a tribute to an earlier tragedy.
Black taxis took us to Belfast’s two once-volatile neighborhoods — Shankill Road, where the residents are Protestant, and The Falls, a Catholic enclave — the scenes of much violence during the period of unrest beginning in the 1970s.
Since the Good Friday