You are invited to join other members of the Association and their guests on Wednesday 18th May for a coach trip to Wicklow’s Historic Gaol and Kilmacurragh National Botanic Gardens. Lunch has been booked at Hunter’s Hotel.
Wicklow’s Historic Gaol
We will leave Dublin at 9.30am by private coach from the Davenport Hotel (Lower Merrion Street, near Lincoln Place Gate) and should reach Wicklow Gaol in Wicklow town around 10.45am. You will have time to have a tea/coffee (at your own expense) before the guided tour begins at 11.30am.
Wicklow’s Historic Gaol tells a story of crime, cruelty, and exile. The harshness of prison life in the 18th Century, the passion of the 1798 rebellion, the cruelty of the transportation ships and hope of a new life in Australia can all be experienced in Wicklow Gaol.
The prison was opened in 1702 to house inmates sentenced under the repressive Penal Laws and continued in the role until 1877, when it was reduced to the status of a remand prison, before closing in 1924. The building fell into ruin before finally being restored in the 1990s in recognition of its historic significance.
For further information, see http://www.wicklowshistoricgaol.com/history/major-events/
We will depart Wicklow Gaol at 12.45pm and travel to Hunter’s Hotel for lunch, a journey of about 15 minutes.
Lunch at Hunter’s Hotel
Lunch has been booked for 1pm at Hunter’s Hotel, which is a fifteen minute journey from Wicklow Gaol. The hotel is Ireland’s oldest coaching inn and is set within two acres of renowned gardens on the banks of the River Vartry.
Lunch will be a main course only (choice of three – meat, fish or vegetarian), the cost of which is included in your ticket. You may of course choose to order drinks or other dishes on the day, but you will have to pay for that separately.
We have reserved the Garden Room which holds 32 people. If there are more than that on the tour, we can use other dining areas in the Hotel.
For further information, see www.hunters.ie
We will depart Hunter’s Hotel at 2.30pm for Kilmacurragh, a journey of about 15 minutes.
Kilmacurragh National Botanic Gardens
A guided tour of Kilmacurragh has been booked for 3pm on the afternoon of Wednesday 18th May. The tour will last about an hour.
Kilmacurragh is located in east County Wicklow and is the centrepiece of an 18th century estate that once covered 5000 acres. The milder climate, higher rainfall and deeper, acidic soils of this historic Wicklow garden provide a counterpoint to the collections of the National Botanic Gardens at Glasnevin.
Kilmacurragh provided a more advantageous situation for growing plants from the Himalaya and the Southern Hemisphere and is today famous for its conifers and calcifuges.
The association of Kilmacurragh with the National Botanic Gardens began in 1854, when Thomas Acton inherited the estate. He benefited greatly from the advice and support of Dr David Moore and his son Sir Frederick Moore, Curators of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin in Dublin.
In 1996, a 52 acre portion of the old demesne comprising the house, arboretum, entrance drive and woodlands officially became part of the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland. By then the house was in ruins due to a series of disastrous fires.
For more information, see http://www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmac/kilmhist.htm
Depart for Dublin
The coach will depart Kilmacurragh at 4.45pm and we should get back to Dublin at about 6pm, depending on traffic.
What the ticket includes
The cost of a ticket for TRA members is €36. A member may have one non-member accompany them on the tour, and in this case, the cost of the ticket for the non-member is €40 (as the Association is providing a small subsidy for members). Included in the ticket price are
- Transport by private coach
- Entrance fee and tour of Wicklow Gaol
- Main course lunch at Hunter’s Hotel
- Guided tour of Kilmacurragh Botanic Garden
Booking a ticket
If you are interested in going on this trip, you can book a place online below. Alternatively you can print out the booking form which has been sent to you by email and send the completed form with your payment to The Secretary, Trinity Retirement Association, c/o Pensions Office, House 4, Trinity College. Cheques/bank drafts/postal orders should be made payable to the Trinity Retirement Association.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Please note that if we do not have a minimum of 30 bookings, the tour will not be offered as this number is required to meet costs.
As we need to confirm bookings with the coach company and others, please complete your booking no later than Tuesday 3rd May 2016.
Executive Committee
April 2016