Celebrating "Back to the Future" Day on October 21, 2015 at Dromoland Castle near Limerick, Ireland. Discover things to do near Dromoland Castle.
October 21, 2015 is a date of epic significance. Back to the Future II centers around this day in time. It was a day that seemed impossibly far in the future when the movie premiered 30 years ago.
How fitting that I should find myself on a road trip to the West of Ireland and in some ways transported back in time at the historic Dromoland Castle near Limerick City on this historic occasion.
I was lucky enough to visit the castle on a work retreat. As always, I like to find time for a bit of fun on these trips and had a fantastic time exploring the castle both inside and out.
Inside a Medieval Castle
The current castle dates back to 1835 but the estate harkens back further to medieval times. We were greeted by opulence and shining suits of armour upon arrival.
SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Do the castles of Ireland capture your imagination? You've seen Dromoland Castle, now why not plan a trip to Drimnagh Castle or Ardgillan Castle in Dublin or a weekend trip to discover all the things to do near Kilkea Castle in County Kildare? |
A Formidable Structure
The sun even managed to show itself (not a guaranteed occurrence in Ireland, for sure!) I took a walk around the castle. The walls seemed menacing and impenetrable.
An Idyllic Estate
The Dromoland Castle estate features a prominent golf course and associated walking trails. Taking advantage of the sunshine, I was transported back in time with every step imagining how the lords and ladies of the manor might have gone hunting or for a leisurely stroll on the grounds.
SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT: Are you interested in other Ireland road trip itineraries? I recommend checking out County Tipperary and the Rock of Cashel.
|
Back to the Future Day!
So far, I felt transported back in time during my visit to Dromoland. However, I was soon whisked back to the present and a nostalgic look at the future on October 21, 2015 when a Delorean (minus the flux capacitor, of course) pulled up in front of the castle.
We immediately crowded around and channeled our own Marty McFly wishing we had 1.21 gigawatts of energy to enable us to see what the next 30 years might have in store. Imagine having a time machine at my disposal. Pure awesome!
A Homebase for Exploring University of Limerick
I got a true glimpse of the future during a visit to the nearby University of Limerick (I actually do work on these business trips although work can be fun too!)
In this case, it was a glimpse of the future of computer science as we presented to a packed house of aspiring software engineers. After our talks, we ignored the rain and took a brief walk around campus across the Living Bridge over the Shannon and past the cheekily named White House.
Time travel may not be possible (yet?!) but I love that fact that we can visit different periods of history all within a short drive from Dublin. Until we can actually build time machines out of Deloreans, this will have to do...