Civil Service Retirement outings

The had a tour guide in each one, describing how St Patrick began his mission in Ireland, establishing his first church and creating Armagh as the spiritual centre of Ireland.

The second outing was on June 10 when the group visited the illustrious botanical gardens at Glasnevin in Dublin.

The group was privileged to see the most outstanding plants and shrubs from all over the world. Later the visitors dined in the adjacent tea rooms where there was a first class menu.

The group also went to Farmleigh House in Pheonix Park - formerly a home to the Guinness family and situated in a 78-acre estate. The area is not owned by the Irish Government and is host to important government meetings as well as being somewhere VIPs can stay overnight.

The grandeur of the house was described by the group as “magnificent” with priceless ornaments and paintings complementing the beautiful furniture.

The wealth of the Guinness family was very obvious on their day, said one of the group’s member Ms E Cartmill.

Both enjoyable outings will be remembered by the group.