Tayto Park + Funtasia Bettystown + Irish Mall Carnival + Dublin + London: My Smashing ACE UK Tour Trip Report - Part II

Hello. :}

You ready to get your shamrock on? Today it's all about Ireland! 

As you might've guessed, as soon as we landed in the country we were met with the smells of Guinness sounds of of U2's Joshua Tree album.  

One rental car and restful(ish) night of sleep later, we ended up here!

Opened in 2010, Tayto Crisp brand owned/operated park started out primarily as a zoo and garden. Their original marquee attraction is a tour of the Tayto Crisp Factory (a la Hersheypark).

This year they built a new marquee attraction. :}

Say hello to CúChulainn (that's pronounced COO-cullan), a 105 ft tall, 3582 ft long wet dream woodie from Gravitykraft.

CúChulainn is an Irish mythological war hero who's likeness has been recreated in the form of a bust on the coaster's lead car. I think it's the first time that a human likeness has been sculpted onto a roller coaster train. You'll get to meet him in a bit. :}

Like that scene in National Lampoon's Vacation, we were literally the first people in the parking lot that day. Fortunately there was no giant potato out front telling us the park is closed.

I don't often take pictures in the bathroom, but I had to document this curiousness. 

The park started to wake up not long after we arrived. In addition to CúChulainn, Tatyo park is also debuting a Zamperla Air Race and manufacturer-unknown inverted death frisbee.

So much of Tayto Park is brand new, and some of it isn't even quite finished yet. :}

The park's main entrance is also brand new. In just five years, Tayto Park outgrew its original entrance and elected to move the operation to the park's new wing, making it the new entrance plaza as well. This park is ready to become the major regional amusement park that Dublin deserves!

Once the park opened, it was time to get ourselves some wristbands! Each wristband purchase comes with a large bag of chips containing several smaller bags of chips. :}

Everything in Tayto Park's new entrance plaza smells like fresh lumber and new paint. :}

There's the man himself! CúChulainn's entrance is pretty impressive for a fledgling regional park's first coaster, but based on what we've seen already it's obvious that Tayto Park isn't messing around. 

We've still got a half hour before rides open up. What to do...

Shopping! Inside Tayto Park's brand new giant gift shop! :D

I found this really funny for some reason and laughed about it for about five minutes. It's probably just me. 

Oh joy. Here's this thing.

I know that this is not of Zamperla manufacture like the Air Race, but that's about the extent of my knowledge of this ride (aside from the fact that it's one of the tallest spinning NOPES I have ever seen).

Transfer track activity began to take place on CúChulainn as other flat rides started testing. Only a few more minutes to go!

Delicious Irish Breakfast. ;}

Hey look! Air Race is open early!

I've ridden a grand total of 1 Air Race. I've decided they're more fun to watch than to ride. :}

Cúchulainn sat at the top of the lift hill for a bit.

Then they sent it through! And even on first run of the day, it really blazes!

After chit-chatting with park associates at the front of the ride for a while (they were super friendly and excited that we came all the way from America to ride CúChulainn), the gate dropped and we made our way to the front seat for the first ride!

Look at these beautiful, brand-new Gravitykraft Timberliners! They are the epitome of wood coaster train comfort. :}

The CúChulainn crew is amazing. Really chipper kids who adore their new coaster!

Everyone is so excited about the day's first ride on CúChulainn!

(also, do you like our matching jackets? We got cold. ;} )

Folks, we are in the presence of something special here.

CúChulainn knocks it out of the park on all fronts.

It's that "dream ride" on your favorite woodie, but every time.

Park guests flocked to the ride once the first train of passengers was dispatched. Kevin and I had to get a backseat ride before we explored the rest of the park.

Weather was sporadic on our visit. An impressive mix of sunshine and heavy rain!

Things were pretty sunny while we waited for our second ride. 

Once we got to the station, it started to sprinkle again.

As our train dispatched, it started to rain pretty hard. By the time we crested the lift hill, it was a serious downpour.

Kevin and I pulled our hoodies around our faces to protect ourselves from the fat Irish raindrops as CúChulainn ferociously shredded his way through the layout.

It was easily the best ride I've ever had on a coaster. Kevin and I were positively cackling with delight as CúChulainn barreled into the brake run. 

As quickly as the torrential downpour came, the rain had completely stopped by the time we disembarked from our second ride on CúChulainn. Giddy to the point of near-intoxication, Kevin and I proceeded to stumble our way into the rest of Tayto Park to explore. 

Though the new entry area with CúChulainn now dominates Tayto Park, the zoo areas next door proved to be quite impressive in their own right.

The geese may or may not have been part of the zoo, but the black swan was actually on the park map. :}

Don't leave Leopard! I want to take pictures of you!

(Leopard could not be persuaded to pose for me. Napping in a bush was apparently more important).

This cat was more amicable to my needs. :}

I don't even know what this is. Kinda looks like a guy I dated in college. 

And look at THESE cute little…things.

I know what this one is! It's a porcupine! 

We walked around only a fraction of the zoo, but as you can see Tayto Park has quite the ensemble of wild fuzzies! 

Don't worry. It will start pouring again in about 3 minutes. 

Oooh! What's at the top of this strange hill?

A great view of CúChulainn, that's what!

And also a totem pole.

Kevin and I really like Tayto Park so far. :}

Also part of the new area are the Eagle Sky zip lines and a horrific metal slide of death.

Here's the map of the park. :}

As you can see, It's actually quite expansive. The "You Are Here" sticker is actually roughly where the park's entrance used to be. 

The area that once occupied the walkway from the parking lot to the entrance to Tayto Park is now home to a brand new miniature train. :}

Extremely popular are these inflatable jump-o-line things. There's about 15 scattered around the park.

This area of the park also boasts a cool tree fort thing.

AND a rocking horse ride!

A very nicely-landscaped rocking horse ride.

Now we're getting into the gardens area of the park. :}

Oh no! Kevin has gotten stuck in The Crunchy Maze!

It's actually quite a neat maze. Definitely feeling shades of Roller Coaster Tycoon over here.

Here we have the pizza patio and dining hall/gift shop overlooking a pond. The deeper we got into Tayto Park, the harder it was to believe that it was only five years old!

The gift shop yielded cheese and onion potato chip chocolate! It wasn't as cheesy, onion-y, or potato-y as I would've liked, but it was quite good. :}

The pizza on the patio, however, was quite cheesy. :}

Now it's time for our tour of the Tayto Chip Factory!

The Factory Tour is actually a large walk-through tunnel connected right to the midway. You can take as much time as you want walking around this lovely hatchery of fried potato goodness. :}

If you like colorful hallways of info-decals, then this is the tour for you!

There's a really cool timeline of Tayto's history,

with a look back at how Tayto branding looked at conception,

plus a few appearances from some potato chip variants. 

There weren't a lot of chips being manufactured during our tour, but they still made a bag every couple of seconds to please the tourists. :}

(Look closely just above where those two factory workers are standing; do you see the red bag of chips on the conveyor?)

You can even pose as a bag of Tayto Cheese and Onion!

On the way back towards the park, you can treat yourself to Tayto's Vortex Tunnel (seen here receiving some repeat patronage from local kiddos. :} )

As far as these types of things go, it was a pretty cool tunnel. 

Not in America: Kids wearing jackets while playing in the splash pad!

I think it's about time for another ride on CúChulainn!

Oh, but first here's a closer look at the slide of death. That part in the middle looks like it would snap someone my hight in half!

Oh, CúChulainn! You are so beautiful and lovely! <3

This park has so much potential, and things are really shaping up nicely. Can't wait to see what this place looks like in another five years!

*prances*

Here's my new friend Shaun! He's one of the park associates that Kevin and I visited with while waiting for CúChulainn to open.

Quite a charming fellow. Nice job, too! May need to come back soon and pay him a visit! ;}

CúChulainn's layout is the result of Gravity Group's new signature design style. Gone are the days of multiple tall hills that get sequentially shorter; these days it's all about having one massive first drop and then a ton of low airtime hills and sweeping laterals.

It's a winning formula for sure. All of China's new GG coasters use this design style, as does the new Switchback coaster at ZDT in Texas! VERY excited about that one now that I've ridden CúChulainn. :}

Uh-oh! Looks like we ran into some ACE UK troublemakers who had the same idea as we did! It's Martin Puller and David Rager! They'll be on our coach with us as we gallivant across Great Britain!

(sorry I cut your face off, Kevin. You still look adorable.)

This is one of my favorite parts of CúChulainn. Though billed as an inversion, Tayto Park resisted the urge to build a true inversion on CúChulainn and instead opted for a 120º overbank (during which the train bounces you up and down like it's trying to shake the pocket change out of you).

CúChulainn's second tallest hill makes up the middle portion of the ride's double-up-double-down, which is about half way through the ride. 

Speaking of double-up-double-downs, do we have any Knoebels Phoenix fans in the house? Yeah. Put Tayto on your list. :}

CúChulainn's speed, pacing, smoothness, first drop, airtime, sequence of events, and figure-8 design actually reminds of Phoenix.

Or perhaps, a mutant Phoenix….

…from the future...

...sent back in time to save the world from an army of Six Flags loop "coasters" hellbent on destruction! 

Seriously. This is a great ride. Phoenix parallels aside, it's basically Wooden Warrior all grown up.

…on cocaine. 

Kevin and I are ticked that you cannot park under CúChulainn. 

Incoming! 

Woo! Look at all that hairtime and all those happy faces. :}

After a few more rides on CúChulainn, it was time for Kevin and me to bid Tayto Park farewell.

CúChulainn! Why must you be so far from home?? :{

On our way out we each collected a bag of chips as a parting gift. :}

Oh, and yes I did ride the twirling looping death pendulum. It was actually quite pleasant. :}

Before we go, it's time for a do-it-yourself CúChulainn photo tour!

When you enter Tayto Park's new car park, this is the view you are met with!

CúChulainn's first drop looks bigger and steeper from this angle!

Certainly gives a nice view of the overbank, too!

CúChulainn has two trains, but they were only running one today. However, the dispatches were still crazy fast! Way to go CúChulainn team!

Shoutout to Kevin for waiting in the car (seen here in the foreground) while I ran around taking pictures in Tayto Park's car park like a lunatic.

FEROCITY! THY NAME IS CÚCHULAINN!

By now you should know exactly how to spell "CúChulainn." I've now written it exactly 33 times in this report. :}

Goodbye Tayto Park! You are an amazing rising star in the amusement park world!

On the road again! Now we're right along the Irish shores to snag an elusive credit!

If you'd told me this is what Ireland was gonna look like, I don't know if I would've believed it.

In the sleepy beach town of Bettystown, a family entertainment center by the name of Funtasia promises a heaping dose of sensory overload for children and a credit for us international credit whores!

There's some pretty neat games here, the likes of which you won't find in your local Chuck E. Cheese's.

There's quite a lot crammed into Funtasia's narrow, two-story building, including a monorail, Ferris Wheel, and miniature train.

There's a nice selection of rides up on the roof. Kevin is thrilled!

Here it is! Wacky Worm #4 of the trip, and the UK Tour hasn't even started yet!

Some rides were more ready for action than others. 

SUPER-RARE IRISH WACKY WORM CREDIT EXCITEMENT! :D

In all seriousness, this has to be one of the most scenic Wacky Worms around. 

  
Does everyone remember my PSA from the last update about ALWAYS obeying park policies and ALWAYS practicing caution when filming on rides? And the stuff about the carnivorous bees? 

Ok, good. :}

Funtasia's got a pretty nice spread up here. Definitely getting the most out of their real-estate!

Thanks for the credit, Bettystown!

Next up: a shopping mall. Why?

PARKING LOT CARNIVAL!

That's right! We got BOTH Irish Wacky Worms! 

Cha-ching! That's WW #5 of the trip!

Thank you to Martin and David for the tip about this carnival. We would've never had a clue it existed, otherwise!

IRISH MALL CARNIVAL WACKY WORM POV INSANITY!

The real surprise was finding this Huss Take-Off ride. Not one you see too often!

(No, I didn't ride. Eff that mess.)

Ahh, the glamourous life of a credit whore. :}

Oh my God. It looks like a Toys R Us threw up on a Convoy ride.

Anyone care to count the IP copyright infringements?

Just soak it all in. It gets worse the longer you look at it.

Thanks for the credit, trashy Irish Mall Carnival! 

Look at these amazing Wild Mice I found at Lidl! They were some of the most delicious gummies I've ever had. :}

Take-Off wanted me to come back but I was like "no."

Dinner time! Featuring one of my favorite Fanta flavors: Exotic!

After a successful day of Irish coastering, Kevin and I went back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow's "transitional culture day," where we'll spend the morning walking around Dublin, the afternoon flying back to England, and the evening in London (albeit a teeny-tiny fraction of London, but it still counts). There won't be any coasters tomorrow, so I'll try to make the experience as quick and painless as possible for you. :}

We'll start the day with a local favorite: TK's famous red lemonade!

We finished off our last bags of Tayto Crisps and tossed our crumbs on the floor, much to the delight of local birds.

After dropping the car off at the airport, we took a bus into Dublin. I think this is a college.

Over here's a church,

And here's a building! With an H&M inside!

Aren't I a great tour guide? ;}

Kevin and I didn't have much of an agenda for Dublin. Just a few sights here and there.

Like I've said before, there's nothing I'd rather do in a city than simply wander. :}

We are, however, moving in the general direction of Dublin's Temple Bar district. Why?

My international lifeline, Hard Rock Cafe!!

I am a huge Hard Rock Cafe nerd. There is no artistic medium that affects me as strongly as rock music, and each Hard Rock Cafe is like a little regional rock museum.

Dublin's Hard Rock is a particularly special stop for U2 fans, since it's basically a U2 museum. I am a huge fan of U2. 

I put in my headphones and walked around Hard Rock listening to Joshua Tree.

There was crying.

Hard Rock Cafe probably isn't at the top of of anyone else's Dublin musts, but for me it was everything. 

Kevin was nice enough to let me wander around for about 20 minutes and let me have my moment. We didn't stay for lunch, but I did get my Hard Rock Dublin Keychain! 

Crafters and merchants are dispersed around downtown Dublin, selling everything from used books to incredible art.

The lads are everywhere, of course. 

There were artifacts from every national U2 Tour for sale.

A referendum of the Constitution of Ireland to recognize same-sex marriage was approved on May 22 of this year. There was quite a bit of gay-ness about as a result. :}

The referendum was since signed into law as the 34th amendment of the Constitution on August 29th. :}

It's not a real downtown unless you've got padlocks on your bridges.

These women have been sitting here chatting for years. Must be some pretty good gossip.

Why can't we have graffiti like this back home??

My favorite parts of big cities are the spots where old meets new. :}

Not sure what to make of this pointy thing. Kinda cool though.

The chimblies have plants growing in them. :}

!!!

We made several passes over the River Liffey. :}

The main reason I took this picture is for that colorful awning. 

Oooh! I wonder what's in here. :}

It's Dublin Castle! Imagine that. :}

Tours are offered, but Kevin and I just decided to take a quick stroll.

You just don't get stuff quite like this in the United States.

For lunch, Kevin and I agreed we weren't really craving the local faire. We opted for something a little more exotic instead.

Korean stir fry! I got teriyaki prawn and fried egg udon noodles. They were so good that I tore up the box to lick the sides. :}

Stir Crazy is an independent business and located at 63 Dame Street. The owner was very kind and thrilled to see that American tourists chose his restaurant over a pub! ;}

Speaking of pubs, Kevin and I aren't really beer people, so no obligatory pints of Guinness for us.

We've made it back to where we started 

Look at those knockers! They're lighter and more glossy than the rest of the statue from being touched for good luck. 

I'm not completely sure, but this might be a Pizza Hut. I wish the signage was more clear.

Oooh look! Street performers!

These are some very talented acrobatic individuals.

Oh my!

Oh myyyyyy.

After we finished gawking at the handsome street acrobats, Kevin and I wrapped up our Dublin adventure and made our way back to the Airport. We flew to Heathrow and checked into our hotel, at which point Kevin got ready for ACE UK Tour registration, and I dashed into town for a few hours.

BAM! Piccadilly Circus. My kind of landmark.

Like I said before, I live for old-meets-new in cities, so Piccadilly is a great place for me!

Lots of young people are here! I guess my generation agrees with me. :} 

Here I am listening to my favorite musical entity, British rock band Florence + The Machine. I'd decided that my #1 priority for London was to listen to Florence and prance around. 

Piccadilly is also a great spot for me because of its proximity to another very important landmark. (No, not Parliament or Big Ben or the London Eye. Those will have to wait until next time).

In case you forgot where you are, here's an explosion of British merchandise. 

Alright! I think we go this way!

Thank goodness for the three or four Starbucks Coffee shops on the way; I was able to log into WiFi to double check my GPS. :}

Lovely shops diverted me along the way.

It's fun to wander into a random store and feel like you're in a glamourous movie or something. :}

Look at these amazing treats! :}

With my Florence tunes blasting, I was basically having my own personal "That Girl" montage, except in London.

Diamonds! Daisies! Snow Flakes! That Girl!

Chestnuts! Rainbows! Springtime! It's That Giiiiiiirl!

She's tinsel on a tree! She's everything that every girl should beeeeee!

London credit! Authentic public toilets outside the Ritz! ;}

And look! Another London Credit! It's Hyde Park! 

On the border of Hyde Park I found this trellis-in-progress. :}

Then I happened upon a purveyor of incredible oil-on-canvas paintings!

They were inexpensive and beautiful and some were quite travel-friendly, so I bought one. I couldn't resist. 

I'm sure by now you've already guessed where we're going.

HARD ROCK CAFE LONDON! THE ORIGINAL! THE ULTIMATE LONDON CREDIT (for me)!

Yes. I am such a Hard Rock Cafe nerd that I just couldn't pass up the chance to go to Dublin Hard Rock and London Hard Rock on the same day. 

I know this kind of desire for my few hours in London will come off as crazy to many of you, but you probably already knew I was crazy. And you're still reading this, so it must not be too bad. ;}

I sustained chills walking around the Hard Rock London while listening to Florence + The Machine. It was everything I hoped it would be.

…and back to the hotel for registration! I know it was just a terribly-small amount of London exploration…there was potential for further visits later in the trip, but none of them materialized. Someday I'll be back for more. :}

Here's the painting I bought. I'm tickled by the contrast of the timeless art form and the modern subject. I had to have it. :}

Alright! That's enough culture for one update. More coasters and culture await on the first official day of the ACE UK 2015 Tour! :D

See you bright and early tomorrow! 

:}