Day 17 ~ Galway & Connemara

Today we explored the beautiful Connemara region of Galway. Each day I think we have seen the most beautiful part of Ireland only to be awed by the next day’s sights. After about 1 ½ hour ride through Connemara, we arrived at Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore Castle, as it was originally known, was built as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry who moved to Ireland from England. Construction began in 1867, and the 40,000 sq. ft. home was completed 4 years later. In 1920, the Irish Benedictine Nuns purchased the Abbey castle and lands after they were forced to flee Ypres, Belgium during World War I. The nuns continued to offer education to Catholic girls, opening an international boarding school and establishing a day school for local girls.

We explored the beautiful Victorian Walled Garden that are surrounded by majestic rocky mountains.  Weather changed moment to moment between sunshine and clouds.  We managed to never get rained on.   

This is a view just outside of the gardens. Lavender Rhododendrons are in full bloom everywhere in Ireland. They are not a native species and are causing trouble because they choke out other plants. There is an effort to get rid of them; but this time of year, they are so beautiful. Even mountain hillsides have the hue of lavender Rhododendrons.

This ‘Miniature Cathedral’ in neo-Gothic style was built by Mitchel Henry in memory of his wife Margaret.

Our next adventure was a  cruise on the Killary Fjord. We were served an delicious lunch including mussels. Here I am trying mussels for the very first time.  Much to my surprise, I liked them.  

There were many small waterfalls making their way down the mountain.  The objects floating on the water are fish cages from the Killary Salmon Farm.

On deck we are with Sharon, our personal photographer, and here her mom Susan.

Below are our Grand Circle travelers as we disembark the boat.

Boglands are areas of peat bogs and make up 5% of the Irish landscape. Peat is a soil made up of partially decomposed remains of dead plants. Over thousands of years, these plants have accumulated on top of each other in waterlogged places. Over the centuries, poor drainage and the buildup of dead plants created layer upon layer of peat.

Starting in the 1700s, the raised bogs of Ireland were exploited as a source of cheap fuel. Most of this was cut by hand and laid in the sun to dry before being burned. At the time of the famine, peat (called 'turf' when cut) was often the only source of fuel available. Below is an example of turf being dried in little upright piles after it was cut.

Turf, considered a fossil fuel, is cut into 12” long  x 5” thick pieces. As it dries, it shrinks and frequently twists.

The Connemara region was hard hit by the Potato Famine 1845-52. Below is an example of one of the many stone houses that were abandoned at that time and fell into disrepair in Clough Na Mara.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Ireland.  We will explore Galway in the morning and then begin the job of packing for home.

Day 16 ~ Galway & Cliffs of Moher

On our way to Galway today, we continued to travel along much of the Wild Atlantic Way Route. At Tarber, we took a small ferry across the River Shannon.

What a surprise to see Irish surfers on route to the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare!

We again ran into our photographer friend, Sharon, just in time for a picture with the majestic Cliffs of Moher in the background. These precipitous rock formations, towering more than 700 feet above the crashing ocean surf at their highest point, offer breathtaking panoramic views of Ireland’s Atlantic coast. These cliffs also provide nesting sites for tens of thousands of seabirds.

This is a zoomed in view at the end of this section of the cliffs

O’Brien’s Tower is a large structure built 1835 by Cornelius O’Brien as an observation tower for the hundreds of tourists that frequented the cliffs during that time. Folklore holds that he was a man ahead of his time, believing that the development of tourism would benefit the local economy and bring people out of poverty.

Below are the cliffs that can be seen below the tower to the right.

I again zoomed in at the end of this section of the cliffs.

Further up the coast, we arrive at the Burren. Its name is derived from a Gaelic word meaning “stony place,” and it is like no other place in Ireland. Instead of peat bogs and pastures, you’ll find a surreal moonscape full of huge limestone crags. In the distance, you can see the Cliffs of Moher

Our travel buddies, Ruth & Liisa, hanging out on the Burren

There are limestone rock walls everywhere. Even the distant hill of rock is subdivided with walls.  Rory, our program directory, is a stonemason when he is not leading tours.  He has worked on some of the stonewalls in this area and said that some walls date back 5,000 years.

Picturesque thatched roofed houses are more plentiful here.

, We arrived in Galway early this evening and then had dinner and live Irish music at a local restaurant with our group. Tomorrow, we will be exploring Connemara and Kylemore Abbey.

Day 15 ~ Killarney & Ring of Kerry

Today’s journey took us around the Ring of Kerry, a drive that traces the coastline of the Iveragh Peninsula. The sights were equal to, if not more stunning than, yesterday’s Dingle Peninsula.

We went through several small towns along the way. Early in our journey, we passed the cart of an Irish Traveller, often referred to as gypsies.  While the original Irish Travellers lived in horse-drawn wagons and travelled, most today live in caravans on official sites provided by a local authority.

The  Iveragh Peninsula is south of the Dingle Peninsula. We started our trip on the north side of the Iveragh Peninsula and travelled “anti-clockwise.”  This view is looking north to the Dingle Peninsula.

Loher Stone Fort was probably built around 900 AD by a local chieftain in early Christian Ireland to defend the surrounding farmland. Its high vantage point gave it great views of the land and bay.

A close up view of the stone fort.

Deenish and Scariff Islands can be seen on the right.

We ate lunch in Sneem with this beautiful view as our backdrop.

Most trips, there are only a few pictures of Bonnie and me together. Well, this trip we have our own personal photographer, thanks to Sharon from Palo Alto. Here we are at Ladies View.  The name apparently stems from the admiration of the view given by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting during their 1861 visit.

This view is looking in the opposite direction towards Killarney.  At this point, we are now in the Killarney National Park.

The Muckross House was built in 1834 and is located about 4 miles outside of Killarney. It was gifted to Ireland in 1932 and became the first National Park in the Irish Free State (now Republic of Ireland) and formed the basis of the present day Killarney National Park.

This is the view of the beautiful grounds and lake from the house.  If you look carefully just below the tree line towards the right, you can see one of the jaunties that ride around the park.

We ended our day at a sheep ranch where we watched Rose, the Border Collie, herd some sheep.

I can understand why Killarney is the most visited place in Ireland. The natural beauty of the surrounding area is not to be missed.  Tonight, we pack our bags once again and make our way to Galway.

Day 14 ~ Killarney & the Dingle Peninsula

Killarney is the smallest city on our tour with a population of only about 20,000, but more tourists visit here than any other place in Ireland. Our first stop today was the Tralee’s Kerry County Museum which helped summarize the history of Ireland for me. The first evidence of man in Ireland was during the Mesolithic around 5,000 BC. The Celts from central Europe arrived in Ireland around 500 BC spreading their culture and language throughout Ireland. Gaelic is one of the only surviving Celtic languages in Europe with west Kerry a major stronghold.

In the fifth century, St Patrick arrived in Ireland, and so began the spread of Christianity. The early church was more similar to the Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church than the Roman Church for two reasons: 1) The Romans never invaded Ireland and  2) The influence of Celtic monasticism.

The Vikings were next on the scene at the end of the 8^th century, and in 1169 the Anglo Normans arrived in Ireland. Then during the 16^th century, the English Crown asserted its authority by destroying the influence of the Irish Lords. Some of the history since that time has been covered in earlier posts.

After a walk in the beautiful rose garden outside the museum, we were back on the bus and arrived in Dingle for a lunch of fish and chips. I am not one to eat much fish, but this was delicious!

Our next adventure was visiting the beautiful west coast of Ireland on the Dingle Peninsula.  Even the cows and sheep love it here.  Actually, I think they are happy throughout Ireland.  So often they can be found lying down in their green fields. The only time they seem to be on all fours is when they are munching on the grass.

At one of our stops, we explored the Beehive Huts.  It is believed they date back to the 12th Century.

While at this stop, I got to hold a sweet little lamb.

As you can see, we were blessed with another beautiful day. Below are the Blasket Islands. They were inhabited until 1953 by a completely Irish-speaking population. The inhabitants were evacuated by the government due to the declining population and harsh nature of life on the island.

All over countryside of Ireland, small parcels of land are divided by using hedges. This hillside, on the other hand, was covered by an amazing maze of stone wall.

The hill in the distance was used in filming one of the latest Star Wars movies.  The three peaks to the right are called the Sisters. These pictures simply do not do the rugged beauty of this area justice.

On the news front, Ireland just elected Leo Varadkar prime minister on Friday. As well as becoming Ireland’s first gay prime minister, Varadkar, 38, will also become the country’s youngest leader, and as the son of an Indian immigrant, the first from an ethnic minority background. His position will be confirmed later this month when parliament resumes after a break.

Tomorrow we get to stay in Killarney and will tour the Ring of Kerry.

Day 13 ~ Blarney Castle & Killarney

On our way to Killarney, we made a morning stop at the Blarney Castle. We were so lucky that we got a break from yesterday’s rain and had a beautiful day today. The word “blarney” was coined by Elizabeth I to describe her endless and fruitless discussions with Dermot McCarthy over his surrender of the castle to the Crown. The McCarthys built the present castle with its 85-foot-high keep in 1446, replacing an earlier castle.  

I managed to climb the 129-step winding staircase that leads up a tower to the famed Blarney Stone. According to legend, anyone who manages the backward lean to kiss it receives the “gift of the gab”— a smooth, soothing way with words that at best mean nothing. Thank goodness there was someone to assist me!

The people across the way are are waiting for their turn to kiss the Blarney Stone.

This view from the top of the castle keep shows how high we were. Though the Blarney Stone gets all the publicity, the castle’s tower house and surrounding gardens are superb in their own right. The castle’s grounds also include caves, dungeons, and a rock garden of ancient trees and weathered stones.

Such a lovely touch to listen to the bagpiper at the base of the castle.

When we arrived in Killarney, we had lunch, then visited St. Oliver’s School, an elementary school supported in part by Grand Circle Foundation. One such project is a vegetable garden, developed by local asylum seekers in order to help provide healthy meals for the children and to give the asylum seekers an opportunity to help integrate into the community. The principal of the school spoke with our group and was such an inspiration.

Later this after noon we took a ride on a jaunting car (a traditional Irish horse-drawn carriage) for a tour of the forested hills of Killarney National Park and the Kenmare Estate, a former residence for an Irish noble family.

The park is so picturesque and what fun seeing it from a carriage. Ross Castle is a 15th-century tower house on the shore of Lough Leane (Lake of Learning). In the background is the Macgillycuddy's Reeks range with highest peak in Ireland at 3,406 feet tall.

Today has been another very full day with so many interesting activities. Tomorrow we will explore Dingle. 

Day 12 ~ Cork

Today is the first day that is has rained without break. Luckily, the day has not been too dependent on outdoor activities; but it makes for a post long on history and short on photos. In the morning, we rode our bus for about 15 miles to Cobh (pronounced “cove” - the bh is pronounces like a v in Irish). This town long served as the main harbor for the city of Cork and was a main emigration point on the south coast of Ireland. We were greeted by a local historian, Michael Martin, who gave us some insight into Cobh’s history.

In addition to the general history of Ireland, Michael spoke about the Great Famine, a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland between 1845 and 1852. The main cause of famine was potato blight, which ravaged potato crops throughout Europe during the 1840s. The political, social and economic climate also contributed to the famine. During this time, approximately one million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland, causing the island's population to fall by and 25%.  It was during this time that my great-great grandparents emigrated from Ireland to the US. There is a plaque in the Cobh Heritage Center honoring the USS Jamestown which brought food donated by the people of Boston for the famine-stricken Irish citizens.

The Harbor in Cobh is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbor in the world” after Sydney. Another important fact about the harbor is that it was the last place the RMS Titanic dropped anchor before heading across the Atlantic on her tragic journey in 1912. It is also the final port for the RMS Lusitania. The memorial below pays tribute to the victims of the RMS Lusitania. In 1915, this ship was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Cobh with a loss of 1,196 passengers, including 127 Americans. This action helped bring America into World War I. During WWI, 193 the American Navy ships entered this harbor.

The memorial below is to Annie Moore, a 15 year old from County Cork, who was the first immigrant to be processed at Ellis Island on January 1, 1892.

A highlight of a Grand Circle trip is the home hosted active they provide. Our 41 travelers were divided into 6 groups, and we hit the jackpot. At noon, we were transported to the home of Ger Martin, the wife of our morning historian.  She served us a delicious lunch of Shepard Pie.  In Ireland, Shepard Pie is always served with ground lamb.  If ground beef is used, it is called Cottage Pie. Below is their lovely backyard.

As you can tell, we were all happy travelers.

After lunch, Ger spoke about Camogie, what women’s Hurling is called.  A real enthusiast, she played on the County Cork team until she was 39.

For dinner this evening, we met my first cousin’s husband’s first cousin, Mary, who lives in Cork. Guess we’re not really related, but it was fun to pretend.  We hope to see her again next time she visits California.

 

It is time to pack our bags once again as we make our way to Killarney in County Kerry where my great-great grandfather was born.