Headed South: Ireland

Yet Another Ruin

I guess if a million people hadn't starved and another million emigrated they would have kept things up a little better. As we drove (and drove) the ruins were everywhere -- churches, abbeys, castles. We wandered up to a particularly evocative one called Creevelea Abbey. We were the only ones around and we satisfied our more morbid inclinations by climbing the wall and entering the grave yard. There were very old stones but, interestingly, they still seem to be burying people there even though the whole place is destroyed. We'll throw in a few pictures to let you enjoy the atmosphere.

The old stone structure of the Abbey was intact.

The inside of the Abbey was converted into a cemetery.

Even the stonework for the stained glass windows was intact.

This statue of Jesus was tucked back in the wall of the Abbey.

The detail of the inscription in the photo below says it all.

A Day At The Beach

Tired of the tourist route, we asked our concierge at Lough Rynn where he would go for the day if he wanted to enjoy the local color. He didn't hesitate a moment. "Well, I'd head right off to Sligo to the beach." Now we enjoyed exceptional weather on the entire trip. Maybe 6 hours of rain or drizzle over five and a half weeks. Several of those rainy hours took place in Sligo. One would think that this would dampen the enthusiasm of the locals for cavorting seaside but not at all. They are apparently so used to vile weather that they just keep on keeping on -- a bit like Seattle.

So, here is what we found. The beaches were mostly rocks. The water was absolutely frigid. Small children were stripped to their underwear and were sliding around on the moss covered rocks and dipping in the significant surf. This, in spite of the fact that there were a zillion signs telling you not to go in the water due to rip tides, undertows and hypothermia. They are a hardy lot. Beyond this, hundreds of people had decided to camp that weekend. Ever adaptable, they bring their campers and then they append a giant plastic room off the side of it so that they can bring most of their household goods and sit in the rain (but dry) looking at the forbidding ocean. I believe if they ever saw the Caribbean they would never go to Sligo again.

We were a bit cold so stopped by a restaurant for lunch. I ordered the vegetable soup. The waitress returned with potato/leek soup. I said, "I thought you had vegetable soup." She said, "Well, they are in the vegetable FAMILY". Couldn't argue with that. At another pub lunch we were seated next to a family chatting merrily away. Being extroverted I leaned over and asked if their native language was Gaelic (some DO speak it). The man laughed and said, "No, we're Dutch." Very cosmopolitan Deirdre.

The cold Atlantic did not deter these young boys from frolicking in the surf.

Maeve was a legendary warrior Queen of Connacht. William Butler Yeats wrote a poem about Old Queen Maeve. We were going to visit her reputed burial place, but we ran out of time and energy.

There were wild flowers everywhere we went, even by the Ocean.

There was very little sand mostly mossy rocks or much larger rocks as seen below.

The Caverns

I don't even remember the name. This is what happens when you are 65+ and don't take notes. Had the Thai Soccer team already been trapped I never would have gone in but ignorance is bliss. The caves were pretty spectacular. They did, however, require descending hundreds of steps to reach the mouth, an hour of slipping around and trying not to hit your head, and another few hundred steps up. Michael's knees and my lungs were becoming a bit decrepit by the end. It also involved an underground boat ride, a few screaming children but no bats so I was OK with it. Hopefully, the photos will convince us that it was all worth it.

Pictures of the limestone cavern.

This stalactite was over 2 meters in length. Since they only grow .00028 to .037 inches per year, this stalactite is quite old. The tip on this stalactite was broken off accidentally, so they have put an artificial tip on, hoping it will continue to grow.

There is no Giant at the Giant's Causeway

This sight was VERY high on Michael's list of things to do. And apparently a million other people's lists. The problem with viewing nature is people. I mean you want to see nature. Not several thousand people taking selfies. Now that I am done complaining, I will say that as a geological wonder it really is among the top twenty I've seen. I had pictured that you drove up, got out of your car, walked to a cliff, looked down and saw The Giant's Causeway. Done. Not so. The photos will show the path to the Causeway. Thanks God there was a shuttle bus for the return. Really.

The cliffs and scenery around the Giant's Causeway was as spectacular as the causeway & a lot less crowded.

You can see the numbers of people scrambling over the causeway, despite signs warning against it.

In the background you can just see the people making their way along the road to the causeway.

The shape of the rocks that make up the causeway is the unique attraction.

You can see that same shape in these columns in the mountainside behind the causeway.

Bushmill Distillery

After all that exertion we felt that a wee dram was deserved. We headed to Bushmill's (a convenient five minute drive) and partook of their excellent beverage. I discovered that while I have quite a tolerance for visiting wineries, I can do two distilleries and then I'm like "OK. Big copper vats, dripping liquid. It's all the same. Let's just buy a bottle and go." Michael is more a whiskey/scotch lover and he certainly did love his time at the distilleries. More on that (I'm afraid) in Scotland. Speaking of Scotland, a weird thing was that we saw more kilts in Ireland than we did in Scotland. There was a wedding at one of our hotels and many guys were wearing kilts. The little boys looked particularly smashing in the kilts and jackets. See, I'm not really a negative nelly.

Dear Donegal

Yes, yet another castle. It was small but very elegant. From there we decided we needed to get on the water so signed up for a "three hour cruise". It was so tacky it was fun. There was a constant commentary on very mundane spots/events on the way out. But then we saw all the seals. People think that the seals are the origin of the Selkie myths common in Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia. I've always loved them. Selkies are seal-like animals in the sea but when the come ashore, they shed their skins and shape shift into either men or women. They can be affable, amorous or get into mischief. There is usually a very unhappy romantic adventure between mortals and Selkies with the Selkies ending up on the losing end --always. Anyway, it was interesting to watch the seals and cogitate on the kind of mind that would mistake seals for Selkies. On the return trip, we were treated to a truly inane song and dance and joke routine which was featured as "pure Irish". The bus tour loved it.

This is Donegal Castle. The square rooms on either side were a unique feature of the castle.

We saw these oystercatchers along the shore...

and many seals basking on the sandbar.

The End is Near

Well, at least for the Ireland portion of the trip. Our last day was spent at Cabra Castle which was probably my favorite hotel/castle/country house. Hopefully, Michael has some pictures. So, onward to Scotland! Take care.