Our Travels in Ireland
After attending the exciting Irish wedding, we traveled to Kilkee, a small town on the west coast of Ireland. Our trip involved a bus that wouldn’t start, a terrible fast food dinner and a very long day but finally Mary, Mo (Mary’s sister in-law) and I were getting off the bus in Kilkee. We stood on the sidewalk looking around when an elderly man asked if we were lost and if he could help and so we told him we were looking for our friends and family. He asked if we knew where they were staying and we said no. Mo came up with a local number, but had no idea whose number she had. Since our phones were not working in Ireland our new friend used his phone and called the number. After talking for a few minutes it was clear he knew the person on the other end of the phone. He hung up, pointed at a pub across the street and said, “Your friends are in there”. “What?” We looked over at the pub at the same time Peter (Mary’s brother) walked out. Thus was the start of our week with family and friends in Kilkee.
Mary and I started by staying inside the rental house but as more family members arrived we volunteered to move out into our tent which we put up on the side of the house. Tyler and Eliza were two that took a room inside the house after they had ridden their rented and packed bikes from Galway, camping in the rain along the way. Tyler was sick with a hard cough and needed to recoup before returning the bikes. In our daily hikes we started to experience what is called ‘horizontal rain’ and it turns out it is exactly what it sounds like. Rain, sometimes coming out of nowhere, begins to sprinkle, then to pour, then wind is added to the mix and suddenly there is rain going sideways. This type of weather has no effect on the Irish and life just goes on as if nothing is happening. We learned quickly to always carry our rain gear because there are great odds it will be needed.
Mary and I started by staying inside the rental house but as more family members arrived we volunteered to move out into our tent which we put up on the side of the house. Tyler and Eliza were two that took a room inside the house after they had ridden their rented and packed bikes from Galway, camping in the rain along the way. Tyler was sick with a hard cough and needed to recoup before returning the bikes. In our daily hikes we started to experience what is called ‘horizontal rain’ and it turns out it is exactly what it sounds like. Rain, sometimes coming out of nowhere, begins to sprinkle, then to pour, then wind is added to the mix and suddenly there is rain going sideways. This type of weather has no effect on the Irish and life just goes on as if nothing is happening. We learned quickly to always carry our rain gear because there are great odds it will be needed.
Stone structures on the road up to the house rental
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Many of the structures are still standing without roofs
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Magpie on a stone wall
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Beautiful cliffs overlooking the ocean
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A glimpse of the churning waters through a hole
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Bishop's Island-Local legend tells of a bishop trying to escape the famine brought food to this island, became trapped and starved
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Fulmars resemble seagulls that breed on cliffs and are usually pelagic otherwise
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The geology is so dramatic
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A spiral made of stones
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One of the high lights of this time was traveling up to the Burrens, an area of limestone deposits laid down over millennia with deep cracks that collect organic matter, minerals and water. In these cracks a diversity of plants, some of which are found to grow in northern climates and others from the Mediterranean area have taken hold. Located in the Burren region was Caherconnell, a small territory, home of a caher, which is a ringfort (enclosed farmstead). This ringfort was built in the 10th century and was in use up to the 17th century. At this site the Caherconnell Archaeological School is presently excavating an even larger caher at the Caherconnell site. In these ringforts people raised animals, grew vegetables, made clothing, and even traded with outsiders to acquire the luxuries of the day. The amount of stones it took to build the six foot wide wall that remained was just incredible. We ended the day at a megalithic dolmen (burial tomb) before our ride back to Kilkee.
The cracks within the limestone deposit
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Diversity of plant life within the cracks
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The stone work at a church in the Burren area
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Beautiful stone walls
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Remains of a structure at Caherconnell Archaeological site
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Megalithic Dolmen
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A wagtail struts across the field
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There are different types of crows in Ireland
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Goat and wagtail
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Soon it was time for Mary and me to begin our adventure of exploring Ireland and Scotland on our own. Clyde and Tara offered to drive us up to Dolan on their way back to Dublin and decided to take backroads through the countryside, some of which some had a grass strip growing in a very narrow one lane road with hedges or stone walls on either side. We had lunch in Dolan, said our goodbyes and began to search for a place to stay. A match-making weekend was going on in Lisdoonvarna and the area was filled with partygoers. Yet luck was on our side and a room was open at a nearby B and B. We met up with Tyler and Liza at a local pub and Tyler, although feeling better and riding to Galway, was still coughing. The next day we were off and headed to the ferry to take us to the Aran Islands. Everyone said it was going to be a dry day so we began our hike with our rain gear packed in our backpack. After about a ½ a mile it started drizzling and soon it was pouring. We scurried to put on our rain gear and ten minutes later the sun came out! Dry on the west coast is relative as we soon began to realize.
We boarded the ferry, sitting by the side so we could have a good view, and continued to watch all the other passengers climb aboard and fill every seat. The boat took off and the water was quite rough as we pulled out of the harbor. The first wave that struck took us by surprise. It came directly over the side of the boat and landed squarely on me, Mary, and the couple that were in the seats facing us. Soon I could see when the waves that would hit were coming and I began to shout “down” and then the four of us would get ready for the drenching water. I looked around, and since it was a dry sunny day, everyone else on the ferry was just sitting there, dry and enjoying the trip. Every time a wave came over the side it was like someone threw a whole bucket of cold water on the four of us. We finally made our first stop at Inisheer, the smallest of the three Aran Islands, where we had three hours to explore the island. We stopped off at a café and they allowed us to leave our back packs as we hiked around.
We boarded the ferry, sitting by the side so we could have a good view, and continued to watch all the other passengers climb aboard and fill every seat. The boat took off and the water was quite rough as we pulled out of the harbor. The first wave that struck took us by surprise. It came directly over the side of the boat and landed squarely on me, Mary, and the couple that were in the seats facing us. Soon I could see when the waves that would hit were coming and I began to shout “down” and then the four of us would get ready for the drenching water. I looked around, and since it was a dry sunny day, everyone else on the ferry was just sitting there, dry and enjoying the trip. Every time a wave came over the side it was like someone threw a whole bucket of cold water on the four of us. We finally made our first stop at Inisheer, the smallest of the three Aran Islands, where we had three hours to explore the island. We stopped off at a café and they allowed us to leave our back packs as we hiked around.
Overlooking the ocean from the castle on Inisheer
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The castle on Inisheer
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Roots growing on rock walls
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Irish folk singer at the castle
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Stone walls to contain cattle and sheep
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Irish cross against the sky
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The stone arch
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Celtic knot cross
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Mary admiring a stone wall
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Boarding the ferry once again we continued to Inishmore where we camped for a few days. After disembarking we walked about 1 ½ and miles to the campground and set up the tent next to a wall to protect us from the wind. I found stones (they are everywhere) and placed them on top of the stakes to hold down the tent in the relentless wind. We both started coughing as we were going to bed and although the wind was causing the horizontal rain, we remained dry throughout the night. However, the next morning we realized we had caught the Tyler plague. Mary needed some medicine to give her relief and I found myself walking the 1 ½ miles to town in the horizontal rain. When the only way to walk is looking down at your shoes you have time to think, and I was starting to consider if it was a good idea to camp on the west coast of Ireland. I returned and Mary and I spent most of the rest of the day in the tent.
The next day, feeling better, we began to explore the island. We walked to the light house tower which was inside a walled enclosure. From this vantage point we could see the circle fort and made our way down to it. Everywhere we looked there were stone walls and the fort itself was built with a massive amount of stones. Just when you think the structure has the most stones you’ve ever seen something else comes along with even more. Since no one was around and there were no signs we decided to climb up on top of the wall. “Such an ancient site, where are all the tourists?” Walking on top of the wall to the other side of the fort we saw another stone structure down the hill with a flat surface on top. After climbing down we made our way through one sheep paddock after another until we reached the stone structure and once again climbed to the top. We couldn’t figure out what this could be and then Mary saw a small sign on the other side of the top which read, “Danger, permit needed to be in this area”. Needless to say we quickly climbed down and headed to the pub in town.
While in town we came across a monument to honor two men who had rowed a boat across the Atlantic Ocean leaving from Orleans, Massachusetts on Cape Cod and landing at Inishmore. Mary is from Orleans and remembered her mother taking the family to see the two leave in their row boat. From town we hiked to the Black Fort situated on a cliff by the ocean. Again, there are no signs, no people, just stone walls and structures. On our way back, through sheep paddocks, we came to a road where Patrick, along with his horse and cart, was headed home. Patrick with his simple cart gave tours and was a taxi service, and with his insistence, we climbed aboard. On our ride Patrick would see neighbors out walking and converse with them in Gaelic, as well as telling us about the island and his life there. It was a spectacular day.
Setting the tent up out of the wind with stones on top of the stakes
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Stone cisterns collect water for the sheep
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Stone wall at the fort
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The wall at the fort
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This ancient stone structure (we thought) turned out which we found out later to be a modern day reservoir
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Hiking along the many stone walls
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The memorial to the two that rowed from the United States
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Why move this rock, just build a wall around it
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Sheep grazing within the walls
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Up early, we packed and ferried over to Rossaveel on the mainland of Ireland where we walked to a small grocery store. We were shopping when a man walked up to me and asked me, “Does Jay Peak mean anything to you?” I looked at him and realized that I knew him from skiing in Northern Vermont at least 20 years ago! As we left the store the clerk made us a sign on a piece of cardboard so we could try our success at hitchhiking. A couple from Canada picked us up and drove along the coast on The Atlantic Way, stopping several times to look at the spectacular scenery before dropping us of in Clifden.
The Clifden Castle
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The view from the castle
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The castle
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Hooded crow
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Overlooking the town of Clifden
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This little bird thought she was hiding
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After spending the night in Clifden we continued onward to Letterfrack, the home of the Connemara National Park. We were standing in the center of town wondering what to do and where to stay when a man started a conversation and then suggested we stay at the Monastery Hostel. When we found the hostel we knew from the outside that it was quite different from any other place we had stayed in….ever. There were so many eclectic items surrounding the building. We moved into our room and then started looking around the inside of the hostel. It was decorated with stuff from the 60’s, no wait, the 70’s and also 80’, 90’s and maybe beyond. I’m under the opinion that different people who stayed, or maybe worked there, brought things to the hostel which are still there. Books, pictures, decorations filled the halls, bathroom and kitchen. We walked down to the local pub and met the owner of the hostel, who turned out to be as interesting as the hostel.
The hike up Diamond Hill in the Connemara National Park was the highlight of our stay in Letterfrack. The land consisted mainly of bog which was formed when humans cut down and burned the trees to utilize the wood and clear for pasture. After many years the organic matter built up holding a high concentration of water within the bog. Wood that did not rot was trapped in the bog and later generations plunged iron rods down into the bog to find the wood which they would dig up and use to build their structures. Some of the wood found in the bog was laid on top of it to form roads to enable travel on top of the bog. This is a great example of how human activity can change the environment in a drastic way. Over time this once forested landscape was turned into a bog and to protect it now, there are walkways, stone steps and marked trails to keep people from walking on the fragile land. As we walked up the mountain the wind became stronger as we gained altitude. The climb was steep and finally we reached the ridge which also had peaks to crest. The wind was howling as we reached the very top. A large rock provided shelter from the wind so we could eat lunch before we made our descent to end the day.
The hike up Diamond Hill in the Connemara National Park was the highlight of our stay in Letterfrack. The land consisted mainly of bog which was formed when humans cut down and burned the trees to utilize the wood and clear for pasture. After many years the organic matter built up holding a high concentration of water within the bog. Wood that did not rot was trapped in the bog and later generations plunged iron rods down into the bog to find the wood which they would dig up and use to build their structures. Some of the wood found in the bog was laid on top of it to form roads to enable travel on top of the bog. This is a great example of how human activity can change the environment in a drastic way. Over time this once forested landscape was turned into a bog and to protect it now, there are walkways, stone steps and marked trails to keep people from walking on the fragile land. As we walked up the mountain the wind became stronger as we gained altitude. The climb was steep and finally we reached the ridge which also had peaks to crest. The wind was howling as we reached the very top. A large rock provided shelter from the wind so we could eat lunch before we made our descent to end the day.
Diamond Hill in the Connemara National Park
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The trail leading up Diamond Hill
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We made it
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The Monastery Hostel provided a delicious breakfast, followed by an engaging conversation with Steve, the owner. We made our hitchhiking sign, one side reading Westport and the other Sligo, and headed out. Natalie from Germany picked us up and we were on our way to Belfast and beyond. Natalie was learning English but we had no trouble in communicating, although when she didn’t know the word she would look it up on her smart phone while driving. There were piles of peat along the way as we passed the Killary Fjord, one of 3 fjords in Ireland. Natalie left us off in Westport where we ate lunch then continued our hitching which took us to Castlebar. The rides we received were so friendly and the conversations were informative. I believe that the human connection in hitching is something that is missing in our global society. It is this human connection that one can absorb the culture of the area that is visited. From the media our society gets the sense that the world is a very scary place, however when traveling on the road, meeting people and asking help or directions, the experience appears to be contrary. In Castlebar we decided we were spending too much time standing in the rain waiting for rides and we returned to the schedules of the bus and took a ride to Sligo. It was in Sligo that again found us with nowhere to stay. We went to the Beehive Hostel, which turned out to be full, and two young women helped us to find other accommodations. One of the young women asked us where we were from and Mary said, “Vermont”. The woman said, “I’m from Vermont, where in Vermont are you from?” I answered, “East Montpelier”. It turned out she was from East Montpelier and we knew people in common and this happened just a few days after meeting Michael in the little grocery store! They found us another hostel where we would spend our last night in Ireland. Ron, another guest provided us with debate and conversation on global issues. It was a great way to spend the evening before traveling to Belfast and catching a ferry to Scotland.