Ireland

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From Post Cards


Wicklow, Ireland
We’re in Ireland after catching the night bus and ferry from London. Exhausting! Arrived in Dublin, hired a car (luxury after back packing) and drove through beautiful Wicklow mountains to a B& B. It’s fantastic to be with Ally – she’s also in 7th heaven.


Kilkenny
We visited this lovely town – Ireland’s finest Medieval city with gorgeous castle and cathedrals. We climbed the round tower of St Canice’s Cathedral (see top left photo) – took us half an hour because we met a large Italian school group coming down!

We arrived at this impressive hill top place in late afternoon and had a lovely walk. Ireland is more than living up to its reputation – great scenery with wonderful friendly people. I can see where Liz Twemlow inherited her sunny personality!


Blarney Castle, Ireland
Ally and I kissed the Blarney Stone today (see top right photo) so now we are officially blessed with the “gift of the gab”. Haven’t been able to stop talking since! It wasn’t easy – you have to kiss the stone backwards, suspended over a 100 feet drop for it to work.


Guinness
Mother’s milk this Guinness – and so many pubs to drink it in! We’ve already visited more than I can remember. Great pub food too – especially the Irish stew. Ally and I camped last night and tonight – very cheap and convenient. We’ve borrowed a fantastic tent from Ally’s aunt. All we need is a mattress! The little red Mazda is going like a bomb. Ally sends her love and says hi.


West Cork
We spent a day driving round the beautiful Beara Peninsula. Really remote (almost no tourists!) with very narrow, windy roads that follow the gorgeous cliffs and blue sea. Completely relaxing – except when you meet another car coming the other way! We stopped at Dunboy Castle, a derelict but very impressive ruin. Then drove to the peninsula’s most SW point – “Windy Point” where a cable car carries people (and sheep!) to Dursey Island. We stopped at a little restaurant where I bravely sampled black pudding (barley soaked in blood). Delicious if you don’t let the colour put you off!


Eeries
Isn’t this a beautiful village? Every house is a different colour. We stopped at the tiny petrol shop. In Ireland, like Britain, you pump your own gas. Inspired by the town, I’ve decided to paint my house purple as soon as I return.


Glengarriff
This is the town where we camped last night. Really nice camp site with its own pub and traditional music. It’s cool at night but my super down sleeping bag keeps us as snug as a bug.


Kerry
Today we explored the Kerry Peninsula –more beautiful cliffs and sea with quaint villages every couple of miles (all with more pubs than houses). We gave a lift to a wonderful 70 year old local farmer who regaled us with hearty stories. Also visited an ancient stone circle and hugged the rocks.


Dingle
This is the beautiful beach in Dingle that we lazed on for hours – soaking up some very welcome sun. The water was rather chilly so we didn’t venture a swim like some of the die-hard locals. The colour of the sea in Ireland is a magical turquoise and unbelievably calm – like something straight out of a postcard!

We’ve been spending a couple of days exploring the Dingle Peninsula. The weather improved a bit so we got to laze on some gorgeous beaches. We also went on a boat trip to see Fungi, Dingle’s friendly wild dolphin who lives in the bay (has done so for 14 years) and loves people – frolicking with swimmers and boats. He gave us a great show – hard to believe he is wild and catches all his own food.

There are some extra ordinary prehistoric buildings here in Dingle like this one – completely made of stone without any cement holding it together. Venturing inside is a real act of faith – you keep thinking it will collapse on you – yet stand it has since the 8th century.


Pub Life
Ally and I are absolutely relishing the pub life here in Ireland. The weather has been rather cool and raining, so we sometimes spend hours soaking up the atmosphere (and warmth) especially on evenings when we camp! Pub food is fantastic – the Irish are great cooks – particularly of Irish stew – huge bowls of steaming mutton. We’ve also become addicted to Irish coffee – and of course, lots and lots of Guinness. Pubs are always full of friendly locals wanting to know our life stories and often there is fantastic traditional Irish music. All in all a very warm and social experience.


Crag Cave
We visited Crag Cave on the way to the cliffs of Moher. Very impressive but not a scratch on the Cango Caves.


Blennerville
When I saw this I felt as though I was back in Holland. The Irish have lovingly restored this old windmill and we got to see all its internal workings. Tralee is famous as the port where 100’s of thousands of Irishmen launched off for America during the great potato famine in mid 1800’s.


Cliffs of Moher
I saw some very impressive cliffs in Wales and England but none so spectacular as these – the cliffs of Moher in W. Ireland. They soar 700 feet above a seething sea, with indescribable views and a network of paths to explore. AN awesome experience is to get on your belly and wriggle forwards to peer straight over the cliffs onto the rocks and sea below – gives you an adrenaline high for days. Gramps, I don’t think this would be your favourite pastime!

More views of the cliffs of Moher. The bird life here is awesome – guillemots, razorbills, puffins (all exotic sea birds I’ve always dreamed of seeing) next on the cliffs in easy view. I nearly dropped my binoculars over the cliff in my excitement.


The Burren
We passed through “the Burren” on the way to Donegal – an extraordinary lunar like landscape of rocky outcrops with a bit of hardy green grass poking through there and there. The weather has become spectacular – hot, sunny and completely still. We spent the entire morning lapping up the sunshine at the Cliffs of Moher and now we’re heading north, visiting several of the beaches on the way. The water is cold but hasn’t stopped us from swimming. We’re feeling very summery and slightly sunburnt. You’ll be glad to hear we’ll be giving Northern Ireland a miss – all hell has broken loose there with the Orange Grove marches.

More stunning coast line and scenery. It never seems to end. Fantastic beaches all the way – it’s so difficult deciding which ones to stay at – they are all so enticing. There are very few tourists here so we often have a place to ourselves. The locals are as friendly as ever.


Rosgull
We’ve arrived at one of the most scenic peninsulas in all of Ireland – Rosgull. Exquisite beaches. The weather continues to be fantastic so we are in seventh heaven. The beach in the postcard photo was one of our “lazy stops” on our journey along the “Atlantic Drive”.


Our very own castle
We stopped off at this stunning forest park on our long trip from Donegal to Dublin. We noticed an ancient castle ruin on one of the islands so hired a boat and rowed out to it. Beautiful, solitary and very romantic.


End of our trip
Here is the complete journey that we’ve made through Ireland. As you’ve probably fathered, we had an awesome time. Ireland is a friendly and beautiful country that I could visit over and over. Of course, having Ally with me was a wonderful treat. I am really going to miss her in Israel.

We spent our last day in Dublin. Tomorrow it’s back to London. I can’t believe how two weeks has flown! We’ve just got back from visiting the Guinness Factory to see how God’s nectar is brewed. Got to taste lots of free samples. Mum, Ally has put the book you gave her to good use – keeping a fantastic journal of our trip.



Letter dated 14 July 1997

Dear Jill, Jo, Antony, Tony and Dorothy

We got back from Ireland last night with heavy hearts but were cheered up with a letter from Tony and Dorothy.

We had such a wonderful holiday. Ireland is the most magical country. I have again done a travel diary that I will send to you shortly, telling of all our adventures. The only benefit of being home is sleeping in a bed. The ground sure is hard when camping!

The scenery in Ireland is breathtaking. I am sure you’ve seen in the postcards that Graeme has sent. I could easily have spent a couple of months taking all of Ireland in.

There were two highlights for me. One was standing at the top of the Cliffs of Moher looking down. It made me feel so humble and put such perspective on life. The view restores the spirit.

The second highlight was visiting the Lough Key Forest Park where we were able to row across the lake and explore a ruined castle all by ourselves. Vines were growing in the arches of the windows and the rain was dripping through. We could imagine how all the rooms must have looked full of riches and warmth. It was so romantic and like a real life fantasy to explore one’s own castle.

Sadly it was back to work this morning for a two week post and after that, who knows? I am starting to get used to starting new jobs. I wasn’t even nervous, I could hardly believe it. I have to learn the names of 150 accountant trainees. Scary when at the end of Std 8 I still couldn’t name all 150 of my school mates!

Graeme is all geared up for his trip to the Middle East. He has gone to the Egyptian Embassy this morning to get his visa. Hopefully it won’t take too long as he flies out on Thursday.

We really miss not being able to come home and tell you all about it straight away and show you the pictures. Graeme and I talk about you often because we miss you all so much.

I will send the book and the pictures as soon as I can. I am using someone else’s email as I will not get one because I am only here for a short time. It will have the same format address, only the name is different.

Speak to you all soon and I hope all is well.

All my love Ally




Travel Notes

• Catch night bus and ferry to Dublin with Ally. Arrive at 7 am in morning. Then hire a nippy, little Mazda. Frank and Helen, of the rental company, very friendly - full of coffee and tips.
• Sat 28, drive through the Wicklow mountains in windy weather to a luxurious B&B. Much needed sleep, then to a pub to watch Springboks lose (only just) to Lions. Heartbreaking stuff. Great lamb chop supper at pub. Relaxing evening walk through a forest park to a river.
• Sun 29, drive to Kilkenny, Ireland's finest medieval city. Visit St Canice's Cathedral (climb the round-tower and meet Italian school group coming down and see nun's underwear) and view impressive castle. Then to Rock of Cashel in Tipperary - for a scenic walk around the rocky hill. Drive to Cahir where we camp. Pick strawberries, play tennis and pool with Dutch guys. ( I should take up tennis!) Tent brilliant (Ally showed how to put it up) but ground hard!
• Mon 30, to Blarney Castle where we kiss the stone, suspended backwards over a 100 foot drop - all for the gift of the gab. Wonderful direlect castle with warren of tunnels and rooms. Best Irish stew ever at Mackey's, then a sleep in the gardens. Drive to camp site at Glengarriff through scenic valleys. Guiness and traditional Irish songs at the camp-pub.
• Tues 31, late rainy get-up. Terrible lunch of watery stew. But delicious pecan nut and maple pasty from Spa. Drive along the beautiful and remote (untouristy!) Ring of Beara. Visit Dunboy Castle, a massive direlect mansion, and an old fort. Scout camp. Then to the peninsula's SW point (Windy Point). Views of cable car crossing to Dursey Island. Stay in B&B with gorgeous views of sea. To village of Allihaes for ommelette supper.
• Impressions: radio announcement "sheepdog puppies missing.", small town gossiping, narrow and windy lanes, villages with multi-coloured houses, pubs at every turn, great traditional Irish music, tall glasses of delicious guiness, sheep with colourful ink markings, wind and rain, friendly locals always waving and smiling, so proud of Ireland, craaking crows waking us up.
• Wed 1, a hearty Irish breakfast (including Black Pudding!) Then drove through Ring of Kerry - more beautiful cliffs and sea, with quaint little villages. Picked up Dan O'Shea, a sweet old farmer.
• Visited a stone circle and hugged the rocks. Energy buzz!
• Stopped for a read and pint in "Dan Murphy's Pub" in Sneem. Set camp in little town. Delicious roast pork dinner and Irish coffee in local pub.
• Thurs 2, late rainy get up. Weather grey as we drive to Dingle Peninsula. Lucky escape from bulldozer and bus. Walk on Inch Beach. Arrive in Dingle for a great Irish stew, followed by an afternoon of sleep. Then chicken supper from supermarket (yum!) and to local pub for Irish coffee, post cards and reading. Young musicians with their Dad. Fantastic pub.
• Fri 3/7, weather much better. Try. Then great lunch from supermarket. Catch boat to watch Fungi, the resident wild dolphin. Most famous wild, friendly dolphin in Europe. Does not seem to tire of the incessant stream of boats that go out to vie for his attention. Then drive to see prehistoric huts of dry stone (venturing in is act of pure faith - altho some have stood since 8th century.) Then laze on the beach at Slea Head where meet friendly Zimbabwe couple. Then sit on cliff and admire view, To pub to relax and write postcards. (more Irish coffee!) Drum mad musicians spoil it a bit - all family banging away including 5 year old!
• Sat 4, fantastic weather. Lazed on beach at Slea Head. To pub to watch Springboks beat Lions - 3rd time lucky. To Gallarus Oratury, an 8th century stone building. Cow dung on car. Started motion meditation again (3rd night) - really good.
• Amazing meditation on clifflet overlookin beach and sea under the stars.
• Sun 5, drive to Blennerville Windmill and Crag cave. Then on to Cliffs of Moher - spiritual stuff. Lie on edge and peer over. Walk along cliffs and see Puffins through a telescope. To pub to read and relax.
• Mon 6, to delicious bistro for breakfast. Ally and I very close. To Cliffs of Moher to see birds thru binoculars. Thick mist chases us back to camp to do washing and play cards at pub.
• Tues 7, weather is awesome. Spend spiritual morning at Cliffs of Moher. Food for the soul. Sit with feet over edge of mighty drop, feeling refreshing breeze, watching the seething ocean and thousands of flying fulmars. Then drive over the lunar landscape of The Barrow to Sligo.
• Wed 8, drive through Donnegal peninsula. Stop off at beaches to laze in gorgeous sun. Relaxing day, very untouristy.
• Thurs 9, we do the Atlantic drive. Eat seafood for lunch. Huge night storm - tent could easily have landed in a lake. Arrived back to find lakes after sitting in pub.
• Fri 10, spontaneously visit a forest park. We row out to an Island Castle. Height of romance. Feel spiritual beauty of Island. Camp en route to Dublin. Rope tugging contest.
• Sat 11, arrive in Dublin. Visit Guiness Brewery.
• Sun 12, catch bus back to London.

Ally's Journal

For every beginning there has to be an end and the end this time was working for IT Purchasing. Sadly I leave behind friends whom I used to see every day. I will really miss them but I know we will keep in contact.

The beginning is Graeme and my trip to pick four leaf clovers and walk along the great cliffs of Ireland. We left on a rainy evening with our clothes on our back and our house under our arms – we were all set to brave the rainy shores of the green, green Isle.


29th

As we arrived the weather was o.k. which was a surprise. Frank (the car hire man) picked us up and treated us to coffee which was our first taste of Irish hospitality. He couldn’t give us enough hints and tell us all the great places to go – so we left with great excitement.

We headed off into the Wicklow Mt. There were natural forests on both sides of the road with rivers flowing. Natural brown rivers as back home. We made our way past Glendalough but sadly missed out on the medieval tower. In a little village called Rathdrum we found a B&B – we decided not to rough it on the 1st night.

After an afternoon sleep we went to the local to watch the Lions vs Bokke. We were eaten alive. A sad day for the world champs – our hearts were broken. I hope that with the next test match we will be able to regain some of our rugby strength. I’ll bet Mike is hitting those Fosters again. We had a lovely 3hr walk in the forest – Avondale Forest. We talked about everything and nothing.


30th

In the morning we woke up to clear skies and Mary set us off with an extremely full tummy. Those Irish breakfasts are not to be taken lightly.

We set off for Kilkenny. The best medieval city in Ireland. The streets were narrow and all buildings and walls from different centuries.

We walked round the castle then went to St Canice’s Cathedral. We climbed the tower and Graeme had full view under a nun’s skirt before he knew what was happening – which reminds me, the man bought home a pair of female’s underwear from Amsterdam which he was unable to explain. Ummmm!

After smelling the roses and picking Shamrock we hopped in noddy and went on our merry way to Cashel.

We visited the Rock of Cashel which was important for kind of old Ireland and St Patrick. We walked all around and heard the sheep having their own conversation. They were so funny just baa, baaing away.

We saw the most amazing church which had mosaics on the outside. It looked so bright and cheerful, I had to go in. I loved the whole church there was no doom & gloom.

We decided to make our way to Cahir from there so that we were close to Cork. I looked for the closest camp site which was “The Apple”.

After erecting our house for the first time we went on to pick strawberries – absolutely delicious. The definitely taste better.

We moved on to a game of tennis. Graeme and I played two dutch guys and Graeme is unbelievable. He can play just about any sport well. We were all huffing & puffing by the end.

To cool off we played pool. Graeme and I did very well. We are going to work on our technique – hopefully we can become a reasonable team. We’ll have to see how much practice we get in this holiday.

We woke up late and went in search of the Blarney Stone. To kiss the stone one has to grasp the iron railings backwards while lying on your back – with a 100 ft drop. But we managed. Now we are waiting for the “gift of the gab” to hit us.

At Blarney we had the most fantastic irish stew. It will live in our memories. While exploring the Castle, Graeme went into this dark cave while a little boy followed him. Graeme started to make grrr noises and the boy got such a fright he ran out telling his mum there was an animal in the case.

Graeme & I think that Blarney Castle is one of the best castles we have been to.

After a sleep on the castle lawn we proceeded to drive down the narrowest lanes with beautiful lakes down the side of the valleys.

We slowly made our way to the coast, to Glengarriff. I was so excited to see the sea. The waves breaking against the rock. We found a wonderful campsite. We put up our house and went for a Gui8nness in the local pub. Much to our delight they were singing songs and playing traditional music. We spend about 2 hrs there. I would have loved for Teresa, Helen & Eileen to have been there. They would have loved it. I don’t think any other pub is going to be the same again.


2nd

Upon walking up we could swear the ground gets harder and we get hungrier. We made our way into town and had the worst irish stew that could be imagined. We had to go to the Spar and get something else to eat. Graeme discovered these pastries with maples and almonds. I can see us looking for them wherever we go.

We set off along the Beara Peninsula. Although little travelled by tourists, it is spectacular.

Our first port of call was Adrigole where we tried to visit the highest waterfall in Ireland. After trekking through boggy land we saw that the water was a mere trickle and not very high, we went back. Apparently it is better in winter. Quite how it would be better frozen than after it has been raining solid for 4 weeks, is hard to understand. Perhaps it is a little irish logic.

We passed through Castle Townbere and went to visit Dunboy Castle. It was more of a mansion that had been destroyed by fire in 1920. It seemed so sad that such a beautiful house should be destroyed.

Making our way further down to Dursey Island, we saw some of the best scenery. I think that this is one of the best parts of Ireland. They have a cable way joining the island and mainland. We read how the English became in 1602 and slaughtered all the islanders by throwing them off the cliffs and in earlier times how the Vikings held the irish slaves on the island. Such a tragic past for such a beautiful place. It is now a bird sanctuary for rare migrating birds.

Everybody we drove past had a friendly wave and smile – even if we were just inches away from scratching their car in the these narrow lanes. We stopped at this coffee shop for scones & cream and decided to stay the night. The idea of camping on hard ground in the rain and wind was not very appealing. We are looking forward to making our way round the Ring of Kerry tomorrow.

The Lebor Gabala has it that when the Milesians, the first invaders of the island about 2,000BC made their landfall on the far west of the Beara Peninsula, it was necessary for their bard, Amergin, to chant the land into existence, so that they could set foot on shore.

“I am wind on sea, I am wave in storm, I am sea sound, I am hawk on cliff, A word of art, A piercing point that pours out range, The god who fashions fire in the head, Who if not I?”

Four thousand turbulent years later, there is still the sense of a world new made, new found here. There is a sense in which all those who come to the far west of Beara discover it, make it, and find it, for themselves. Its beauty is unspoiled, its wildness untamed, and the flash of the sea at this land’s end is also its beginning.

* the Book of Invasions of Ireland


3rd

We set off early this morning in hope of reaching the Dingle Peninsula but it does not look like we are going to make it. The weather is terrible and we feel cheated out of seeing the wonderful views.

All the villages we pass through have their houses painted different colours – perhaps it is for the fishermen – they can see their house out at sea. It makes them feel warm with that chilly wind blowing through them.

I forgot to mention that we stopped at a stone circle – one of the hundreds around the country. We hugged rocks and added our offering to the many who had made one before us.

We decided to camp tonight despite the clouds in the sky so we headed round The Ring.

On our way to Kenmare we picked up an old gentleman who was so proud of “his” youngsters who had played in the soccer against Argentina. He was so proud to be Irish. He farmed by himself with a dog and cat for company and he is 69 years old. Bless him!

The Ring of Kerry is beautifully but I thought Beara was more scenic. Much more unspoiled. We are camping tonight at Glenleigh, a very ugly campsite which is very unfriendly. We all have to have stickers on our tents to make sure we aren’t free loaders – really !

We have just had a most delicious beef stew at the local pub as well as a few irish coffees. We will definitely be warm tonight when we crawl into our very hard bed.

Sleep tight!

PS: I forgot to mention that we tried black pudding. It tastes like a spicy sausage but the thought of it still puts me off.


4th

We woke up to the sound of the rain hitting our tent and the graak, graak of the crows. The crows are really most annoying.


Irish Stew Recipe:

900grams mutton
570grams potatoes
85grams flour
4 onions
750ml stock
2Tsp chopped parsley
Carrots & Barley

Trim mutton and coat with flour in casserole and cover with stock. Simmer for 40 mins. Peel, cut and slice onions. Layer onions and parsley on bottom & simmer for 1-1½ hrs. Serve: take our potatoes and serve up meat. Put potatoes on top of meat and parsley.

We drove through the Ring of Kerry at a hectic pace and now we want to see all there is to see on Dingle.

We shook all the rain from our tent and went on our way from Glendeigh straight to Dingle. Our only stop was at Inch beach. A long sandy beach on a mini peninsula jutting out from Dingle peninsula. It was rather like Fishock but no waves. I haven’t seen one beach with waves here – we thought this might be from the lack of currents meeting each other.

We arrived in Dingle and headed straight for Adams bar and had irish stew. This is tarting to become a daily ritual. It’s one of the few ways to keep warm in this weather. The wind seems to blow right through us. After lunch we pitched our tent and decided to go for a midday sleep for ½ hr. Waking up 4 hrs later was a bit of a shock. And our tummies being what they are, told us it was late. We went in search of the delicious maple & pecan nut pastry. Sadly all were sold out.

We have come to a bar in a village right on the coast. There are about 10 houses and a huge pub. This seems about standard – never mind the grocery shop. There must be a pub. In every pub there is a singer who has songs at his fingertips. I have never imagined a place where so many can sing and play the guitar. The irish take such pride in their music. I love the atmosphere it creates.

We chatted to the girl who is 18 and plays the accordion and she lives in a village called Castlegregory. She told us that on the Dingle Peninsula there are 52 pubs – just about more than houses. The pub we were in is the closest to America – so the next stop is New York. We won’t be going there tomorrow. Frank’s car is not in the James Bond league.

The Blasket Islands are at the edge of the Peninsula and seem to be quite barren. They used to support a fishing community until 1954. Graeme & I sat on the cliff edge looking over them and picking wild flowers, watching the sun set. Of course, we managed to step on my glasses so now they are minus an arm – surprise, surprise.


5th

Our 1st day on the Dingle Peninsula to explore. Again, we woke up late – we are going to have to stop that. Off course, we went into town searching for the eternal maple & pecan pastry.

After a very shaky start trying to book G’s bus ticket back, we decided to go se Fungi the dolphin who lives in the bay.

He was wonderful. We saw him jumping through the glittering water blowing his air. He came right next to the boat. Although he lives in the bay, he is wild and he won’t take food from anybody. Sometimes he will bring a wild salmon to the boats. He loves to dive and frolic around for us open mouthed tourists. At the moment he has a friend called Smokey who has been there for about 2 weeks. But she is a lot shyer than Fungi. We think she is his girlfriend (us romantics!). After seeing Fungi we went round the Peninsula and passed these Beehive hut signs. I thought they would be old places where bees were bred. I couldn’t have been more mistaken. These were ancient family houses for the free farmers. Standing inside is quite scary because you know that there is nothing but stone holding them up (no cement) so you keep thinking the roof is going to cave in. The fact that they have stood for sometimes over 2,000 yrs is little comfort.

Ringforts are the most numerous and widespread field monuments in Ireland. These sites were commonly referred to by the terms Fort, rath, lios, cathair or caiseal, the individual site names often incorporating one or other of these terms.

The majority of these were enclosed farmsteads of the free farmers of the Early Christian Period, the banks and fosses acting as a fence to prevent livestock from straying and to protect against cattle raiders and wild animals. The small size of the sites suggests they were occupied by a single family, the houses, farm buildings and storage places occurring within the closed space. They would have been inhabited from ancient times to 1200AD.

These huts were often found attached to each other with a doorway leading from one to the other. These houses were generally made of stone because stone was plentiful. They were generally round like a beehive and a special type of craftsmanship is apparent in the building. They were erected in the form of a circle of successive strata of stone, each stratum lying a little closer to the centre than the one beneath and so on upwards until only a small aperture is left a the top which can be closed with a single small flagstone or capstone. No mortar was used in building. The stones have a downward and outward tilt so as to shed the water. This method of building is called corbelling.

Making our way round we came to Stea Head where we tried to pet some lamberts but they were too interested in butting their mums. On Stea beach we had a little sleep and on our way up we met a lovely Zim couple. They have retired and are now travelling for 6 months. What an inspiration. Just shows one that age is all in the mind.

We have come back to the same bar (just before America) and they are playing the most awful thump thump music. Time for a quick irish before sweet dreams.


6th

This we had promised would be a lazy day so we headed to Supa Value and bought our daily bread and made our way to Shea Head where we had been yesterday. We spent the whole day soaking up the sun. The weather had finally decided to give us a good day.

A quick sleep was in order after a cooling off in the wonderful but cool water then off to watch our bokke slaughter the lions 35-16. It lifted our spirits totally. We had to fit some culture into the day and that was seeing the Gallarus Oratory. An 8th century building - probably for a monk. Every stone has stood in its place for 1200 years. It always makes me wonder what our buildings will look like in 1200 years. Unfortunately in our excitement to get there, we drove into a huge mound of cow dung but didn’t discover this until we got back into the campsite and it finally made sense why the flies loved us so much !


7th

After 13 hrs of sleep we managed to rouse ourselves for a smoked salmon roll for breakfast – yumm! A quick 10 min to pack up our house and we were off. Making our way to the Cliffs of Mokeur.

Our first stop along the way was Blennerville Windmill. It had fallen into disrepair and in 1950 was being used as a piggery. But in 1984 it was restored and is now fully functional. So interesting to see after seeing the modern mill my dad worked for, for Snowflake flour.

Blennerville, Tralee, CO. Kerry
The windmill lies at the gateway of the Pen. Built in 1780 and restored in 1984, it is 21m high.

It was from this port that many immigrants left during the great famine in 1854. As the peasants were subsistent farmers, after 1 crop failure there was great starvation. One million people died and one million immigrated to America. If they went on a ship the journey usually lasted 30 days and they were expected to take their own food. Where they were expected to get this ford from during a famine is anybody’s guess.

At a craft shop we saw the most amazing work. Incredibly simple sculptures made from rods of iron & copper. I was very tempted. The artist had made on in sterling silver of the immigrant ship Jeanie Johnson and presented it to Bill Clinton. He also used the Celtic circle which is a symbol of man’s journey through life. Both the ups and downs which must be experienced before one can appreciate life.

Our second stop was Crag Cave which does not have a patch on Congo but is nevertheless impressive. The guide who took us had a constant cold from the change in temperature after giving 8 tours per day. They have named all their stalag’s although there is one very rude one which was skipped over but G could not help bringing it to everybody’s attention!

We carried on driving and passed through many villages but our curiosity was aroused when we saw that outside just about every house there was a flag flying. So we took a bet, I thought it was as a soccer match and G thought it was something to do with the Orange march. Like typical tourists, we rolled down our window and asked a local – with great mirth they told us it was a hurling match (played with sticks and a ball). We decided that G would be buying the irish coffee’s as he was the farthest from the answer. And believe me, they were the best we have tasted so far.

We found a campsite which was not the best but at only £4.00 nobody expects Buckingham Palace. After a delicious cheese roll we made our way to have the first glimpse of Moher. Anybody who has been there will know it is futile to try and put it into words. Instead I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

The cliffs of Moher are 200m high and stretch for 5 miles. Graeme & I watched the sunset over these cliffs. It was a silent moment.

Lying on our stomachs we threw a rock over the side to measure how high the cliffs were and came up with 180m. WE went for a short walk along the cliffs and had to go through a field with a great big bull. This proved to be no problem as he was more interested in an equally huge grass eating cow. Judging by the number of calves around, he was a very busy bull.

Graeme did a very manly show of pretending to be a bull, while on the opposite side of a fence stood a very young bull. Putting them in the same field, I doubt wether the same show would have been acted.


8th

Upon seeing the grey skies yet again, I began to wonder if these blue skied postcards are all a lie for us unsuspecting tourists.

We made our way to Lahnich but sadly no maple pecan nut pastry. We saw a very brave bloke take a swim, brrr, it must have been about 10 degrees. The beach is called a surfing beach but somehow I don’t think the waves inspire much surfing. It is a lovely beach to walk along.

Lahnich

Shoals of shadows, swards of green, the West of Ireland, a coastal scene.
Foreshore sounds, tidal tones, ebb and flow over strand and stones.
By Liscannor way and surfing seas 18 greens, fairways and tees.
Sheltered by dunes, shoulders of sand, the lure of Lahnich, the lie of the land.
Two famous holes, Klondyke and Dell, framed in failure or inspired spell.
Testing, arresting, impeccable host, glorious links on Ireland’s coast.

Extract from “Lahnich” by PJC.

We went along to the cliffs hoping to walk along them, but it was so misty that one could barely see our hands in front of our faces. We were so glad we went yesterday. We felt so sorry for those people who could only come today because they would have seen nothing.

We hoped the mist would clear but sadly not so, it turned into an admin day – the washing. The height of boredom.


9th

The gods were smiling this morning when we woke up so we couldn’t resist another look at the cliffs.

Graeme and I looked over the edge. We had to lie down because it’s too scary to stand.

We had a clear view and we walked across the tops. We saw puffins at the bottom. They burrow into the grass bank to make a nest. Apparently during mating season their beaks grow longer. Each stripe makes them more attractive.

We found a wonderful grassy patch and lay down letting the scenery enter our soul and relax our spirit. We fell asleep and woke up feeling like we had been on a 10 week cruise. We were so relaxed – all the colours seemed brighter and the bird calls clearer. G & I both agree the cliffs are one of the best soul meals available. It is impossible to have too much.

Reluctantly we had to leave to make our way up north. We passed the Burren on the way – it was not a town but a certain geographical feature of just this part of Ireland. Made from limestone, there is very little vegetation so for the first time since being in Ireland, there are no sheep. We took a walk and went to the edge. The sea had made caves in the side and G went exploring. We also saw this family who were cycling – Mum, Dad & Kid. The kid was in this little car carrier attached to the bike. It looked very idyllic but on these narrow roads, a tad dangerous. We continued making our way to Silgo. Poor G had to drive and drive. At least we found a good radio station that were doing a poll on returning Northern Ireland to the republic. There were so many divided opinions. As we neared our campsite we were stopped at a road block (we were near the Northern Ireland border) and they were taking down everybody’s number plate details. They didn’t take ours because we were tourists. They are having such problems with the Orange men marches it will be interesting to see what happens.

As we got to the campsite it was too late to go for an irish, so we went for a walk by the beach. The moon was rising, the sky was purple and pink and we instantly felt relaxed.


10th

The gods were again smiling on us and we woke up in great spirits. We had a very luxurious shower and G surprised me by taking down the tent while I was in the shower. He is so wonderful.

We drove through many seaside towns and stopped at one beach to have a picnic. We found a feather similar to the one we found the first night we met. Somehow it felt different, a bit ticklish. I guess it would be difficult to recapture the magic of the first night we met.

We stopped and had a wonderful picnic on the beach. It felt great to have the sun on our faces.

We drove to Donegal Town and it is a lovely town. We stopped and I phoned to get a job. It’s perfect for two weeks, so I can sort my CV out when I get home. IN a place like this home seems so far away.

We drove on further and found a wonderful beach where the water was too delicious to miss. We just had to swim. There was a huge jelly fish in the water. After a lovely walk we went on. WE started to feel all fall down so we stoped at a beach and had a sleep in the car. It was delicious. Hot with a cooling breeze. 2 hrs later we woke up and decided to go for another swim and G had to jump off the rocks. Getting out of the car I stood on stinging nettles – my foot stang for about 3 hours afterward and grew little blisters. They may not have dangerous animals here, but their plants are another matter.

We decided to travel around the next peninsula a look for a camp site as there were no official ones in the area. On the Pen we got very lost and a little anxious when we went along roads that were totally unpopulated – neither people nor animals. We were very relieved when we found a village only to find we had come full circle. We ended up travelling for another hour before we had to retrace our steps. Eventually, at 10pm we found a place and were very relieved, only to find that we had lost a hubcap along the way.

So what started out as a wonderful day ended up as one of those Monday like days when one should have stayed in bed.

Just about everywhere you go in Donegal you see Errigal Mountain. We were lost we passed it about five times. Graeme’s comment was “not this f _____ mountain again !”

But we do not go to sleep with heavy hearts. In the Co. Donegal we have seen some of our best scenery. The mountains with the long long beaches. In many ways it reminds us of Cape Town.


11th

We woke up this morning at 8:00am and it was too hot in the tent (a real treat). So went and slept outside for an hour before the rest of the campsite woke.

The shower before we set off was great only the pressure was so high that you couldn’t stand under it. There was a little kid who’s mum put them under the jet spray and they ended up screaming the place down.

Making our merry way to Rosgmill Pen we stopped at a little village and had breakfast on the pier watching a very brave lady windsurfing with no wind.

Having decided to have a restful day we took a short drive just to Rosgmill Pen and went on the Atlantic Drive. The scenery was without question breathtaking. We kept stepping and walking along the beaches. G had a great time pushing all my buttons, teasing me about everything. One day I will learn how to push his.

After our drive we found our campsite in Downings and went for a seafood lunch. Delicious salmon that was swimming around yesterday quite happily minding its own business. At the shop next door we met an old man who had been to C.T. To digest our lunch a lie on the beach was a must. As the afternoon wore on the clouds gathered across the skies. But we were chased off the beach by these obnoxious people who insisted on playing their music full blast. I will never understand some people.

We managed to put up our tent just before the downpour started. God was definitely throwing all his furniture down his stairs.

Afterwards we went for a walk along the beach and up a cliff path only my shoes were so slippery I nearly ended up swimming. So we had to come back early and thank goodness. We would have been two very miserable wet souls if we had walked on.

So it was dinner, and bed time. We were again undercharged for dinner. Amazing how often it has happened.

This page is dedicated to all those millions of lamberts. None of them would let me pat them but I would really love to hold a lamb one day. I am going to miss their baas every time I get out of the car.

We woke up today after the most terrible thunderstorms. We had to move our tent in the middle of the night otherwise we would have been soaked when we saw where the tent was we were relieved we moved as there was a lake.

Today is my dad’s birthday so I spare a thought for him. I know Dad would love Ireland. The friendly people, the stunning scenery, the history and last but not least the Guinness.

We made a tough decision today – to go to Buncrana or not. The weather was terrible and time was limited but we decided to talk to the police. It was very close to the Northern Ireland border and they were unsure of the mood of the Orange Men. It was very sad but we will get there one day. This country is definitely a place I want to come back to.

Retracing our steps through Donegal & Silgo we turned and headed towards Boyle. Just by chance we decided to stop at Lough Key Forest Park. It turned out of the one of the highlights of our trip.

We went for a short walk and climbed a tower to survey the view. At the top we noticed a ruined castle on an island in the middle of the lake. The thing that was so wonderful is that there was nobody there. So we hired a row boat and went exploring our very own ruined castle. It was a fantasy come true. We climbed out of the boat and walked around and through the archways and walls. We saw the ovens in the kitchen and the fireplaces. This castle is one of the most spiritual and romantic we have ever been to. We left a piece of ourselves behind.

When we landed back on mainland the lifeguard told us that the castle had one been hit by lightning and killed 140 soldiers – unbelievable!

It was with heavy hearts we continued our journey to Dublin. We stopped to spend a night about 90km outside of Dublin in a place called Mullingalar. Guinness was having a roadshow festival and we saw a tug of war competition. One of the teams was a local one but unfortunately they lost. They obviously had not been drinking enough Guinness!

We put up our tent for the last time and got the shock of our lives when, from underneath, came this loud croak and a hop hop hop along the tent and a huge frog appeared. Very indignant that we had chosen his spot.

We had dinner at a chippie and a very good conversation about drugs, prostitution and all the other controversial topics. We enjoyed playing the devils advocate.


12th

Our last day on the green isle. We packed up our tent for the last time and headed towards Dublin. The city of Guinness.

We booked our night at the youth hostel. My first experience. It was a private hostel so there were no rules as such. It proved to be a very interesting experience and not one I would care to repeat in the near future. All I will say is that some people are unbelievable!

Anyway, we returned our car and they didn’t charge us for the missing hub cap, much to our surprise and delight. They are such nice people. I would recommend them to anybody in Ireland.

After returning our car we made our way to the Guinness Showroom and had a look at the very interesting exhibition they had. Interesting that they only use 4 ingredients – water, barley, hops and yeast. Also that the process has not changed in 200 years. As you walking the hall the smell (as G put it) of dirty feet hits the nostrils and it is the hops that one can still smell – 40 years after the hall had ceased being a hops store.

It made us really appreciate that pint we were given at the courtesy bar.

For our last night we decided to celebrate in style and went out for a delicious irish stew. It was the best way to leave Ireland with a full stomach and a light heart.

G & I had both been feeling low at the thought of the end of our holiday.

- - - - - -

It is now a few days since we have come back. Settling into a routine has been difficult as our minds keep drifting back to Ireland. We even miss the hard ground of camping.

But of course all things come to an end so now we wait until the beginning of our next adventure.

Graeme is going off to Greece and the Middle East so his adventure starts soon. Floating on the Dead Sea is one of his highlights.

Time for goodbye but as the French say – au revoir… until next time … until the next beginning!


Next stop:

Holland