Oct 12, Wednesday Burren, Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

 Wednesday, October 12

Leaving Galway this morning we note electric scooters, bikes, cars, buses and lots of people walking. Goodbye Maldron.

Back into the countryside, we cross an area called the Burren which is basically a plateau of limestone pavement.  Seaweed and sand made the beginnings of soil, but this area is very windy and not much soil stays put. What there is is very thin.  There are layers of hills with much exposed rock. (There are also quite a few caves, underground rivers, nooks and crannies, says David.)  We pass Dunguarierie Castle and many standing towers that are remains of old castles or fortresses.

We are noticing thatched roofs on some houses. And more cows than sheep.  Cows are able to graze year round and David says if he was reincarnated, he'd choose to be an Irish cow.  In the Spring, this area is filled with wildflowers which are used in perfumes. 

Near the coast we leave limestone for sandstone, created by river deltas, and begin to see some bogs with stacks of peat.  We go through the town of Lisdoovarna, home to the largest matchmaking festival in the world.  David and our driver Tommy enjoy a stop.

We reach the Cliffs of Moher, which are home to many sea birds and other sea creatures.  Puffins, once plentiful, are unfortunately on the decline because of warming temperatures.  We walk the cliffs where it is  cold and windy but not raining, and see several rock formations, like O'Brien's Tower and Hag's Head. 

The visitor's center has a film and many displays. Lots of people, too!

Lots of winding, narrow roads.  This is the top of one called corkscrew hill.  Occasionally we see signs at a blind curve that say "Oncoming traffic in middle of road".

We had to back up quite a ways to find a place where this tractor could get by us!  (Fureys of Sligo on the window was the name of the company providing the bus.)

In the picture below you can see where turf has been cut and stacked for drying.

Next stop is Limerick which was founded by Vikings by the River Shannon.  We stop to visit Bunratty Castle and meet our guide, Carmen. This site began as a Viking trading camp in 970. The first castle was built in 1250. The current one was finished around 1425 and was restored in the 1950's and 60's.  And to think that we in the US think that something from the 1800's is really old!

 We meet in the Great Hall, which housed soldiers, separated by rank.  The higher the rank, the closer to the large fireplace.  The doorways are narrow to allow only one person at a time, making defense easier.  Crests surround the top of the walls and there are a few ancient tapestries.

This is one of the original tapestries.  This one has been cleaned and taken care of, the others are quite dark.  It is very expensive to have them treated, so the others are waiting for funds. 

After Carmen's spiel, we have some time to explore, climbing a narrow tower with its twisting stone stairs.   Outside the Castle is a Folk Park, quite nicely done.  It has various gardens, animals, numerous thatched 

buildings and more to show how people lived.  We have time to wonder and see most of it.   

A little bit of Autumn color.

The park blends into the town.

From here it is a 2 hour drive to our hotel - The Rose - in Tralee.  (If it sounds familiar, the Rose of Tralee is an annual beauty pageant.)  We cross under the river Shannon by tunnel and see more beautiful countryside. 

Dinner at the hotel is salad, fish (or chicken) and a delicious apple crisp.  David presents a few presents to the newly engaged couple, two other couples who are on their honeymoons, and a few birthday gifts.  Quite generous!  This hotel is very nice, linen table cloths and all.... and lovely heat in our room!

Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022 Galway, Kylemore Abbey, Cong Abbey, Conomara

 Tuesday, Oct 11

A light rain this morning as 17 of us set off for Conomara and Kylemore Abbey, an extra excursion. David greets us with "Good Morning! Welcome to another beautiful day in Ireland." The weather has become a bit of a joke, as we test whether predicting terrible weather will produce the opposite, or whether being optimistic will have favorable results. Of course we have mixed results with both!

Our first stop is the quaint town of Cong which was founded around 1200. We walk through parts of town on our way to see the ruins of Cong Abbey, built in the 13th century.  

 At one point we are on the border of County Mayo and County Galway, separated by the river Cong. 

This was the filming location for John Ford's The Quiet Man in 1952 and there is a statue of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara at a small park.

We continue toward the coast, into Connemara.  There are 12 peaks here, carved from granite by glaciers. We pass quite a few lakes and fjords and Killarny Fjord has many mussel farms. Ropes are provided for the mussels to latch onto and grow naturally.  Again, seaweed indicates that it is open to the sea.

We pass some forested areas and many stone walls, sheep and cattle.  Some of the stone walls seem to climb part way up a mountain and end and David tells us these are called "Famine Walls" because people were paid by the government to build them to provide some income, but the walls weren't really needed.

We are on what is called the "Wild Atlantic Way", which is a tourist term for the roads which wind along the west coast of Ireland.  We stop for some photos before taking even smaller roads to reach Kylemore Abbey.  

Kylemore Abbey is a beautiful white building in a marvelous setting!  David provides entrance tickets and then we are on our own to explore. 

 Mitchell Henry built Kylemore Castle for his wife Margaret, but she died soon after and the home was sold, then given to the nuns as a Benedictine Abbey.   There is a beautiful old church a short walk away and we decide to go there first, as it isn't raining at the moment.  Lots of beautiful white marble!

Next we go back to the Abbey which has been largely preserved as it was.  Buildings nearby house the nuns who are still quite active here.

This display of the Henry's features photos that speak and tell you about the Castle. It is quite lovely!

We decide to forego lunch at their small cafe, and take a small van to the gardens instead.  We do a pretty quick tour of the gardens and the gardener's house.  There were once 7 glass houses (greenhouses), though some foundations and one intact house remains. 

 Quite a few flowers still in bloom, but we don't get to see some additional parts, as we need to meet our group at the bus and aren't sure how long it will take to get transportation back. Plus it has been lightly raining.

Fuchia, which we see as hanging baskets sometimes at home (and which I've had no success growing) is growing in hedges here!

The big announcement when we get back on the bus is that Lea and Aaron got engaged here!  They have been traveling together, along with her parents Woody and Ella.

We stop in Connemara National Park and hike to a loch and sea viewpoint.  This park emerged from the ice age 10,000 years ago and once was home to immense forests.  But people arrived and began clearing.  Now there are only a few forested areas.  But the scenery is.. gorgeous. 

 Lots of cows, sheep and some horses.  Rock walls, homes of various sizes and everything that isn't rock is green!  We note several places where the peat is stacked, drying in this weather?? Greg noticed that they were selling "peat briquettes" at the gas station.

About 4:30 we arrive back at our hotel in Galway.  We rest up a bit and walk into town again, this time heading for a pub called Skeff.  Beautiful building with wood everywhere, including huge staircases. Several different bars at various levels. I asked the waitress whether this was built as a different kind of building, but she says it has always been a pub.  Hard to get photos as it was rather dark.

 Beth has some delicious fish chowder, while Greg opts for Fish & Chips, complete with mushy peas.  Greg tries a Guinness but decides he still doesn't like it much - sacrilege here!  We watch some of a Man City vs Copenhagen soccer match while eating and people watching.  We are a bit early for dinner, but there are plenty of folks here by the time we finish.  We understand that there is music and a lot of activity later, but we're too pooped to party!