great Irish folksinger, sing Lisdoonvarna, a town in County Clare.
Jun 3, 2010
I write this lying in bed back home in Brooklyn. It's Thursday at 4:30 pm and I've been home since Tuesday night - but jet lag hit me big time for the last few days and my body still doesn't know if it's 4:30 or 9:30 (Irish time). I haven't touched the computer since the trip. But the itch got to me and I decided I had to finish my blog - the last few days - to make it a complete saga.
On Friday night we had cycled back into our starting point: Killarney Town. A final farewell dinner to say goodbye to our biking buddies and a good night's sleep at the Countess House B&B. The next morning we picked up a rental car (a Toyota Auris) and headed out of town. Our group guide, Colm, had given us recommendations - we had intended to drive straight up to County Clore and explore the Burren (that 100-square mile mass of exposed limestone that resembles a lunar landscape but with wild flowers sprouting thorough every crack and crevice). But Colm insisted that we first drive around the Dingle Peninsula. "It's right here and you mustn't miss it." So we followed his instructions and drove a bit north and then west out onto the northernmost of Ireland's four "fingers" - the peninsulas that just out into the Atlantic from the country's southwest coast.
Click the map to see it larger
Colm told us to drive out to the tip where's there a circuit road called the Sley Head Path. (A head is a rocky, narrow promontory that juts into the sea) with fabulous views out to the Atlantic. He wasn't wrong and we were glad we had listened to him.
>> Remember - you can click on any photo to see it larger.
Before heading out on that tip we stopped in the town of Dingle for some lunch and quick walk around.
After circumnavigating Sley Head Path we headed back through Dingle and then up and off the peninsula and north to catch a ferry cross the River Shannon. That course took us over the Connor Pass - from there it looked like we were up in an airplane, so high up were we. The view would have been better had it not been obscured by fog and clouds. That's Ireland and the weather today was more typical than the preceding week of warm temperatures and sunny, blue skies.
Our destination was the town of Doolin on the Clare coast. The county is known as the center of Irish traditional music and Doolin was ground zero for venues. As we drove, Ed perused the guide book for a place to stay. The recommendation, The Aran View Hotel (the rugged and wild Aran Islands are right offshore), turned out to be a good choice and we spent two nights there, using it as a base to explore Clare's towns and the other-wordly Burren.
We tidied up a bit and had dinner at the hotel - it had a lovely dining room with a view to the sea and the offshore Arans. After dinner, we took a quick drive into town for some music at O'Connor's pub.
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Sunday, May 30th
We were up early, had breakfast at the hotel: scrambled eggs with a little castle of smoked salmon folded on top and then headed out to explore the surrounding area - that's why we had driven up to County Clare.
Just down the road was the famous Cliffs of Moher. I had been here on a previous bike ride in 1999. Back then, despite its popularity, it was not very developed: a parking lot, a dirt path out to the edge of the cliffs where, to my shock and horror, you could actually walk out to the precipice - no guard rail, wall - no nothing!
Now it had been developed into a lovely, ecologically correct, tourist site: paved paths, concessions nicely caved into the hills, public bathrooms, etc. And the edge of the cliffs was 20 feet or so beyond a protective slate wall: safety first!
Wild flowers frame the awesome Cliffs of Moher and the mighty Atlantic.
Our next stop on the day's exploration was, perhaps, the main attraction in County Clare: The Burren.
Here's Wikipedia's description of the Burren:
"Burren is rich with historical and archaeological sites. There are more than 90 megalithic tombs in the area, portal dolmens (including Poulnabrone Dolmen), a celtic high cross in the village of Kilfenora, and a number of ring forts.
During counter-guerilla operations in Burren in 1651-52, Edmund Ludlow stated, "(Burren) is a country where there is not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him...... and yet their cattle are very fat; for the grass growing in turfs of earth, of two or three foot square, that lie between the rocks, which are of limestone, is very sweet and nourishing.
The rolling hills of Burren are composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints". The region supports arctic and Mediterranean alpine plants side-by-side, due to the unusual environment. The blue flower of the Spring Gentian, an alpine plant, is used as a symbol for the area by the tourist board. Burren's many limestone cliffs, particularly the sea-cliffs at Ailladie, are popular with rock-climbers. For cavers, there are a number of charted caves in the area, notably Pollnagollum. Doolin is a popular "base camp" for cavers, and is home to one of the two main cave-rescue stores of the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation."
We finished our walk on the Burren and headed into Ballyvaughn, a quiet fishing town on Galway Bay where we had lunch at the Highland's Hotel, a lovely old inn at the center of town where the roads converge.
It was time to move on - we were headed east across Ireland, making our way inexorably to Dublin and its airport for the flight home tomorrow (Tuesday). Driving through the town of Kilfenora, on the edge of the Burren, we stopped at a tiny museum which depicted the history of Clare and an emphasis on the potato crop failure and the famine of 1841 which drove a million people to find new lives abroard. It also left another million people dead, victims of starvation and poverty - a tragic and sad tale of what happens when society turns its back on its own citizens. It was a history that we seem to be living through today as millions lose jobs and home with no helping hand to get them through the troubles.
Press the PLAY BUTTON to hear Christy Moore sing City of Chicago, a plaintive song of the displaced Irish who fled the famine for America, with memories of their former homes.
As we drove we came across the ruins of the famous Kilmacduagh Monastery dating back to the 7th century. That was long before Ireland was unified and local kings and chiefs ran their local turfs. The monastery, because of its wealth and importance, formed its own diocese in the 13th century as that new system of church organization replaced local monasteries as the center of power. Because of its importance, it was plundered over and over again. The tower provided sanctuary from the attacking hordes as its entrance was 30 feet above the ground and not easily entered. The tower at Kilmacduagh is a prime example of that unique Irish castle. Interesting, further, is that the tower leans (like Pisa?) over one-and-a-half feet from vertical.
Our Monday night destination was the world heritage city of Trim - just 45 minutes northwest of the Dublin airport. Trim is located on the River Boyne and its name referred to the easy fording of the brisk-running river at that point. Though it's only 40 miles from the Irish sea, it was still an early and important port as the river could be navigated by flat boats.
A fabulous castle is located at Trim - the largest restored castle in all of Ireland. Consisting of many fine buildings in addition to the castle it was once encircled by a vast protective wall and many gates that could be protected from attacking armies.
Wikipedia describes it thusly:
"The Castle was used as a centre of Norman administration for the Liberty of Meath, one of the new administrative areas of Ireland created by Henry II of England and granted to Hugh de Lacy. de Lacy took possession of it in 1172. De Lacy built a huge ringwork castle defended by a stout double palisade and external ditch on top of the hill. There may also have been further defences around the cliffs fringing the high ground. Part of a stone footed timber gatehouse lies beneath the present stone gate at the west side of the castle. The ringwork was attacked and burnt by the Irish but De Lacy immediately rebuilt it in 1173. His son Walter continued rebuilding and the castle was completed c 1204."
That such building took place in the 12th and 13th century was amazing to us and we tried to imagine what people must have thought as they came across these buildings approaching from the distance.
Not far from Trim is the site of the Battle of the Boyne - an enormously important battle in July of 1690 between between the Protestant King William who had deposed the Catholic King James (his father-in-law no less). James sought the help of the French and the Irish. The battle, won by England and King William, set the stage for the ongoing conflicts of the ensuing years and the "troubles" of 20th century.
We left Trim for Dublin and the airport. Our flight was 5pm and we had spent the last few hours getting our last taste of Ireland and its rich history. With our bike trip behind us, in time and memory, this added few days of car touring enriched our understanding of Ireland's rich and troubled past. We came away with a great appreciation for this beautiful and varied country, its people and its history.
This was a wonderful trip - it only lasted two weeks but the memory will stay forever. I thank you for coming along with us and hope you enjoyed the trip. See you back in Brooklyn. - Matt
To view all of my last days' photos just CLICK HERE.
To see the entire Irish Bike Ride photo gallery as a SLIDE SHOW just CLICK HERE.
