Day 16 - Dingle to Blarney

Went to a Folk Concert last night in the local church.  Five performers sang and played Irish music, very enjoyable, one played a Uilleann (something like a bagpipe) but he did not blow with his mouth. Instead he used his elbow to pump air into the bag which he had connected to a flute as well as the normal bagpipe sound.  He claimed that he was able to drink while he was playing so it was all worthwhile.

At Killorglin the story goes that a wild goat ran into the village and frightened the people, who ran into the mountains.  Oliver Cromwell arrived and killed the remaining villagers (this was in the 1640's).

Now each year they catch a goat and party to celebrate fertility.  They do not eat it !

We stopped at Kenmare to visit a lace making store, which dates back to the time of the famine.  Nuns started the lace making for poor women to learn the art and sell their work so they could buy food for their family.

There are some cyclists riding in the rain, on narrow roads with no bike paths.  They have panniers but no helmets.

At Ladies' View we passed a sign saying "Leprecauns Crossing" - the Irish superstition and sense of humour at work.

Today was a damp day with low cloud, and travelling along Healy Pass we were surrounded by heavy fog and steep cliffs.

This is Inch beach, closest thing to Australian beaches we have seen.

Many horse and cart competitors on the Dingle Peninsula 

We waited for the Leprechauns to cross but no sign of them.

This is called Ladies View.

At the Lace factory

 A view from the Healy Pass, wet, raining and foggy.  A beautiful sight on a sunny day.

Main Street of Bantry on our way to Cork.

A view from Bantry House, a magnificent old house in the process of being restored by the owner.

This house has been in the same family for 300 years.

Inside the homestead.

A tortured garden at the Bantry House.

Day 15 - Dingle

The west coast is renowned for seafood, and we have had some good chowder, fish, and mussels here.  When ordering each meal, we are always asked "would you like baked potato, sliced potato, mashed potato, garlic/cream potato, or chips with that?"

The west coast is extremely windy all year round.  We have been told that in winter it is gale-force.

We passed an electricity generator which is powered by coal imported from Poland.  They also have oil generators and wind generators in Ireland.

During the property boom (before the GFC), banks were lending more than 100% of the cost price of a property.  Repayments are well in arrears now, but the banks are not foreclosing because the values of properties have fallen so much.  This helps to explain why there are so many small holiday homes around the coastline, all of which would be in arrears with repayments.

Blasket Island still has some holiday accommodation, although the island has been unoccupied since 1953.  Before that, there was a thriving community which considered the mainland almost as a foreign country.  They were self-sufficient, and faced the mainland rather than the wind-swept ocean.  The island is only one km offshore.

We visited a pottery centre which had some beautiful pieces for sale, but of course it is not possible to bring home large or heavy pieces.

Two quotes to show the humour of the Irish:

"God sent the Irish to Canada to keep them from marrying Protestants"

"In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs"

Beehive structures used for housing 2000 BC.  Each stone has been expertly chosen and placed for these to last so long.  They were constructed by master stone builders using no mortar.

Several more Beehive Structures, this area was without power until recent years.

House used in the making of the film "Far and Away". House owned by an 83 year old lady who charges  €2 each as an entry fee which she uses to visit her daughters in U.S. once each year. She also featured in the film "Far and Away" which starred Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman

The most westerly point of Ireland.  The film "Ryan's Daughter" was made here.

The unforgiving and tumultuous coast line and seas along the west coast.

The remains of the settlement on Blasket Island with the mainland in the background.

1300 year old church named the Gallarus Oratory.  Built east to west by master stone builders.  No mortar  was used in these buildings, Walls 4 feet thick at the base and each stone sloped outwards so that the inside was completely dry, even today.  Door and window faced exactly east-west on the date of the summer equinox.

View from the inside.  Each stone was hand chosen to make a tight fit.

Bandon was an adventurer who left from here 900 years before Christopher Columbus. ( around 1680 AD), sailing in a timber framed boat covered with animal skins.  He went in a northerly direction initially and then west to Newfoundland and onwards to what is now known today as America.  He was away for 7 years and upon his return nobody believed his story.

Day 14 - Galway to The Burren and Dingle

We are now in Kerry, where the first language is Irish which they speak amongst themselves.  The route took us through the never ending green fields and stone or hedge fences.  Some of the stone fences are constructed with the stones placed vertically - a skill which has now largely been lost.  There are still large numbers of cows (mostly friesians) and also some goat farms.  

We passed the area where Spanish ships were lost and 14 sunk.  The Celts were very tall (about 6 feet) and strong, whilst the Spanish were relatively short and weak so their altercations tended to be one-sided.  Some of the Spanish survived, and their Arab horses mixed with local ponies to create the strong and gentle breed which is now prized around the world.

Young people in the past did not have much opportunity to meet each other, so each year a "matchmakers" gathering was held, which often led to arranged marriages.

The Burren is an area of limestone which appears barren from a distance.  The rainfall seeps into cracks in the rock, travels underground, and eventually out to the sea.

Aran Island is not far off the coast.  This is where Aran sweaters originated.  Each family knitted their own unique design, so that if a fisherman was lost and then his body found, he could be identified by the pattern of his jumper.

A new saying - when you part company with someone, you say "mind herself" not goodbye or farewell.  

Every village has several pubs, and there are small hotels and B & Bs everywhere.

The Burren Chocolate manufacturer, the only one in Ireland that actually makes the complete chocolate on site here.  The owners import the unshelled beans direct from Jamaica and do  all of the processing themselves.

An ancient abbey which still has a cemetery available for those who were related to someone previously buried here.

Irish breed sheep, different to the Australian variety.

Fences built with the stones placed vertically, a skill that is fast disappearing.

The limestone of the Burren with an old tomb.

The Cliffs of Moher.  These were spectacular. Vertical faces up to 300 metres high with tourists walking near the unfenced edge !

I don't think these people realised how close they were to a vertical drop into the ocean.  There are many suicides here every year.

On the ferry crossing the Shannon river.

The scenery in Kerry is incredible - green patchwork of paddocks with white sheep and goats against a backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean

Day 13 - Galway.

We had free time in Galway today to explore the city.  The environment here is much more pleasant than in some of the villages or cities in Northern Ireland where after years of fighting they are still fearful that the close reconciliation they crave will not be achieved for a long, long time to come.

The word "wee" is used a lot here.  Eg our driver will say " it may rain, so you might loike to bring along a wee jacket with ye".  Ireland is pronounced "Oirlend".  Many of the road signs and village names are unpronounceable for us

This Irish Pub on the corner has lots of drinks, no food but plenty of Irish music and dancing.  The people are packed in like sardines and the noise far too loud, but a great traditional Irish night.

Pan Flute and Trumpet entertainers are common on the streets.  So are the CD's they sell.

This guy put on a really good show, great music and skilful performance with his puppet violinist.h

His little helper down below really got the crowd clapping.  Very clever.

This Irish lass really put on an enthusiastic show of Irish dancing wearing tap shoes.  We watched for about half an hour and she hardly stopped in that time. She will sleep well tonight !

They certainly drew a large crowd and their donation box was filling fast.

Day 12 - Sligo to Galway

We learnt that landlords years ago before the famine, doubled the rent for farmers if they increased the size of the windows of the cottage or raised the height of the door.  The people were quite short back then, but the doors were even lower to keep out cold breezes.  The pre-famine farm which we visited today was run by Dan O'Hara and his wife with 7 children.  Because he modified the window (merely an excuse to take over his land), he was evicted from his farm and would have starved if he did not board a ship bound for America.  En route his wife and three children died.  When he disembarked his remaining children were placed with three separate American families, and the heartbroken farmer sold matches so he could feed himself.  He was illiterate and could not speak any English.  

We were shown the process of cutting and drying bog (peat) for fuel.  Bodies have been found buried in the bogs, perfectly preserved because there is no oxygen there.

Emigrants were submitted to medical examinations before departure, and then again on arrival in USA. If not fit prior to departure they were refused passage.

We saw St Patrick's Hill (Patrick was never really a saint), where he rolled his bell down the hill.  An angel appeared, returned the bell to Patrick, and removed all of the snakes and toads from Ireland.  Pilgrims regularly climb the hill barefoot to honour this story. (2.5 hour trek, see photo below)

During the famine years, soup kitchens began to appear run by volunteers, to feed the starving people.  There was insufficient soup, so a large number of villagers walked barefoot and in rags 18 miles to another village to a second soup kitchen, only to discover that it was a rumour.  Hundreds died on the way there, and hundreds more on the way back. (See last photo of memorial below)

It seems that the rich get richer, and the poor become poorer.  In the past, exports were comprised of grains and children.  Nowadays it is grains and dairy products, particularly casein with the Chinese market in mind.

If I had to summarise the main characteristics/beliefs of the Irish (past and present), these would include:

Pagan beliefs

Spirituality

Superstitious

Religious

Friendly

Humorous

Patriotic/anti-England

Rebellious

Angry

Proud

Brave

Resilient

Antagonistic

Famine/starvation

Emigration to the New World

Education is now compulsory for children until they reach age 16.  Many are red-headed with fair skin.  

Coffee break for Judy at Westport.

The rivers and bridges are very attractive.  This one is in the centre of Westport.

A remembrance memorial for those who died on the famine trail.

The start of the barefoot climb to the top of St.Patricks mountain.  A pilgrimage to the Saint see 25,000 people making the climb on the first Sunday of August each year.

The movie "The Fields" was made here, a picturesque area with creeks, rolling hills, a lake and wild rhododendrons everywhere. A magnificent sight.

With millimetres to spare, cars and buses battle for space on all these remote roads along the west coast.

Kylemore Abbey constructed by a rich landowner for his wife who died just a few years after it was completed.  An outstanding example of Castles in this area.  She bore 9 children, and then died in childbirth with her 10th.

This is Martin, local tour guide at the Coonemara Heritage Centre.  We jumped on an enclosed trailer while Martin towed us by tractor up to the small cottage where Dan O'Hara, his wife and 7 small children were evicted for increasing the size of the door and windows. Here Martin is showing us how to dig up the peat bog which is used for fires and insulation in ceilings of their cottages. Slabs are laid out on the ground and left to dry.  It took 1,000 years to create this bog/peat substance, and its extraction is now carefully monitored and managed by government.

Inside the cottage with photos of 4 USA Presidents he has entertained here.  Under the photo is a hidden bottle of home distilled porceen.  We tried this illegal brew and it tasted like kerosene and burnt all the way down.  Good for colds and flu!!

A spinning wheel to make local wool and cotten.

Dan O'Hara's homestead, one living room, one bedroom plus a loft for his girls. When they leave the loft to marry and there is only one left, they refer to her as being left on the shelf !

A memorial to the families who walked and died on the famine trail.  This represents a "coffin ship".

Day 11 - Derry to Sligo.

Started the day at the Ulster- American Folk Park which explained why 2 million Irish people left for a new life in other parts of the world.  The Doagh Famine Villlage gave us a great deal of information about the potato famine of 1845 - 1852 and the preceding years.  Because the shoreline was sand, kelp would not grow so the farmers carted rocks to the edge of the sea which eventually grew kelp which they ate.  Other than the kelp, they really only had whatever fish and birds they were able to catch once there were no potatoes.  The first year that the government ever paid any allowances to help was 1909.  

Ireland is not a very large island - about 600 miles north to south, and 300 miles west to east.  We have received much more information about the Titanic - many more died than first thought (about 50% of passengers and crew).

There was much superstition surrounding unmarried mothers and burials.  Unmarried mothers were banned from the family to avoid bad luck.  A "wake" comes from the fear of being buried alive, so burials could not occur until 3 days after death, and a set of rules were followed to ensure that the corpse was really dead.  There was loud wailing, a pinch of salt thrown over observers' shoulders, snuff was given to the deceased, and the deceased always had company as observers in case of waking up.

People were afraid of dying in their sleep (usually from TB or Asthma), so sleeping whilst sitting up was common.

Any legal "infringements" were not treated justly - no trial and immediate imprisonment with no defined  sentence.

Any job advertised in early days stated that "no Catholics need apply".

Currencies throughout the country vary depending on location - pounds sterling in the north, and euros in the south.

The Folk Park blacksmiths shop.  The room was full of smoke and he reckoned it was a good day for smoke, not as bad as usual.  The visitors thought he would be lucky to last another year in this shed !

A typical street in Ireland prior to the exodus of the Irish to other parts of the world

The pottery factory, nice lunch but mediocre pottery even though Prince Charles was here last week.

Short stop for ice cream on the way to Sligo.

The Drumcliffe Church where the poet W.B. Yeats was buried.

Yeats grave.   He was buried in 1939 and later his wife George joined him (1968 ) -  strange name for a sheila.

This guy is pontificating on the meaning of life !!!

Parkes Castle

And again.

Now this is a castle, it is called Kilronan Castle. They don't come any better than this.  The surrounds are magnificent right alongside a lake with many acres of closely mown grass around this huge property. The rooms are huge, took some time to remove the pillows, covers and other Royal type of stuff from the bed before we could get in.  It seems as if we are getting better treatment than the others, perhaps because we are about to embark on another "back roads" tour in the UK.  We have been placed in the best rooms most nights compared to the others on the tour - maybe the influence of our travel agent ???  This is our small bus with driver and some of the 8 passengers.