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