It's a long way to Tipperary

So I think I'll go somewhere else. Actually, it's just down the road but I think I'm going to head for the coast today. Had enough of urbanity for a while.
Limerick is surprisingly shabby, particularly the "medieval quarter" around the castle. I had a look at St John's Cathedral yesterday - impressive. There were a number of people inside but the silence was overwhelming. I felt a bit embarrassed by the echoing noise of my camera. Great stained glass though and exceptionally ornate altars. The central altar is made from some lovely marble.



St John's Church, directly across the road from the cathedral, has an interesting graveyard but the church itself is empty. It looks like it's been turned into a meeting/music type venue. Maybe a youth club - it had that look about it.
Most of the other medieval places were closed. I was looking through the gate at one place and a guy got out of his van to tell me, "We might have a key in a couple of hours." Right. This is a crazy country :)

Time to hit the road while the sun's out...

Later....

Limerick - sort of.

Yesterday was a bit of a disaster photography-wise. I went off to have a look at King John's Castle and several other attractions in Limerick. But I committed a cardinal sin and didn't check the camera's batteries first. I got some shots of the castle before the battery went flat - no probs, I've got another one. Flat too. Grrr! Not only that, but I also didn't check camera settings and got a bunch of shots of pure whiteness - using indoor setting outdoors. Gawd. Send me back to beginner's class.
Anyway..... the castle itself was a bit disappointing in that there's not much there except the shell. There are two round towers and the main entrance but the insides are empty for the most part. There are a couple of displays in the towers but not much else. Perhaps I shouldn't have seen it so soon after Bunratty which is chock full of stuff. Mind you, the castle was built in about 1210 so I shouldn't really be surprised that most of it has gone.
What is interesting are the archaeological digs on site. One is outside in the main courtyard where they are uncovering what they think might be the great hall as well as a road to the river. I could be wrong here though as the pic I took of the info board was one of the pure whites. The other dig is below ground, directly underneath the souvenir shop. Here they've found evidence of a sally port, defensive walls and pre-Norman dwellings. I wanted to be an archaeologist when I was a kid.
Anyway.... today is another day. Camera batteries are both fully charged.

Later.....

On to Limerick

Haha, I'd planned to drive straight to Limerick and spend yesterday exploring the city. Haha, it took me all day to get here. I saw a sign to Bunratty Castle, followed it and that was it for the day :)
Before that I'd come across a megalithic tomb on the road from Ennistymon to Ennis. There was no information provided about the tomb but I think it's a portal tomb. No idea of its age.



I love how these things are just there on the side of the road. Just about every bend in the road brings something new to look at. And there are plenty of bends - no such thing as a straight line in Ireland!
Sadly though, there's not always the opportunity to stop and have a proper look: the roads are narrow and winding and places to pull over and park are few and far between once you get out of the towns and villages.

Just as I was about to get on the motorway I saw a sign to Clare Abbey. So off I went down a narrow little road..... The abbey is mostly a ruin and at least one of the towers is leaning rather precariously. The gates around it were all locked so I couldn't get inside for a decent poke around. I thought about climbing the fence but the field was full of scary cows. I suspect the abbey is now on private land.



The only way to get back to the motorway was to back up all the way I'd come. Did I mention the roads can be narrow?

A few miles down the motorway and I saw a sign to Bunratty Castle. Detour again....
15 euros to get in. I thought that was a bit steep at first but the castle is fully open to the public and comes with a whole village spread over a number of acres. It's definitely a place to spend several hours, if not all day, so 15 euros isn't so bad after all.



I spent the whole afternoon wandering around the castle and the grounds. The castle itself was crowded with tourists (duh!) which made taking people-less photos difficult. There are signs everywhere asking people not to use flash photography - to protect the tapestries, etc. There are also signs on all the stairways: Entry Only and Exit Only - to keep the traffic on the narrow spiral stairs one way only. Ha! Both sets of signs were routinely ignored by most. Idiots. Traffic jams on the stairways were immensely annoying.
There's a lot more room to move outside and all the buildings are open. They're kept in as original condition as possible - peat fires make them very smoky and most dwellings were small and dark. Interesting nonetheless.



Most of the cottages are white but a couple were painted different colours.
I got sucked in by the touristy thing and ended up buying a certificate with the history of the family name, coat of arms, etc. Apparently Strahan originated in the Donegal area up in the north of Ireland. Shame I'm heading south.

Anyway, after several hours at Bunratty I had a coffee at Durty Nelly's, a 1620 inn just outside the castle, and then got back on the motorway to Limerick. I'm now in the Greenhills hotel until Friday. I decided to spend a couple of days in Limerick as there looks like there's plenty to see. Going off to find King John's castle once I've finished here.

Later.....

The Burren

The Burren is an area in the north of County Clare that's just fascinating. Megalithic portal tombs, medieval ruins, Celtic high crosses, etc. An archaeologist's wet dream. I've been here for two days but have only seen a fraction of what's on offer. The portal tomb at Poulnabrone is impressive - I was amazed at the size of it. It's fantastically well preserved. The limestone landscape is interesting too.


The Cliffs of Moher are worth seeing too but........... the wind! Gale force. 8 euros to park at the cliffs.


Kilfenora Cathedral has a collection of 11th century Celtic High Crosses which are also worth seeing. The carvings have been worn away in some places but, overall, they are remarkably well preserved. They stand under a specially constructed protective roof now. Makes the cathedral look like it has a greenhouse, but it's all in a good cause.

Only the larger towns in these parts have ATMs and many smaller villages don't have credit card facilities. It's wise to keep a stash of cash in reserve.

Ireland is a strange land. It's kind of in the real world, yet it's not.

Later....

Mayo into Galway

Of the two counties, so far I much prefer Mayo. The Galway coast is very pretty - postcard villages, etc., but once you get away from the coast it changes. I've followed the road around from Westport, through Leenaun, Kylemore, Roundstone and on to Galway city. The road down to Leenaun (Leenane) is amazing - it runs alongside a couple of lakes (loughs) surrounded by hills and mountains. There are a couple of Famine monuments along the way which provide a sobering reminder of the hardships this country has suffered. The hills around the lakes are covered in small rivulets running down the hillsides to keep the lakes full. Very pretty. There is a great shortage of trees so I guess the water has nowhere else to go.
Kylemore Abbey is a showcase attraction. 12 euros to get in though. There's also a gothic church on site and both it and the abbey have been fully restored. Lovely stained glass window in the church.
It's only a relatively short distance to Kylemore but it took me most of the day, stopping to take over 300 photos as I did.
The Rosleagh Hotel in Kylemore has pretentions to be 5 star accommodation - grand is the word. But the Fawlty Towerisms made it quite loveable too. The formal dining room is impressive - proper table settings, chandeliers, etc - but the beef fillet was tough. The bedrooms are big and airy but watch out for dead birds on the staircase. Etc.
Yesterday's drive to Galway wasn't nearly as interesting. I quickly got tired of the endless landscape of rocks. Occasional patches of wildflowers and the odd sheep here and there break it up a bit but, overall, I found it to be a bit depressing. The coastal areas are definitely a step back in time. No internet in most places, no phone reception either. I heard a lot of Gaelic being spoken and, in some places, there are no English translations of signs.
Galway itself is one of Ireland's biggest cities and all of a sudden I was faced with something I haven't experienced for a while - traffic! Jammed traffic. I made my way out of town, slowly, and found the Connemara Coast Hotel. A bit pricey but very comfortable. Excellent view from my room, I'm looking right over the bay. Nice. Good food and service too.
It's raining today so I might go into town and do some shopping. Nothing's open till after 12 though, it being Sunday, so there's no hurry.

Later....

Ireland: days 2 & 3

Still haven't made it to Galway :)
Yesterday I went to Slane and Kells. Slane has a wonderful ruined abbey on the Hill of Slane. It overlooks the countryside for miles around. It's where St Patrick lit the Paschal Fire, in 433 AD, in contravention of Pagan law forbidding any other fire but the King's at Beltane. The beginning of the end for Paganism in Ireland. The ruins that are on the Hill date from the early 1500s. There's not much left, just the shell of the college and the abbey tower. The graveyard is pretty full though and has some great Celtic crosses.
Slane Castle, in the town itself, is used for rock concerts these days - U2 are one mob I know have played there. It was closed when I was there though.
Next stop was Kells. They have a copy of the Book of Kells on display in the Information centre - the real thing is at Trinity College. Fascinating work of art. There's also an excellent 10th century round tower at the church up the hill. It's 90 feet tall and has 6 floors inside. No staircase though - access by ladder only!! But I guess if you were sheltering in there from a Viking attack you'd probably climb the walls unaided to get to safety. Plenty more Celtic crosses in the graveyard too. Impressive.

Today I wandered over to Westport, a pretty town near the west coast. From there I made my way to Louisburgh which is where I've parked myself for the night. This area has some fascinating history. Croagh Patrick (mountain) dominates the whole area. Appropriate as it's Ireland's Holy Mountain. St Patrick again - he's supposed to have spent 40 days and nights on the summit, fasting, praying, doing penance. It's a major pilgrimage site now and there was a steady stream of people heading upwards while I was there. I stayed at sea level. I know my limitations!
The national Famine Monument at Murrisk is also worth seeing. It's a bronze sculpture representing one of the coffin ships that transported Irish immigrants away from the Great Famine of 1845-52. The ship's sails and masts are made up of skeletal figures - representing both the Famine and the journey. Impressive piece of work.
Murrisk Friary is a few hundred metres away - not much left now but enough to give a sense of the place.

I was going to go out again this evening and take some sunset pics along the coast. But it's raining so I'm staying put - watching Liverpool on TV will have to do :)

Maybe tomorrow I'll get to Galway and beyond...

I'll leave you with this gem I overheard while having dinner in the bar of the hotel I'm staying at:
Re a recent trip to Tunisia: "The Safari tour was real disappointing. It was just a wildlife park. We didn't get to see the Safari Desert at all."

Later....

Ireland

Took off from Manchester at 8am yesterday - 35 minute flight into Dublin. Haha, how do Aer Lingus staff know that all passengers are on board? They do a head count. Anyway, by 9.45 I'd picked up my hire car and was on my way. I've got a Nissan Micra - the world's smallest car!! Only just fits my case, computer and camera in the boot. But it's easy to drive and cheap to run.
5 minutes down the road and I found myself in a town called Swords, complete with ruined castle. Photo op #1. It wasn't open yet though so I only saw the outside. I'm sure there are better ones to look at though.
I had intended to head for Galway and start touring from there. But, a few miles along I saw a sign to the Battle of the Boyne so headed there. Glad I did. I ended up on a tour (5 euros) of the passage tombs of Knowth. Fascinating place: one huge mound surrounded by 18 smaller ones. Megalithic art carvings on most of the kerbstones surrounding the main tomb. Apparently one-third of Europe's known megalithic art can be found at this one site.



From there I found myself in Drogheda, on the east coast. So much for heading west! The town itself looks a bit rundown but it was full of old churches, a fort and a ruined abbey. The tomtom GPS I've got a loan of kept sending me the wrong way up one-way streets. Spent about an hour trying to find one particular church I could see the spire of. Gave up in the end.
I ended up in a town called Navan where I found a room in the Ardboyne Hotel. Haha, the only room left was the bridal suite so I got it at standard room price (69 euros). Sweet. Lovely hotel and the staff are great too.

There are a couple of things nearby I want to look at today - there's an abbey up the road and Kells is about 20 miles west. The Book of Kells has always fascinated me so I have to go see.....
Then I'll head west to Galway I think. Or I might see another interesting sign and follow that....

Time for breakfast. Later.....