Muckross Lake Kerry Bog Village House
Monday, January 14, 2013
All That You Can't Leave Behind
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Ireland Part 4: One Step Closer
On my Final day in Galway I decided to walk around before my
train to Killarney. It was a bright and sunny morning, but there were ominous
clouds on the horizon. I ran into a shopping mall to seek refuge and as soon as
I got inside a cascade of rain came pouring down. It wasn’t just rain though,
tons of hail was mixed with it. From the glass roof atrium the sound of ice
beads crashing down resonated through the space. It seemed that as quickly as
the storm began, it was over even more quickly. When I was outside again, it
was sunny. After my strange morning, I got on the train to Killarney. It took a
while to get there because there is no direct train between the two cities. I
had to travel halfway back to Dublin and transfer to a train to Killarney.
It was already the evening by the time I arrived. I traveled
through the rain to get to my hostel. It was difficult to find since entrance
was at the back of an alleyway. Once I got checked into my room (I booked a
single room for myself this time), I went to a local pub for a few pints and a
bite to eat. After dinner I went back to the hostel. I went to the lounge to
read a copy of Ulysses that I bought at the James Joyce Center in London. While
I was there I met a girl from Germany named Lena. We had a great conversation
that lasted for a couple hours. It’s always fun sharing cross cultural
perspectives with new friends. The next day I had planned on renting a bike and
riding through the Gap of Dunloe but the forecast for that day did not look
good. I decided to take a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry, something I had done
in Ireland five years ago.
I woke up that morning and was picked up by the bus driver
Eddie at the hostel. There were two others from my hostel on the tour and a
large group of people from Boston. Eddie was very personable and entertaining.
He would tell stories about the locals and his family; painting a vivid picture
of what it was like to live around Killarney. The bus ride around the ring was
very different from when I last did it. The sun was shining and the breeze was
gentle. The first time there, the rain and clouds kept you from seeing more
than a hundred yards beyond the shoreline. We revisited the old bog village,
where a couple of old Irish wolf hounds seemed to remember me (at least I like
to think so). After that we made it over
to a small stop where local Irish Sheppard and dog trainer, Brendan Ferris, had
a demonstration on the various aspects of dog training and sheep herding. I
also saw this man five years before and he hadn’t changed a bit; I think he was
wearing the same shirt. We continued around the coast until we made it to a
restaurant on the hillside where I had a Guinness and a big bowl of Irish stew.
After a brief lunch, the bus traveled on along the coast.
Our last major stop was at a nearby Staigue Fort. The fort was built in the
early centuries A.D. We had to walk a little ways from the road to reach it. It
was a circular fort made of stacked stones that have held up very well over the
centuries. It’s a wonder how it avoided being demolished by a farmer and turned
into a stone fence or small barn. It had magnificent sweeping views of the
valley and would have been easy to defend against any raiding clans. After this
last stop, the bus took us back to Killarney where I ate dinner and went exploring for a bit. I walked through the Killarney National Park to Ross Castle which I had visited in the past. The next day I woke up for one of the longest two days of my
life.
I rode the train from Killarney back to Dublin. On the way back the train was crowded with old people from Dublin on their way back from a group vacation and occupied almost all of the seats. I sat next to a particular gentleman named Des (Desmond) who was traveling on his own. We had a magnificent conversation about traveling and golf. During the train ride he even bought me lunch. That will be one of the highlights of my entire trip. It was the
early afternoon when I arrived in Dublin. My plan was to spend the night in the Dublin airport
and catch an early flight to Venice Treviso Airport. With several hours of
daylight I decided to explore more of the city. When I visited the city in the
past, I had found a mall/ shopping center with a great atrium and skylight. The
design was a little post-modern for my taste but it had a very nice feeling to
it. The problem was I had no memory of how I got there the first time. So with
little time to spare I began my search. I started south of the River Liffey
near Trinity College. I happened upon a familiar street that led me to a market
with a bunch of shops and trinkets that I had seen 5 years previous. After a
bit more exploring I made my way to the Mall. It was exactly as I ha
remembered. The atrium had a massive clock hanging from the ceiling as a
centerpiece and the structure was all white. The design had a faux Victorian feel,
but made up for it with a lot of interesting foliage. In any case, it’s a wonder
I found it at all. I was very proud of myself.
With my objective complete, I explored a few nearby parks,
ate dinner, and took a bus to the airport at around 10 o’clock. When I arrived
I was not quite sure how to spend my time so I sat at the McDonald's and watched
the BBC until I knew the repeating news stories by heart. The McDonald's was open
24 hours so at least I had company. Around 2 a.m. I tried to get a little sleep
but I was too worried someone might take my bag to get any. After a while I
resigned myself to watching the BBC once more and eavesdropping on the
conversations of some interesting airport staff. For breakfast I got a cup of
coffee and a couple egg McMuffins. I got on my flight to the Venice Treviso
airport and realized the airport in was a good 45 minute bus ride to Venice. I
guess I was expecting too much from Ryan Air. It was a near torturous experience
but the worst of it was over and I was now on my way to Venice.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Window in the Sky
Ross-Errily Friary
Ross-Errily Friary The Entrance to the Forest near Cong
Bridge to the Forest Fishing House for Local Monks
Joey the Pony
the Hills of Connemara
The Kylemore Abbey
Small Chapel on the Abbey Grounds Interior of the Abbey
Modeled after Gothic Cathedrals
Coast of Galway Bay
Galway Cathedral
Cathedral Altar
The River Corrib running through Galway
Ireland Part 3: When I Look at the World
After returning to Galway from my trip to Clifden, my first
job (as always) was to track down my hostel. It was only a couple blocks from
the city center. I checked in to find that I was the only person checked into
my five person room. I waited around a bit to see if anyone was going to show
up but no one did. I had the entire room to myself. After this comforting
revelation, I went out to reacquaint myself with Galway (remember I visited 5
years previous). I made my way down to the bay and back up to the cathedral. I
decided that night that I would take a tour the next day, organized by the
hostel.
The next day the bus picked me up and I went back north to
Connemara to see the area around Clifden. It was a rainy day, but it seemed
that whenever we got out of the bus it would stop just long enough for us to
explore. The bus driver was witty and talkative. The first stop was at the
Ross-Errily Friary, the ruins of an old stone friary. After that we headed for
the village of Cong, where the film The Quite Man (starring John Wayne) was
filmed. The village is on the boarder of a forest, which I spent the brief stop
exploring. It was a beautiful and calming walk. I had time to reflect on the fact that i was doing this traveling entirely on my own and how far i had come since I began my European travels. Then we made our way to our final stop, the Kylemore Abbey. Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine
monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle. Kylemore Castle
was built as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician
from England who was also an MP for Galway County from 1871 to 1885.
The Abbey grounds are at the base of a mountain, beside a
lake, and create a beautiful and picturesque view of the landscape. There is an
extensive garden complex which used to be a collection of beautiful Victorian greenhouses,
until they burned down years ago. The Abbey itself is only partly open to the
public, but the interior is ornately decorated. The rain from the day was
rolling down the mountainside accentuating the rock outcroppings and crevices. The weather made me feel like i was walking through a clouded painting. with the fog obscuring the world beyond the frame. It’s
easy to see why Mitchell Henry decided to make a home there. One our way back
to Galway we stopped by a farm to see a Connemara pony. The pony’s name was
Joey, and he seemed to be used to bus visitors. When he heard the sound of the
bus he came running to meet us. When we were done giving Joey some apples, we
headed back to Galway.
When I got back to Galway I went to a local restaurant for
some fish and chips that were highly recommended. After that I went to explore
more of the city before retiring for the evening. Again I had the entire room
to myself. The next day I would head south to Kilarney by train.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Running to Stand Still
Pictures from Clifden and the Surrounding Landscape
The Catholic Church in Clifden
The Clifden Traditional Music Festival
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