Roads with Grass in the Middle 2!

The beginning of April was a great time here in Limerick because the sun was shining and my family was reunited. I'll admit my residence room became a bit squishy with four people, so to avoid spending our time cramped in a small room we ventured into the Irish countryside to visit a few attractions.

One day we took a trip to the Flying Boat Museum in Foynes, a small town on the south side of the Shannon Estuary. According to the museum, Foynes was "the centre of the aviation world from 1937-1945" because it was the departure port for trans-Atlantic flights by massive-bodied flying boats. These airplanes, which landed on water, were the first passenger aircraft to cross the Atlantic ocean. These planes reached their prime during World War II as several important people flew to neutral Ireland. These people including John F Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ernest Hemmingway, Prime Ministers from all over the world, and Royalty from Saudi Arabia, Holland, Greece and Norway. During World War II, aircraft technology improved so drastically that afterwards there was no demand for the flying boat service.

 

A Boeing 314, the "quintessential" Pan Am flying boat

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Interestingly, Irish Coffee was also invented at Foynes. The story goes that late one night a flying boat destined for Newfoundland was forced to return to Foynes due to poor weather conditions. The exhausted passengers were brought to the terminal's restaurant where Chef Joe Sheridan was asked to supply them coffee. Thinking they needed a bit more than coffee, Joe added some whiskey to the mix. One of the passengers praised the coffee and asked if it was Brazilian, to which Joe replied "No, that is Irish Coffee!"

The next day my family made a trip to Cliffs of Moher. I had visited the Cliffs last autumn and was surprised to find that several changes have be made since that time. Now the barrier walls are reinforced to discourage people stepping too close to the edge, plus an entire new path stretches to the North for more great views of the Cliffs.

After the Cliffs our journey became a bit navigationally challenged . . . and of course that had nothing to do with my possession of the map. We made a last minute decision to drive up along the coast to an area known as the Burren. The Burren is composed of exposed limestone rock, giving it a very extraterrestrial look. I was really surprised by the extent of the rock, it's all you can see for long distances and is incredibly beautiful in a barren sort of way.

I had the clever idea to cut down our travel time by catching a "minor road" (as labeled by my map) from the coast back to the main highway. The amount of time it took us to find the entrance to the road should have been a sign, but we eventually ended up on some kind of road which had us winding higher and higher over a towering hill. Our height gave us lovely views of the coast.

Very soon we began to see grass in the middle of the road, which sent us females in the car into a fit of giggles. My father was very quick to voice his doubts, and in true Canadian fashion he declared that we were on a logging road. I personally did not think logging roads existed in Ireland, but was proven wrong when my father hit the brakes as we passed this sight:

Despite all of this the road continued and at one point we even saw another car. Eventually we began to see houses and victoriously came out to the main highway. Of course I knew what I was doing the whole time. My family has no faith in me.

Last stop of the day was at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, located just outside Limerick city. This tower house was built in 1425 and extensively restored in 1945. The folk park is a huge 26 acres which depicts life in the 19th century. There is a weaver's workshop, schoolhouse, several farmhouses, and a recreated main street with operating shops. There are several animals cared for in the park including pigs, red deer, horses, sheep, chickens and Irish wolf hounds.  I did not realize that such a gem was located so close to Limerick. The whole place is a great craic to visit!

The main street with gift shops and a pub.

Sleepy Irish Wolf Hounds, standing up they are taller than my waist.

I swear Ireland loves me!

Sitting outside Bunratty Castle is the famous pub Durty Nelly's, which has been copied all over the world. We had a wonderful streak of good fortune when we stopped at the pub for supper. It turned out that a couple days before our arrival three juvenile dolphins had swam up the Shannon Estuary and taken residence near Durty Nelly's. The dolphins drew a large group of spectators, including myself as I had never seen a live dolphin before. I almost could not believe it when I snapped this picture of one showing off for the crowd.

 

Well that is all that I have to share about my adventures with my parents. At the end of that week my parents boarded a plane to return to snowy Canada. It was a wonderful visit and a great chance for me to see more of Ireland. I am a lucky girl!

 

In other news, it is my birthday today! So wherever you may be in the world, please celebrate on my behalf by having a pint.

 

Shannon



Ireland's Western Coast

There is plenty to see along Ireland's Western Coast. The landscapes alone can fill a trip with multiple photo-stops, but do not forget to save time for visiting some tourist sights. Admittedly my parents and I did not have quite enough time to see all that we could have, but we managed to jam in as much as possible over the course of two days. And now I will attempt to fit it all in one blog...

As we drove down the West Coast we passed through several counties: Doneghal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, and lastly Limerick. We even briefly popped back into Northern Ireland in order to investigate the ancestry of my great-uncle. His family came from Derrygonnelly, a small town with one main street in County Fermanagh. We did not find living relatives, but we did sneak around the graveyard at the Church his family used to attend!

Here are my parents standing near Benmore Church with our rental car, which we affectionately named "Blueberry."

 

Not far passed Derrygonnelly, we entered County Sligo and pulled over to find the grave of W.B. Yeats. The Nobel Prize winning, poet died in France in 1939. His wish was to be briefly buried in France then moved back to Ireland to lay in the churchyard where his grandfather had been rector.
 

Yeat's epitaph comes from the final lines of his poem "Under Benbulben," which he wrote about his plan to be buried beneath the nearby mountain.

 

Elsewhere in Sligo we stopped to visit the Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery, which is the largest and oldest in Ireland. These tombs are standing stone-structures dating as far back as 6500 years. There are 30 visible at the site. It is remarkable Irish ancestors could construct monuments of such proportion and baffling to think of their reasons. Most intriguing is the fact that you can see large tombs on distant hills, directly in line with the central cemetery.

 

Look closely at the above picture. See the small bump on the distant hill. That is "Queen Maeve's Tomb," the largest in the cemetery. It is a cairn, like in the image below (except much bigger), which is made up of thousands of piled rocks.
 





That evening we stayed in the cosy little town of Westport. This town is a gateway to outdoor activities on the west coast and therefore has a lovely downtown geared towards tourism. We arrived on Easter and celebrated by having a delicious dinner at J.J. O'Malley's Restaurant. I ordered citrus duck ... WOW, I'm hooked. Their food was fabulous!

Just outside Westport lies the large holy mountain called Croagh Patrick. This mountain is where St Patrick allegedly fasted for 40 days. Nowadays it is known for its pilgrimage in honour of the saint, which sees one million people climb to its summit each year.

Shortly afterwards we began to enter the mountainous range of Connemara National Park (more mountains I did not know existed). Our blessing of a blue sky was counterbalanced by one of the strongest winds I have experienced in Ireland. Luckily winds do not stop you from taking photos.

Nestled in the mountains of Connemara is a castle turned abbey called Kylemore Abbey. It was quite a surprise to turn a corner and find a stunning castle located in what seemed the middle of nowhere.

The castle was originally built in 1867 as a private home for wealthy London businessman Mitchell Henry and his family. Henry was quite a forward thinking man and made sure the castle was fitted with running water and electricity. He also built an extensive series of walled gardens with heated greenhouses so that his tenant farmers could grow all types of exotic fruits for his family to eat. The castle cost a reported £40,000 annually to maintain, which not unexpectedly led Henry to bankruptcy. In 1920 the estate was purchased by the Benedictine nuns as a peaceful escape from WWI. They used it as a private Catholic school until 2010. Now the Abbey welcomes 250,000 tourists a year to its grounds.

Here is a photograph looking out over the walled gardens of Kylemore.

 

We were just about exhausted after all this exploration and driving. We made one last stop in the city of Galway to tour the main shopping streets and buy some groceries before returning to Limerick. Galway has a great artistic and cultural vibe so I will be sure to revisit it in the future. Here is a picture of my mom and I standing on a side street.

What a wonderful journey I had with my parents (save for brief navigational disagreements...). One day after our return to Limerick my sister arrived at the airport, so we headed off on more adventures with her. Those stories will have to wait till next time.

This week marks the last week of classes for my term. How time flies...
Shannon

Shannon the Navigator

For some strange reason, my parents seemed to think I was best suited to navigating our journey around the west coast. Granted I had consulted a road map before our trip, but I had been hoping to pass along the responsibility to my mother. Looking back now I suppose everything went relatively well and I only had to tell my father to drive on the left side of the road once.

We left Belfast in the afternoon, heading to Derry via the famous Giant's Causeway. I had been hoping to visit this World Heritage Site for awhile and was thrilled to have the opportunity to share it with my parents. On our way along the coast we met fabulous sea views. We drove past the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge which leads to a charming little island. However I would probably avoid the bridge on a windy day.

 

Before our trip Northern Ireland had a catastrophic snow storm which left thousands out of power and sadly trapped many flocks of sheep. Even more than a week after the storm, there was still snow left in areas such as the island you can see below.

When we arrived at Giant's Causeway we were happy that it was not high tourist season. It must be very busy in the summer, but well worth the visit regardless of what time of year. The coast is incredible! For those who do not know the Causeway is world famous for its unique geological structures. There are over 40,000 basalt stone columns along the coast that were formed around 60 million years ago, but were only exposed from the erosion of the last ice age.

The legend of the Causeway tells of the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill who built the causeway as a bridge to Scotland. Different rock structures along the coast are named after his household wares, including his boot, pipe organ and chimney stacks. You can see the chimney stacks at the top of the far coastline. Apparently they are 100 metres tall!

 

After our enjoyable visit to Giant's Causeway we headed to Derry (Londonderry) for the evening. We spent very little time in Derry, but it would be worth revisiting because it is the UK's 2013 City of Culture and has several special events occurring this year. We took the time to walk the old city walls built in 1619 and see the city's Peace Bridge. Another highlight of Derry is the murals painted on buildings in the bog-side community. Like Belfast, Derry faced significant conflict during the Troubles and these murals reflect those difficult times.

 

 This view was from our hotel window. The old city walls can be seen with white graffiti words.

 

Derry's Peace Bridge.

 

 Here are a couple mural examples, the dove on the right was my favourite.

 

 We took a morning walk along the walls to snap some pictures and learn more about Derry's history from helpful historical plaques!

 

Slowly but surely I am getting through these travel tales! It is a busy time of the year for me so I am mostly writing assignments and not blogs. Stay tuned for more though because I have a couple blogs left to share about tombs, abbeys, mountains and castles!

 

Ciao!

Shannon

Sea and Saints

After our visit to Scotland, my parents and I had made plans to visit our relatives in Northern Ireland then drive the west coast back to Limerick. From Edinburgh we caught a bus to the small coastal town of Cairnryan and boarded the large Stena Line ferry to Belfast. It's the first time I had been on a boat that big and I was impressed by the luxuriousness of the interior. I believe there was even a spa onboard somewhere. My Dad and I braved the wind to visit to the top deck. Here is a picture of me on the deck and in the distance you can see a Stena ferry heading the opposite direction.

Once we arrived in Northern Ireland, we spent a couple days in County Down seeing sights and visiting family. As our relatives live not far from the coast, we were treated to lovely views of the sea and one refreshing morning walk on the beach.

This is the Strangford harbour, named by Viking settlers who called it "strong fjord."
 

 These pictures above and below are of Ballyhornan beach. Note the Bassethound posing below; that's Ben, the slobbery character who greets you upon arrival at my relatives.

 

County Down is the first place Saint Patrick settled when he came to Ireland on his missionary work. Did you know that as a 16 year old, Saint Patrick had been kidnapped from his home in Britain and taken to Ireland as a slave? He managed to escape to France after six years of slavery, but in 432 he was drawn back to Ireland to spread Christianity. There are many landmarks tied to St Patrick in Down County, including the Struell Wells. These flowing wells have historically been a sight of congregation as it was believed their water had healing powers. St Patrick is said to have visited here, but the importance of these wells date back much farther to Pagan times.

 

 

There are a few small stone buildings on the Struell sights constructed as bath houses for men and women. Inside you could find flowing taps pictured below.

 

The nearby city of Downpatrick is a central location for all things related to the Saint, mainly because he is buried  in the grounds of its cathedral. We visited the grave and the nearby interpretative center. St Patrick is buried with two others Saints, and his gravestone is a humble, simple boulder with his name carved in the top.

Downpatrick Cathedral was built on a hill slightly raised above the level of the town. This height provides advantageous views of the distant Mourn Mountains, assuming you are lucky enough to have clear skies like we did.

If one thing is for certain, this trip has really helped me discover mountains which I never realized existed before. First it was the Highlands, then the Mourns, and that's not the last either. Just wait till I share my photos from the west coast!


Sending warm thoughts to those still trapped in snow!
Shannon



High up in the Highlands

While I found Edinburgh incredible, my heart had been set on an excursion into the Highlands. I'll admit that it was the latest James Bond movie that really convinced me to go, as I found it unbearable to not see the gorgeous northern landscape in person. It did not take much convincing for my parents to agree, so one day we jumped aboard a Heart of Scotland tour bus and headed north.

Our tour began by passing the Linlithgow Palace where Mary Queen on Scots was born, Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument made famous by the movie Braveheart. We made a very brief stop at the Deanstown Distillery and were shown the large whiskey stills. Believe it or not, laws prohibited us from buying whiskey at that time of morning so we settled for tea and coffee instead.

After this point we began to enter to Highlands and were surprised to find that they were composed of mountains not rolling hills. The "high" in Highlands is a bit understated. Fabulous mountainous views stretched out before us and as we got higher we were greeted with snow-covered slopes. Apparently it's been the coldest March on record in the UK and Ireland, which meant that although we had to put up with nippy weather we also got to see the Highlands dusted in white.

The bus pulled to a stop in the absolutely stunning Glencoe valley. Glencoe is famous for a couple reasons. Historically it was the location of the McDonald clan massacre, authorised by William of Orange and carried out by the rival Campbell clan. On a lighter and more recent note, the valley was used to film segments featuring Hagrid's hut in Harry Potter films.

We stopped for lunch in Fort William then continued up to Fort Augustus and the infamous Loch Ness, home to Nelly the Loch Ness monster. We took a walk around town and took a few pictures by the lake. Sadly no sign of Nelly, not that I really expected to be that lucky...

 



We found a couple neat things around the town of Fort Augustus. We watched two boats move through the extensive series of locks in the Caledonian Canal, which connects Loch Ness with Loch Oich.

We also took a brief tour of a petting zoo located in the center of town, and saw red deer, lambs, cattle, donkeys, chickens, miniature horses and geese (I'll admit that it was the breeds and not the animals themselves that were novel to my farming family). Highlights included Highland cattle, a well-known Scottish breed, and a surprisingly small roe deer. Our bus tour guides told us an interesting fact about Highland Cattle; before the 1840s the breed was most often black in colour, but Queen Victoria made it know she preferred the red coloured version so those traits were bred for instead.

Shortly after leaving Fort Augustus, the bus stopped near the Commando Memorial to take in the impressive panorama of Ben Nevis. This mountain is the tallest in its range at 1344 metres (4409 feet). We had the amazing luck of catching the mountain on a clear, sunny day. Apparently the mountains are usually swathed in fog or cloud. The WWII Memorial pictured below has held its post at the base of this great mountain since 1952.

 

 



Our whirlwind trip into the Highlands made for a long, but amazing day. I mustered up all my leftover energy to stay awake on the drive back to Edinburgh so that I would miss nothing. We saw a remarkable amount of red deer (a very close relative to the elk) in fields near the highway, and although I'm not completely positive, I'm pretty sure I even saw one which was white in colour!

My family really enjoyed the rich history and distinct culture in Scotland. As usual, much more time could have been spent exploring, but we had made plans to head to Ireland, so off we went.

All the best,
Shannon