Inish More and the Blustery Day

We were up bright and early, driving into Doolin so we could catch our ferry boat to the largest of the Aran Islands, Inish More. The ride was quite smooth under cloudy skies that made the ocean look black.

Inish More is the largest of the Arans, about 9 miles by 3 miles. As soon as we got off the boat, we hopped on a small bus with a jovial driver named Gabriel that would take us on a tour of the island. We lucked out on our choice of buses as Gabriel was a native, both knowledgeable and funny. After growing up and going to school here, he spent several years fishing on big trawlers and then returned to marry and bring up his children. He also raises goats, so he is busy with kids and kids.

Inish Mor didn't get electricity until 1976. The island is so rocky, the only reason there is any soil is that farmers have painstakingly created it. After clearing out rocks they bring seaweed, sand and animal dung and over the centuries, soil has been created. There are 3000 miles of rock walls on the island, even though law has prohibited anyone from building new walls for the last 100 years.

The rock walls are carefully stacked, not cemented together, with spaces between where the wind can blow through without knocking down the walls. The Aran Islands are very traditional. Gaelic is taught in grade school with English being introduced only in a child's third year. All signs are in Gaelic first, English second.

Our first stop was Dun Angeus, an ancient fort on spectacular cliffs

It was a long steady climb to the fort with the wind increasing as we climbed.

The wind was blowing so hard it felt like it could whip you right off the cliff.

I actually loved the wild weather that we had visiting  Dun Angeus. I felt like we were going back centuries to an untamed place, home to Druids and Celts.

Another delicious mushroom not to eat

As we climbed down from the fort, Keith Kennedy struck his Country Squire pose.

One of the popular things for tourists to do on the island is to ride in a horse drawn cart or bicycle around. I felt very sorry for those who chose this transportation on this blustery wet day.

We ate another stellar meal in a small cafe near the fort. Our guide, Gabriel had told us not to miss it as it had been voted best restaurant in Ireland the prior year. It was a great place, though packed with so many people it was steamy inside, despite the cold weather. I ate a piece of Guinness infused chocolate cake that I am still dreaming about. 

Our next stop was a place called Seven Churches. Only ruins remain among the headstones. As with the other cemeteries we visited in Ireland, ancient graves are scattered among modern ones. The oldest grave here was a Roman one from about 800 a.d.

This rocky island is both barren and beautiful, full of plants and flowers that don't grow anywhere else. There is always beauty amongst desolation.

There are some very old cottages on the island.

The ferry boat had to leave an hour early today because the ocean was getting choppy. It was an exciting ride back to Doolin but nobody got seasick.

On the ride back from Doolin to Ballyvaughn, we stopped at Fanore Beach. It is a rare sandy beach in this rocky country.

Two young men had just gone for a very brief, very cold dip in the ocean when we got there. I had no desire to get in.

We rented two cars to get all three couples around during our time in Ireland. Keith Brook drove Mark and I and Keith Kennedy drove Carol and Yvonne. We really enjoyed our time visiting Keith while he tirelessly drove us everywhere.

Galway, Hurling Champions of 2017

This is the main room of our cottage. Mark and I had the room upstairs. It was lovely and cozy with the bed under a window. We woke to rain.

When the tide is in there is a lovely little bay in front of the cottages

My Sam's Club raincoat worked beautifully. It was not too heavy and kept me dry, 

probably because I waterproofed it well with Scotchgard before I left Arizona. 

I mostly quit carrying an umbrella and used my hood when it rained

We drove north towards Galway, stopping in a couple small towns to walk the streets and shop.

Galway has bragging rights this year as they won the Liam Cup which is the trophy given when you win the National Hurling Championship. (FYI: Hurling has everything to do with fine amateur sport and nothing to do with barfing)

We parked the car in a parking garage close to Eyre Square and searched for a pub to eat lunch in. Our first try was suspiciously empty and smelled like "wee". We all scurried out, leaving Keith behind in the loo to wonder where we'd all got to.

The next pub we tried was much livelier and had delicious food. The only problem was that we were seated by a backdoor onto a patio and every time someone went outside, they door stayed open and froze me. It was worth it for the good food and a pub that didn't smell like wee.

The streets of Galway are lovely and lively. There is a busy shop district where no cars are allowed

This statue is of Oscar Wilde (on the left), one of Ireland's most famous and loved writers, and 

Eduard Wilde, an Estonian writer. They were of the same generation, but the sculptor just imagined them meeting on a bench.

I loved the street performers and wish we'd had time to listen to them longer. There is such a lively vibe in Galway. I loved it.

There was a tiny museum (one small room) dedicated to the Claddagh ring. Apparently, the man who designed the ring was kidnapped and lived in captivity in Algeria for years, but learned goldsmithing while there. When he was finally able to return to his sweetheart in Galway, who had waited for him. He gave her this ring. It symbolizes love, friendship and loyalty and is named for the Claddagh region in Galway. 

The River Corrib is the shortest river in Ireland. It was running high and wild because of the high tide while we were there. I watched a kayaker navigate under the bridge and then get out at the Spanish Arch, which is a landmark.

We spent a fast hour in this museum. My favorite thing was looking out the third story window at the river below and the birds swooping and diving. 

We bought tickets for a performance of Eir Inish, which was the last night of a 4 month run. We got to the Black Box Theater early and so took a walk to the river. The sunset was so beautiful.

Carol was so focused on her shot she didn't notice me stalking her.

The performance of Eir Inish was a great highlight of our trip. There were four very talented musicians playing the flute, drums, guitar, harp and violin. There were two excellent singers, one male and one female. There were two great male dancers and four female, one of whom danced both ballet and Irish step. They sang mostly traditional songs, but also an Ed Sheeran tune and one by U2. It was such a good night.