Tuesday, July 29, 2008

This morning we left Dublin for a drive through the Irish country side toward Galway. In this part of Ireland there appears to be more cattle than sheep. We saw several dairy and beef cattle. With a mild climate and a lot of rain, animals are left to graze in the fields without shelter. Fields with cattle often have a couple buckets or a trough to collect water. Marvin, our tour guide, informed us sheep don’t need water provided in buckets as they get enough water from the grass they eat.

The houses in rural Ireland are also different from England. Most houses, in the city and country in England are made from stone, with an occasional brick house. Many of the houses in rural Ireland appear to have been built relatively recently and are built from what appears to be cement block that is then covered with stucco. The houses are much larger than in England with large windows and arches. The houses are often painted in vibrant yellows, lime greens and pinks. It makes for colorful scenery.

We stopped in Galway for lunch, a city on the west coast with a seafaring tradition. As with many of the cities, the streets are very narrow, which can be challenging when traveling in a large coach. In the city centre the streets are closed to vehicles and crowded with people walking down the street and on the sidewalks. We walked a short distance and found a small café and ate lunch. After lunch, Alan and Joyce went exploring further down the street. We saw and heard several street musicians. We have been looking at hand knit Aran sweaters which are one of the things Ireland is known for. We came to a shop with many sweaters and discounted prices, a very Alan and Joyce thing to look for. The prices were the best we had seen, and were cheaper if we purchased two, so we now have two Aran sweaters.

From Galway, we headed to The Burren, an area of hilly ground largely made up of naked grey limestone that appears pretty desolate. As we approached the area we noticed many stone fences that seemed to meander up and down the hills. These fences are known as the fences to nowhere. They were built by poor people who needed assistance from the government in years past. It was thought the people should work for the assistance they were given, so they were put to building theses fences.

At the southwestern end of the Burren are the Cliffs of Moher. These giant flagstone cliffs are sheer as they meet the sea. We were able to climb stone steps and paths both on the right and left of the cliffs for breathtaking views of these cliffs that create a truly beautiful sight of grass, flowers, sheer cliffs, blue sea and white waves. As we were walking down, we noticed what looked like the mist of rain in the distance. As we neared the visitor center, it began to rain. Joyce looked back and saw the cliffs couldn’t be seen through the mist and was very glad we had been able to see them.

We drove to our hotel in Ennis for an hour of rest before our evening of traditional Irish food, song and dance. We went to the Folk Art park connected with Bunratty Castle close to Limmerick. The event was held in a “barn” with a thatched roof. Dinner began with mead, a honey wine, and continued with Irish soda bread, salad, potatoes, Irish stew, and apple pie. We were entertained with the singing of traditional Irish songs and ballads and the Irish river dance style of dances. The singers and dancers were quite good and the costumes very colorful. It was an enjoyable evening.