Life is an ocean and love is a boat
In troubled water that keeps us afloat
...Christy Moore...The Voyage (Irish song)
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The Green Isle.....Part 3
The Wild West coast of Ireland looks like a chocolate chip cookie torn apart.....rough, ragged with pieces strewn off shore in the cold blue-green waters of the Atlantic, towering cliffs (nearby Kilkee and the more famous ones in Moher).... this side of Ireland is as every bit as rough and beautiful as the people are warm and kind.....
It reaches out to Atlantic Canada; to the coastline of Labrador and Newfoundland ......as, if it's found the other half of the missing puzzle piece to these stark lands.
Research, though, seems to connect this part (especially, the coast around Killed) of the Irish coastline geographically to the Gulf of Mexico... who knew? That may explain both the country and people's warm heart, as well as the Gulf Stream continued caressing of this stunning coastline with a mother's touch.
Glengariff
A lovely little town minutes down the road from Bantry
Off shore on Garinish Island; we wander around marvelling at one person's (Harold Petos) dedication and vision in creating life and beauty on a once, barren rock. Topsoil was brought in, along with building supplies, stone and subtropical plants were planted and thrived in the island's microclime! Everything by rowboat....one boat at a time.
Glengariff pub music....seas, shanties and folk songs
Ennis
We leave the Bantry area via bus through Cork to Ennis to visit an old friend who's invited us to his family reunion.
Ennis proves to be a great find. Clean, safe, spacious rooms in the Rowan Hostel for €50 euros.
Music and pubs dot the streets.
Who knew Ennis could be so much fun!
To good friends!
Driving in Ireland
So.....we finally caved in and rented a car. The previous trip through the Mizen Head region showed us the difficulties of the irregular bus service. We pick up our little red zoom zoom from the Shannon airport (south of Ennis) and set out for the Dingle Peninsula and the Wild Atlantic Way north.
Yes.....the coastal roads are amazingly narrow....about the width of someone's driveway. Speeds vary from 50km to 100 km along these flat bobsled-like runs.
We survived! No wrecks, no deaths, no hidden rental charges! Apart from stickshifting with our left hand, driving on the opposite side and the odd brush with roadside vegetation, it was a snap!
Ok...we still get the shakes thinking about meeting trucks and tour buses on our side of the narrow, twisty roads. They'd just as easily flick the car over a cliff edge like one would squish a bug!
Renting a car online, for those with limited time or wishing to get off the well worn beaten path in Ireland is probably the way to go.
If we can do it, anyone can and the view of the tour buses' gigantic front wheel passing by your head on a sharp, blind corner is well worth the rental price.
Our little red zoom zoom wanna be...took us from Ennis, through the Dingle and along the west coast of County Clare to Galway....5 days....600 km!
Newly harvested peat along the route...finally figured out what it was.
Welcome to the Dingle Peninsula!
Inch Strand...a 5 km sand spit and dune system extending into Dingle Bay. A kite surfers paradise.
Must be heaven ..this whiskey bar in Dingle!
Old, stone ruins....they dot the countryside all over.... these are beehive huts...
We know what you're thinking....nope, it's not a cliffside walking path on the Dingle.... it's a road for traffic going both ways!
The BLASKET ISLANDS
off the west coast of the Dingle Peninsula
Such a foggy drive making it even more interesting!
Braving the Connor Pass on the Dingle....the highest drivable pass in Ireland at 456 metres.
Ferry from TARBERT to KILLIMER
THE CLIFFS OF KILKEE
KILKEE
A quiet little town on the beach and a great jumping off point into the Loop Head...the cliffs here are as every bit as impressive as the ones at Moher... without the tourists!
Our accommodation, our car and our view
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Feelin' the Burn in the Burren!
We arrive in the seaside town of Doolin and the gateway to the wild Burren of this part of County Clare.
No foolin'.....Doolin is a great overnight stop to explore the rugged landscape of the region. But, it's also wildly popular with tourists and tours, cyclists, walkers and crowds. Here are other less crowded, more authentic towns elsewhere.
THE BURREN
A wild, desolate place scrubbed clean of soil and vegetation...exposed rock and limestone...the wind blows silent ....amid the rock burial sites, forts.....the evidence of tree clearing, soil erosion...plain to see everywhere....the barren landscape stretches in all directions.....
....only the strong survive here....the flowers, bright purples, vibrant yellows...thrive among the cracks and crevices....these are the sacred places all countries have....spirits talk, whisper....they fill the space...between the gusts and the heartbeats.....
We nail the drive through this region with clear skies and warm sunshine.
Poulnabrone Dolmen or Portal Tomb
was built more than 5000 years ago sits prominently in The Burren.
KINVARA, County Galway
Located just a short drive outside of Galway, this is the perfect place to overnight.
The Green Pub....music and whiskey
And....our news friends, Kierman & Paul.
For those of you interested in walking in the area, Paul is a tour guide. He can be found at www.kinvarawalks.com
Dunguaire Castle erected in 1520. It still hosts regular medieval banquets but we missed it!
A worker putting the final touches on a new thatch roof.
......To begin the mornin' the warden bawling
"get out of bed and clean up your cell"and the ould triange went jingle jangle
all along the banks of the Royal Canal.....
The Triangle (Irish ballad)
Cheers from Yvonne & Shayne
Additional Random Photos
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