The end -- Dublin

We swapped our cleats for walking shoes as we prepared to finish off the trip in Dublin. Our luck held and we had another 2 days of dry weather (while the daily rain of Spring continued in Boston). Quite unusual to tell friends you went to Ireland to escape the rain.

We started with our usual, a walking tour, to get a sense of the city and "tweak" our pre trip planning.

The above was in the central garden of Dublin, originally a lake, the site of the first viking settlement.

Behind us was the Dublin Castle, from the 1100's.  It has a very negative connotation for the Irish as it was the seat of continuous British rule from that period until independence was gained in 1922.

We walked through the Temple Bar area - not a temple and not a bar, but rather the area of town where a wall (the Bar) defined the grounds of a wealthy local (Temple). Now a tourist highlight with heavy partying, overpriced drinks, and expensive restaurants and shops.

We managed to find a more traditional pub for a pint.

We visited the Dublin Jail (Gaol) where many Irish revolutionaries were imprisoned and executed, as well as many of the starving during the famine (for petty crimes of theft of food and begging). It was an excellent guided tour and tied together (for us) the history of these major events in the history of the country.

Along the way saw the 360 foot spire that stands outside the old post office (the site of the Easter Revolution of 1916 that crystallized the war against the British) and can be seen from throughout the city (which has a building height limit of 50 feet due to the marshy land it was originally built on)...

...walked through several of the city parks....

...along the river and over the historic 3 penny bridge (the toll when it was built)...

...and visited the anthropologic museum where we were fascinated by the story of "bogmen" found throughout the country, well preserved in the acidic, oxygen deprived bogs....

and learned more about the history of the vikings and their role in the Irish history.


And now it is over. Time to head for the gate. I'm off to Prague for 10 days to see my Czech family. Starting with a  2 day bike adventure with Eric and his two oldest boys this weekend.

Ciao,  or in Gaelic - Go dté tú slán (May you go safely)

More trip pictures are archived at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3Wq9Epv9sqDXb5w6 

Finishing in Westport

A few high points from the last 2 days on the bike.

A quick stop at Ballynahinch Castle, the estate of Richard Martin aka "Humanity Dick", the founder of the SPCA.

A ride through country that reminded me repeatedly of Colorado and Montana.

Lunch and a visit to the gardens of Kylemore Abby.

A moment to remember the many who died in the great famine of 1849.

A climb to the saddle of Mt. Patrick, a holy mountain that is a regular pilgrimage for many Irish.

A monument to remember the "Casket Ships" that took many Irish to America during the great famine.

And for our final day, a 40 km ride on a rail trail north of Westport.

A great trip. We figured a total of ~ 350 miles over 9 days. And only one short period of a few hours that we needed rain gear. 

In  a few days, one last blog from Dublin. 

More trip pictures are archived at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3Wq9Epv9sqDXb5w6 

Inishboffen

It was scheduled to be a "rest" day off the bike, but the weather was bright and sunny and we didn't want to waste it. So we combined a ride with a visit to another of the many islands off the western coast of Ireland.

We started off with a ride on the high road out of Clifton. With the clear day we could see to the horizon both north and south.

Then it was a pleasant meander to the ferry (with occasional livestock sightings).

Inishboffen is Irish for Island of the White Cow. Legend has it that early settlers saw a woman strike a white cow with a stick, turning it to stone. They (the woman and the cow) then appeared periodically as an omen of an important event, generally a disaster of some sort.


There are perhaps 8 or 9 km of roads on the island so we did a short tour seeing:

• The remains of a fort built by Cromwell, who was eliminating the catholic clergy in Ireland after his victory in the War of Roses in England -- and needed a place to house them until they were either hung or shipped to the West Indies

• and the site of the ruins of a 7th century monastery.

and then a stop for a leisurely cup of coffee before heading back to the mainland.

The surprise of the day was a sandy beach that wouldn't look out of place in the Caribbean or Mexico.

More trip pictures are archived at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3Wq9Epv9sqDXb5w6 

North to Connemara

Is it Connemara or Conamara?   The local signs say Conamara

while most of the online websites (including the ever wise Wikipedia) use Connemara. Our guide tells us it was the challenge of translating Gaelic to English (using a phonetic approach) that led to multiple spellings for many areas and landmarks.

The Burren was a barren sheet of limestone with occasional collections of soil and plants,  but this area, north of Galway Bay, is boggy wet grasslands, small tarns, lakes.

The map shows the multiple tarns and lakes.

This is what it looks like from the bike.

Only inches below the surface, readily accessible to a shovel, is a thick layer of peat. Peat is partially decayed vegetable matter which has accumulated over thousands of years. It decomposes slowly in the acidic, oxygen free environment of the bog and. It is the precursor of coal and after being dried can be burned as fuel. It was the original local export to other areas of Ireland.

A peat "ditch" with harvested peat drying by the side.

During our ride we stopped at the site of Marconi's original radio station. It was built on a peat bog - which provided an unobstructed view of the horizon to the west as well as plenty of peat to provide the power needed to generate a signal.

Within a mile of the station, is the landing site of the first nonstop transatlantic flight. Alck and Brown, two British flyers, 1919, Newfoundland to Ireland.

As to our riding, the weather remains cold (low 50s with that bitingly cold north wind). It is dressing for the cold, not rain, that has been the gear challenge of the trip. But things are looking sunnier and a bit warmer for the net few days of riding.

Our route from The Burren to Connamera

More trip pictures are archived at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3Wq9Epv9sqDXb5w6 

Ireland days 3 and 4 - The Aran Islands.

Next stop, the Aran Islands.

An hour crossing by ferry from The Burren. Not a Washington State type ferry, but more a converted trawler or purse seiner.  The Happy Hooker, a double entendre for sure, is named for a type of traditional fishing boat used in Galway Bay.

The weather was unsettled the day we arrived, but as you will see from pictures, day 2 was much better. It has been funny weather in Ireland this spring. It isn't the rain or drizzle that is the challenge, it is the wind which has been coming out of the north (the Beast of the North) rather than the prevailing westerlies. And it is bone chillingly cold. Lower 50s for a daily high instead of the usual 60's that we were hoping for.

The island is about 20 km long, and the highlights are the ruins - multiple churches and a couple of forts, one of which was built in 11 BC.

The monks of the early orders of the Catholic church felt that the more desolate a location, the better to meditate and know the Lord. So these islands, very isolated, were a coveted destination. And it seems every one of them built a church, now a ruin.

And then there are the walls. Walls, walls, everywhere.

The island is 20 km long but is estimated to have over 3000 miles if walls.  Walls serve 3 purposes.

      A place to put the stones cleared from the land.
      To mark property boundaries. And until recently you were required to wall any new land purchase not walled already. So these walls define individual ownership.
      To provide protection from the relentless wind.

The walls are purposely built like a sieve to avoid being blown over by the wind. It is more common that a wall would be damaged by livestock.

Tomorrow back to the mainland and north to Connemara.

More trip pictures are archived at:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/i3Wq9Epv9sqDXb5w6