Ireland 2023 Part 3

May 21, 2023 – Day 4 Galway to Killarney 

Accommodations: International Hotel, Killarney

Today we travelled through the Burren in County Clare. The Burren is 135 miles of limestone landscape. It was shaped by geological forces hundreds of millions of years ago. Alpine and Arctic plants thrive beside Mediterranean plants due to the temperate climate. Over 70% of Ireland’s species of flowers are found in the Burren. 

On our way to our first guided tour we passed the Poulnabrone Dolmen. There are several dolmens in the Burren. Dolmens are standing stones and may have been a burial/tomb site and/or a territorial marker. They were placed 3,000-4,000 years ago and some stones weigh in excess of 2500lb. Many remains were discovered between 1986-88. It appears the Neolithic people had short life spans with only one person being older than 40, of the remains that were found. There were many artifacts buried with the remains such as jewelry, stone axes, arrowheads and pottery among other things. There was evidence of arthritis in the necks and shoulders of many of the people, and their teeth showed possibly malnutrition or infections. 

Our first stop is at Caherconnell Fort where we had a guided tour of the fort and then were treated to an amazing display of working sheepdogs. 

Caherconnell Fort is one of the best preserved stone forts in the Burren. It was built in the 10^th Century AD and remained in use through the start of the 17^th Century. A lovely lady took us on a guided tour explaining the various areas, when additions occurred, and the many artifacts which have been excavated. The stone wall was built in 900AD and are still standing. The ringed are measures 42 metres. The walls are 3 metres thick and up to 3 metres high. The family, which would have lived within the ringed area, could have upwards of 30 members. Servants and slaves would live outside the ring. There is evidence that very little trading took place between those within the ring and those living outside the ring. However there is evidence that the servants and slaves traded with the outsiders. Some of the artifacts discovered outside the ringed area are glass from Venice and amber from the Baltic. Other discoveries are jewelry, board game pieces, musical instruments and the earliest pen found in the British Isles. These finds indicate a high class settlement, cultured and literate. The government has archeologists come in to work every summer. The work is carried out in a cordoned area and the must stay within the confines. 

“This wall was a built in 2006. Stones are placed vertically to prevent damage by winds. This type of wall is still widely practiced in the Burren.”

“The detailed information on the fort is the result of the efforts of over 200 archaeology students under the guidance of Dr. Michelle Comber, School of Archaeology at the National University of Ireland in Galway. They have worked tirelessly since 2007 to illuminate the Caherconnell story and provide a fascinating insight into the life in an ancient fort over 1000 years ago.”

The next event we experienced was a sheepdog demonstration. The skills of the sheepdog and the master are amazing. I had seen a demonstration on my last trip that was truly impressive. Only female dogs are used as male dogs tend to be less attentive and seem to have selective hearing. (Sound familiar ladies?) This demonstration would use 4 dogs; Rose, Jess, Lynn and one I can’t remember. First the master used just one dog to herd the sheep. Each dog has a unique whistle for left, right, stay, come and away. So a dog will know at least 5 whistles. Whistles are used instead of voice commands because often when herding sheep from the mountains they are out of vocal range. The dogs love to work and are eager to get going. Each dog performed very well. At the end the master worked all four dogs at the same time. So….although each dog may know 5 whistles, the master would have to know 20 unique whistles, as no two dogs work using the same whistle. It is mind boggling how he can remember each whistle for each dog and how he wants them to herd the sheep. Truly brilliant on both the dogs part and the masters part. 

It was then onward to the Cliffs of Moher. They are not the highest cliffs in Ireland but they are the most popular. I actually saw the highest cliffs, Slieve League Cliffs, on my tour in 2019. The Cliffs rise to a height of over 700ft at O’Brien’s Tower and run along the coast of Clare for 14kms, 8 miles. They were formed over 320 million years ago and are home to major colonies of nesting sea-birds. I was really looking forward to the Cliffs of Moher, but also feeling a bit of emotions as we got closer. In 1986 Grandma and I had wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher but we ran out of time. It was our only disappointment with our trip, that we didn’t have the time.

Our weather had been cloudy and overcast for the first couple of days, but as we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher the skies brightened and although hazy, the sun was trying hard to come out. When we arrived the parking lot was quite full with coaches and cars indicating there were a couple of thousand people visiting the cliffs. You have a choice to go to the left, or to the right and Krista and I choice to go to the right. It is a bit of a climb up many stairs and paved paths. An 8 person golf cart also runs up and down continuously but we chose to walk. My first glimpse of the Cliffs was amazing, and a bit emotional. I won’t lie, my throat had a huge lump and my eyes were watery. I was so special to finally see them. I took a picture of Grandma in my knapsack and after walking about for a bit, I pulled it out and snapped a couple of pictures of her picture and the Cliffs in the background. I felt her presence with me. 

Krista and I explored O’Brien’s Tower was built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O’Brien as an observation point for the many English tourists. Another version is that he built it to impress the many women he was courting. The views from the top are somewhat obstructed by the turrets and it was quite difficult to get good pictures with the amount of people who were there. I did stretch out as far as I could to get some photos including some of the Aran Islands. We continued to walk along the Cliffs for quite a distance before turning back. Krista ventured up the left hand side of the Cliffs while I made my way back to grab a quick bite to eat and my first 99. Yum!

We left the Cliffs of Moher to continue to our destination of Killarney about an hour away. We crossed an estuary of the River Shannon by ferry, about a 20 minute crossing, arriving in the Kingdom of Kerry. Dennis, our driver is from Kerry, and he was sure to let us know it is known as the Kingdom. 

We had a group supper at our hotel this evening and another musical session by our wonderful hosts; Kevin Evans, Brian Doherty and Tom Sweeney. Gabriel Donahue also stopped in for a few songs. I ended my night soaking in a jacuzzi tub for a half hour. Heavnely. 

One thing I have been noticing on our travels is the abundance of yellow flowers. Besides the Gorse that is in bloom everywhere, there are lots of yellow lilies along the roadway and yellow roses are in abundance with very large blossoms and so many blossoms. There is also a beautiful tree that has large hanging yellow blossoms. It is called Laburnum and sometimes called Golden Chain. I learned that every part of the tree; trunk, bark, leaves and blossoms are poisonous. 

I hope you enjoyed the third post of my trip. All photos taken by myself unless otherwise noted. Enjoy and leave a comment if you wish.