A Taste of Days In Between V (Feb 20)

The 20th was our full day in Ardara.  We enjoyed breakfast at the B&B and moved on in our tour of the wool weaving region of Donegal.  Ardara and Kilcar are important towns in the tweed industry and we wanted to see as much as we could.  Stories will come later but pics now.

This was the B&B (Woodhill House).  Unfortunately we didn't stay in the main house which dates to the 17th century.  The main house (where we ate) was lovely as were the gardens.  We could only imagine how they appear in the Spring and Summer.

 

The gardens.

The gardens.

The gardens.

Looking out at Donegal Bay as it works its way to the ocean.  In the distance is Ben Bulben.

A weaver working his craft at the Studio Donegal located in Kilcar.  Of note is that this is an area where Irish (Gaelic) is predominant.  His English was only so-so.  In the studio they do it all. They set up the looms having worked the yarns into spools beforehand.  When finished with the weaving the finished material is cut and finished in the sewing shop.

 

Still working the loom.

The sewing shop.

The village of Malin More.

In the village of Malin More the signs are in "Irish."

Traveling up the road we met obstacles which were very frequent in Donegal.

A beach in the area of the Slieve League, the tallest cliffs in Europe.

A portion of the Slieve League which runs the Donegal coast with the Atlantic Ocean.

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More of the Slieve League.

Glencolumbkille and the Catholic Church (St. Columba) with potentail Irish Stew ingredients running about.

The church again.

As we travelled there were sheep everywhere; in the churchyards, on the hills, in the roads ...

Looking toward Ardara as we returned.

Another view of Ardara.

The 21st, 22nd, and 23rd will need to wait until we return home.  Some of the most interesting scenery is yet to come.

Til then ...

A Taste of Days In Between IV (Feb 19)

On the 19th we headed yet further north.  Although we had frequently wanted to stop and take pics on previous legs of the trip, on this one it would have been helpful to have had one or the other of us positioned on the hood (bonnet) of the car snapping away while the other (me) drove. The pics we do have are very limited in portraying Ireland's northwest.  Beautiful in a dramatic way.

This was our stay the night before.  You see a chapel at the far end.  There is a chapel behind us as well.

Yeats Country!  Less than a year (1938) before his death (1939) W.B. Yeats wrote his poem Under Ben Bulben, the last stanza of which reads:

Under bare Ben Bulben's head

In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid,

An ancestor was rector there

Long years ago; a church stands near,

By the road an ancient Cross.

No marble, no conventioal phrase,

On limestone quarried near the spot

By his command these words are cut:

Cast a cold eye

on life, on death.

Horseman, pass by!

By his poetry he willed his burial and the inscription on his headstone and although it was several years later before he was buried under Ben Bulben, his will was eventually accomplished.  Yeats was from this area of Ireland and claimed that the area had a great influence on his writing.

The church at Drumcliffe (current spelling); St. Columba's Parish Church, behind which is the head of Ben Bulben.

Yeats' grave in the churchyard, under Ben Bulben's head.

Yeats grave and headstone, reading as willed, facing the tail of Ben Bulben.

The "diamond" which is the center of the shopping district in Donegal (pr. "Dun e gull") Town.

Lunch in Donegal (Irish Stew).

A stream from the hills flowing into Donegal Bay in the heart of Donegal Town.

Donegal Castle.

Heading north and the roads narrow!!!

From the other direction with some perspective.

The fields on both sides are full of pics to be taken.  This is looking into the seldom seen sun over Donegal Bay as it heads to the ocean.

For Kiera!

'The back yard of the B&B where we stayed for the 2 nights in Ardara (pr. "Ar dra").

After checking in at the B&B, we drove the short distance to Ardara and watched a weaver at his loom.  This is the heart of the Donegal wool area.

 
and another.

Til later ...

A Taste of Days In Between III (Feb 18)

The trip on the 18th was from Galway to Sligo.  It was a relatively short trip and although the pictures fail to show what we saw to our north in anticipation of the next day's travel, the scenery was still dramatic.  

Our hotel in Galway.

A stop at Knock along the way. Knock (the Irish Lourdes) is the site of of a confirmed apparition in 1879 and was a pleasant surprise as we both expected much more commercialization of the area.  Almost none.

Dinner was in Sligo at Fiddlers Creek.  An outstanding fish and chips meal surpassed only by the scenery alongside the Garavogue River.  We had a window seat and thoroughly enjoyed a "long" meal.

The Garravogue River and Sligo.

The Garravogue River and Sligo.

Although we had directions to an Irish music pub and we were prepared to go, we had second thoughts with the number of young people in town.  Not that we have anything against young people, understand, but we learned that Sligo was the host of that which is equivalent to our "Spring-Break" and we weren't certain how well we would fit in.

Noone has yet bitten so I will tell you that "pinks" are potatoes, usually pink in color and in a fingerling shape and size.  A "tailback" is a traffic jam.

Now try this one on:  what is a "wooly jumper?"

Til later ...

A Taste of Days In Between II (Feb 17)

The 17th was our full day in the Galway area and we had 2 options.  We were either going to boat to the Aran Islands or travel by car south to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.  Due to weather (wind, etc.) we opted for the latter and we clearly made the right decision.  What a day it was and we began our first taste of dramatic scenery which continued day after day.

The Dunguaire Castle with Kinvarra in the background.  This is just one of a vast number of castles we visited and was conveniently along the way to the Burren (Burren means "rocky place" and is a vast expanse of rock left by glacial activity).

The roads narrow in places; particularly when you've chosen backroads.
Another road - speed limit 80 km/h.  No way!

The Cliffs of Moher and Sheila.

I've arrived home.

The Cliffs.  If you have double clicked and look carefully you will see people on the edge. Yikes!!!

They are warned.  I obey all laws and restrictions!

The early Irish obviously had no difficulty with heights and living on the edge (as we learned so well later on in the trip - just wait).  This is the castle I called "home."

More later with the 18th.

A Taste of Days In Between I (Feb 16)

For the missing days I've decided to simply give a "quick taste" with minimal explanation.   We'll elaborate when we return - which will be soon now.

The 16th was the day we left Tarmonbarry and travelled to Clonmacnoise and then to Galway.

Tarmonbarry  and the Shannon in the morning.

The Shannon in the morning.

The "Boutique" Hotel.

Clonmacnoise (the remains of the ancient ecclesiastical site, south of Athlone, founded in 548 by St. Ciaran) showing the Temple Connor and a portion of the graveyard.

The Cathedral.

Temple Ciaran and the reputed burial place of the Saint.  

Sheila walking the grounds of Clonmacnoise.