Wild Atlantic

Monday, August 21, 2023

The Wild Atlantic Way is a coastline route which extends 2500km along the Atlantic side of Ireland.  Well, today, we veered off course, and took a ride IN the Wild Atlantic! 

We left the Port of Galway on a ferry across the bay to the Aran Islands.  The Atlantic was pretty wild, with lots of swells and waves and whitecaps as we crossed.   Even though the boat was a pretty good size, there were lots of "whee bumps" inside. The deck crew kept busy passing out seasick bags!  

There are three islands that make up the Arans.  We arrived at one of the islands-- Inis Mor, (Inishmore) after about an hour. We were greeted by a group of colorful buildings and shops!  We also noted the strong Irish brogue of the locals; we found that this is one of the few places that still speak the native Gaelic, (although everyone also speaks English.)  It's a peaceful and secluded place, home to about 800 people. It's hard to imagine what it would be like to live here full time.

There were several sweater shops...the Aran islands are known for their woolen sweaters.  Aran Sweaters were first worn by Aran fishermen.  The sweaters were created to offer protection from the harsh weather conditions. They are made with intricate stitch patterns which have meaning--each Irish clan has its own pattern.  It is said that if a fisherman was lost at sea, they could identify him by the stitch pattern in his sweater!  The Aran Sweater was made famous by Grace Kelly whose photo in one of the sweaters appeared on the cover of Vogue in the 50's!   The sweaters are beautiful, and obviously still very popular.  Yes, I'm bringing one home...Jim bought me this one for our anniversary!

After some brief shopping, we decided to take a hike to the end of the island to enjoy some of the landscape and scenery.  We were struck by the fascinating stone walls--they are everywhere!  

The stones were gathered by from the land by early farmers to create fields for crops or animals.  The stones were stacked to form a wall and enclosure.  They say there are 1500 miles of stone walls on the three Aran islands!  

We came across some interesting stone monuments and decided they probably are cemetery markers.  We couldn't decipher the Gaelic markings, and found the dates in the 1800's.

There were lovely flowers and berries along our walk.

We came across several ruins...very interesting to see, but no signs posted with a description, so not quite sure what they used to be.  

We saw a school house, but it was hard to tell if it is still in use.  We didn't see any local children running around, so maybe they are all in school!

 

We didn't have time to take a horse and buggy ride, but we did say hi to the donkey behind a stone wall!

When we saw this view at the end of the island, we were concerned about how far we had to walk back...past the blue building to the dock.  It ended up being about 5 miles round trip, so not too bad.

We ended up stopping at one final shop and found a "last chance" rack.  So appropriate. No, didn't buy!

Then we found a nice pub and grabbed a bite to eat and learned about the iconic local "crisps" (potato chips);  this flavor was not my favorite but at least I tried it!

We loaded on the ferry for the ride back to Galway and the Atlantic was not so wild on the trip back home.  (Thank goodness!)   We passed by the Cliffs of Mohr...such a spectacular view of the famous cliffs.  In spite of the overcast skies, we were able to spot OBrien's tower..perched on the highest point of the cliffs.

After returning to the port of Galway, we ventured down to the city center--Quay street and the Latin Quarter. 

It was bustling with people and street musicians. 

We saw quite a few Notre Dame fans who are here for the Notre Dame/Navy game to be played in Dublin on Saturday.  We also saw some familiar faces sitting outside at a street side restaurant--what are the chances of running into your sister and family in Ireland?

Getting Old and Getting to Galway

 Sunday, August 20, 2023

Today is Jim's birthday.  He's 29 again (or is it 59?) I just can't remember!  He was serenaded with a Happy Birthday song by the "morning after" crew, recovering from the wedding reception.

We then took off for Galway, travelling along winding narrow roads.  It's very scenic, but also nervewracking.  Most of the roads have a letter before the number, like N478 and L61.  We decided the prefix stands for Narrow Road, and Little Road.  Most roads were too narrow for two cars, so one of the cars had to pull to the side and stop to let the other go by.  We finally made it to M18 (Modern Road?) which actually had pavement markings and a center line! 

Ahhh....  Jim has done an amazing job of driving on the left side of the road while shifting with his left hand, but my white knuckles were quite relieved to be able to relax on a normal road.

We finally arrived at the Galway Bay Hotel, right on the bay.  Our room wasn't ready, so we toasted to Jim's birthday with another Irish beer!

We topped off the evening with a show of Irish music, song and dance.   It was recommended by the hotel and was exceptional!  The performers had quite impressive pedigrees...from Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, world dance championships, etc.  

Our favorite was the Irish "bagpipes" which we learned are called uileann pipes.  They use a bellow operated by the elbow, to force the air through the pipes instead of blowing it like the Scottish do.  It generates a haunting soulful sound, very similar to the bagpipe, but a little more clear.  Gerard Fahy who was the musical director and composer for Michael Flahtery's Lord of the Dance, played a song on the uileann, composed for his mother, which put the audience on the edge of their seats.

There were solos on the concertina (small accordian) the bodhran (Irish hand drum) and the fiddle.  It was quite impressive and a creative mix of instruments which entertained the full house crowd.  There were also great dance performances by world champion Irish dancers.  I'm not sure how they moved their feet so fast and made it seem effortless!  (Note they are in the air in this shot!)

The tap dancers even performed a solo (no music) which really got the audience going.

Galway treated us to a good start to our Irish travels around the island.  We left in a festive mood ready for a good night's sleep!

Tierneys Tie the Knot

 Saturday August 19, 2023

We woke up to a blustery day--lots of wind and rain.  However, it didn't hamper the activity at the guest house where we're staying.  The house has 10 guest rooms, with individual baths, and a few gathering areas, which made it perfect for the family.

It's right next door to the church and the pub (also perfect for the family!)

The bride and bridesmaids stayed at the house, and makeup and hair began early when the stylists arrived to begin. 

Rosalie planned all the details of the wedding remotely, from her place in Oregon.  Who could imagine that a wonderful wedding could be planned from so far away.  She tended to all of the details...even mailed ahead a supply of her favorite flower--lavender--which found a place in the pocket of the groom and groomsmen!  

Rosalie had an "Aunt Reveal" where the aunts were able to see her before the wedding.   We had to wait in the hallway until she was ready, and her mom opened the door to let us in!

 It was a special moment, not only that we were the first to see Rosalie dressed for the wedding, but she was wearing our mom's wedding gown from 1946!  Even the aunt that couldn't be here, joined with her headshot cutout!  

The wedding was held at St. Fachanan's Church in the middle of town, right next door to our guest house.  The church was built in 1837 and served as a beautiful setting for the wedding.  The priest who performed the ceremony, Father Steve Banet, is from Indiana, was in Ireland on a tour, and made the trip to Kilfenora to preside at the wedding. 

The Aunts all wore fascinators to add to the festive mood of the wedding.

The weather improved and the rain stopped just before the wedding began. The music was beautiful...a cello and a harp reverberated through the church with traditional and touching tunes.  The ceremony was also beautiful and very personal, thanks to Father Steve.  

Just as the ceremony ended, the sun came out to greet everyone as we exited the church.

Then the party began...right next door, at Vaughn's Pub Party Barn!

It was another wonderful meal,

 with special cocktails--Rosalie's lavender Tom Collins and Gabe's Jameson and ginger ale.  

There were great speeches, even a limerick, and a song from sisters Abby and Natalie.

Dancing overtook the dance floor with a great DJ and lots of energy from wedding guests!

Rosalie wore her "dancing shoes"

The night ended with a lot of happy people, and a very happy couple--Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Gabriel Tierney.  I am so glad we were able to be a part of your special day.

Matchmaking in Lisdoonvarna

 Friday, August 18, 2023

Today we visited Lisdoonvarna, the Matchmaking capital of the world--how appropriate on our 28th wedding anniversary!  Lisdoonvarna, a small town of 1,000 people is known for its huge matchmaking festival each year which draws 30,000 people per year.  (Luckily we've already found our match!)

We travelled to Doolen, another small town on the coast, with beautiful views and good shopping!  We drove up to hangman's hill, where we could see the Doonagore Castle.  It is an impressive 16th century structure that sits on the shore, guarding the coastline.  The castle has a dark background...in 1588 a ship from the Spanish Armada got into difficulty and crashed close to the castle.  170 of the ship's crew managed to make their way out of the wreck and to the castle.  The sherriff arrived and it is believed that all of the survivors were hung at the castle, thus the location was named!

We also explored the cathedral in Kilfenora, a structure from the 12th century.  There is an old cemetery, and impressive high crosses throughout the area.  It's amazing to see things as old as this, still surviving!

We returned to Lisdoonvarna for the wedding welcome party.  It was held at the Roadside Tavern, a place that has been owned by the same family for over a century.  

It was a wonderful get-together, and a great opportunity for the wedding guests to get acquainted.  The food was spectacular--a spread of smoked salmon (their specialty), shrimp, fish and chips, and chicken.

Rosalie and Gabe were glowing---Another perfect match in Lisdoonvarna!

Going Green--On our way to Ireland!

Wednesday-Thursday,  August 16-17, 2023

We are off on another adventure!  This trip to the Emerald Isle is for a special occasion--the wedding of our niece Rosalie and Gabe.   When Rosalie announced that she was getting married in Ireland, we were all in!   

This will be only our second trip overseas, but since our Africa trip in February, we feel like experienced travelers.  Ireland is a destination often talked about, and everyone who has been there says it's a wonderful place to visit.  

The flight from Newark is "only" 5 hours (not bad compared to our 16 hour flight from Africa!)  

Getting to the airport was a breeze, and my 50.5 lb piece of luggage passed through check-in-- Whew I thought I was going to have to leave some shoes behind! 

We left Indy around 7pm Wednesday night and arrived at the Shannon airport (with a stop in Newark) about 10:30am Thursday morning.  There is a 5 hour time difference between Ireland and home.

The Shannon airport is nice and easy to get around.  Customs was quick and effortless.   We had to wait in line for our rental car, and then wait a little longer for it to be delivered, but it was nice that we just walked across the parking lot to get the car.  The real challenge was getting our suitcases in the back.  We ended up putting the back seats down and it was fine.  The cars are all fairly small.  We got a Fiat, that is a hybrid, and very tiny compared to what we're used to driving.   It also has the steering wheel on the "wrong" side.  Ours is a standard transmission, with the 6-speed gear shift on the left.   Thank goodness Jim is doing the driving!  

The drive from Shannon airport to Kilfenora, (where the wedding will be held), was very scenic with lots of narrow roads and roundabouts and travel through small quaint towns.  There is lots of farming in the area, and we had to stop once for a huge piece of farm machinery that looked like it was going to come out onto the road.

We made it to Kilfinora and still had enough energy to taste the local brew!

We were greeted by all kinds of things...an interested and interesting cat:

...a herd of cows, who were very friendly,  

And a bunch of family members!  It should be a fun weekend!