Tuesday 16 February 2021
Monday 3 April 2017
Cork to Dublin
Shock of the century, John and I actually took a taxi to get to the bus stop today. It was pouring rain in Cork this morning and windy, so we decided we didn’t want to get soaked by walking 2.3 km with our luggage to the bus stop.
Since the bus strike is still ongoing, I called a cab company at 7:30 am to book for 10:30, and we wondered if the cab would be late, given the transportation situation. The cab rocked up right on time, and when the driver got out, he told us we were privileged, as we were the first fare of the day that he picked up on time.
The cabbie was awesome and we chattered away. There seems to be a bit of a rivalry between Dublin and Cork, as the Cork cab driver said Cork is the real capital of the Republic and ‘they,’ meaning those from Dublin, killed Michael Collins, who would have been the leader of the Republic. Collins was ambushed and murdered near Cork during the civil war.
Our timing all worked out so well, as the taxi pulled up on the street beside the buses, we got out, grabbed our luggage and got right on the bus. The cab driver told us to check with the driver to make sure we were on the right bus to Dublin Airport. I asked the passengers in line and they said the bus was to Dublin city and they thought the next one in line was to Dublin Airport. We walked to it and the driver was loading luggage so I asked him, and he confirmed that we had the correct bus.
The most bizarre thing was that the driver never checked to see if we had a paid fare, we just got on and away we went. I don’t know if this all happened prior to our arrival or not, but we had booked online and went to an Internet café to print our tickets a few days prior.
We had a really good bus trip to Dublin Airport, the bus was almost full, most of the passengers were young people who are obviously catching flights out of Dublin. We got off the bus and then walked to the proper zone to catch the shuttle to our hotel.
We walked to a local pub and sat up at the bar, which is the best place to sit if you want to talk to the locals. A man sitting at the bar told us that if we wanted to eat and sit somewhere nicer, we should go to the lounge. I told him we don’t eat, and this place was very nice compared to the local bars we have in Canada.
We talked to him and another guy sitting on the next stool. After we waxed on about Ireland and the Irish talked about Canada, the conversation invariably tends toward the philosophical, and that is when things get very interesting. We also talk about the USA and the subject of Trump always comes up. We have had great conversations throughout Ireland, as the Irish are social and thoughtful people.
We just kicked back tonight in our hotel as we have to get to the airport at a fairly early time tomorrow for our flight out. This has been an incredible trip, I love this landscape and the Irish people more than I ever imagined. The Irish have suffered greatly throughout their tumultuous history, yet they are grounded, laid-back, kind, friendly, optimistic and have a great sense of humour. The landscape is indescribable at times as it shifts from haunting misty valleys to dramatic coastlines and to brilliant hues of green. We could not get enough of it. I don’t know, this place seems to sink in deep, it burrows in, down to the marrow of our bones.
Sunday 2 April 2017
Cobh
The streets of Cork are really quiet on a Sunday morning. We walked from our apartment to the train station to catch the 9:00 a.m. departure to Cobh (pronounced Cove), which is a short half hour journey. There were very few passengers on the train, and even fewer stayed on as far as Cobh.
Cobh is a fishing town on a small island in the harbour of Cork. It is a natural, deep water harbour that saw a lot of Irish emigration. This would have been a place of heartbreak, as parents and relatives would have bid a final farewell to their loved ones, knowing they would never see them again. During the famine years, and up to 1950, about 3 million Irish left from Cobh.
Cobh was also the final port of call for the Titanic, which sat in the harbour, while 123 passengers took the tender ships PS Ireland and PS America out to the Titanic to board. Tender ships were smaller ships that took passengers and supplies from the port to the ship.
There is a Titanic Memorial Garden in Cobh that overlooks the final anchorage of the Titanic in Cork Harbour, and the garden commemorates the 123 passengers that embarked from Cobh. Of the 123 passengers, 77 died in the waters of the Atlantic.
It was a beautiful morning with virtually no wind and sunny skies when we were in Cobh. We had the most fun talking to the locals who were out and about on the streets. The old men are always the most animated, the most interesting, the most opinionated, and we love talking to them. The people of Cobh are very friendly.
On one particular street, we noticed a lot of people carrying something wrapped in foil. When we walked past a doorway, there was a sign indicating that a girls sporting team was having a cake sale. Given the Irish love of cakes, the sale was doing a brisk trade.
We caught the train back to Cork and went for a tasty latte, then did our shopping for flight food in preparation for our flight on Monday. Since the majority of airline food is inedible, we make sure we have our own food supply.
Tonight we will pack up and then walk quite a distance to catch a bus to Dublin in the morning. The regular bus line is still on strike so we had to book with the company that operates the airport bus. We opted to book a hotel near the airport, so this bus will take us to the airport where we will then catch the free shuttle to the hotel.
Cobh is a fishing town on a small island in the harbour of Cork. It is a natural, deep water harbour that saw a lot of Irish emigration. This would have been a place of heartbreak, as parents and relatives would have bid a final farewell to their loved ones, knowing they would never see them again. During the famine years, and up to 1950, about 3 million Irish left from Cobh.
Cobh was also the final port of call for the Titanic, which sat in the harbour, while 123 passengers took the tender ships PS Ireland and PS America out to the Titanic to board. Tender ships were smaller ships that took passengers and supplies from the port to the ship.
There is a Titanic Memorial Garden in Cobh that overlooks the final anchorage of the Titanic in Cork Harbour, and the garden commemorates the 123 passengers that embarked from Cobh. Of the 123 passengers, 77 died in the waters of the Atlantic.
It was a beautiful morning with virtually no wind and sunny skies when we were in Cobh. We had the most fun talking to the locals who were out and about on the streets. The old men are always the most animated, the most interesting, the most opinionated, and we love talking to them. The people of Cobh are very friendly.
On one particular street, we noticed a lot of people carrying something wrapped in foil. When we walked past a doorway, there was a sign indicating that a girls sporting team was having a cake sale. Given the Irish love of cakes, the sale was doing a brisk trade.
We caught the train back to Cork and went for a tasty latte, then did our shopping for flight food in preparation for our flight on Monday. Since the majority of airline food is inedible, we make sure we have our own food supply.
Tonight we will pack up and then walk quite a distance to catch a bus to Dublin in the morning. The regular bus line is still on strike so we had to book with the company that operates the airport bus. We opted to book a hotel near the airport, so this bus will take us to the airport where we will then catch the free shuttle to the hotel.
The tenders departed from this pier to the Titanic
Fishing boats in Cobh Harbour
Stack from the 1907 Coal Electrical Power Plant
The channel to the Atlantic Ocean, with Pilot Boats in the foreground
Power Plant Smoke Stack from the other side
Love the name of this bar
23 Victorian style houses from 1850, locally known as, the 'deck of cards'
Saturday 1 April 2017
Ogam Stones
Ogam is the earliest writing in the Irish language. It is an alphabet, where the script is cut into the edge and sides of stones. The earliest Ogam stones date from the 5th to 7th century and recorded the names of people, as a type of commemoration or memorial. The inscriptions start at the bottom and move up the stone and sometimes they continue across the top and down the other edge.
The Cork University collection began in 1861 and continued until 1945, all stones, with the exception of one stone, are from Co. Cork. The collection is housed in the ‘Stone Corridor’ of which is part of the Main Quadrangle that is constructed of limestone blocks.
Many of the stones were found in souterrains, which is a series of underground chambers or passageways that were likely used as a refuge from attack. Some of the stones came from stone circles and one had a modern use as a lintel in a pigsty.
We went on a walking route along the River Lee and dropped in at the University to look at the Ogam Stones. There are lots of stones in situ in the countryside in Co. Kerry but we never did get to visit one.
After we left the University we simply did a lot of walking in Cork; however, we were not feeling too peppy today, due to our late night and lack of sleep. Therefore, we called it a day fairly early and waked back to our apartment. Tomorrow we plan on an excursion out of the city by train.
At long last, the final installment of the History of Ireland...
Good Friday Agreement, 1998
This was a power sharing agreement that gave the representatives of each community the veto over the other. Legislation would require a 60% approval to pass and the British Secretary of State would remain in Northern Ireland. The British would still have responsibility for law and order. Paramilitary prisoners were to be released in two years if the cease-fire was maintained. There was also a commitment to fair employment and anti discrimination. North - South administrative bodies were set up to address border issues, tourism, education, health and environment.
However, the issue of IRA weapons decommissioning was holding up the power-sharing agreement; this dragged on into 1999 and 2000. In the 2001 election, Paisley’s DUP replaced the Ulster Unionists as the party with the majority of seats in the assembly. Then in 2003, the Sinn Fein party replaced the SDLP as the nationalist party with the most seats, the DUP also held their majority, the extremist parties had overcome the moderates.
Finally, in 2005, the IRA decommissioning of weaponry was verified by independent witnesses and new negotiations could proceed. This led to the St. Andrews Agreement of 2006. Assembly authority would be imposed over both ministers and the North - South administrative bodies and there was a ministerial code of conduct. The Catholic’s position had improved as their culture was promoted and strict anti discrimination and fair employment legislation exists.
The power-sharing executive finally met in May of 2007 with Paisley of DUP as first minister and McGuinness of Sinn Fein as deputy first minister. This was such a long time coming, unbelievably long.
The Cork University collection began in 1861 and continued until 1945, all stones, with the exception of one stone, are from Co. Cork. The collection is housed in the ‘Stone Corridor’ of which is part of the Main Quadrangle that is constructed of limestone blocks.
Many of the stones were found in souterrains, which is a series of underground chambers or passageways that were likely used as a refuge from attack. Some of the stones came from stone circles and one had a modern use as a lintel in a pigsty.
We went on a walking route along the River Lee and dropped in at the University to look at the Ogam Stones. There are lots of stones in situ in the countryside in Co. Kerry but we never did get to visit one.
After we left the University we simply did a lot of walking in Cork; however, we were not feeling too peppy today, due to our late night and lack of sleep. Therefore, we called it a day fairly early and waked back to our apartment. Tomorrow we plan on an excursion out of the city by train.
Cork University
The Stone Corridor
Ogam Stone, deeply cut
Stone With Cup Marks
Beautiful Door in Stone Corridor
River Lee
Trees are leafing out, the trees are huge
At long last, the final installment of the History of Ireland...
Good Friday Agreement, 1998
This was a power sharing agreement that gave the representatives of each community the veto over the other. Legislation would require a 60% approval to pass and the British Secretary of State would remain in Northern Ireland. The British would still have responsibility for law and order. Paramilitary prisoners were to be released in two years if the cease-fire was maintained. There was also a commitment to fair employment and anti discrimination. North - South administrative bodies were set up to address border issues, tourism, education, health and environment.
However, the issue of IRA weapons decommissioning was holding up the power-sharing agreement; this dragged on into 1999 and 2000. In the 2001 election, Paisley’s DUP replaced the Ulster Unionists as the party with the majority of seats in the assembly. Then in 2003, the Sinn Fein party replaced the SDLP as the nationalist party with the most seats, the DUP also held their majority, the extremist parties had overcome the moderates.
Finally, in 2005, the IRA decommissioning of weaponry was verified by independent witnesses and new negotiations could proceed. This led to the St. Andrews Agreement of 2006. Assembly authority would be imposed over both ministers and the North - South administrative bodies and there was a ministerial code of conduct. The Catholic’s position had improved as their culture was promoted and strict anti discrimination and fair employment legislation exists.
The power-sharing executive finally met in May of 2007 with Paisley of DUP as first minister and McGuinness of Sinn Fein as deputy first minister. This was such a long time coming, unbelievably long.
Friday 31 March 2017
Cork City
It is 2:00 am and we just wandered back to our apartment in Cork after a night out on the town. As far as cities go, this is a very good one. The people in Cork are really great.
It was a travel day with lots of stupid stuff happening. Our Tesco SIM card expired today, but we did not know it, as I missed their text from last night. Just when I went to text the owner of our apartment to let him know when we would arrive, I figured out we no longer had cell service. So we had to find a Tesco in Cork to top up the SIM card, but the GPS was dropped and smashed yesterday so we cannot use the screen very well and have to keep shutting it down. We missed the turnoff to Tesco and then when we did get there, the parking lot was packed at 10:00 am and a total zoo.
Then the cell phone guy that mans the kiosk was late. We got the top-up and then I could text the apartment owner to let him know that we would be late arriving due to the cell phone fiasco. After meeting the owner and dropping off our luggage, we had to take the rental car to a depot in Cork and, as we were driving there, we realized we forgot to fill it with fuel, which is a must or they absolutely hammer you with a fuel charge. We found a gas station which had an awesome car wash, so we washed the car as well, as it was pretty dirty after a month of driving.
We walked from the car rental place toward the centre of Cork and stopped for a cappuccino in a dumpy little breakfast place. The owners thought we were Americans, and then went ballistic when we told them we were Canadians, and a long conversation ensued.
Then we headed to the city centre to the English Market which is a meat/fish lover’s paradise. There were so many butchers there, we made the rounds a few times before we decided which one to stop at. Our main criteria is to select one that is staffed by old men, there are a lot of butchers with old men at this market. We finally stopped and got the best service imaginable and the best pork belly we have ever eaten.
An older woman was buying an entire pork belly, so I asked her what she was doing with it. She had the butcher cut the top bone part off and then he made cuts in the rind and then rolled the whole thing and tied it with string. She is going to roast it for 3 hours to crackling stage and then slice it. It was a thing of beauty and I went on and on about it
Then we got a few more groceries and attempted to find our apartment on foot. As is usual, we totally overestimate how far to go, and we overshot our street by some km, which sounds crazy, but we always do this in cities, and never learn.
We asked a local man where we were and how to get to our street and I handed him our crappy tourist map. He said we were off the map and told us to walk up this huge hill and turn left at the top of the hill, which we did, and his directions were perfect.
The River Lee runs through Cork, so it is basically a valley with steep hills on either side of the river. The people who live here will have legs of steel from walking the hills. The bus strike is still on, so they all are on foot.
When we finally got back to our apartment, we had tea and cooked dinner then went out for some night photography. After that, we went to this incredible bar that was packed, and had a band playing. When that first band finished, another band set up and started playing.
There are locals and visitors from all over the world in the bar, it is just a terrific place and we had a total blast. Then we walked home and people on the streets were just ripped. This is a real party town and there is music playing everywhere and people sing on the streets as they walk home from the bars.
The History of Ireland Continues...
Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985
The political process moved along at a slow pace. Finally, there was an agreement which included a role for the Republic of Ireland, where the Republic was given a consulting role in parts of the government of Northern Ireland. As part of the agreement, no change in status of Northern Ireland could take place without the consent of the majority. Also, Britain would not block a united Ireland if that is what Northern Ireland wanted.
The Unionists hated the agreement as they viewed it as a betrayal by the British government. A one day strike was called, which essentially shut down all business and industry in Northern Ireland. Rioting broke out and paramilitary groups killed Catholics.
In the 1990s, the Republic of Ireland was moving on, society had modernized and the very powerful Catholic church was disgraced, due to the abuse of children by priests and the decades long cover-up of such horrendous behaviour. The economy was strong and there was actual immigration for a change. It was Northern Ireland that was not modernizing, as the country continued to be locked in sectarian violence.
Things dragged on and on with little headway being made politically. Then a killing spree erupted from 1990 to 1994 by both the IRA who carried out bombings in London and unionist paramilitary groups killing in Northern Ireland. The war of killing and retaliation had to come to an end. President Clinton defied his own cabinet and the British government, and issued a US visitor’s visa to Gerry Adams, the leader of the Sinn Fein. This got the attention of the IRA and in August 1994, they declared a commitment to the peace process and would discontinue military operations.
However, things did not speed ahead, nothing was settled and the IRA viewed British Prime Minister John Major as a puppet of the unionists. The cease-fire ended when the IRA bombed Canary Wharf in London in February 1996.
In 1997, Tony Blair and his Labour Party won a landslide in the British election. Blair, Clinton and Ahern of the Republic of Ireland were all committed to the peace process and pressed ahead with talks. In July of 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire.
It was a travel day with lots of stupid stuff happening. Our Tesco SIM card expired today, but we did not know it, as I missed their text from last night. Just when I went to text the owner of our apartment to let him know when we would arrive, I figured out we no longer had cell service. So we had to find a Tesco in Cork to top up the SIM card, but the GPS was dropped and smashed yesterday so we cannot use the screen very well and have to keep shutting it down. We missed the turnoff to Tesco and then when we did get there, the parking lot was packed at 10:00 am and a total zoo.
Then the cell phone guy that mans the kiosk was late. We got the top-up and then I could text the apartment owner to let him know that we would be late arriving due to the cell phone fiasco. After meeting the owner and dropping off our luggage, we had to take the rental car to a depot in Cork and, as we were driving there, we realized we forgot to fill it with fuel, which is a must or they absolutely hammer you with a fuel charge. We found a gas station which had an awesome car wash, so we washed the car as well, as it was pretty dirty after a month of driving.
We walked from the car rental place toward the centre of Cork and stopped for a cappuccino in a dumpy little breakfast place. The owners thought we were Americans, and then went ballistic when we told them we were Canadians, and a long conversation ensued.
Then we headed to the city centre to the English Market which is a meat/fish lover’s paradise. There were so many butchers there, we made the rounds a few times before we decided which one to stop at. Our main criteria is to select one that is staffed by old men, there are a lot of butchers with old men at this market. We finally stopped and got the best service imaginable and the best pork belly we have ever eaten.
An older woman was buying an entire pork belly, so I asked her what she was doing with it. She had the butcher cut the top bone part off and then he made cuts in the rind and then rolled the whole thing and tied it with string. She is going to roast it for 3 hours to crackling stage and then slice it. It was a thing of beauty and I went on and on about it
Then we got a few more groceries and attempted to find our apartment on foot. As is usual, we totally overestimate how far to go, and we overshot our street by some km, which sounds crazy, but we always do this in cities, and never learn.
We asked a local man where we were and how to get to our street and I handed him our crappy tourist map. He said we were off the map and told us to walk up this huge hill and turn left at the top of the hill, which we did, and his directions were perfect.
The River Lee runs through Cork, so it is basically a valley with steep hills on either side of the river. The people who live here will have legs of steel from walking the hills. The bus strike is still on, so they all are on foot.
When we finally got back to our apartment, we had tea and cooked dinner then went out for some night photography. After that, we went to this incredible bar that was packed, and had a band playing. When that first band finished, another band set up and started playing.
There are locals and visitors from all over the world in the bar, it is just a terrific place and we had a total blast. Then we walked home and people on the streets were just ripped. This is a real party town and there is music playing everywhere and people sing on the streets as they walk home from the bars.
Cork At Night
The History of Ireland Continues...
Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985
The political process moved along at a slow pace. Finally, there was an agreement which included a role for the Republic of Ireland, where the Republic was given a consulting role in parts of the government of Northern Ireland. As part of the agreement, no change in status of Northern Ireland could take place without the consent of the majority. Also, Britain would not block a united Ireland if that is what Northern Ireland wanted.
The Unionists hated the agreement as they viewed it as a betrayal by the British government. A one day strike was called, which essentially shut down all business and industry in Northern Ireland. Rioting broke out and paramilitary groups killed Catholics.
In the 1990s, the Republic of Ireland was moving on, society had modernized and the very powerful Catholic church was disgraced, due to the abuse of children by priests and the decades long cover-up of such horrendous behaviour. The economy was strong and there was actual immigration for a change. It was Northern Ireland that was not modernizing, as the country continued to be locked in sectarian violence.
Things dragged on and on with little headway being made politically. Then a killing spree erupted from 1990 to 1994 by both the IRA who carried out bombings in London and unionist paramilitary groups killing in Northern Ireland. The war of killing and retaliation had to come to an end. President Clinton defied his own cabinet and the British government, and issued a US visitor’s visa to Gerry Adams, the leader of the Sinn Fein. This got the attention of the IRA and in August 1994, they declared a commitment to the peace process and would discontinue military operations.
However, things did not speed ahead, nothing was settled and the IRA viewed British Prime Minister John Major as a puppet of the unionists. The cease-fire ended when the IRA bombed Canary Wharf in London in February 1996.
In 1997, Tony Blair and his Labour Party won a landslide in the British election. Blair, Clinton and Ahern of the Republic of Ireland were all committed to the peace process and pressed ahead with talks. In July of 1997, the IRA declared a cease-fire.
Thursday 30 March 2017
Torc Mountain Walk
Since tomorrow is a travel day, and we have a lot of chores to do, we opted to stay reasonably close to Kenmare for today’s outing. Also, we needed to find a low level mountain, due to the forecast of clouds and showers. Torc Mountain is to the north of us in Killarney National Park, a place that we would normally avoid, as it is a popular tourist destination.
The road from Kenmare to Moll’s Gap is closed, so we have to take a guess at which narrow road to take to reach the Gap, so that we can continue toward Killarney. Today we happened upon a really good route that made for a speedier trip.
En route to Killarney National Park there are some pretty good views of the lakes in the park. We parked in a lot that is near to the Torc Waterfall which draws a lot of people. The path up to the waterfall is constructed like a freeway.
After stopping briefly at the falls, we continued on to walk up Torc Mountain. Torc Mountain is so popular that they have laid railway ties covered with hardware cloth up the mountain to prevent erosion. The remainder of the trail is rock, which is a lot better than walking along railway ties.
When we reached the summit, a couple of young Germans were up there so we talked to them for quite some time about travel. The Germans travel a lot, so we asked them where they have been and where they are planning to travel in the future. Last summer, they visited BC and Alberta and did some hiking. They thought that Canada was very expensive, with the exception of fuel.
As we were about to descend, a big squall came in with wicked wind and rain, so we tore off like bandits to get down the mountain as fast as we could. Although, this is not our type of mountain to walk, it was perfect for today as we got back to Kenmare at a reasonable time for a change.
We are off to Cork city tomorrow, where we will return the rental car; therefore, we will have to slow down or make our way around on foot or by public transit. However, one of the major bus companies is going broke and their workers are currently on strike. We will be in Cork for three nights before heading back to Dublin to fly home, and it has all gone by too fast, ack!
The road from Kenmare to Moll’s Gap is closed, so we have to take a guess at which narrow road to take to reach the Gap, so that we can continue toward Killarney. Today we happened upon a really good route that made for a speedier trip.
En route to Killarney National Park there are some pretty good views of the lakes in the park. We parked in a lot that is near to the Torc Waterfall which draws a lot of people. The path up to the waterfall is constructed like a freeway.
After stopping briefly at the falls, we continued on to walk up Torc Mountain. Torc Mountain is so popular that they have laid railway ties covered with hardware cloth up the mountain to prevent erosion. The remainder of the trail is rock, which is a lot better than walking along railway ties.
When we reached the summit, a couple of young Germans were up there so we talked to them for quite some time about travel. The Germans travel a lot, so we asked them where they have been and where they are planning to travel in the future. Last summer, they visited BC and Alberta and did some hiking. They thought that Canada was very expensive, with the exception of fuel.
As we were about to descend, a big squall came in with wicked wind and rain, so we tore off like bandits to get down the mountain as fast as we could. Although, this is not our type of mountain to walk, it was perfect for today as we got back to Kenmare at a reasonable time for a change.
We are off to Cork city tomorrow, where we will return the rental car; therefore, we will have to slow down or make our way around on foot or by public transit. However, one of the major bus companies is going broke and their workers are currently on strike. We will be in Cork for three nights before heading back to Dublin to fly home, and it has all gone by too fast, ack!
Our destination: Torc Mountain in the distance
View of Upper Lake, Killarney National Park
Torc Waterfall
View from summit of Torc Mountain
View of Muckross House from Torc Mountain
The History of Ireland continues...
More Troubles, 1973 - 1980
The IRA began to target the British army with car-bombs which caused many casualties; they also bombed shops in Northern Ireland cities and towns, killing civilians. In retaliation, Unionist death squads patrolled the streets of Northern Belfast and the roads of mid-Ulster, killing Catholics, one such group called themselves the Shankhill Butchers.
Membership in the IRA was illegal, but membership in the unionist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association was perfectly legal until 1992; even though the group was responsible for killing Catholic civilians. The IRA began bombing in England and killing politicians.
The legal proceedings regarding the arrest of paramilitary suspects was changed. Previously, suspects were political prisoners, now they would be tried in open court as criminals, but did not receive jury trials and the evidence required to convict was not as rigorous. Several IRA prisoners went on a hunger strike and demanded they be allowed to wear their own clothes and not prison issue. One of the hunger strikers, a prisoner named Bobby Sands ran for election for a Northern Ireland seat in the British Parliament while in prison on a hunger strike. He won his seat but Prime Minister Thatcher would not meet any of the demands, Bobby Sands and nine other prisoners died of starvation. Shortly after this incident, prisoner of war status was restored to political prisoners. Sympathy for the hunger strikers in Ireland and around the world was substantial.
Troubles Continue
Sinn Fein became politically active and took 13% of the vote in the 1983 general elections in Northern Ireland. The war between the IRA and British security forces continued in the 1980s, although the death toll was a fraction what had occurred in the 1970s, with the total less than 100 deaths throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Wednesday 29 March 2017
This, Is Ireland
As it was time for something completely different, we drove away from the sea, and into the heart of Co. Cork to the Lee Valley, where the River Lee runs through to Cork City. This is a landscape of trees, shrubs, dairy cattle, grazing land and crop land. This land is also dotted with many ruins, to which, we are forever drawn.
The ruins are not signposted, so we had to sleuth them out, by scanning the landscape, by studying the rivers, by looking at our inadequate maps and by guessing which little road to drive down next. We were forced to slow down, as it takes time to look, time to see, and time to appreciate what was right there surrounding us.
Our first stop was the market town of Macroom, which sits on the banks of the River Sullane. The castle was built by the O’Flynn family in the 12th century. The O’Flynn’s were defeated by the McCarthy’s, and they held the castle until the mid 17th century. When Cromwell was waging war in Ireland, the Castle and most of the town were burned; eventually, Cromwell gifted it to one of his friends.
Macroom is a real Irish town, where the shops advertise that ‘girls confirmation dresses are now in’, where the book store does not carry a tourist book, where many shop windows have a lovely Easter display and where the coffee shop is frequented by locals. The patrons consisted of: old men having tea or coffee and cake; where a mom and her son, dressed in his school uniform, had latte for her and a sweet drink for him; an elderly man and woman having cappuccino and cake and afterwards, she bought an entire fruit loaf for less than the price of two cappuccinos and where John and I basked in the ordinariness of it all.
We drove east of Macroom and embarked on our hunt for ruins. After driving through the same town about three times, trying every road, we finally found the correct little river, the Dripsey, which flows through the town of Dripsey, but the castles were out of town, down the last road we could find.
The wonderful ruin of Carrignamuck Castle sits high above the Dripsey River in the trees. Just upstream is the private Dripsey Castle, which cannot be seen from the road. Only the ornamental tower and the gatehouse are near the Dripsey River, next to a wonderful bridge.
We then found the Kilcrea Castle and Kilcrea Abbey quite easily, as there was a sign off the main highway. The Castle sits among overgrown trees in the middle of a field. There is a trail through the field, even when it is in crop. The field was in some type of cereal crop last season, but the sketchy straw indicates that the crop was not a good one. We walked through an opening in the stone wall and through the field to the ruin. This is a really great ruin, which is only inhabited by birds. There would have been a lot of activity here in days long past.
We walked all around the Castle in a field of water saturated grass, so that we could get photos from every conceivable angle. We had to jump a stream as well, but this is why one should never set foot outdoors in Ireland without waterproof hiking boots.
The Kilcrea Abbey is across the road, so we walked back through the field to the Abbey ruin, which sits in another field, but the Abbey is fronted by a grassy approach through the trees. The Abbey is a splendid ruin that provides a lot of opportunity for really good photos.
Kilcrea, meaning, Woman of Cre, for the woman, who founded a hermitage prior to the Franciscans founding the Friary in 1465. This is reported to be a very good example of an Irish Franciscan monastery.
This landscape of mountains, hills, misty river valleys, ruins, history, fields, cattle and ordinary towns is what Ireland is really about. If you ever find yourself in Ireland, flee from the tours, the kitsch, the shopping, the must see lists - get out and lose yourself in the land, where you will find something else.
The ruins are not signposted, so we had to sleuth them out, by scanning the landscape, by studying the rivers, by looking at our inadequate maps and by guessing which little road to drive down next. We were forced to slow down, as it takes time to look, time to see, and time to appreciate what was right there surrounding us.
Our first stop was the market town of Macroom, which sits on the banks of the River Sullane. The castle was built by the O’Flynn family in the 12th century. The O’Flynn’s were defeated by the McCarthy’s, and they held the castle until the mid 17th century. When Cromwell was waging war in Ireland, the Castle and most of the town were burned; eventually, Cromwell gifted it to one of his friends.
Macroom is a real Irish town, where the shops advertise that ‘girls confirmation dresses are now in’, where the book store does not carry a tourist book, where many shop windows have a lovely Easter display and where the coffee shop is frequented by locals. The patrons consisted of: old men having tea or coffee and cake; where a mom and her son, dressed in his school uniform, had latte for her and a sweet drink for him; an elderly man and woman having cappuccino and cake and afterwards, she bought an entire fruit loaf for less than the price of two cappuccinos and where John and I basked in the ordinariness of it all.
Brightly painted shops in Macroom
Gateway and Tower - Not Ancient
Macroom Castle
Bridge over River Sullane
Macroom Castle
Murphy's, the choice of Cork stout drinkers
We drove east of Macroom and embarked on our hunt for ruins. After driving through the same town about three times, trying every road, we finally found the correct little river, the Dripsey, which flows through the town of Dripsey, but the castles were out of town, down the last road we could find.
The wonderful ruin of Carrignamuck Castle sits high above the Dripsey River in the trees. Just upstream is the private Dripsey Castle, which cannot be seen from the road. Only the ornamental tower and the gatehouse are near the Dripsey River, next to a wonderful bridge.
Carrignamuck Castle
Dripsey Castle Gatehouse
We then found the Kilcrea Castle and Kilcrea Abbey quite easily, as there was a sign off the main highway. The Castle sits among overgrown trees in the middle of a field. There is a trail through the field, even when it is in crop. The field was in some type of cereal crop last season, but the sketchy straw indicates that the crop was not a good one. We walked through an opening in the stone wall and through the field to the ruin. This is a really great ruin, which is only inhabited by birds. There would have been a lot of activity here in days long past.
We walked all around the Castle in a field of water saturated grass, so that we could get photos from every conceivable angle. We had to jump a stream as well, but this is why one should never set foot outdoors in Ireland without waterproof hiking boots.
Kilcrea Castle
The Kilcrea Abbey is across the road, so we walked back through the field to the Abbey ruin, which sits in another field, but the Abbey is fronted by a grassy approach through the trees. The Abbey is a splendid ruin that provides a lot of opportunity for really good photos.
Kilcrea, meaning, Woman of Cre, for the woman, who founded a hermitage prior to the Franciscans founding the Friary in 1465. This is reported to be a very good example of an Irish Franciscan monastery.
Kilcrea Abbey
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