September 2018--Ramble in Ireland

Poem, Western Ireland, September 2018

After that week only dream

may take us back

to Connemara, Bridget's Garden,

narrow lanes, proliferating stone walls,

pub dinners, sheep, and shifting cloud, bracken, 

gorse, and heather --

that Middle Bronze Age

rock wedge tomb in nowhere,

Croagh Patrick on the horizon, 

Fort Dun Aonghuasa on the overlook

high on an Arran Island.

Conjure pub lunches, oysters,

salmon, turbot, pumpkin soup,

accompanying stout for sure,

stony footpaths, Roundstone Beach,

company of our Rambler mates --

when, if ever, to return?

 Thanks to a small inheritance from Kevin's mother we were able to sign up at the last minute for a Lakeland Ramblers Tour in western Ireland. Kevin toured this area back in the 60s when he chauffeured for a West British family in Kenmore. He has always wanted to return so we did and it was a wonderful trip.

We arrived in Shannon on 8 September and stayed over night at the Bunratty Castle Hotel. We enjoyed a delicious supper at Dirty Nellie's pub.

The next day we and traveling companions Maureen and John were picked up by Michelle Hughes, our guide for the tour.  Our first stop was an ancient monastery, Kilmacduagh. It had this ancient tower.

Michele on the left explaining the old rooms where we were.

We learned that the Irish were the first to separate words in text, illustrated here.


Kevin with Oscar! Maureen looking on.

We enjoyed delicious seafood chowder in Galway and were joined by Laura and Christine and our tour was made up--the seven of us riding around in a comfortable van for the next seven days.

Our first stop was the lovely Bridget's Garden, themed a Celtic garden with a solstice calendar, the first that I have ever successfully read and it was spot on.

Then on to Lough Inagh Lodge, a beautiful old house. Wonderful walking into the house which was warmly fragrant with a fresh flowers, a peat fire, and good food cooking. We all loved this old fishing inn and were lucky enough to be there for three nights.


Looking out through the front door onto a fishing pond.

and a gorgeous view!

Cozy fires burned at night in the two common rooms where visitors sat around. We didn't spend much time here as we were always so ready for bed after our good dinners.

Our room was so lovely and comfortable....

Next morning after a hearty breakfast, we drove over to Roscoe Pier where we piled into a speed boat driven by Jamie across the Killary Fjord for a walk along the Old Famine Road.

The Killory Fjord was beautiful in the overcast skies--so many hues of grey with greens and pops of yellow seaweed.

We passed mussel traps which hold long ropes that the mussels hold onto and fatten up. When the ropes are full, they are pulled up and mussels harvested!

We noticed a fishing cottage that Wittgenstein had visited

Walking on the old Famine Road was hard, at times treacherous as rain made walking wet and slippery but always beautiful and the history fascinating. These old roads crisscross all over the West of Ireland, made and used by starving peasants in the 19th century trying to find work to secure food--such a sad story.

Much fishing goes on in the fjord.

Finally, we reached a wonderful destination and a delicious lunch at a family-run Mussel farm.

The building where they were cleaning the mussels just out of the sea!

The tent where we feasted on butternut squash soup, fat oysters, mussels, clams, razorbacks--all you could eat. The family next to us was French. I learned a neat trick with mussels: use the first mussel shell as a little tweezer to pull the meat out of the shell!

Then a ride over to visit Thomas the sheep farmer who showed us his dog Silver's expertise at gathering the sheep. An extra bonus was seeing the pups--I think Silver was their mother.

Silver herding the sheep

We watched as Thomas hollered out his commands to Silver who brought the sheep to kennel. Thomas claims Silver to be the best sheepdog. He says it is the eyes of the dog that frighten the sheep into obedience.

And here Silver holds the sheep with his fierce eyes.

Later a delicious dinner in a cozy pub--the Tully Cross Pub Grub. Walked 5.7 miles today.

After a nice night and a hearty breakfast we walked 6 miles through the Inagh Valley surrounded by   beautiful mountains. It rained quite a bit but if you have the right kit and stay somewhat dry and it is not too cold, it is fine. Plus the ground was flat.

Lovely vistas to look out and I adore the greys juxtaposed against the bright greens.

Stiles are always fun!

Sheep Guard

















Our destination! Kylemore Abbey, once a hunting lodge, then in nineteenth century built as a home for Margaret and Mitchell Henry. Then later as a Benedictine Abbey and then as a boarding school. We had a nice lunch in the visitors center then toured the home and the beautiful gardens.





Something I really loved in the house was this ancient painting on cloth of the Celtic harp, triangular and called cláirseach in Irish and an important symbol of Ireland.

The abbey had a lovely Victorian garden with a gardener's house over looking it. And there was a pile of peat and inside the little house a lovely peat burning fire. It seems that all my life I have read about the rich smell of peat fires and now I have experienced it. For me it is very pleasant and cozy and homelike. I pinched off some to bring home. I wish I could have brought a whole brick to burn.









Michele took this photo.


And then I took this one as we were leaving. We returned to the Lodge for a delicious dinner. 11 miles today.