View from our window at Seabreeze Lodge B&B
This morning we heard a fellow named Cotton Malone was signing autographs at the famous Kenny's Bookshop, the largest such place in Ireland, and perhaps in Europe. With more than half a million books in stock and access to millions more, it would have been worth a stop. But Kenny's had moved to a new location northeast of Galway, and our B&B was well southwest of the city, and we had a ferry to catch.
At breakfast, I had understood our proprietor Freddie to say that the ferry to the Aran islands was just 5 minutes away. But what he apparently said was that we had just five minutes to leave, and to do so without delay. About 30 minutes later he knocked on the room door and was surprised to find us inside relaxing. He quickly explained the 30km route to the ferry dock and told us we could barely make it if we hurried.
Have you ever wondered why traffic moves slowest when you have the greatest need to speed? Or why the narrowest, curviest roads are always located in a place where they most need to be straight and wide? Every slow driver in the area was on the road to the ferry dock this morning. It was a moderately tense drive to the dock. Really. There was almost no screaming about why someone had to go back to the room for sunglasses, or why someone couldn't hear or understand basic information at breakfast.
In any case, we made it to the ferry with two minutes to spare, and we were soon underway on seas that the captain had earlier described as "so smooth you could almost walk across". After a 45-minute crossing, we had arrived at Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands. We immediately chose a guide named Thomas O'Toole to show us the island. He kept us entertained while educating us about the island's history during a tour of the entire island.
Thomas O'Toole and friend
Thomas first pointed out what he said was the church where he worships regularly. He worships there every evening. He says many of the 750 residents of the island believe he lives there. The sign outside said American Bar, but he told us no American had ever owned the bar. He said that sometimes after services that last into the night at the American Bar, you can actually see leprechauns outside. He has seen as many as six of them at one time, and once saw two Polish leprechauns after several pints during such services.
We saw miles of stone walls, some of them thousands of years old, as well as abandoned churches, ancient wells, and two of the three island forts. Dun Aengus, at which we spent quite a bit of time, is at least 2,000 years old, and is perched on the edge of a stone cliff that drops vertically about 200 feet into the sea. There are no protective railings here, and you can literally walk off the edge of the cliff if you aren't careful. Thomas claims this area is the island's divorce court--you just take your spouse up there after one of the aforementioned church services, and give a little push. He also claims they are thinking about building a 50,000-year-old fort so the tourists will flock here to help the local economy.
Dun Aengus fort on Inis Mor
Thomas also said you can see Boston from the fort on a clear day. He actually spent some time in Boston, and claimed to have tried out every religious institution in the city while serving in the U.S. Navy.
Edge of disaster at Dun Aengus fort
Cliffs at Inis Mor
We were impressed by the beautiful coastline and dramatic stone cliffs dropping into the sea. Taking some of the photographs took a lot of nerve, as you had to place your self within a foot of certain death to get some good ones. Thanks to Tricia for most of these!
Aran Islands coastline
We heard a lot of Irish, or Gaelic, spoken on the island. In fact, it is truly the native language here. We are told it is a status symbol for wealthier Irish families to send them to special schools to learn the language. There are several villages on the island, some with 10 or fewer people living in a village. We heard a number of tales about goings-on, but will not repeat them here. It was a nice, leisurely island trip. And the honeycomb ice cream from the local shop was truly delicious.
We didn't have time to go into town to take photos of some of the Galway Hookers yet, but I can report that the beer named for them is very good. Two brothers bought the brewery several years ago and had to replace all the equipment. They are determined to provide an alternative to Guinness, and seem to be doing a good job of it. I had a small glass of Galway Hooker beer, and wish it came in bottles so I could take some home.
You may have noticed the blue sky in the photos of today. A miracle has occurred. We only went through a few rain showers today, none of them in the Aran Islands. If this keeps up, I may have to tone down the wet weather comments.
We hope to report on the Connemara region tomorrow.
Charlie and Tricia
© 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment