Ireland, 2004

5/12/04
Today was our first day in Ireland. The plane flight over was long and draining. I managed to get a little bit of sleep but it was very uncomfortable. It was all worth it when we got here, though. Our bus driver, Mike, says there are 40 shades of green in Ireland, and I believe it! We started in Galway, where Jennifer and I got terribly lost.

Galway Cathedral

We found the Galway Cathedral by accident, but it turned out not to be the church where Columbus prayed. We also didn't see Lynch's Castle because it's now a bank. We probably passed both of these and didn't know it. We ate lunch at Subway (but didn't reveal that to any of the others on the trip.) The most upsetting thing in Galway was seeing the anti-American sentiment. We saw a US flag flying upside down and fliers on virtually every post with a blown up picture of the 21-year-old American soldier who has a belt around the neck of an Iraqi soldier and looks happy about it. The flier said "This torturer came through Shannon airport" and called for an organized protest to GW Bush's visit.

In any case, our bus took us next to Connemara, and it was breathtakingly beautiful!

 

Connemara

The terrain was very rugged--mountainous and rocky. There were sheep everywhere, and these amazing stone walls built straight up the mountain. They were made with just rocks and no mortar. I don't know what keeps them standing. I took lots of pictures. I hope they come out well. Next was Kylemore Abbey which is now an international girls' school.

Kylemore Abbey

The abbey was in a movie called "The Magdalene Sisters" that I watched not long ago. We made our way back to our hotel, which is very nice. We had dinner at the hotel, which was yummy but expensive. Jennifer had a Guiness, which was surprisingly yummy, and I had a Carlsberg beer, which Adam recommended. After dinner, Jennifer & I took a walk down to the beach, where we climbed out onto the rocks, right up to the Atlantic. It was awesome. We finished the night up with a dip in the hot tub, where we met some friendly locals. They told us about the death of a Philadelphia businessman in Iraq. He was beheaded while crying for his life. Now we're reading and getting ready to sleep.


5/13/04
I slept pretty well last night, even though the converter John lent me for my sound machine didn't work. I got a solid 8 hours, and I needed it! We started out with our "traditional" Irish breakfast. It started with fruit and bran flakes, which is exactly what I wanted. However, that was only the starting course. Next, they brought a "hot plate" with a slice of ham, a poached egg, and sausage link. Naturally, I didn't partake of that part! We got on the bus and drove to the Cliffs of Moher. This was supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of our trip. Would you believe the fog was so thick that we could barely see 20 feet in front of us, much less the 5+ miles visible on a clear day. I was so disappointed about that. Mike said it was the first time he'd ever seen it that foggy! Mrs. Sieber said not to feel bad because she didn't get to see the Matterhorn in Switzerland for just that reason. We got back on the bus and headed for Limerick.

Burren

We crossed through the Burren, a bare, desolate countryside filled with rocky mountainous land. Mike said that Cromwell's take on the Burren was "There's not enough water to drown a man, not enough trees to hang him from, and not enough soil to bury him in!" It was beautiful in a sad, austere way, though. We had  lunch at a mall in Limerick before we moved on to St. John's Castle. Frankly, I wasn't that impressed with the castle. The castles in England and France have far outdone the Irish ones. In any case, there was a great view from one of the turrets. Next, we headed to Bunratty Castle and Theme Park, but we only had 1 1/2 hours there. I wish we'd had more time. Jennifer and I took off for the stairs and visited all the rooms, though we got lost trying to find the dungeon! There was a working village at Bunratty. We saw a woman churning butter and a man bailing hay. We also saw some livestock, including mules! (just like the ones in Columbia).

Bunratty Castle

We made a quick trip to our hotel (where a wedding was taking place) and then headed back to Bunratty for dinner and a show. The dinner was to be eaten with only our daggers (steak knives). It started with yummy soup and soda bread to sop in it, ribs, chicken and vegetables, and finally a raspberry cheesecake-type dessert. (Oh and a glass of mead beforehand and limitless amounts of wine). When our server noticed I wasn't eating the ribs, she brought me a cantaloupe instead. The music was terrific. Two girls played harp and flute and there were several men and women singing. At one point, the Univ of S. Indiana (from Evansvillle) got up & sang. It was cool to see fellow Americans, especially after being groped by the lascivious old French man while waiting in line! (Jennifer saved me by whacking him with her backpack. I guess that was payback for my cleaning her forehead after the bird pooped on her.) The meal was my favorite thing so far except for when some of our young co-horts began singing Rocky Top. That was embarrassing. We got back to the hotel around midnight and feel right into bed. Oh and my adapter actually worked here! I forgot one thing about dinner at the Bunratty -- snuff that you suck through your nose. It looked like cinnamon but had a distinct menthol smell. At first it burned, but it clears out the sinuses. Also, on our way out, Jennifer went to throw something away and there was a French man taking a whiz against Bunratty Castle!

5/14/04

After breakfast this morning (cereal, fruit-which included tomato, and yogurt for me, blood pudding for Amy), we got on the bus headed to Adare. 

Adare

Adare was a quaint little village. Everything about it was quiet and serene. The pace of life here is so much calmer and more relaxed than in the US. Julie wanted to find the train station, so we asked a mailman who pointed us to this old train station that was now a woman's home. She even had her laundry hung on the front porch. We took a few pictures and pet her dog Judy before heading for the most beautiful park I'd ever seen. There was a little building with a thatched roof and several walkways covered in honeysuckle and ivy. We also found the cathedral, where a mass was being held.

Adare Cathedral

We jumped back on the bus and headed to Inch, which had beautiful cliffs and beaches. Jennifer and I got some great pictures. I wanted to stay longer but Mr. Sieber was keeping us on a tight schedule.

We boarded our traveling home again and headed for the fishing village of Dingle.

Dingle Harbor

Dingle was also very pretty and there were tons of ships in the harbor. Mike (our bus driver) had already called ahead and made lunch reservations at John Benny Moriarty Pub.

John Benny Moriarty Pub (blue bldg on far left)

Most people had fish and chips, but I had vegetable curry, and it was wonderful. It was super-spicy served on a bed of white rice. I would have liked to have had more time, but we barely had 10 minutes to spare before heading back to the bus. W stopped at an incredible set of cliffs, where an old stone fort was constructed.

Dingle

It was called Doonbeg. You had to pay 2E to enter, and several people decided not to. I'm so glad we did because the view was spectacular. I joked that I was going to tell everyone they were the Cliffs of Moher, since we missed those due to the fog. The cliffs were rugged and jet black and the surf produced these white crests that contrasted beautifully.

We had a few more pictures stops, including a brief stop at Dan Foley's Pub where Dr. Foley shot practically a whole roll of film.
 Finally, we headed to Tralee to the Brandon Hotel where we are staying for two days. It's not as nice as out other hotels but it is within walking distance of lots of things. We put our stuff down and headed to a pub where I had a half pint of Guinness.

Jennifer had a whole 2 pints. We had dinner next and there was a really cute waiter named Derrick that we were all slobbering over. Naturally, Kelly & Julie hit on him relentlessly. It was so cute because they asked him to go out afterwards and he said he didn't think his mother would approve. Kelly gave him her hotel room number and truly expects him to come knocking. I'm doubtful but I'll find out tomorrow. We mostly talked to Dee and Jim. At one point, Kelly said we were old and even implied that we were lesbians. I told her she was just jealous.. I really don't like that girl. We may come to blows by the end of this trip! I'm going to try to get some sleep now because tomorrow is our trip to the Ring of Kerry! 



5/15/04
First, a note about yesterday--we went by the house owned by Delores from the Cranberries, but I didn't get to take a pictures. Most of the girls on the trip are country fans, so they didn't even know who the Cranberries were.

Oh well. Today, we boarded the bus for the Ring of Kerry --110 km of the most incredible scenery of all time.

Ring of Kerry

Jennifer let me have a seat on the best side of the bus which was so generous. I've never seen such amazing cliffs, beaches, and vegetation all together in one place in my life! We stopped for "photo stops" several times along the way, but the area was so amazing, I couldn't choose what to photograph. We stopped at Fort Staigue where Julie and I tried to catch a lamb. We got really close but the mama sheep kept running off. Julie stepped in sheep poop and we both had to wash up in the toilets! We also stopped at a sheep farm where an Irishman explained about the different kinds of sheep and showed us how the border collies were trained to herd the sheep. Those dogs were amazing. The farmers teach each dog its own signals so that they can use several dogs at once without the dogs getting confused.

Sheepdog Demo

These dogs were like cheetahs running straight up these steep mountains, and they could even pick out and herd one or or two particular sheep on command. He could blow his whistle and the dogs would know exactly what he wanted. The farmer said it takes about 2 years to teach the and that some dogs have a natural talent for it and he doesn't discriminate based on gender. (Although, these two were both girls. :) He showed us all his sheep, including a Middle Eastern sheep that has four horns. Also, he says sheep naturally have long tails unless you bob them. There are no coyotes or wolves in Ireland, so they don't have to worry about the sheep getting eaten. They mark the sheep with spray paint to distinguish them. That's why they look like punk rockers.

punk rocker sheep

So far, I've seen red, blue, and green. Next, we went to a little town called Smeen. Jenifer & I both bought the same Claddaugh rings and necklace.

Claddaugh Ring

The lady gave us a card that explains the significance. Julie got a ring, too, but hers is facing inward because she has Bubba. We boarded the all-too-familiar bus again and stopped at Molls' Gap, which was a valley with more shades of green than you can dream of and a bay right in the middle. Professor Baker was excited because she'd seen a picture of it in her travel book and was hoping to stop there. The next stop was the Torc Waterfalls. At first we were upset because the bathrooms were locked , but Mike found another set, thank goodness!

Torc Waterfalls

The waterfall was beautiful, of course, and we got a great shot of Jennifer, Ressa, Julie and me with the cascading water in the background. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was our "jaunting car-ride" in Muckross. Our horse's name was Larry and he had a rose in his mane because the driver said he was gay! (Larry was a pie ball, which is a brown & white. A skew ball is black & white.) Jennifer was in the cart behind us and her horse, Bob, was Larry's "partner." The driver was a hoot! He told us that these metal plates that stuck up were the headstones of a leprachaun named Murphy who had died 150 years ago.

Muckross House

He told us tons of jokes, including "See the horse behind us? His name is but my pasta was yummy! Never Fed and his drivers is Never Sober." Jennifer said her driver was funny, too, and kept flirting with Mrs. Sieber. He even asked if it was OK with her "daddy," meaning Mr. Sieber! He even gave her flowers!! The carriage took us to an old Franciscan Abbey which we explored before riding back to the bus. We came back to our same hotel and this time we had dinner at a different restaurant. The waitress showed us the menu first before she let us in. She must've thought we couldn't afford it. It was expensive, but my pasta was yummy! We came back to the hotel and Ressa, Jennifer, Jim, Dee, Monique and I had a few drinks. Oh, plus we stopped at a grocery and bought a Magnum bar, which is which chocolate ice cream bar. Mrs. Sieber declared it "orgasmic." I also tasted Dee's Irish coffee, and I'm definitely getting that at our next pub outing. It was yummy! Jim & Dee are such fun! Of course, bitching about Kelly also helps. She and a few of the others were hung over and slept through the Ring of Kerry Oh, funny side note...there are no snakes in Ireland. Someone asked why & I said because St. Patrick drove them out with his flute. I totally mixed up the Pied Piper (who drove out rats  children with his flute) with St. Patrick (who had a bad run-in with a snake & cursed them all to leave.) It was hilarious. Jim must have thought I was a dope. Tomorrow is the Blarney Stone!

5/16/04

St. Mary's Cathedral

We started the day at St. Mary's Cathedral. It was very pretty but not as beautiful as Notre Dam. I doubt anything ever will be. The stained glass was beautiful and it was very peaceful. Then, we went back to the Muckross House, which we had ridden by the day before. It had the most beautiful gardens, filled with pink, purple, and white rhododendrons. We toured the house with our guide, Patsy. She was really funny. Julie told her about a drink she'd tried called a Fat Frog, and Jim told her about the Car Bomb. (Guinness with a shot glass of Bailey's Irish whiskey) She told us the secret to good Guinness-black currant.

stained glass at St. Mary's

 It makes it sweet! The Muckross House was really pretty and seemed very authentic. Patsy told us all about the preparations for Queen Victoria's visit. She was afraid of heights and fires, so she refused to be in the master suite. The had to add on an entire using just for her and they knew six years in advance. It ended up bankrupting the family. The next stop was Blarney, where we climbed to the top of the castle to kiss the Blarney Stone.

Blarney Castle

I don't think any of us realized that we'd be upside down way up in the air to kiss it. You basically laid down flat and kissed it upside down. Jennifer asked me to take her picture and I did a terrible job. And stupid me, I blurted out "oh no, Jennifer, all I got was boobs." Everyone died laughing but I felt terrible about it! I went next and Mike was supposed to be taking my pictures. I have a feeling he didn't get it because we had to go so fast, but I got a certificate that says I kissed it! We went shopping at the Blarney Mills. I picked up a few things, but I still haven't gotten most of the souvenirs for the other people. I keep waiting, but I need to just do it. I got separated from the group while shopping, so I didn't realize the Mills had a second floor. I found Julie and we hit a couple more shops and headed to the bus. I had a nice long conversation with Mike. He told me about his kids and his wife. We got back on the bus and arrived in Cork City around 6:00. Our hotel is fairly nice, but it's about 2 miles away from everything and it's in an industrial park area. i convinced Dee to run up and down the stairs to our 4th floor rooms, which she actually did. We also took a brief walk outside the hotel. That made me feel a little bit better about all I've been eating and drinking...but not too much . Tomorrow is on to Waterford. I will just have to force myself to spend money there. 

5/17/04

We journeyed to Cobh (aka Cove, aka Queenstown for the Queen's visit). It was a maritime town. We toured the Queenstown Story, which was a museum which explored the Irish emigration to American and other regions during the potato famine and also the sinking of the Lusitania and the Titanic.

Cobh, Queenstown Story

Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic before it sank. The museum was actually very interesting but certain people were late getting back to the bus, so we missed our tour of the Jameson Distillery. Mike says we can go to the one in Dublin and it's just as good. Next, we visited Ardmore (which was the setting of Nora Roberts' Jewels of the Sun trilogy) where Mike had arranged for a historian to tell us about the area. Ardmore means "Great Height." We stopped at St. Declan's Cathedral & Round Tower. St. Declan came before ST. Patrick and spread Christianity to Ireland. The tower & cathedral date back to the 12th century. I took a couple of close-ups of the wall pictures. They depict Adam & Eve at the tree of life, King Solomon judging the two women over the baby, the worship of the golden calf, the 3 Magi, and a local chieftain's submission to St. Declan & the church. The tower is only one of its kind and you can tell by the rings around it.

Declan's Round Tower

There was a crypt where St. Declan was supposedly buried. They also found the remains of some Ecclesiastics. (They could tell they were Ecclesias
tics because they were buried with their shoes on.)
Next we went to Mike's hometown of Dungarvan, where we stopped for lunch. Mike spotted his 15-year old son & honked. We all tried to wave but Mike Jr. ran & hid i embarrassment. The next stop was the Waterford Crystal Factory. That was a really cool place. We saw a short film before the tour, and the tour took us through the whole process from the creation of wooden molds to the blowing process (which is still mouth blown one piece at a time) to the cutting process to the engraving process.

Waterford Crystal

It think the blowing process was the most interesting because they just blew into a long tube & twisted the crystal into beautiful shapes. The quality control team inspects the pieces at each stage and destroy any with defects & those fragments are re-fired and they start over. I met a cutter who said he knew Joanne's brother-in-law, T.J. Grant. I asked him to tell Tony that Joanne said hi.

Waterford Crystal

That night, we went to nice restaurant and I had a really strong decaf Irish coffee, my first of 3 for the night. We even got Amie to drink one. Then we all hung out in the bar, watching soccer. We also went outside & Jennifer taught us to country line dance. WE did the tush push, the electric slide, & all kids of stuff right in front of the hotel. It was really fun!

5/18/04
We're on our way to Kilkenny and I just discovered I've lost my camera. I really want to cry right now. I'm going to call the hotel at our next stop. I  may buy a new camera in the meantime. Update! It turns out someone from the hotel had told Julie they found a camera outside the hotel, and she just "forgot" to tell me, even though she recognized it as mine. Mike is such a nice man. He called and had one of the other bus drivers from his group pick it up. They're going to bring it to Dublin either tonight or tomorrow. I nearly cried when he told me. That was so considerate!

St. Canice's Cathedral & Round Tower

We first visited St. Canice's Cathedral, known as one of the most beautiful 13th century churches in Ireland. The stained glass windows were magnificent and it was very peaceful. After the tour of the cathedral, Dee, Jim, and I climbed the round tower, which was 100 feet tall. There were SO many steps going around and around. I definitely got a mini-work out there.

Next, was Kilkenny Castle, which was one of the prettier castles we've seen in Ireland.  

Kilkenny Castle

Luckily for me, there was no photography allowed. I bought a disposable camera to take  to the Rock of Cashel, where we're currently headed. Ok, we toured the Rock of Cashel and it was beautiful. I tried to listen to the history being told to us by the tour guide, but I was too enthralled with my surroundings to pay much attention. From what I gathered of the movie, though, castles were solely for protection and were not very comfortable. Stan only gave us about 10 minutes after the movie ended to see anything. Most of that was spent waiting in line for the bathroom and getting a diet coke!

Rock of Cashel

The ride to Dublin was LONG! We found our hotel, the Arlington, which is really close to everything. I grabbed dinner from Subway which was yummy. The Subway actually had an internet cafe inside & I spent E0.5 for 15 minutes. I emailed everyone at home. Oh, back to Subway...Jennifer, Ressa & Julie ordered from Domino's but when their pizza got here, Julie & Kelly didn't want to pay their portion. I think they knew not to mess with Jennifer, though,, because they forked over the cash. At 9pm, the hotel bar had an Irish song & dance show. Naturally, several of us headed down and when Aimee & I got up to the bar, Kelly, etc...let our seats go! Then, when Aimee & I found closer seats and the dancing started, they tried to squeeze in next to us. Luckily, a lady at the table told her those were reserved. They finally left and Aimee and I gave our "toast to the bitches" before having a last drink and calling it a night.

5/19/04

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Today is our first day in Dublin. We started the morning at St. Patrick's Cathedral. There was a bust of Jonathan Swift and both Jonathan Swift and his paramour Stella are buried there. One cool thing was the "Door of Reconciliation." Black James & Fitzgerald were fighting and Fitzgerald wanted to call a truce, but when he knocked on the door, Black James didn't trust him, so Fitzgerald hacked a hole in the door & stuck his arm through. Jennifer & I shook hands through the hole & had Professor Baker take our picture.

Door of Reconciliation

Next is the National Museum of Ireland and Grafton Street. OK, Jennifer & I spent about 10 minutes in the museum before ditching everyone and hitting the streets. We had to be especially crafty to get rid of Ressa, but wouldn't you know that she somehow found us when we stopped at the McDonald's?! Jennifer joked that she had a Lojack on us. We went to St. Stephen's Green, a very pretty park in downtown Dublin and walked around a little bit. We found the statue of Molly Malone. There were a bunch of Georgia college students there and it was very comforting to hear them say ya'll. Next, we headed to the Guinness factory. The tour of the facility explains exactly how the Guinness is made.

Guinness Factory, Dublin

On the top floor, you turn in your token for a free pint of Guinness. I got mine with black currant, so I could tolerate it. I'd only had an apple and an orange for lunch, so it went straight to my head. We met a couple and their 3-year-old, Nick, up in the bar. They were from Philadelphia and we chatted for quite a while as we drank our Guinness and gazed out at the view. Next, was a tour of the Jameson distillery for those who wanted to go. Jennifer & I decided not to go, but of course, Dee & Jim did. Thankfully, he took off the big furry Guinness hat & the Guinness tie before the Jameson tour. (rivals!) I went to the Internet Cafe & emailed mom & Kacy and then we stopped by a bookstore, where I got Jason a collection of modern Irish poetry. I'm sure he could've bought it in the States, but I hope he appreciates the thought that went into it. Jennifer & I are just chilling in the hotel room now. We have a couple hours before our pre-arranged dinner. I must say that so far Dublin is my least favorite stop on our journey. It's a typical big city. I much prefer the countryside. After a much-needed respite this afternoon (I had to pretend we were both asleep when Ressa came knocking.), we went to dinner at Shell's Restaurant. It wasn't all that great because I've got yet another cold coming on. It started with mushroom balls, then turkey (that was supposed to be pork) & vegetables & a dessert of chocolate cake. I couldn't taste much of anything so I didn't waste too many calories. I did, however, have 3 pints of Guinness. Jennifer had 5 pints yesterday! Tomorrow, Jim is doing a car bomb, so I will have to take pictures.

5/20/04

St. Audoen's Gate

This morning was "free." I ended up going down to breakfast around 8:30 and had to sit with the Siebers and Professor Baker while they discussed rotten teeth and sinus infections...blegh.

Dublin Castle

We managed to ditch Ressa again and Jennifer, Jim, Dee & I walked down to Dublin Castle and the St. Audoen's Gate before strolling down Grafton Street and through Steven's Green again. Finally, we ended up in a pub where we sat for a long time, sipping drinks until food was served at noon. I had some yummy carrot & coriander soup with brown bread. Everyone else had fish and chips and some sort of alcohol (duh!).

Trinity College

Now, we're getting ready to head to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Then we're going to the prison. We saw the Book of Kells and the library (Long Room) at Trinity College. It was pretty boring. I did enjoy sitting on a bench in the sun on the quad.

Book of Kells

Kilmainham Gaol

Next was the prison -- Kilmainham Gaol -- which has been converted into a museum. The prison was split into 2 sections--the West Wing from the 18th century and the East Wing from the Victorian era. Before the actual tour, we saw  25 minute video on the Irish Rebellion, mostly the Easter Rebellion of 1916.
Next, our tour guide (who reminded me a little bit of my brother because of his long hair and passion for his subject matter) led us through the prison. I made the mistake of wearing a t-shirt. It was SO COLD! I wasn't as cold as Dee, though since she was wearing a sleeveless sweater vest. After we got "out of jail," Mike drove us through the park and showed us the Irish President's house (a woman!) and the Irish Ambassador to the US's house. I checked my email and sent Mom one last one. Tonight we're having dinner in the hotel. Jennifer is staying in the room, so I'm on my own! We're going to be on the bus all day tomorrow, so I'm planning on having a grungy day.

5/21/04
Yeah, we're leaving Dublin. Our first stop was the Hill of Tara.

Hill of Tara, aerial view

Hill of Tara, Stone of Destiny

Pagans worshiped here and high kings were seated here. The burial mounds go back 4000 years. Next we stopped in Kells, where we watched a vieo and saw lots of cool Celtic crosses.

Market Cross

The Market Cross was the largest and dates back to the 9th century. There was another replica of the Book of Kells, too. We walked through St. Columba's Church and grounds, the original site of the Monastery of Kells. We stopped by St. Colum Cille's House, but you have to get a key from a local proprietor to go inside. There was a round tower on the grounds which was built in the 10th century. We could see the Spire of Lloyd fro the street and snapped a quick pictures. We are no in Northern Ireland. We just stopped at Enniskillen Castle.

Enniskillen Castle

It's a 15th century stone fortress with a unique two-turret water gate. The only way we knew that we'd passed into Northern Ireland is that Ike told us. I guess I thought there would be some kin of horrible military checkpoint with razor wire and guards. It was very anti-climactic in a way. We are now in Donnegal.

Old Abbey, Donnegal

When we arrived, the group sort of splintered off and Amiee and I found the most beautiful spot, a Franciscan Abbey that was partially buried. There was also a cemetery and the whole area overlooked the water. There were Celtic crosses and old tombstones. Aimee and I each found a clear marble. We had dinner at the hotel, and it was truly yummy. Tomorrow, we will explore a little bit in Donnegal before heading to Sligo. My nose is running off my face and I'm getting a bad cough. I'm glad we're beginning the last leg of the trip. It will be sad to leave everyone, especially Jim and Dee, but I'm so ready to go home and sleep in my own bed and give Paco lots of kisses.


5/22/04

Donnegal Castle

After breakfast this morning, we walked down to the Donnegal Castle. Unfortunately, it was an hour before opening time. We "lollygagged" the time away by sitting on a bench in the "the Diamond" watching the world go by. We eventually toured the castle. It was very lovely. We hit a craft shop area, which wasn't all that interesting, but I did find a book of poetry that I'm going to look up when I get home. Next, we're off to Sligo. We just passed through Bundoran, a small seaside resort town. It was so beautiful that I couldn't decide whether to look left toward the mountains or right toward the ocean.

Bundoran

 

We stopped in Mullaghmore Harbour, where we were going to eat lunch (too early in my opinion) but nothing opened until 1:00. I snapped pictures of the beach and boats. We also took pictures of Lord Mountbatten's home. (He was a British general who was blown up by the IRA). The house was pretty, but the horses (mares & foals) were magnificent. Next, we stopped in Drumcliffe at the church where the poet William Butler Yeats is buried.

Drumcliffe Church

I also took a picture of the mountain Ben Bulben.

Ben Bulben

The mountain was a very steep-sided mountain covered in green. I think that's what it is (moss). Yeats' grave wasn't elaborate or beautiful. It was actually quite ordinary and looked rather new. Yeats died in France in 1939 and was moved here to Drumcliffe in 1948. We had lunch in Sligo at the Fiddler's Creek, where I had still more cream of vegetable soup. (I'm going to have withdrawals from the vegetable soup & the Alpen cereal.) We went to Sligo Abbey, which was constructed around 1252. Our tour guide, Dennis, explained why the abbey appeared to be buried (like the secret abbey Amiee and I found. So many people died and had to be buried (for cholera, the plague, etc...) that they had to dump more dirt & rocks down into the abbey, which, in turn, made the abbey appear sunken. We got Mike to ask for directions to Carowmore Mounds.

Carrowmore Mounds

Mike missed the sign, so we made a wrong turn, but it wasn't too bad. I think I was the only one who saw the sign, but nobody listened to me! The mounds were cool. They were megalithic tombs dating back over 6,000 years. (3,000 years before the pyramids) I found the one that looks like the pi symbol and it was big enough to go inside and take a picture. The cap stones weighed tons and tons. The people put down little pea gravel stuff and slid the capstone into place. One area could hold a hundred cremated remains. The site seemed to span for miles and the stones had little holes that the sun hit just right during the solstice. Interestingly, there were mounds everywhere except the top of Ben Bulben. There is speculation that the sun never hit there.

5/23/04
After breakfast this morning, we boarded the bus for a long journey. Our first stop was Knock, where in 1879, three children saw a vision of the Virgin Mary.

Knock

The Pope and Mother Teresa have been visitors and it is the Catholic "Mecca" of Ireland. Mike sprinkled us with Knock water when we got back on the bus as a blessing for a safe journey. After lunch, we went back to the Cliffs of Moher. If I died tomorrow, I can easily say that's the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life. The cliffs, the water, the view of the Arran Islands -- it was magnificent. Jennifer thought of the coolest idea for pictures.

Cliffs of Moher

We found an area where there was just a little drop behind one of the rock walls & pretended that we were climbing over. We even found one right by a "DANGER" sign which was hilarious. I joked that the caption should be "Where is our chaperone?" Poor Monique was freaking out when I got close to the cliffs. She would only get close if we laid down on our bellies, so we did and got Ressa to take our picture. I love that Jennifer has a digital camera because you can see right away how good they are. The way the sun was glinting off the water was magical. I could've sat and stared forever. We stopped in Bunratty again and went to a different Blarney Woolen Mills. Jennifer bought several penny whistles for her nieces and nephews, so we played them out in front of the mall area. Mrs. Sieber put E0.25 in Jennifer's back pack. (to show her appreciation for our musical talents!) We played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" for Mike and he asked if we'd ever played before because we were so good. He's such a stinker!

Quotes from the Trip:
"Yo, sista, when you wear those glasses, I can't see your eyes and it's really freaking me out." --a teen student to one of the nuns at Kylemore Abbey, as re-told by Kelly

"Holy crap!" (in a terrible attempt at an Irish brogue)--my impersonation of the snakes' comments upon seeing Ireland break away from the rest of the continents during the Ice Age.