The big event this summer was a trip to Ireland for about ten days.
Dublin

We started out in Dublin, which is a nice enough city.  One of the more interesting areas is the Temple Bar district.


A lot of these folks are probably tourists, but you can see that Ireland, which was once a relatively poor country, is doing very well these days.  The average income is one of the highest in Europe.

One of the most interesting things in Dublin is Trinity College, which has the famous manuscript Book of Kells.  There also is a great museum of Irish history.  But I wasn't allowed to photograph in either place.

At night you go to the pub, of course, and if you're lucky you'll find some great Irish music.
CLONMACNOISE

Clonmacnoise is a famous monastery midway between Dublin and the west coast, which was our destination.  It's a beautiful and mystical spot, the sort of place that helps explain why Ireland is known as the island of saints and scholars.



There actually were a couple of busloads of German tourists there, but I managed to keep them out of the picture.



Notice the wonderful script on this tombstone in the monastery's museum.  The script on the bottom is called Ogam or Ogham writing, used in Ireland in the fifth and sixth centuries.



There are people in the US who chisel Ogam writing into rocks in Ohio or some place like that, and claim that it's "proof" that the Irish discovered America.  If that's true, why weren't the natives drinking Guinness when Columbus arrived???
The Burren

Next we went to the Burren, a region on the west coast to the south of Galway.



The reason for the title on the photo is that I am ripping these pictures off of a video production that I made of the trip. 

One of the sights in the Burren is the Cliffs of Moher, claimed to be the tallest cliffs in Europe.



The cliffs are quite nice, although we have very beautiful cliffs in California also (Somoma County or Santa Cruz Island).  I was underwhelmed, to be honest, because these cliffs have become a huge tourist attaction that tends to spoil the atmosphere.



I suppose the best time to go here is in the dead of winter, but then you're likely to blown into the ocean by a storm, I imagine.

The Burren is known for the limestone "pavements" that are common there (this is the Gaelic meaning of "burren").



There are a lot of megalithic tombs here (and in many other parts of Ireland). Below is the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a wedge tomb that was found to contain the remains of 16 people when excavated.  They were buried there between 3800 and 3200 B.C., based on radiocarbon dating of other objects in the tomb.



It's a good thing they don't have earthquakes in Ireland!

There is also a nice castle in this area where they serve a "medieval" feast.



The dinner wasn't all that medieval, but it was a lot of fun.  It was my birthday, so I toasted the occasion with a glass of mead.
Inish Mor

The next destination was Inish Mor, one of the Aran Islands.



The island is part of the Gaeltacht, which is where Irish Gaelic is still spoken by most of the people.  Irish is one of the official languages of Ireland, but most people speak English in their daily lives.  The government tries very hard to keep Irish alive, but it's a real struggle in the age of television and the internet.



There is a nice example of a Celtic ring fort on the island, built around 2000 years ago. 



It's amazing how well they built this fort.  The rocks are perfectly piled up, without any mortar to hold it together. 




Thea found a friendly horse near the fort.  It must have smelled the food in her backpack.



Also on Inish Mor is a nice "beehive" monk's cell.  Monks used to live in these small houses or huts made of rocks.  They look a lot like igloos and are about the same size. 



The really big attraction on Inish Mor (and the only one that most tourists see) is Dun Aengus fort, another Celtic construction, but this one is built on a dramatic setting on a high cliff.



Unlike the normal Celtic ring fort, it is only a half-circle, because the cliffs provide protection on the other side.  It also makes for a spectacular view.
Connemara

North of Galway is Connemara, our next stop.  It's the solitude and desolation that make this area so special.  You won't find many internet cafes around here, and wireless access is pretty much nonexistant.  In my view, an ideal vacation destination.



Connemara is known for its peat, which was used for centuries to heat homes and cook dinner.  Some people have started to use it again--below you see some signs of peat-digging.



There are some very nice lakes and mountains in this area also.
Donegal

Further to the north is County Donegal.  Here we stayed just outside the village of Kilcar, in a bed and breakfast named Dun Ulun House. 



It's run by a lovely couple, Dennis and Ann-Marie Lyons.  I highly recommend it  (tel: 07497 38137).  This is also part of the Gaeltacht, and the Lyons are Gaelic speakers.  In fact, Dennis (or Donnchadh in Irish) wrote a book in Gaelic for use in schools.



There seems to be a lot of literary talent in the small village of Kilcar.  We also met a writer, Kate Newmann, who lives there and who runs a small press (Summer Palace Press) that specializes in publishing the work of Irish poets.

Near Kilcar is Slieve League, which we were told are actually the highest cliffs in Europe (and not the Cliffs of Moher).  These sheep at Slieve League don't seem to care which cliffs are higher, as long as the grass is good.



Below is a shot of the cliffs of Slieve League.



Later we drove to Glencolumbcille, the "valley of the church of St. Columba,"  which is not far from Kilcar.  We were looking for the fabled well of St. Columba.  We had a lovely walk trying to find the darn well, but never did see anything that would even remotely resemble a well.   This farmer drove by on his tractor with a wry smile on his face, since he knew exactly where that well was, but he wasn't about to tell us!



I later found out that the "well" is more like a natural spring.  It was probably that wet spot where we got our shoes all muddy.
    Newgrange

On the way back to Dublin we spent a day in the area known as Bru na Boinne, or the Boyne River Valley, near Drogheda.  There is a complex of megalithic passage tombs here, the best-known of which is Newgrange.



The tomb dates from around 3200 B.C., which is older than the great pyramids in Egypt.  It is quite astonishing what people were able to accomplish in those days. 



This is the entrance to the tomb.  Lying in front of it is a large kerbstone with these interesting swirling designs.  No one knows exactly what they mean.  On top of the entrance is a square hole or slit.  During the winter solstice, the sun shines through that hole, down a long tunnel, and lights up a small chamber in the exact center of the tomb.



Actually, I cheated a bit.  The tunnel above is in a different tomb, because they would not let us photograph or film in Newgrange.  But you get the idea.

The lighting of the inner chamber by the rays of the sun seem to have been taken as a sign that the cold dark days of winter were gradually coming to an end, that the days would gradually become longer and warmer, that crops would grow once again, and that the cycle of life would continue.



I hope that the cycle of life brings me back to Ireland some day!
The End