Travel Diary of Our Ireland Journey
April, 2000
by VTS

THURSDAY - We arrive in Ireland and travel to Ennis, our base for the seven day stay.    Jim Crean, our host and guide, displays his phenomenal memory from the beginning  by reciting various bits of Irish history and poetry to illustrate the fabulous scenery and historical architecture we see as we pass through the countryside.  It seems that you never travel too far without seeing a castle!    We settle into the picturesque and very comfortable Old Ground Hotel, which began life as a private residence in 1749.  After a cocktail reception that night, we are entertained by a harpist playing Irish music at dinner.

FRIDAY - The next morning, Sean Spellissy, a local historian and author, tells us about the history of County Claire and takes us to see Ennis Abbey, which was built in the 12th century and expanded in the 15th.  After lunch we visit Quin Abbey, which was built in the 15th century on the ruins of a Norman castle.  The cloister is especially well-preserved.  We continue to Craggaunowen, which, in addition to a 15th century castle, boasts a recreation (by the famous Hunt family) of a Bronze Age crannog (a man-made island that served as a defensive homestead), a ring fort,  part of an Iron Age timber road. and a leather-hulled boat built in the 1970's by Tim Severin.  The boat was used to make a voyage from Ireland to Newfoundland to prove that the legend of St. Brendan's journey in the 6th century was possible. 

After dinner that night, we are joined by several local townspeople and businessmen from Ennis to discuss life in Ireland today.

SATURDAY - The next morning, Professor Ciaran Murchadha talks to us about the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's.  Prior to the famine, the population of Ireland was close to 9 million.  Over 2.5 million died or were forced to immigrate during the famine, and immigration continued until the population was only 2.5 million in the 1960's.  Only with Ireland's acceptance into the EU has its economy revived and its population begun to rise again.

Lunch today is at Durty Nelly's Pub, and then we visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.  The castle is authentic, built in the 15th century, with its interior furnished as it might have been in the 17th century.  The folk park is a recreation of a 19th century rural village; however, many of the buildings are authentically old, having been moved to the site.

In the afternoon, we are invited to Sir Connor O'Brian's manor (called Thomond House) for cocktails and hor d'oeuvres.  We chat and then he tells us about the O'Brian family in Ireland, dating from his famous ancestor Brian Boru, the last High King of Ireland.

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At night we go to Cois na Habhna, where local musicians play traditional Irish music for us and several talented young ladies perform dances such as those Riverdance has made famous.  They then give us a chance to participate by giving us Irish set dancing lessons.

SUNDAY - The next morning we visit The Burren, a limestone plateau that at one time existed under the sea.  We see Lemaneagh Castle, which belonged to the O'Brian family during the 17th century.  During the Cromwell uprising, the cheif O'Brien sided with the king and was mortally wounded.  His wife, Red Mary, desperate to save their lands, stood on the steps of the castle and wouldn't let him in, saying "We want no dead men here."  She then went to the English and claimed loyalty, offering to prove it by marrying an English officer.  She did, but the officer later died of 'a vicious kick!'

After exploring the Burren Center and associated church and cemetery at Kilfenora, we visit the Poulnabrone Dolman, a portal tomb dating back to 2500-2000 BC.  Archeologists have discovered the ashes of up to twenty people buried under the tomb.

We enjoy seeing Newtown Castle, which possesses a pyramidal base.  The base was designed so that when an object was dropped from the top, it would strike and project outward, hopefully hitting the invaders.  After exploring the art college that shares this site, we went for a nature hike through the Burren, then went on to see the Cliffs of Moher, a windy but spectacular sight!

MONDAY - The next day, Eddie Lanihan (surely a leprechaun in disguise) teaches us about great Irish writers and poets.  We visit Thoor Ballylee, W.B. Yeat's home in a restored 16th century castle and Coole Park, the beautiful estate of Lady Gregory, lifelong friend and patron of Yeats and many other authors.  As Jim Crean accommodates us by reciting beautiful excerpts from Yeat's and others' works, we drink in the beauty of the extensive gardens.  A copper beach catches our attention; many famous notables who visited Lady Gregory carved their initials into the tree.  George Bernard Shaw's "GBS" is prominent. 

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After spending the morning in nature, we enjoy the afternoon in the city of Galway, and then Eddie Lanihan returns that night to tell us Irish folk and fairy tales in a candlelit room.  Known as a seanchai in Gaelic, Eddie has a theatrical style that leaves us convinced that he really believes in the fairies he talks about.  Fairies and such still play a prominent role in Irish culture - Eddie tells of the construction of a new road which we have passed several times in our travels.  We wondered about the fact that the road has been rerouted to avoid a hawthorn bush that Eddie claims is a fairy tree.  Since white fairy blood has been seen around its base, Eddie was able to convince the road builders that bad things will happen at this place if the bush is disturbed, hence the diversion of the road!

TUESDAY - Next day we board the ferry for Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands.  This extremely rocky island (8 miles long and 2 miles wide) has more than 3000 miles of stone walls on it.  The fields are small, both because of the number of stones to be removed and to help fight erosion.  Once the stones were removed, the dirt in the fields had to be actually created by mixing seaweed, sand and what little dirt could be found between the stones.  The resulting layer of dirt is only 1" to 1.5" thick, but because of the high calcium content coming from the limestone, it produces very healthy livestock.  The potato famine did not hit as hard on the Aran Islands as elsewhere in Ireland.  One theory is that the seaweed used in planting the potatoes made the plants resistant.

We hike up to Dun Aenhus, an iron or Bronze Age promontary fort with four concentric stone walls.  It also has a chevaux de frise, a ring of sharp stones planted upwards to keep people and horses from coming through.  A local historian tells us about the site while we struggle to maintain our balance against the ferocious winds.

Back on the mainland, we drive through a peat bog where the road has to be constantly maintained to keep it from sinking.  Peat is partially decayed vegetation laid down and compressed over thousands of years.  Over 15% of Ireland's land is peatland, which they cut and dry for fuel.  Ireland even has a peat burning power plant that burns a million tons of peat a year.  There is now concern that the peatlands are being used up too quickly.

WEDNESDAY - Our final day is a free day.  Many of us use it to go to Killarney, including a stop in the village of Adare, supposedly the most picturesque village in Ireland.  That night we attend a farewell reception and dinner at the hotel.  After dinner, we are joined again by some of our musician friends who play for us.  This time they have brought a brother (14) and sister (11) to dance.  The young man had just won 6th place in the Irish dance competitions and was exceptionally good.  Afterwards, we bid each other and Jim a sad farewell.  What a wonderful experience this trip has been!

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