I went to Prague on August 6 and after 2 weeks enjoying beautiful Prague, my good friend Mary Kerchner, her son, his Czech wife and I went to Ireland for a week.
I have a very dear friend who spent most of his life in Hartford, CT. the proportion of Irish to Italians is almost equal there but he says the difference between the two nationalities is remarkable: he says "the Irish have no heart; the Italians have a lot of heart". I can't speak to whom is more empathetic or sympathetic in Hartford but having lived for a time in Italy and visited several times in Ireland, I must disagree with his assessment, at least regarding those still in Europe. the people I encountered in Ireland were invariably friendly: meet one on the street and they will greet you with a smile and "it's a grand day now, is it?" or bump into one and apologize and you'll get "no worries, love". in Italy there are rarely greetings on the street, (unless you happen to have a dog, Italiani love dogs!) and barely a greeting in a store except perhaps, "dicami", literally "tell me" and rarely smiles. is it because Ireland is so gray and bleak much of the time that they try to bring cheer with their smiles and Italy is so beautiful they can take joy in their surroundings? sadly both countries are having a hard time economically now, which is nothing new to Ireland.
Dublin
I was first in Dublin about 1986 and one of my memories has been the wonderful fragrance of old books in the Old Library at Trinity College. the Long Room is amazing, housing in quiet beauty over 200,000 of the oldest books at the college. the Book of Kells is remarkable for its great age and the Celtic monk's illumination of the pages. created ca 800 (or maybe earlier), it is a marvel to see. (Trinity College left)
Old Library: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_College_Library
Trinity College: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_College,_Cambridge
Book of Kells: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_kells
I don't remember there being such a plethora of flowers in such brilliant hues! every business and many homes have masses of them over their signs or in window boxes or hanging baskets. I suppose the fact that it rains ... and rains ... and rains may have something to do with it. all the houses we saw were well cared for with green lawns and flowers blooming everywhere, though not many trees - I suppose they want as much sun as possible to get through, they certainly don't need the shade.
I do remember the pubs lively with people and noisy with music, mostly Irish music, maybe because we were in the tourist area but it's lilting to the soul none the less! these guys look like kids but they put out some incredible tunes!
Leap Castle
Portlaoise is forgettable, though we had good conversations with the local pub patrons ...
Leap Castle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_Castle
(hover your cursor over the photo below and click "Play")
Limerick
Adare
Tralee
Tralee was new to me and a good village to use as a base to visit Adare and the Ring of Kerry. we stayed at a nice B&B, The Willows. the Rose of Tralee beauty pageant was happening while we were there, a big deal in that small town, it was on national television on two different nights! contestants from all over the world, including the US, vying for the Rose crown which was won by Heather O'Sullivan from Texas! the parade was a bit provincial to us jaded Americans, quaint we thought smugly! quaint but fitting for this Irish town.
Ring of Kerry
the Ring of Kerry is about 150 miles around the entire route of green hills, fields separated by stone walls or hedge rows, and small villages. the road reaches the ocean in many places and then back up to the hill tops. mostly really narrow 2 lane roads, what we would deem 1 wide lane. very scenic and varied if you're into scenery; which as you know I'm not, but I hadn't seen it and now I'm glad I did. Ring of Kerry: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Kerry |
Cliffs of Moher
Cliffs of Moher: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffs_of_Moher
St Bridget's Well
St Bridget's Well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Brigid's_Well
Chimayo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimayo%2C_New_Mexico
Lourdes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lourdes
Tulsk
Monastery of Kilmacdaugh
Kilmacdaugh Monastery: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmacduagh_monastery
Galway
Galway is on the far west coast, the site of the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival the last weekend of September. I was there several years ago when it was in progress and it's fun and food and the Guinness! Galway is also near Cong where one of my favorite movies,The Quiet Man, was filmed. the video is the song Galway Bay, though why the photos don't match the lyrics is the question! The Quiet Man: http://www.museumsofmayo.com/quietman.htm | |
Famine Museum
the day before flying "home" to Prague, we found a couple of places worth the time to visit: the Strokestown Park and Irish National Famine Museum. the museum is very well done, explaining the cause and effect of the famine resulting in the loss of nearly 2 million people either to death or emigration, nearly 1/4 of the entire population of Ireland. at the time of the famine, potatoes were the main food, each person eating up to 14 pounds of potatoes a day. (photo above: gate leading to the house and museum) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland) the video is very interesting, if you have the time to watch: in 1837 there were 9000 people in the area of Donegal, there were 10 beds and 93 chairs; 1 bed/900 people, 1 chair/90 people. | the museum is in an out-building of the house shamrocks ... |
Gaelic language
on March 29, 2005 a law came into force in western Ireland affecting the names of more than 2300 towns changing their legal names from English to the original Gaelic. all the road signs we saw on the entire island were written in both Gaelic first at the top and English beneath. since independence from England in 1922, Irish governments have pursued a policy of Gaelic in schools and businesses. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/28/world/europe/28iht-irish.html?_r=0 |