Pubs - Opus Two

It suddenly occurred to me that I haven't really talked about pubs in a while, other than to mention them in passing. So, I want to rectify that. A day has not gone by that we haven't been in at least one!  I've already covered those we visited in Temple Bar (Dublin) and in Belfast where we sat in a snug with a Canadian couple at the famous Crown Bar.  I didn't know, by the way, that snugs were added to pubs in Victorian times so women could drink discreetly in public.

So, after Belfast, we were in Ballintoy for 2 nights - handy because there are two pubs there.  We had drinks in both the Rope Bridge Pub and the Fullerton Arms but ate in the latter both evenings.  Nothing much to report on them but the photos of them are below.
In Derry, we ate at a restaurant so nothing exciting about that except for the fact that the meals and drinks at the Quay West restaurant were 50% off which meant we had dinner with drinks for 12 pounds each.  Quite the deal!

Then, it was on to Doolin and Dingle where finding pubs was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel but where finding spontaneous and good Irish music proved to be a challenge.  Three years ago when I was here, it was normal to walk into a pub and see Irish musicians (many who didn't know each other) gathering together to "jam" in various pubs from early in the evening.  Now, the music doesn't seem to start until 9:30 or 10 and they are all pre-booked acts.  While we heard there were some musical sessions (jams), we never found any.  That was a shame as we'd really looked forward to experiencing them.  In Doolin at McGann's, we did hear an Irish piper, Blackie O'Connell, who is supposed to be one of the best in the country (and he was good!)  You can find recordings of him on You Tube.  My video didn't turn out so well and I'm not sure how to post it anyway but I've a photo of him here.  He was playing the next night across the street at McDiarmid's (a pub we'd had a drink in earlier) but we were too tired to go back.

McDiarmid's in Doolin

Inside McDiarmid's

Blackie playing at McGann's

Then, there was Dingle where there is a pub on every corner and quite a few in between!  The first night we ended up at Murphy's - before and after we had dinner.  The two musicians there were playing Irish standards:  Wild Rover, Whiskey in the Jar, Dirty Old Town, for example.  I guess they must have been good enough, or the wine I'd had inspired me, because I did get up and do a short rendition of an Irish jig - okay, it was in a corner and out of sight of most people.  Besides, others were trying to dance as well and they weren't doing anything remotely Irish!

Murphy's Pub in Dingle

 

The guys playing at Murphy's

 

Friday evening, we thought the music would be a lot better and would start earlier.  We tried one place on Main Street where the music was to start at 7:30 - well, that part was true but it was going to be Bluegrass until 10 p.m.  Now, I have nothing against blue grass music but really?  We are in Ireland and I sure thought the emphasis would be on that.  So, we sort of gave up, went to the pub in the Dingle Bay Hotel for dinner (very good) and waited for the music there which was going to start around 9.  It was two guys, both playing guitars.  They mainly sang Irish folk songs but also other stuff like Streets of London which doesn't seem to have much to do with this country.  We tried Murphy's again but no luck there but at the Marina Inn Pub, there was a lovely Irish gal singing accompanied by a flute.  It still wasn't what I was looking for but it was as good as it got.  Better even was that a Swiss couple we'd talked to on Inishoiir were there and also had checked into our B&B.  We sat with them and had a great time. 

The pub where the blue grass music was going to be

The guys playing at the Doolin Bay Hotel pub

So, there it is; we are finished with the pubs of Ireland.  On to London!

The Wild Atlantic Way

Since I was here several years ago, the road along the west coast of Ireland has been "rebranded" the Wild Atlantic Way - at least I don't remember it being called that when I was here before.  Off and on, since we left Derry, we have driven along this route which is marked by a blue and white wavy sign.  In my opinion, it contains some of the most amazing coastal scenery anywhere in Europe and, quite possibly, in the world.  It certainly competes well with the Moyenne Corniche on the Cote d'Azur, the road along the Amalfi Coast, Highway 1 along Big Sur in California, US 101 following the Oregon coast, Pacific Rim on Vancouver Island, and the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton.   While we drove parts of this route going from Derry to Doolin, the majority of our drive from Doolin to Dingle on Thursday followed it.  So, without saying anymore, here are some photos to give you an idea of how fabulous it was.

Friday, we drove around Slea Head on the Dingle Peninsula. Again, this is part of the Wild Atlantic Way.  I know of two movies that were filmed here:  Far and Away (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) and Ryan's Daughter.  I haven't seen either of them but plan to track down the latter when I get home.  The road was a bit harrowing at times but the scenery took our mind off that.  We did the self-guided tour that Rick Steves put in his Ireland guide book and that made it all even more interesting.

The Blasket Islands in the distance

Check out the road - it is two way and has buses on it
 which, thankfully, appear only to do the route counter-clockwise!

That little line running through the middle of the photo is the road!



Saturday, we will do the last leg of our Ireland trip - drive the Ring of Kerry and drive to Shannon - before we fly to London on Sunday. Time seems to be flying by. 

Rockin' on the Barren Burren

Tuesday we arrived in Doolin, the closest village to the Cliffs of Moher.   The drive from Derry had taken nearly five hours and it was particularly frustrating as we went through Galway - they have to figure out something to move traffic better in that city.  As the weather was cooperating yet again, we decided to visit the Cliffs of Moher.  These iconic cliffs are even more breathtaking in reality than they appear in photos.  The sun was at the wrong angle but we still managed to get some pretty good photos.

Wednesday, we did something I've wanted to do for a very long time:  we visited one of the Aran Islands, Inishoirr.  This is the smallest and closest of the three Aran islands.  Every person we spoke with said it was the best one to visit.  We booked a ferry tour that included a cruise along the base of the cliffs on the return.  Okay, I am a child of the Canadian west coast and have been on the water all my life but I have to say that the boat trip to and from the island was in one of the roughest seas I've ever experienced.  The swells were at least 20' and I have the video to prove it!  People not used to the motion of the water were being thrown this way and that.  Even Kath and I who I think have "sea legs" had problems keeping our balance, sometimes even when we were sitting!  At least we weren't barfing over the side like some folks.  After rockin' and rollin' around on the water for 1/2 hour going and over an hour coming back, we were glad to get back on terra ferma. 



Shipwreck from 1960

When we reached the island, we hired a pony and trap with a guide and, along with four other people, set off on a one hour tour of the island.  The landscape was quite desolate.  Apparently, the only way the people, hundreds of years ago, could have land to cultivate and keep animals on was to move the rocks strewn all over and build dry stone walls to create open spaces.  So, the entire island is checkered with them dividing the land into little tiny parcels.  The Aran islands are part of the Burren (more about that later).  About 250 people live on this island and there is no police presence - although our guide said that about once a month a police officer from Innismore (the largest island) drops in to make sure all is okay.  What a concept!  The following photos will give you an idea what the island looks like.

 

After we returned from our cruise along the base of the cliffs, we headed up to the Burren, the name given to this area.  It is very unique geologically and has stunning, if not bleak, scenery.  It was best summed up by a Cromwellian surveyor in the 1650s who described the land as "a savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor a tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury him".  All true!  Still, humans have inhabited this area for a very  time as it is rich with prehistoric and early Christian sites. 

View of the Cliffs of Moher from the sea

The Poulnabrone Portal Tomb on the Burren

Part of the Burren landscape

Next we headed back to Doolin.  It was almost happy hour and there were pubs waiting!



"No Surrender"

Yippee!  We just checked into our B&B in Dingle and the WiFi is fabulous so now I have to get caught up on things.

We left Ballintoy Tuesday morning and reached Derry (aka Londonderry) before noon - that included lots of stops for photos along the way as the weather, again, was cooperating. The following are photos of the ruins of Dunluce Castle and the Antrim coastline.

In Derry, our lesson in Irish history continued.  I had been to Derry before and had been captivated by its history.  As much as Belfast, and perhaps even more, this town epitomizes the ongoing conflict in Ireland.  On a personal note, I have discovered that I have no ability to retain the details of this Protestant/Loyalist and Catholic/Unionist divide. Some of what I posted about Belfast's history was wrong, as my sister pointed out to me, and I've tried to correct that blog. Quite frankly, I keep getting my Protestants and Catholics confused!  My apologies. Good thing I wasn't a history major!  I'd still be in school.  Anyway, we did a walking tour which went over the history and how Derry is finally starting to heal.

I'm going to skip the historical details (I'd probably get them wrong anyway) about the Protestants being held under siege by the Catholics in Derry around 1698 where the Protestant slogan was "No Surrender".  This siege was the genesis for the marches that used to take place twice a year with the "orange" Protestants marching through Catholic neighbourhoods reinforcing their "no surrender" motto adopted nearly 400 years before.  These marches were often the source of much violence although, in more recent years, they've become more bi-partisan.  Our guide also gave us the details of Bloody Sunday (January, 1972) when British soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians during a protest march in the Bogside area of Derry.  The IRA campaign had begun two years prior to Bloody Sunday but the events of that day boosted the status of, and recruitment into, the organization enormously.  Bloody Sunday remains among the most significant events in "the Troubles".  For years, the British government refused to accept responsibility for the 14 deaths saying the shootings were justified.  There were two official inquiries:  the first was considered a whitewash of the events but the last one, chaired by Lord Seville (a Canadian) concluded that the British government was culpable for the civilian deaths.  The result was an official apology by David Cameron on behalf of the United Kingdom in 2010.  That was the start of the easing of the tensions.

We stayed in Bogside, a place that would have been considered extremely dangerous just 20 or so years ago.  Bombs were a regular occurrence there.  In that neighbourhood, a group of artists have painted some murals depicting some of the conflict as well as other human rights issues.  They are extremely powerful to see.  You can check them out on the Internet by Googling "Bogside Artists".  What is also telling is that a nearby Protestant enclave has curbs and poles painted red, white and blue and a "No Surrender" sign displayed near to another "peace wall".  So, while some progress has been made, there is still, it appears, quite a way to go.

The Peace Dove mural - designed by Protestant and Catholic school children

The Death of Innocence - a mural honouring a 14 year old school girl killed in the crossfire

The "No Surrender" sign in the Protestant enclave in the Catholic neighbourhood

In The Fountain neighbourhood (Protestant) with the curbs and poles painted

So, that is it for Irish politics and history, I promise!  Next we are on to the wild west coast driving along the "Wild Atlantic Way" to Doolin and Dingle for a change of pace and topic.

Where's Waldo?

Or, more accurately, where's WiFi???  We left Derry on Tuesday and for the last two nights, we have been staying in Doolin on the west Irish coast very near the Cliffs of Moher. We have seen some amazing scenery and our Irish luck is holding out because we have mostly had sun. Where our luck faded, however, was with having good Internet connections. The place where we are staying plus all the pubs have free WiFi but it is excruciating slow.  So, while I can post text just fine, the bandwidth won't support loading photos.  Posts just aren't the same without pictures to help tell the story, I think.  Today (Thursday) we are heading for Dingle where, hopefully, the networks are more robust and things will get back to normal.

I can tell you that yesterday we did something I've longed to do for a long time:  we took a boat trip to one of the Aran Islands and then cruised along the base of the Cliffs of Moher.  The previous times I've been here the seas were too rough to do that not, that they weren't "interesting" on our trip.  As soon as I'm able, I will post the photos but, in the meantime, I must say the boat ride was in some of the roughest water I've ever been in.  The swells must have been at least 20' and I have video to prove it!  People were getting thrown all over the place and some were throwing up as well.  I'll just have to figure if there is a way to post the video - of the waves, that is, and not people being sick!  It was quite an adventure. 

So, as soon as I find Waldo - oops, I mean WiFi - I will wait before I do any more posts. Sorry. 

The Luck of the Irish

Okay, this is pushing it because, while our names are Kathleen and Maureen, we are technically only 1/8 Irish (a great-grandfather on our mother's side with the name of Moran).  However, I still believe we have the luck of the Irish.  When we decided to visit Ireland, Kath fussed about what the weather would be like.  I kept telling her it would be what it would be and I reminded her of the adage:  there is no bad weather; just inappropriate clothing.  The last time I was in Ireland it was also in September and the weather could not have been worse, even though that month is supposed to be the best time to visit.  While Kath and I were in Dublin and Belfast, it was a mixed bag of sun (not. much), clouds, and rain (also not much).  Luckily, whenever it did rain, we were inside.  Saturday, when we drove north to Ballintoy, it was sunny so we decided to visit the Giant's Causeway even though we had planned to do it Sunday.  It turned out to be a good, not to mention lucky, call.  The clear weather gave us views as far as Scotland.  Many of the Causeway photos are already posted but a few more will give an idea of what it looked like

 

 

We also visited Ballintoy Harbour where, apparently some scenes from The Game of Thrones had been filmed.  Lost on me because I don't watch the show.  Despite the signs warning that the road was unsuitable for coaches, lorries or caravans, we ran into several of them (not literally thankfully) on the short narrow road to the harbour.

Sunday, because we'd already gone to the Giant's Causeway, we were able to just "chill" at the B&B until close to midday.  (One thing we now know is that we could/should have built a bit more "down time" into our itinerary.)  When we got moving, we went to the Carrick-a-Rede bridge about a mile from where we are staying.  This is a rope bridge which was used by salmon fisherman for hundreds of years.  Now, however, the fishermen have gone and it is very popular with tourists.  The last time I was here, I walked across it so this time I didn't feel a high need to do it again - "been there, done that".   To be honest, it was really because it terrified me and I didn't need that experience again!  Kath was keen to do it and she is pretty fearless.  So, I don't think she was prepared for it to scare her.  Then, I watched her walk with a great deal of hesitation and trepidation across it.  She did later admit she thought about turning around halfway and coming back.   The coastline along here is fantastic and, regardless if you are on the small island on the other side of the bridge or not, you get fantastic views.

Kathleen on the bridge waving at me

Another view toward the bridge

Just as we reached the car, it started raining.  Lucky us (again) for avoiding a walk in the rain.  It was easy to figure out how to spend the rainy afternoon.  We were only about 8 miles from the Bushmills distillery so it was a no brainer.  We drove there, joined the 2:30 tour, and ended up having a whiskey tasting at the end of it.  Thankfully, I am no whiskey lover because as I was driving and couldn't really indulge (at least much) in the complimentary tasting at the end of the tour.  I must admit, though, I did have a sip or two of the Honey Whiskey but Kath who does enjoy it luckily got most of my share!  The luck of the Irish was all around us!

The bar at the Bushmills tasting room

Okay, some of my luck ran out when I got caught in the rain and had wet hair!

Kath happy that she gets most of my whiskey!

  

And, of Irish Myths

Saturday we left Belfast having had almost no sleep.  That cultural fest I mentioned in the last blog went well into the early morning!  We made our way north on the Causeway Coastal Route to the Antrim Coast.  The scenery became increasingly fabulous as we went along.  With the weather cooperating, there were plenty of opportunities for photos. 

View of Ballygally

View towards Tor Head

View of White Bay on the Antrim Coast

Our first lengthy stop was at the World Heritage Site, the Giant's Causeway.  Since the last time I was here, a visitor's centre has been built and the entrance ticket include an audio tour.  It greatly improves the visitor experience.  One part of the audio info explains how millions of years ago the combination of climate, geography and geology came together as a "perfect storm" to create these amazing rock formations.  While they are truly stunning, the explanation of their origin was way too complicated and scientific to really absorb and understand.  

The amazing rocks at the Giant's Causeway

More of the Causeway rocks

The interlocking basalt columns

There is, however, another theory about how this area came into being and it involves the legend of Finn McCool, an Irish giant.  The essence of the legend is this (taken from a website):

Finn McCool had an ongoing rivalry with a Scottish giant named Benandonner. The two giants would yell insults to each other from across the seas between Ireland and Scotland. Eventually, MacCool took it a step further and threw a large clump of earth at Benandonner.  The Scottish giant retaliated with a rock back to Finn shouting that if he could get his hand on him, he would make sure that Finn would never fight again adding that unfortunately he could not swim the short distance across the Channel, so Finn would be spared that fate.  Finn tore large pieces from the cliffs, pushing stones into the ocean bed and made a sturdy causeway to Scotland and, when he had finished he shouted, “Now you’ll have no excuse.  Come over and do your best".  MacCool turned on his heel and fled when he realized the rapidly approaching Benandonner was much larger than he appeared to be when great spans of water separated them. The legend continues that MacCool’s wife, Oonagh, invited Benandonner into their home for tea and invented an elaborate story about her enormous baby, who was actually a swaddled Finn MacCool in disguise, and the even larger, amazingly strong father of the child who happened to be out hunting.  Her story was enough to terrify Benandonner, at which point he fled back to Scotland, tearing up the causeway in his path.  What we see today, according to legend, is what’s left after Benandonner’s retreat.

 

 

Many prefer the legend to the scientific evidence and, as proof, point out remnants of Finn at the Causeway:  there is Finn's camel, Humphrey; there is Benandonner's boot; and there is Finn's pipe organ. 

 

If you look closely at the rock formations, you can see Humphrey

This is the outline of him

This is Finn's boot

And this is his pipe organ.  Look closely and you will see Kathleen standing in front of the pipes!

 So, you decide what works for you:  the facts or the myth!