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.