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Ireland Part 2 - the Southwest
I am not, in general, a big fan of large group tours, but sometimes they can be an efficient way to see a lot in a limited amount of time. There were two places in Ireland that I was interesting in going to which looked annoyingly complicated to get to by public transit. (I prefer not renting cars, if there are alternatives.) One of those is The Lake Isle of Innisfree, but it turns out that you can’t actually set foot on the isle itself. I realized that, given time constraints, I’d have to leave the bee-loud glades of Yeats for another trip. I was, however, familiar with Paddywagon, which is one of the larger tour companies in Ireland, because they used to advertise heavily in hostels in Scotland some 20 odd years ago. And, looking at their itineraries, I found that they offered a tour that included the other place I really wanted to go to. Namely, Anascaul, where their 4 day Southwestern Ireland tour would spend a night. Read on for the explanation of that.
It was a short walk to their pick up spot, where things were rather chaotic. Some people were taking tours to Cork, while others (myself included) were going to Galway that day. To make it more complicated, the Galway people included some doing a one day tour and many more (again, myself included) who were on a four day tour. Somehow, everyone ended up on the correct bus for their tour and we set off westward.
We were supposed to stop at a silver mine, but it is now closed on Sundays, so we went instead to the village of Cong. This is best known for the John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man but is also a fishing resort and the site of a very posh hotel. The Quiet Man Museum appeared to be closed but there’s a statue (and any number of souvenir shops).
There’s also an old abbey and cemetery. Overall, the town was a pleasant place to walk around for an hour or so.
We continued on to Connemara National Park, which we drove through with a few photo stops. The main thing everyone tells you about Ireland is how green it is. Judge for yourself.
Finally, we continued on to Galway, which was our stop for the night. The people on the one-day tour were dropped off at Eyre Square (and told where they’d be picked up). A few people had taken the cheaper option to stay at a hostel, while most of us were divided among a few B&Bs. (I should note that breakfast was the only meal included, although there was typically a lunch stop and the driver / guide did make suggestions of where to eat dinner.) The Galway arts festival was happening and, while the major events of that were mostly sold out, there was live music and various food stands in Eyre Square, which I took advantage of. I was hoping for some traditional Irish music, but most of the offerings I found ran towards jazz. I also strolled around and managed to get fairly lost, due to a significant dearth of street signs, though I eventually more or less figured out where I was.
There’s a statue of a writer named Padraic O’bonaire in the center of Eyre Square. I have no idea what he wrote. But you can tell he was a writer since his clothes look rumpled. (And it’s a convenient landmark.) 30 seconds of google told me he’s famous for reviving the Irish language.
Galway’s Spanish Arch is near their museum, which I heard is good, but was closed by the time I got there.
At any rate, it was a pleasant enough city to walk around for a couple of hours and I think their festival would be worth a trip in and of itself.
The second day of the tour, we were switched to a different bus, joining some people who were on a six-day tour that had taken them to the North (Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, I think.) Our driver of the first day had returned to Dublin and we were with Danny for for the next three days. We went first to Dunguaire Castle, for a brief photo stop and time to stretch our legs. In case you never realized it, there are a lot of castles in Ireland.
Our next point of interest was the Burren. This is possibly related to the word “barren” and is rocky and inhospitable, where nothing grows, though it’s a good place to find fossils. It reminded me of Armenia, in that wherever you think there should be a tree, there’s a rock instead. Having brought neither hiking boots nor trekking poles with me, I limited myself to a short walk.
The most significant stop of the day (after our lunch stop) was at the Cliffs of Moher. There was an optional boat ride, which was well worth doing, and which I found quite relaxing. Most pictures you see of the Cliffs of Moher are from the top, so it was interesting seeing them from Galway Bay.
We did also go to see the Cliffs from the top. It’s a moderately strenuous hike up a (paved) path and worth the effort. Here are a couple of photos from that perspective. I included a picture of myself so you can tell how windy it was up there.
At any rate, I think you can tell why this is one of the most visited sites in Ireland. (And we were very fortunate in the weather for our visit there.)
We continued on to get the ferry to Kerry (but not a trolley to Tralee) and then drove to Anascaul for the night. As you may recall, this was a place I was particularly eager to visit. Oh,, sure there was cheap food and live music (including some actual traditional music) at the Randy Leprechaun Pub. But the draw for me was one of the bars further up Main Street. Namely, the South Pole Inn!
What is the connection between Anascaul and the South Pole? Well, there was this guy named Tom Crean who left his family farm near Anascaul to join the Royal Navy and volunteered for Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Expedition to Antarctica. He later joined Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition (which he barely survived) and Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition, during which he became part of the party that crossed South Georgia Island to get help for the rest of the team after the Endurance sank. And eventually he went back home and opened a pub. Which is still a pub today and is filled with Antarctic memorabilia.
Ever since I heard of this pub, I wanted to have a beer there. And here I am, with a half pint of Expedition Ale, drinking a toast to Tom Crean’s memory! (And, by the way, the beer was good.)
One other note about Anascaul is that Danny had referred to the area around it as “the Valley of Lunacy” and told us two stories, essentially about people suffering trauma / PTSD who turned into a creature he called a “gwelt” (spelled phonetically) which sounded sort of like a harpy. They apparently found some sort of relief from their mental agony in this valley. The cool part of the story is that they’ve now found that the water in that region is particularly high in lithium.
Day 3 of the tour took us around the Dingle Peninsula. Our stops included Slea Head, a place where there’s a ferry to the Blasket Islands (and a sign for the westernmost bar in Europe), and some time to walk around the town of Dingle to get lunch and browse shops.
We also stopped at a very scenic place, adjacent to the ruins of a 15th century church.
We continued on to Inch Beach, which looks like it would be a very nice place to swim, except that it was way too cold and windy for me.
Finally, another scenic stop before ending the day at Killarney.
After settling into my room, I walked into town and ate some very good fish cakes. I also listened to some traditional music at a pub. There is, of course, yet another beautiful church. (It’s always either that or yet another beautiful castle).
And yet another statue of someone I never heard of. This is Sean O Laoire (Johnny O’Leary), who was, apparently, a master accordion player in the Sliabh Luachra musical tradition.
I am not much of a shopper, but I did go into a store that specialized in rubber ducks, because I saw they had one that would make a good gift for a friend. But, no, I couldn’t bring myself to get this for anyone once I saw it was labeled “made in China” on the back.
Our final day started with an (optional - EUR 15) horse and buggy ride around Killarney National Park. Our driver was Padraig and his horse was Jacko, whose chief characteristic was a tendency to fart a lot.
There was a lot of commentary about trees and about birds, but I liked the deer better.
And, of course, there was scenery. This is Lough Leane with Ross Castle in the rainy background.
We rejoined our tour bus and continued onwards. Of course, the most famous castle in Ireland is probably Blarney Castle.
Given how terrified I am of heights, I opted not to kiss the Blarney Stone. Aside from which, one of my friends commented on Facebook that “the last thing we need is for you to kiss the Blarney Stone.” At any rate, it was nice walking around the grounds, though it would have been nicer in better weather. We also had plenty of time for lunch and shopping at Blarney Woolen Mills, essentially across the street.
I should note that during a comfort stop on the way back to Dublin, we saw an encampment of travelers (Irish nomadic people) and Danny talked some about the prejudices against them. The really horrible story he told was of a pub that completely shut down for the night rather than serve a couple of travelers who went into it. It’s a terrible situation, but I’m glad he didn’t gloss over it.
We also had a photo stop at the Rock of Cashel. This is claimed to have inspired Tolkien’s vision of Minas Tirith.
When we got back to Dublin, I headed off to the airport, since I was staying overnight at an airport hotel. Overall, I thought this tour was worthwhile. I’d normally prefer being with a smaller group (we had 30ish people) but this was an efficient way to see a lot in a short amount of time. And, hey, I got to have a beer at the South Pole Inn!
It was a short walk to their pick up spot, where things were rather chaotic. Some people were taking tours to Cork, while others (myself included) were going to Galway that day. To make it more complicated, the Galway people included some doing a one day tour and many more (again, myself included) who were on a four day tour. Somehow, everyone ended up on the correct bus for their tour and we set off westward.
We were supposed to stop at a silver mine, but it is now closed on Sundays, so we went instead to the village of Cong. This is best known for the John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man but is also a fishing resort and the site of a very posh hotel. The Quiet Man Museum appeared to be closed but there’s a statue (and any number of souvenir shops).
There’s also an old abbey and cemetery. Overall, the town was a pleasant place to walk around for an hour or so.
We continued on to Connemara National Park, which we drove through with a few photo stops. The main thing everyone tells you about Ireland is how green it is. Judge for yourself.
Finally, we continued on to Galway, which was our stop for the night. The people on the one-day tour were dropped off at Eyre Square (and told where they’d be picked up). A few people had taken the cheaper option to stay at a hostel, while most of us were divided among a few B&Bs. (I should note that breakfast was the only meal included, although there was typically a lunch stop and the driver / guide did make suggestions of where to eat dinner.) The Galway arts festival was happening and, while the major events of that were mostly sold out, there was live music and various food stands in Eyre Square, which I took advantage of. I was hoping for some traditional Irish music, but most of the offerings I found ran towards jazz. I also strolled around and managed to get fairly lost, due to a significant dearth of street signs, though I eventually more or less figured out where I was.
There’s a statue of a writer named Padraic O’bonaire in the center of Eyre Square. I have no idea what he wrote. But you can tell he was a writer since his clothes look rumpled. (And it’s a convenient landmark.) 30 seconds of google told me he’s famous for reviving the Irish language.
Galway’s Spanish Arch is near their museum, which I heard is good, but was closed by the time I got there.
At any rate, it was a pleasant enough city to walk around for a couple of hours and I think their festival would be worth a trip in and of itself.
The second day of the tour, we were switched to a different bus, joining some people who were on a six-day tour that had taken them to the North (Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, I think.) Our driver of the first day had returned to Dublin and we were with Danny for for the next three days. We went first to Dunguaire Castle, for a brief photo stop and time to stretch our legs. In case you never realized it, there are a lot of castles in Ireland.
Our next point of interest was the Burren. This is possibly related to the word “barren” and is rocky and inhospitable, where nothing grows, though it’s a good place to find fossils. It reminded me of Armenia, in that wherever you think there should be a tree, there’s a rock instead. Having brought neither hiking boots nor trekking poles with me, I limited myself to a short walk.
The most significant stop of the day (after our lunch stop) was at the Cliffs of Moher. There was an optional boat ride, which was well worth doing, and which I found quite relaxing. Most pictures you see of the Cliffs of Moher are from the top, so it was interesting seeing them from Galway Bay.
We did also go to see the Cliffs from the top. It’s a moderately strenuous hike up a (paved) path and worth the effort. Here are a couple of photos from that perspective. I included a picture of myself so you can tell how windy it was up there.
At any rate, I think you can tell why this is one of the most visited sites in Ireland. (And we were very fortunate in the weather for our visit there.)
We continued on to get the ferry to Kerry (but not a trolley to Tralee) and then drove to Anascaul for the night. As you may recall, this was a place I was particularly eager to visit. Oh,, sure there was cheap food and live music (including some actual traditional music) at the Randy Leprechaun Pub. But the draw for me was one of the bars further up Main Street. Namely, the South Pole Inn!
What is the connection between Anascaul and the South Pole? Well, there was this guy named Tom Crean who left his family farm near Anascaul to join the Royal Navy and volunteered for Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Expedition to Antarctica. He later joined Scott’s Terra Nova Expedition (which he barely survived) and Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition, during which he became part of the party that crossed South Georgia Island to get help for the rest of the team after the Endurance sank. And eventually he went back home and opened a pub. Which is still a pub today and is filled with Antarctic memorabilia.
Ever since I heard of this pub, I wanted to have a beer there. And here I am, with a half pint of Expedition Ale, drinking a toast to Tom Crean’s memory! (And, by the way, the beer was good.)
One other note about Anascaul is that Danny had referred to the area around it as “the Valley of Lunacy” and told us two stories, essentially about people suffering trauma / PTSD who turned into a creature he called a “gwelt” (spelled phonetically) which sounded sort of like a harpy. They apparently found some sort of relief from their mental agony in this valley. The cool part of the story is that they’ve now found that the water in that region is particularly high in lithium.
Day 3 of the tour took us around the Dingle Peninsula. Our stops included Slea Head, a place where there’s a ferry to the Blasket Islands (and a sign for the westernmost bar in Europe), and some time to walk around the town of Dingle to get lunch and browse shops.
We also stopped at a very scenic place, adjacent to the ruins of a 15th century church.
We continued on to Inch Beach, which looks like it would be a very nice place to swim, except that it was way too cold and windy for me.
Finally, another scenic stop before ending the day at Killarney.
After settling into my room, I walked into town and ate some very good fish cakes. I also listened to some traditional music at a pub. There is, of course, yet another beautiful church. (It’s always either that or yet another beautiful castle).
And yet another statue of someone I never heard of. This is Sean O Laoire (Johnny O’Leary), who was, apparently, a master accordion player in the Sliabh Luachra musical tradition.
I am not much of a shopper, but I did go into a store that specialized in rubber ducks, because I saw they had one that would make a good gift for a friend. But, no, I couldn’t bring myself to get this for anyone once I saw it was labeled “made in China” on the back.
Our final day started with an (optional - EUR 15) horse and buggy ride around Killarney National Park. Our driver was Padraig and his horse was Jacko, whose chief characteristic was a tendency to fart a lot.
There was a lot of commentary about trees and about birds, but I liked the deer better.
And, of course, there was scenery. This is Lough Leane with Ross Castle in the rainy background.
We rejoined our tour bus and continued onwards. Of course, the most famous castle in Ireland is probably Blarney Castle.
Given how terrified I am of heights, I opted not to kiss the Blarney Stone. Aside from which, one of my friends commented on Facebook that “the last thing we need is for you to kiss the Blarney Stone.” At any rate, it was nice walking around the grounds, though it would have been nicer in better weather. We also had plenty of time for lunch and shopping at Blarney Woolen Mills, essentially across the street.
I should note that during a comfort stop on the way back to Dublin, we saw an encampment of travelers (Irish nomadic people) and Danny talked some about the prejudices against them. The really horrible story he told was of a pub that completely shut down for the night rather than serve a couple of travelers who went into it. It’s a terrible situation, but I’m glad he didn’t gloss over it.
We also had a photo stop at the Rock of Cashel. This is claimed to have inspired Tolkien’s vision of Minas Tirith.
When we got back to Dublin, I headed off to the airport, since I was staying overnight at an airport hotel. Overall, I thought this tour was worthwhile. I’d normally prefer being with a smaller group (we had 30ish people) but this was an efficient way to see a lot in a short amount of time. And, hey, I got to have a beer at the South Pole Inn!
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