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Our Ring Around Ireland
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun
  • Two to Travel
  • Ahmet Erkun

Our Ring Around Ireland

In 2019, we realized a long-awaited road trip around parts of Ireland. Hopefully, at some point, I’ll have time to flesh out these footprints with the notes from my journal. En savoir plus
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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    120-mile rainy drive-seeing day — Ireland.

    Day 12: A “Quiet Man” Kind of Day

    30 juin 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Our plan to explore and hike in Connemara National Park went by the wayside today when we woke up to pouring rain. It was still raining hard when we reached the park.

    Luckily, it wasn’t a complete waste of our day. We eventually found some blue skies, but they were nowhere near the park! We also managed to dip into County Mayo. But our day wasn’t what we had hoped it would be.En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    A bit of blue sky and sunshine gives us hope the weather is about to change — Roundstone, Ireland.
    Boats at low tide — Roundstone, Ireland.Gray skies replace what little sunshine we have — Roundstone, Ireland.

    Roundstone

    30 juin 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Despite the rain wreaking havoc with our plans to explore Connemara National Park, we set off for a drive towards the coast. Alas, the view along the coastal road was veiled from our eyes by mist. The “blah” light as the rain continued to fall did not encourage us to stop for photos.

    In Roundstone, a bit of blue sky and sunshine gave us hope that conditions were going to change. Alas, we were wrong. At least we got a couple of photos before the rain drove us back to the car.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Wayne/O'Hara statue replicating a scene from "The Quiet Man" — Cong, Ireland.
    The sun is out ... a nice spot for an al fresco snack by the River Cong — Cong, Ireland.1Flowers adding color to a mostly dreary day — Cong, Ireland.

    Cong

    30 juin 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Instead of retracing our drive along the coast, we kept going from Roundstone to make a loop. Our hope was that by the time we got to Connemara National Park we’d have better weather to at least enjoy a drive through the grounds. No can do. It was pouring so much that we couldn’t even get a decent glimpse of the scenery.

    What to do? Well, spotting patches of blue sky in the far distance, we decided to head in that direction. Maybe our luck would hold in Cong, the village which is supposed to be the setting of the John Wayne/Maureen O’Hara movie, “The Quiet Man.”

    Turns out that is only partially true. As seems to be the case with most movies, the scenes were filmed in multiple locations in the vicinity. Regardless, the village has quite a “tourism industry” built around the movie. The place was overrun with hordes of people participating in “Quiet Man” tours, visiting the “Quiet Man” museum, or seeking out “Quiet Man” set locations using maps sold for €5 in various shops.

    We skipped all that. But since we did manage to snag a parking spot, we went for a wander around the village. With the sun shining briefly, we picked up some snacks from the supermarket and sat on the wall overlooking the banks of the River Cong to enjoy a quick al fresco lunch before moving on to find somewhere quieter to explore.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Panoramic view of the Medieval/Victorian Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.
    View of Ashford Castle, now a hotel, from the lower terrace — Cong, Ireland.Falconry training can be had at Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.Manicured gardens @ Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.1A jumble of colors in one of the gardens @ Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.Tunnel of green on the grounds of Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.Plaque set into the back of a bench on the grounds of Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.Collage of color from the grounds of Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.Wood sculpture in one of the gardens of Ashford Castle — Cong, Ireland.

    Ashford Castle

    30 juin 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    As we were leaving Cong, a sign for Ashford Castle caught my eye. I didn’t know much about the place, but I recalled seeing some photos of the castle and thought it quite photogenic. I had also read that scenes for “The Quiet Man” had been filmed here. Since boat tours on Lough Corrib stop here to drop off passengers for a roam about the grounds, I figured we could explore at our leisure as well. So, we headed off to the castle.

    Turns out the castle, a mix of Medieval and Victorian styles — the former dating back to 1228 and the latter added in the mid 1880s — is now a high end hotel. Only two of the inland-facing towers are apparently original ... all else added when the castle was turned into a hotel. Seeing the castle in person, it looked quite familiar. A quick web search revealed that it had been used for the French court scenes in the TV series, “Reign.”

    The guard who greeted us said that we were free to wander around the gardens, but the interior of the buildings were off limits to all but paying guests. No problem. Turns out that the lake-side grounds were also off limits, but we didn’t see the sign until after we’d walked down to take photos. Ooops!

    After the hubbub of Cong, the grounds of the castle provided a peaceful haven. With the weather still cooperating, we had ourselves a leisurely stroll as we enjoyed the beautifully landscaped gardens.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    1The Quiet Man Bridge near Oughterard — Leam, Ireland.
    The Quiet Man Bridge near Oughterard where it crosses the Owenriff River — Leam, Ireland.The Quiet Man Bridge near Oughterard — Leam, Ireland.The Quiet Man Bridge near Oughterard — Leam, Ireland.The Quiet Man Bridge near Oughterard — Leam, Ireland.Photo showing John Wayne sitting on the bridge — Leam, Ireland.

    The Quiet Man Bridge

    30 juin 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    One of the scenes I remember fondly from the John Wayne/Maureen O’Hara movie, “The Quiet Man,” is John Wayne’s character sitting on a stone bridge.

    Turns out that bridge is located not far from Oughterard. So, on our way back to the B&B, we made a quick detour to find the bridge.En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Waiting for our table at Powers Thatch — Oughterard, Ireland.
    Mui's got his lager ... now to order our food ... Powers Thatch — Oughterard, Ireland.The interesting decor includes a bed up by the ceiling ... Powers Thatch — Oughterard, Ireland.Yummy food ... Powers Thatch — Oughterard, Ireland.1This kid was a crowd favorite @ Powers Thatch — Oughterard, Ireland.

    Dinner Time!

    30 juin 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Since we had just a light snack for lunch, we wrapped up our day with dinner at Powers Thatch in Oughterard. A popular pub, it was recommended to me by the agency that helped us organize our accommodations. When several locals suggested it as well, the decision was made. That there was live music tonight was the bonus!

    The place definitely has a pub ambiance, but the food is not your typical pub grub. Mui ordered the roasted half duck garnished with caramelized red cabbage. I chose the crab and avocado cake, thinking it would be your typical crab cake. It was much better ... shredded chunks of fresh crab molded in a circle, sitting atop a molded circle of avocado, garnished with pea shoots. A local lager washed down our food. The pièce de résistance was the yummy, gooey walnut brownie served with vanilla ice cream.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Lough Inagh lakescape in the townland of Cloonnacartan, Ireland.
    Bricks of peat drying in the sun on the shores of Lake Inagh — townland of Cloonnacartan, Ireland.Bricks of peat drying in the sun on the shore of Lake Inagh — townland of Cloonnacartan, Ireland.On the right, Twelve Bens summits of Bencorr and Benncorr North Top ... on the left, Derryclare.

    Boglands @ Lough Inagh

    1 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    On our way to Kylemore Abbey, we stopped along the shores of Lough Inagh to enjoy the lake scenery. Walking towards the shoreline, we found ourselves in a bog field, with bricks of peat drying in the sun.

    From what I understand, peat is formed by partially decayed vegetation and organic matter. Most of the bogs/peatlands seen today were formed some 12,000 years ago when glaciers receded at the end of the ice age.

    Peat is used as a source of fuel in many places around the world, including Ireland. How long this natural source of fuel will remain available remains to be seen as the harvesting rate of the peat far exceeds its slow rate of growth... about 1 mm per year.

    There is a benefit to the slow growth in that bog lands are like time capsules. They provide a record of past vegetation and climate changes. They’ve also preserved the bodies of victims sacrificed to nature gods during the Bronze and Iron Ages. In fact, when we return to Ireland in August, we hope to visit the Archaeology Museum in Dublin where some of the bog bodies are on exhibit.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Kylemore Abbey reflected on Pollacappul Lake — Connamara, Ireland.
    1A "we are here" selfie @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Mitchell Henry's Library & Study ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Fireplace in the Library ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Drawing Room ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Replica of the dress worn by Margaret Henry in the only portrait on hand ... @ Kylemore Abbey.Replica of the wedding dress worn by the Henry daughter ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Marble fireplace in the drawing room ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Mui checking out an old-timey camera ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Dining room as it was set for the visit by Prince Arthur ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.

    Kylemore: Castle to Abbey

    1 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Kylemore — a Benedictine Abbey since 1920 — was originally built between 1867-1871 as a castle. It was a gift from Mitchell Henry to his wife, Margaret. Through generations it served as a home, a haven, a school, and a sanctuary.

    Taking advantage of the relative lack of crowds when we arrived at 10:00a, we went straight to the house to tour the ground floor rooms ... the only ones open to the public since the Benedictine nuns are in residence upstairs.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    "Cathedral in Miniature" built to honor Margaret Henry ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.
    Italian yellow limestone interior of the church ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Altar window ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.The marble columns represent the four provinces of Ireland ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, IrelandStained glass window of the five graces ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Angelic gargoyle telling of peace ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.Lakeshore walk overlooking Pollacappul Lake ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara, Ireland.

    Kylemore’s Cathedral in Miniature

    1 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    Margaret Henry didn’t get to live long at Kylemore Castle, which her husband Mitchell built as a gift for her. In 1874, three years after construction was completed, she died of dysentery in Cairo, Egypt.

    Mitchell Henry then ordered the construction of a Neo-Gothic church on the estate grounds to honor her. Due to its construction style, the church was known back then as a “cathedral in miniature.” After he died in England in 1910, his ashes were brought to Kylemore and he was interred alongside his wife in the mausoleum on the grounds.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Mui finds a xylaphone on the way to the Victorian Walled Garden ... @ Kylemore Abbey — Connamara.
    The sun's heat was absorbed by the wall during the day and released into the garden in the evening.The gently graded formal gardens from the entrance — Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.The formal garden — Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.Upper tier of the formal garden — Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.The bothy behind the formal garden was where the workers lived — Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.The head gardener's cottage at the Victorian Garden — Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.From here the head gardener could keep an eye on the undergardeners — Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.From the Victorian Walled Garden — Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.

    Kylemore’s Victorian Walled Garden

    1 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    One of the highlights of our visit to Kylemore Abbey was the Victorian Walled Garden on the grounds of the estate ... about a mile from the castle-turned-abbey.

    The garden was originally developed in the 1800s when Mitchell Henry built the castle for his wife. The red brick wall around the garden absorbed the heat of the sun during the day and released it back into the garden in the evening ... essential in the cool and damp climate of Ireland. Over time, it fell into ruin and the manicured grounds became overgrown. The Benedictine nuns who took over Kylemore in 1920 began a restoration program in 1995, using archive photos showing the layout as it was in the 1870s.En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    A "we are here" selfie @ the 6th century monastic site of Clonmacnoise — Ireland.
    L to R: O'Rourke's Tower, Cathedral, Temples Dowling & Hurpan — Clonmacnoise, Ireland.The monastic site of Clonmacnoise overlooks the River Shannon — Ireland.Temple Connor (middle) and Temple Finghin & McCarthy's Tower in the distance — Clonmacnoise, IrelandTemple Finghin & McCarthy's Tower — Clonmacnoise, Ireland.Temple Melaghlin ... burial place of the Kings of Meath — Clonmacnoise, Ireland.Peeping through the window of a temple — Clonmacnoise, Ireland.Replica of the Cross of Scriptures and O'Rourke's Round Tower — Clonmacnoise, Ireland.Gravestones and crosses as a skyline at the cemetery @ Clonmacnoise, Ireland.The original Cross of the Scriptures @ the Interpretive Center — Clonmacnoise, Ireland.

    Clonmacnoise Monastic Site

    2 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Located on a hill overlooking the River Shannon, the Monastic site of Clonmacnoise was founded in the 6th century. The site was associated with the saints and scholars of Ireland’s Golden Age of Learning. Back in the day, it was one of Europe’s largest learning centers. It was also the burial place for many of the high kings from around Ireland, including Tara.

    For us, the attraction for visiting Clonmacnoise was the ruins — a cathedral, several temples, and a couple of round towers ... all set against an incredibly photogenic background.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    A tasty meal at our alternative restaurant — Rosemary Bistro & Café in Trim, Ireland.

    Lunch Time!

    2 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    I had pre-selected a restaurant for lunch in Trim. Turns out that it was closed for some reason. So we had our meal at Rosemary Bistro & Café instead. A popular place with the locals, we were the only tourists there ... just the kind of place we like.

    Mui thoroughly enjoyed his “smokey burger” ... I found the egg noodle stir fry with chicken very tasty.

    (I forgot to take photos, so the collage is from a collection of photos from Rosemary’s Facebook page.)    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Access to Trim Castle is through the Trim Gate — Trim, Ireland.
    The keep served as the Tower of London in "Braveheart" — Trim Castle ... Trim, Ireland.Ruins along the River Boyne — Trim Castle ... Trim, Ireland.Ruins of the Great Hall & River Gate (right) — Trim Castle ... Trim, Ireland.River Boyne with Trim Castle in the distance — Trim, Ireland.The Yellow Steeple and members of Trim's "Donkey Family" — Trim, Ireland.Panorama of the curtain wall and the Dublin Gate — Trim Castle ... Trim, Ireland.The 13th century curtain wall, keep, and Dublin Gate — Trim Castle ... Trim, Ireland.Yellow Steeple ... through the Dublin Gate and the Barbican Tower — Trim Castle ... Trim, Ireland.The moat used to go under the arch in the Dublin Gate — Trim Castle ... Trim, Ireland.

    “Braveheart´s” Trim Castle

    2 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Following lunch, we completed a few errands in Trim. Then, we set off to visit Trim Castle, which sits on the south bank of the River Boyne. It was built on lands granted to Hugh de Lacy in 1172 by Henry II of England.

    Most people visit this castle not so much for its historic value as they do for its place in popular culture. Some of the scenes for the Mel Gibson movie “Braveheart” were filmed here ... even if they represent locales in England rather than in Ireland. Namely, the area outside the curtain wall was transformed into the 13th century city of York ... which was besieged by William Wallace, the character Gibson portrays in the movie. And the keep became the Tower of London, where Wallace was executed in 1305.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    Room 6 is at the far end of the house — Athlumney Manor ... Navan, Ireland.
    Room 6 — Athlumney Manor ... Navan, Ireland.View of the front garden from our room -- Athlumney Manor ... Navan, Ireland.Breakfast room ... order for hot dishes placed the night before — Athlumney Manor ... Navan, Ireland

    Athlumney Manor

    2 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Our last base of operations for our “Ring around Ireland” ... Athlumney Manor in Navan.

    Pauline and her husband, “chatty Pat,” greeted us warmly and showed us to Room #6, which overlooks the lovely front garden.

    After settling in, we drove into Navan to pick up a few snacks for dinner, which we enjoyed at the table in the front yard.

    We’ve got two days left before we wrap up our road trip!    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    A "we are here" selfie @ Newgrange — Brú na Bóinne, Ireland.
    Our guide regaling us with information about Newgrange — Brú na Bóinne, Ireland.The white quartz wall had to be reverse engineered before it could be rebuilt — Newgrange, Ireland.No photography inside ... collage of scanned postcards — Newgrange, Ireland.12 of the 35 Bronze Age standing stones have survived @ Newgrange — Brú na Bóinne, Ireland.An ancient monument @Newgrange — Brú na Bóinne, Ireland.Decorated kerbstone @Newgrange — Brú na Bóinne, Ireland.Crossing the River Boyne @ Newgrange — Brú na Bóinne, Ireland.

    Newgrange @ Brú na Bóinne

    3 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Brú na Bóinne, which translates as the “Palace of Boyne,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that sits in the bend of the River Boyne. This Neolithic site contains some 90 monuments, three of which — Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth — are megalithic tombs that date back some 5,000 years or so.

    With our road trip quickly nearing its end, we had no choice but to visit this popular heritage site on “Free First Wednesday.” This event promised that the site would be more crowded than usual. Two things worked in our favor, however. First, we arrived soon after the site opened at 9:00a and managed to get on the first tour. Second, most of the people already in the queue wanted to visit both Newgrange and Knowth. As a result, we had only 10 people instead of the usual 24 in our group for a “single tomb” tour.

    When the shuttle dropped us off at Newgrange, our guide escorted us to the entrance of the tomb, which consists of a cairn surrounded by a white quartz wall girdled by slabs called kerbstones. After she gave us some general information, we entered the very narrow rock passage that leads to a large chamber. Here, our guide talked about how the sun enters the tomb through a door-box above the entrance, travels down the passageway, and lights up the chamber on the three shortest days of the year during the Winter Solstice. A simulation of the event accompanied her words ... a stirring event.

    I’m glad we were able to visit Newgrange this year. Apparently, all tours — except for the Winter Solstice ones — will be discontinued after this season due to damage to the tombs from the humidity generated by the breath of visitors.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    The church on the left; the college on the right — Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.
    The ruins of the church and Gothic tower are surrounded by a cemetery — Hill of Slane ... Ireland.The church ruins and cemetery — Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.Looking across the hill through a window in the church tower — Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.Statue of St Patrick marks the spot of the Easter Fire he lit in 433 — Hill of Slane ... Ireland.Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.Ruins of the monastery and tower house — Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.Entrance to the ruins of the college — Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.Don't ask me how Mui got up there ... I don't want to know — Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.Panorama of the ruins of the college from inside — Hill of Slane ... Slane, Ireland.

    Hill of Slane

    3 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    The Hill of Slane was not on our planned itinerary for today. But when we encountered a road sign pointing to the ruins, we made a detour.

    The hilltop is home to two sets of ruins. Those of a 16th century Medieval church with a Gothic tower, and also those of a college, which was founded to serve the church. The latter contains the ruins of a monastery built sometime in the 5th century and a tower house that is from the 16th century.

    The Hill of Slane has an important place in Irish spirituality. According to tradition, in 433 AD the first Christian missionary to Ireland lit an Easter Fire where the church now stands. That missionary later became known as St Patrick. In lighting the fire, however, he unknowingly disobeyed the decree of a High King at nearby Tara. The king was pacified when his Druid — Erc — converted to Christianity and was later made the first Bishop of Slane.    En savoir plus

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  • Our Ring Around Ireland
    What remains of the 12th century Mellifont Abbey — Tullyallen, Ireland.
    Illustration of Mellifont Abbey before the lavabo was added in 1200 — Tullyallen, Ireland.Lavabo ... partially hidden by the chapter house ruins @ Mellifont Abbey — Tullyallen, Ireland.The lavabo looks mostly intact on this side ... Mellifont Abbey — Tullyallen, Ireland.What's left of the cloister walk through the lavabo entrance ... Mellifont Abbey — Tullyallen.The rear half of the lavabo is missing ... Mellifont Abbey — Tullyallen, Ireland.

    Mellifont Abbey

    3 juillet 2019, Irlande ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    The location of the ruins — not far from Drogheda — and a photo I had seen showing a circular structure that looked quite unusual. These were the reasons why we headed to Mellifont Abbey today.

    This Cistercian Abbey was consecrated in 1157. If the illustration of the original buildings is anything to go by, the place was quite impressive back in its heyday. Not much remains today, however. Nonetheless, the circular structure did not disappoint ... assuming you are a person who enjoys visiting and photographing ruins.

    Turns out that the structure in question was built around 1200. It was a “lavabo” ... a place of purification where the monks cleansed their bodies and spirit prior to dining in the refectory hall. Today, the lavabo seems to have a split personality ... looking almost intact on one side and in total shambles from the other side.

    That we had this photogenic place all to ourselves — even on “free first Wednesday — was a lovely bonus.    En savoir plus

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