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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Aerial view of Knowth
    One entrance into KnowthTombs at KnowthRoyal residence on top of Knowth in early Middle AgesRock art on "kerbstones" of KnowthCeremonial site at Knowth (restored)Newgrange (restored in the 1970s)Newgrange solstice entrance and "window box" on topView from Hill of TaraAt the Hill of TaraDublin street sceneThe River LiffeySamuel Beckett bridge in Dublin

    Dublin and Brú na Bóinne

    29 de mayo, Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 64 °F

    Yes, it is wet in Ireland! But the off-and-on rain didn’t slow us down.

    We spent yesterday, our first day in the country, walking around Dublin, visiting its castle and gardens, and just trying to stay awake until a decent bedtime.

    Today we took a day tour to the Neolithic sites of Knowth and Newgrange, in the Boyne Valley, aka Brú na Bóinne. These archaeological sites are ceremonial passage tombs which were built around 3200 BC—older than the pyramids of Egypt.

    The tomb entrances of each aligned with the sun on either the winter solstice (Newgrange) or the equinox (Knowth).

    We also visited the Hill of Tara, which started as a tomb site, but later came into use as a coronation place of Ireland’s pre-Christian kings.

    Dublin is a lively city, with several pedestrian boulevards full of people and live-music pubs. The river that divides the city has a pleasant promenade and scenic bridges.    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Coast of Northern Ireland
    Mural in a Belfast Protestant neighborhoodMural in Protestant neighborhood"Peace wall" (more like keeping the peace?)Black Taxi tour drivers in BelfastMural in a Belfast Catholic neighborhoodCatholics identify with the Palestinian causeBelfast architectureCarrick-a-Rede rope bridge (we did not do this)Lunch restaurant door (used in Game of Thrones)The Giant's Causeway CoastBasalt pillars at Giant's CausewayAt the Giant's Causeway UNESCO World Heritage site12

    A Day in Northern Ireland

    30 de mayo, Irlanda del Norte ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    An early morning pickup on a small-group tour bus brought us a couple of hours north of Dublin to Belfast. Along the way, our driver gave us a condensed history of Ireland, from the Neolithic people, to the Celts, to the English rule, to Irish independence in 1921 and into the period of the “Troubles.”

    This conflict started in the late 1960s as a peaceful civil rights movement by Irish Catholics who wanted fair treatment and representation in the English-dominated system of government. But tensions between Republicans (mainly Catholics), who wanted a united Ireland, and Loyalists or Unionists (mainly Protestants), who wanted to remain part of the UK escalated into nearly 30 years of violence from paramilitary groups on both sides, including the IRA.

    The highlight of the Belfast visit was to take a Black Taxi tour with a local driver who has experienced the political strife firsthand. Although the bombings and the worst of the violence has ended, many areas of the city are still segregated into Catholic and Protestant quarters. Our driver took us to both sections, where there are murals representing the views of each side, but these days, many are about cooperation and reconciliation. Still, we heard that a fair amount of mistrust and some violence still exists.

    To curb vandalism and personal attacks, several walls throughout Belfast separate the citizens by religion in the areas of greatest conflict. Every evening in the city, gates along the walls are shut by 6 or 7pm. Sadly, the walls have only increased in number and height since the formal peace agreement in 1998. And residents of Belfast are not clamoring for their removal – rather, they see them as a safety device. A sobering visit.

    On a more uplifting note, our day tour continued its travels north, on a mostly sunny day! Scenic green pastureland with windmills in the distance and sheep and cows in the foreground eventually led us to the north coast where we could look across the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland. Our final destination was to the “Giant’s Causeway”—a section along the coast where ancient lava has cooled into hexagonal blocks or basalt columns. Very popular place, but pretty cool to step up and down among the worn columns.    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Detail of a letter from the Book of Kells
    Symbols of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and JohnFirst letters are fancy!1Inside the Long Room of the Old LibraryIn the LibraryArchitectural detail at Trinity CollegeKayaking on the River Liffey in DublinGetting very wet!The Spire, a sculpture near our hotelThe Dublin Portal1Back side of the Dublin Portal

    Dublin: Trinity College & Kayaking

    31 de mayo, Irlanda ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Today was our day to take a break from tour buses and venture out on foot. We started with a visit to see the illustrated manuscripts of the Book of Kells at the old library of Trinity College here in Dublin.

    The Book of Kells is an intricately decorated, book telling the story of the life of Jesus Christ, written in Latin, on vellum around the year 800 AD. The book is surprisingly small (about 13 x 10 inches), but includes nearly 700 pages (in four volumes now). It is thought that the writing was done by only three scribes.

    We learned the story of how it was written in a monastery on Iona in Scotland, and carried across the sea to Ireland to protect it from Viking raiders. Later, it was moved from place to place to keep it safe from destruction by the British (Protestant) kings and their armies. Finally, sometime in the 1660s it was given to Trinity College.

    As we were leaving Trinity, we ran into Julie Rose! We knew she was going to be in the country around the time we were, but what a coincidence to be in the same place at the same time. We arranged to meet her and her traveling friend, Mary, for dinner later.

    After the college visit, we got into kayaks on the River Liffey with a guide and about ten others. Mostly we saw the underside of bridges, which were handy for sheltering from the rain, but we also had to keep moving (it was a lovely sunny day before and after our river excursion!).

    As we go about our day, we keep walking past The Spire and The Dublin Portal—great landmarks. The portal is an interesting idea—we can wave at people in Philadelphia, Brazil and elsewhere (and they wave back!). Check it out at www.portals.org    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    At Lough Bray
    View of Dublin Bay from Killiney HillPeat bogs and heatherLough Tay (aka Guinness Lake)Our lunch pubOur lunch companionUpper Glendalough LakeUpper Glendalough lakeClose-up of Irish green (ferns on top of lichen on top of moss...)Lower Glendalough lakeChurch ruins at the Glendalough monasteryMonastery structure and roundtower in backgroundView from the busDriver John handing out our local whiskey shots

    Wicklow Mountains & Glendalough Lakes

    1 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Another day back on a day-tour bus—this time to the countryside south and east of Dublin. We started with a walk up Killiney Hill, a short drive from Dublin. We got a great view of Dublin and its coastline.

    We drove through heather-covered peat bogs (who knew they weren't just in the lowlands?) to get to Lough Tay, also called Guinness Lake, in the Wicklow Mountains. It's nicknamed Guinness Lake because the Guinness family originally owned a home there.

    After lunch in a traditional Irish pub (Guinness beef stew!), we carried on through windy mountain roads to what remains of a monastery at Glendalough. The structures that remained date from the 1100s.

    From there, we walked on part of the long-distance trail system called the Wicklow Way to the two lakes there -- upper and lower Glendalough.

    Throughout the day it was pretty windy, and occasionally rainy, but mostly it was as sunny as it probably gets in Ireland.

    Back onboard the bus at the end of the day we toasted to a great experience with a small taste of Glendalough whiskey.    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Loch Eske from our e-bikes
    The 15th century Donegal Abbey is right behind our B&BDonegal CastleBanquet room of Donegal CastleDonegal Castle fireplaceSt. Patrick's Cathedral in Donegal TownA famine graveyardA famine pot (stones representing potatoes)Seen in a shop windowDonegal Bay from our B&B from doorSeamus leaving after dropping off our e-bikesScene from our bike rideLoch Eske

    Arriving in County Donegal

    2–3 jun., Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

    After a 4-hour cross-country bus trip from Dublin, we arrived in the town of Donegal. We took time to look around the center of town—all 3-4 blocks of the commercial/tourist district. The modest Donegal castle was open for tourists and the banquet room had been recently restored.

    Of note, a small exhibit described a connection between the Choctaw Nation in America and the Irish in the 1800s. Not long after the Choctaw endured the Trail of Tears, they heard about the plight of the Irish who were suffering from the Great Famine of 1845-47. Feeling an affinity for their suffering, the Choctaw took up a collection and raised $170, equal to tens of thousands today, which they sent to Ireland through a U.S. Famine Relief Organisation. In 1990, Choctaw leaders came to Ireland to take part in a re-enactment of a famine walk undertaken in 1847. In 1992, Irish leaders took part in a 500-mile trek from Oklahoma to Mississippi. A plaque on Dublin's Mansion House that honours the Choctaw contribution reads: "Their humanity calls us to remember the millions of human beings throughout our world today who die of hunger and hunger-related illness in a world of plenty."

    After a night in a B&B overlooking Donegal Bay, we met Seamus from Ireland By Bike and two fellow bikers on this self-guided trip around County Donegal. Fortunately, the overnight gale winds had diminished and there was a bit of sun (for a brief period). With e-bikes, the wind is a little less daunting, but we’re still getting rained on off-and-on. Today’s ride was a warmup 16-miler around Loch Eske on small country roads with little car traffic. We were stuck behind a tourist horse-and-buggy for a while!    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    1Quiet country roads
    Inver Bay on the North Atlantic OceanA brief splash of sunMcSwyne's Castle ruinsA view of Killybegs while waiting for laundryGuinness comes with foam art!2Some fish & chips!The despised government building at the marinaOur planned route--we cut off the trip down the point

    Cycling Donegal to Killybegs

    4 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ 🌬 52 °F

    Our first real cycling day was meant to be a 34-mile ride, but because of the weather (rain), we cut off about 8 miles so we could get into town to do some laundry. It's been a day of logistical challenges. First, the Garmin with our route wouldn't work, but we were able to use the written instructions and a previously-downloaded route on RideWithGPS. Next, Darryl discovered his phone plan wasn't working, and finally, the laundromat we'd planned on visiting was boarded up with no sign. Diane hiked nearly a mile to a self-serve laundry at a gas station.

    Despite the rain (even some hail!), it was a beautiful ride on very quiet country roads. Lots of sheep! Some cows. We hugged the small bays of the Atlantic coastline all day.

    We've arrived in Killybegs, a traditional fishing village. The residents and business owners are up-in-arms about a new government building under construction smack dab on the harborfront, blocking the view of the quaint (and active) marina from the visitors and residents. See our photo.    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Slieve League cliffs
    View over Fintragh BayLots of foxgloves bloomingMuckross HeadIt's windy out here!Slieve League cliffsClimbing to the Giant's Table at Slieve LeagueSignal tower in the backgroundMural outside the Rusty MackerelCurly-horned sheepOur B&B

    A Rainless Day Along the Northwest Coast

    5 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Yay, we didn’t get rained on today! We left Killybegs and soon were cycling along the coast of the North Atlantic.

    Today’s sights included views of a couple of signal towers, which were placed by the British to watch for invasion by Napoleon (it never happened); more sheep and beautiful green landscapes.

    Toward the end of our ride we came to an area called Slieve League (meaning “Mountain of the Flagstones” in Irish). It is among the highest sea cliffs in Europe.

    On the way back from the cliffs, we stopped for an early dinner at The Rusty Mackerel, which is also the name of a local dish.    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Riding along the peat bogs out of CarrickHarvesting peatMalinmore Court Tomb, 3000 BCMalinmore Court TombColors identify the sheep ownerSilver Strand (beach)One 81 Napoleonic signal towersAnother signal towerFisherman's cottage at the Folk VillageRoof detail: peat layer under thatchingRe-creation of early Christian standing stoneStanding stone in GlencolumbcilleRhododendrons are in bloomToday's ride

    Archaeology around Carrick

    6 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Today’s bike route was predominantly inland, but still included some coastal riding. After all, this one-week bike trip roughly follows the northernmost section of the “Wild Atlantic Way,” a 1,600 mile route along the entire Irish west coast.

    The day began by riding through the Glencolmcille valley, with recently harvested peat bogs. The farmers cut out clods of ‘turf’ and leave it lying on the ground to dry. We wondered how anything dries here, but saw that there were also crates in the fields containing turf chunks that were covered on top and ventilated on the sides.

    This valley is rich with archaeological sites, and our biking guidebook sent us to a few. The Cloghanmore court tomb in Malinmore (among Ireland's first permanent structures) dates to 3000 BC. All that is left is a ring of rocks and an entranceway. Another type of Stone Age structure is the portal tomb (also called dolmens). The 4000-year old Malinmore Dolmens were located in someone’s front yard! Several standing stones are also in the area. It is possible that some of the standing stones pre-date the arrival of Christianity, but were later inscribed with crosses and religious symbols. In many cases the stones mark burial sites or other places of significance.

    An optional coastal route diversion took us down to a lookout over a scenic beach cove—the Silver Strand (An Trá Ban).

    After leaving the coast again, we arrived in the village of Glencolmcille, and its folk village. Folk villages are living history sites where visitors can get a glimpse into the past. This village contained homes representing rural farming and fishing life in the area from the 1700s up to the mid-1900s (still pretty basic accommodations).    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Looking down the Granny Valley
    Teelin BayOur quiet backroadsA court tombOn the way to Port villageYoung sheep--furry hornsOne of two memorials to those lost at seaThe North Atlantic Ocean from PortLooking up Granny ValleyAssaranca WaterfallWalking over the dunesMaghera Beach and cavesBird's-foot-trefoil, a grassland wildflower native to IrelandA farm on an island?Heather by the roadside

    Carrick to Glenties

    7 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Today was our longest riding day—about 40 miles. But with the e-bike and several stops for photos, the ride passed fairly quickly. Fortunately, after a brief rain shower at the start, the rest of the day was dry. We even got a little sunburnt!

    As we stopped for a photo of the landscape, not far out of town, we noticed a court tomb right in front of us. Kind of fun to stumble on one ourselves, rather than being directed to it.

    We set off for the remote hamlet of Port, formerly one of Donegal’s centers for fishing. Port has a couple of memorials to fishermen and sailors whose lives were lost at sea. It was chilly and windy there on the northwest coast, so we didn’t stick around. Besides, we had the beautiful ride down through the Granny Valley to look forward to. It really was spectacular!

    At the bottom of the valley is the Assaranca waterfall (Eas a' Ranca). It was a popular stopping place for drivers and camper vans, but we took the opportunity to picnic on some Dubliner cheddar, oranges and oatcakes
    Also in the area is Maghera Beach and caves. The beach has fine white sand. To reach the beach, we followed a path through grass-covered sand dunes dotted with yellow flowers.

    The tide was low, the beach was very wide, and a couple of the caves in the cliffs were accessible. Don’t get caught at high tide! One legend tells of a man and dog who entered one of the caves. The two disappeared, but eventually the dog emerged weeks later in Glencolmcille having lost all of its hair. No trace was ever found of the man.    Leer más

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  • Diane and DarrylDiane and DarrylIreland—Cycles & Stone Circles
    Nairn Beach at Portnoo
    Kilclooney DolmenSecond smaller dolmen nearbyKilclooney Dolmen accessed through a sheep farmE-bike kaput--waiting for a pickupRescued by The PopeHighest sand dune in EuropeGaelic & EnglishBeef and Yorkshire pudding

    Around Glenties—Abbreviated

    8 de junio, Irlanda ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Darryl’s birthday had both pleasant and unexpected surprises. The beginning of our journey featured the Kilclooney Dolmen, considered one of the finest examples in Ireland. It has Ireland’s' second largest capstone at approximately 40 tons, and dates to between 4,000 to 3,000 BC. The monument is located on private sheep farmland, and we had to climb over stiles and ensure all gates were closed behind us.

    Portal tombs (dolmens) consist of a single short chamber covered by a capstone, which always slopes from front to back. The angle at which the capstone slopes is usually 22 degrees. Sometimes smaller stones would have been inserted between the standing and capstones in order to achieve the correct angle. The reason why this angle was used is unknown. Like the earlier court tombs, the portal tombs were used as burial chambers after cremation.

    That was the pleasant surprise. Unexpectedly, Darryl’s e-bike power controller shut down and was impossible to get started without attaching a cable we didn’t have to a power supply we obviously didn’t have. Fortunately, we had cell service, and although Seamus was hours away from us, he called a friend to pick us up. The friend was John Paul — “The Pope,” a local taxi and bus driver.

    So even though the bike ride was cut short by 10 miles, John Paul offered to drive us to the coastal sites we were missing—among them, the amazingly sculpted and wide Narin Beach at Portnoo.

    Across from the beach, Inishkeel Island lies just off the mainland. The Island is accessible on foot at low tide. John Paul said that some techies moved in from California and elsewhere during COVID, and brought internet to the otherwise very remote island.

    At Maas, we looked across to a bulb of land jutting into the sea, and John Paul pointed out the tallest sand dune in Europe.    Leer más

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