June 21-22
I love Ireland!!!
But . . . I could never live here, because their broadband is terrible. We hardly ever have it, and when we do, it doesn’t always work.
I’m on line here in Killarney, so we’ll see what happens with this long overdue update!
We spent two nights in Sligo, where Pulitzer Prize winning W.B. Yeats lived, wrote, and is now buried, in the shadow of Benbulben, this mountain:
The tallest mountain in all of Ireland is only just over 4,000 feet, and this one is not even 2,000. Not a mountain by U.S. standards, but beautiful!
One of the most amazing things about traveling in Ireland is that ancient ruins are everywhere. You might turn a corner, and there in a field stand the ruins of a medieval castle, or an ivy-covered wall that is all that remains of a 4th century monastery. I found this on a walk at Sligo Bay, and I have no idea what it even is!
We visited the beautifully restored Parke’s Castle on Lough Gill, built by the O’Rourke clan in the 1500′s. It was later partly destroyed and seized by the British, and the Irish chieftan O’Rourke was executed in London for treason. Treason?? Against a country that was not his own, and which stole his ancestral land and filled his family home with foreign soldiers?
Sorry . . . I think I am becoming a little bit Irish.
But I do love this photo of it. We see the Mute Swans everywhere there’s water!
July 1, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Great new photos! Reading about the O’Rourkes reminded me of how we treated American Indians. Seems that greediness and power are not determined by time nor country.
Sligo and environs are absolutely gorgeous. Coming across ancient ruins, that everyone takes for granted, always reminded me of how very new America is. I’m so glad you’re enjoying each and every minute of your trip.
According to Molly, she and Bruce encountered the worst weather in 30 years and couldn’t put into some ports. Wonder what it would have been like if Obama had been the guest speaker?
Just a little joke.