Ireland

For our last trip within Europe, Paul and I decided to visit Ireland and Scotland. We both have ancestors in these countries so thought it would be a neat to see where they had come from, even if we didn’t have enough time on this visit to track any long-lost cousins.

Upon arriving in Dublin we decided to be real touristy and visit Ireland’s #1 attraction- the Guinness Factory. It was a very cool tour, although you don’t actually get to see the brewing process. I was amazed by the archival footage of the cooper (barrel maker) at work! I was equally amazed to realize they have been using the same yeast strain for the past 250 years. The building itself was a renovated factory that has won awards for its innovative interior. To ‘literally’ top off our tour we headed up to the 7th floor gravity bar to enjoy a pint of Guinness while overlooking the city of Dublin.

Guinness Factory

Enjoying a pint of Guinness high above Dublin

After our pint we headed into the historical district of Dublin to explore. We visited O’Connell Street, the Temple Bar district, Christchurch Cathedral, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin Castle and Trinity College. We also strolled along the River Liffy and I went shopping in the main shopping district. I really liked Christchurch Cathedral with its medieval gothic architecture and quirky little bridge over the road. The building has the largest crypt in Ireland or the UK where they have many treasures on display, including the famous mummified cat and rat who were found after being trapped in an organ pipe for an unknown (long) time.  Later on in the visit we enjoyed live celtic music in a pub and the Jeannie Johnston famine ship. Amazingly, despite transporting over 2500 people to Canada during the Irish Famine no lives were lost on the Jeanie Johnston. This is incredible considering the tragic loss of life typical of the dangerous sea voyage from Ireland to the New World.  We also visited the Trinity College library, where the Book of Kells and an exhibit on the history of medicine were on display.

Christchurch Cathedral

St Patricks Cathedral

The Jeanie Johnston- famine boat

Irish Famine Memorial, presented to Dublin by Canada in 1997. Very Moving.

The next day we hopped on a train for Ireland’s West coast. Upon arriving in Galway city we joined up with our tour group and set off. The first stop was at the Ailwee caves and the Burren Birds of Prey Conservation Centre. We got to visit the large birds of prey, but weren’t able to have  a ‘fly by’ because it was too rainy. The cave is the most famous of the thousands of caves that exist in the soluble rock of the karst landscape. They were show caves, so no squeezing or rappelling like we had done in Canada. There was a beautiful waterfall, ancient stalactites/ stalagmites,  a formation that looked like ‘praying hands’ and even the remains of an extinct species of bear.

Waterfall in Ailwee Cave

After navigating many windy roads through territory characterized by abundant stone walls, we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are roughly 650′ high and are stunningly beautiful. We were incredibly lucky to arrive during a break in the coastal fog- the cliffs were shrouded in mist by the time we left. Amazing!

The Cliffs of Moher peeking out of the fog

After a pub lunch in a small village we visited the megalithic Poulnabrone Dolmen (hole of sorrows) passage tomb. Rising against the stark Burren landscape, the 5000-6000 year old tomb is a reminder of the ingenuity of our ancient ancestors. The huge rocks marked the grave of between 16- 22 adults and 6 children. It is hard not to feel awed by the massive 6′ by 9′ monument erected so long ago- then you realize there are over 90 other monuments dotting the Burren. The Burren is a karst-landscape of scarred limestone with an inredible mixture of arctic, mediterranean and alpine plants and rare animals and insects clinging to life in the unique environment.  .

Typical stone fences of West Ireland

The following day we visited Northern Ireland. I was a little apprehensive about the trip due to the recent murder of a young police officer by IRA terrorists. Despite this, the atmosphere was incredibly encouraging. People are standing together despite their differences to demand an end to the violence. I was encouraged to see how far the peace process had come- what a difference from the troubles of only a few years ago!

We started the day by driving along the only truly coastal highway of the UK and were treated to a beautiful view of Rathlin island and the outer Hebrides islands of Scotland. The first stop was at the carrick-a-rede (rock in the road) rope bridge. The 20m gap to the tiny island has been bridged for hundreds of years by salmon fishermen. Today the salmon are too scarce and the only use of the bridge is by visitors.

Costal cliffs

Doing my Indiana Jones impression

The highlight of the day was visiting Giant’s Causeway. It is a unique geological formation consisting of thousands of hexagonal columns of rock. This formation can only be found at the Giant’s Cause way in Ireland and a tiny bit on the coast of a Scottish island across the water.  It formed as molten lava was forced to the surface at high speeds and rapidly cooled upon contact with sea water.

In Irish legend, it is said that the Giant Finn MacCool built the causeway in order to go to Scotland to challenge his rival, the giant Brenandoner. Upon seeing Brenandoner’s size, Finn raced back to Ireland… but it was too late. Brenandoner chased Finn back and it up to Finn’s quick thinking wife to save the day. She disguised her husband as a baby and invited Brenandoner in to see the ‘wee lad’. Brenandoner was shocked at the size of the infant; thinking ‘how big must his father be’! After making his excuses, Brenandoner fled back to Scotland, tearing up the causeway behind him.

A mountain of columns

White cliffs

Castle ruins on the cliff

Our last stop of the day was in central Belfast. I felt totally safe while in the downtown area despite visiting the ‘most bombed hotel in Europe’ which suffered nearly 40 blasts during the troubles. We also visited the Crown Liquor Saloon, a splendid pub with authentic decor dating from 1885. The interior features are marvellous; cosy snugs (private booths with little doors, thanks to Victorian modesty), stained glass, marble and antique woodwork. Legend has it that the owner’s were of a ‘mixed marriage’- one Catholic and one Protestant. The husband wanted to display the crown, but his wife would have none of it. They eventually came to a compromise- the crown is on the floor outside the door. It is on display, but is trampled on by every patron as the enter the pub. Paul and I then walked to the City Hall where there was an exhibition about the Titanic, which had been built in Belfast.

The most bombed hotel in Europe

The Crown

Belfast City Hall

 On the way out of Belfast we stopped to observe some murals painted by dissidents. I took some pictures but after a fair bit of thought have decided not to post them as I am philosophically opposed to their methods. I found it extremely disconcerting and made me really appreciate living in a country free of violent sectarian conflict. This stuff is still out there inciting hatred despite the progress made towards peace.

The following day was one of the highlights of my entire year. I am really interested in ancient human history and had wanted to visit Newgrange for years. Newgrange is one of the most significant neolithic structures in Europe, possibly in the entire world.  It is older than the pyramids by at least 500 years and is approximately 1000 years older Stonehenge. The structure is 250′ accross and 40′ high with building materials from over 70 kilometres away. The stone carvings are beautiful and incredibly intricate. If only we knew their significance!

Newgrange was a multipurpose monument. Inside the central, cross shaped chamber are three enormous bowls. These were used to cremate the deceased, some of whom were then buried in the temple. The smallest basin is a bit of a puzzle- it is thought to have been either used in cremation of children or as a bowl in childbirth. Looking up in the central chamber, one sees an incredible corbelled roof made of overlapping boulders that come to a peak under a massive capstone. One of the most impressive things I learnt during the visit- in over 5000 years, the roof has never leaked!! This was achieved with stone age technology! How many modern buildings can claim to be that watertight?

The rocks align with the precise spot where the sun rises on the winter solstice

Another incredible aspect of Newgrange is that it is perfectly lined up with the winter solstice. Every year on the 21st of December, daylight penetrates the inner chamber for only 17 minutes before it is released back into darkness for another year. Newgrange is only one of many passage tombs along the fertile Boine River Valley. Nearby, the even more massive and richly decorated Knowth was built to align with the equinoxes and Dowth also aligns with the Winter Solstice. This suggests a religious meaning, or at the very least shows us how very important the changing seasons were to the agricultural stone age people.

White quartz and black eggs cover the facade of Newgrange

View of Knowth from across the Boine Valley

We actually visited the Hill of Tara before going to Newgrange, but I was so excited about Newgrange I wanted to cover it first. The Hill of Tara is the ancient seat of the Irish Kings. It is said that 3/4 of Ireland can be seen from Tara on a clear day, and I certainly believe it! Sadly little remains of the ancient seat of the kings except a small passage tomb and an ancient coronation stone called the Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny).   Much of the area surrounding Tara, and indeed much of Ireland, was land belonging to monasteries. During Europe’s dark ages, Ireland was experiencing it’s golden age and was known as the ‘Island of Saints and Scholars’.

View from the Hill of Tara with medieval monastery

This is the end of ‘part one’ of my trip to Ireland and Scotland. I must now return to working on my term essays for medical anthropology. I hope to post pictures and stories from our time in Scotland over the weekend.

Only 8 days till Kenya!