A stop over in Belfast

After a wonderful night at the Ballinshee House B&B in Lisdoonvarna, I started back to Dublin so that I would be able  to begin the second part of my trip...Scotland.  I had to get there first, so after a wonderful Irish breakfast, the lady of the house gave me some really good traveling advise to travel back to Dublin though the Burrens.  It was only a little out of my way and I was able to see some really cool landscape. 

The name Burren is from the Irish - bhoireann meaning a stony place. Its formation has lain unspoiled since the ice-age and is composed of karstic limestone, the largest area of such in western Europe. This is another place that I need to go back to as there is a lot to see.

I also had the chance to visit Ireland's beach.  It was funny, but I had heard about the beaches from the radio, and they talked about how beautiful they were and I was lucky enough to find it out for myself.   It was some what of a  grey day, but it made the water just beautiful.

Back in Dublin, I was able to get my car back to the rental place at the airport, catch a bus to the train station and then took the train up to Belfast.  Now, me, being a ignorant American, thought that I would be able to just get pounds sterling and be able to use them anywhere, right?  I mean, I am in Great Britain, right?  Well, for future reference, when traveling in Great Britain you should get Irish pounds in Northern Ireland, Scottish pounds in Scotland, and English pounds in England.  I was able to use the Northern Irish pounds but not without a lot of weird looks and nice people that "looked the other way" and took my money.  Another thing that I did't do was plan enough time for travel.  I always ended up later at my destinations than I had intended, and it was the same with Belfast.  This being the case, I didn't get to see much, but I did see a bit.  Enough to see a big difference in the feel between Belfast and Dublin.  Belfast felt British with an Irish influence where Dublin was all Irish.  Mainly it was the architecture, as I will now show...

This church was just down the street from my hotel.

 

 

I walked down to the main part of old Belfast and ran right into Queen's College and the Botanical Gardens.  

 

Queen's University Belfast has a record of academic achievement which stretches back more than 150 years.  Founded by Queen Victoria, the Queen's University in Ireland, was designed to be a non-denominational alternative to Trinity College Dublin which was controlled by the Anglican Church.

 The University was made up of three Queen's Colleges - in Cork, Galway and Belfast. Although it was the first University in the north of Ireland, Queen's drew on a tradition of learning which goes back to 1810 and the foundation of the Belfast Academical Institution.

 

First established in 1828, the gardens have been enjoyed as a public park by the people of Belfast since 1895.  Situated near Queens University Belfast, the Botanic Gardens is an important part of Belfast’s Victorian heritage and a popular meeting place for residents, students and tourists.

 

 

I took this because I thought it showed a nice contrast between modern and aged

 

This is just great architecture!!!!

 

All in all, I enojoyed my short time in Northen Ireland and would like to go back and see much more, as there is a lot more to see.

I walked along the Cliffs of Moher

My final destination before going to my B&B that night was the Cliffs of Moher and I have to say it, this was truly one of the big highlights of the trip.  If you ever get the chance, this is a definite must.

The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs.

O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien to impress female visitors.

Here is me being impressed.

The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower. 

The Cliffs of Moher are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland. The area was designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for Birds under the EU Birds Directive in 1986 and as a Refuge for Fauna in 1988. Included within the designated site are the cliffs, the cliff-top maritime grassland and heath, and a 200 metre zone of open water, directly in front of the cliffs to protect part of the birds' feeding area. The designation covers 200 hectares and highlights the area's importance for wildlife.

If you look close you can see the birds nesting.

The visitor center, O'Brien's Tower and a walk way on the other side of O'Brien's Tower are the only places you are to visit officially. Unofficially, however, there is away to actually walk along the actual cliffs. You are not really supposed to, but in my defence, I didn't know that when I set off. I was watching a bunch of people go up and around the wall and there was a couple standing in front of the sign stating that you should not... so I missed it and I thought that it was a hike, like all the others I had done. Not unsafe, but not really safe either and in some spots kind of scary if you don't like heights (which I don't).   I didn't go all the way (I felt that I should turn around about an hour into the hike) but I got some great pictures of the cliffs of the opposite side.

This was truly a wonder experience, one I would love to repeat.

County Clare

The next leg of my trip was to travel though County Clare.  Because of the late night walking all around Killarney National park, I decided to have a bit of a lie in and start out a little later than usual.  I had a nice breakfast and noticed that there castle ruins on the hotel grounds (I stayed at the Lake Hotel and it was very nice).   From the windows of the Lake Hotel you can be seen the ruins of McCarthy Mór castle built on a rocky promontory. It is situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lein or the lower lake and gives its name to that portion known as the Bay of Castlelough.

12th century McCarthy Mór castle ruins

 

When I had finished walking around the ruins, I decided to be off.  I had read a lot about County Clare and the thing that I kept reading was how beautiful the scenery was so I decided to find out. My first stop on my way to my final destination (more on that later) was Adare. 

Thatched Roof Houses

 Situated in the south west of Ireland, Adare is regarded as being Ireland's prettiest and most picturesque village. Situated on the river Maigue, a tributary of the river Shannon, Adare is steeped in history dating back to 1200ad. Adare has been the subject of many rebellions, wars and conquests, leaving behind a legacy of historical monuments. In the early 19th century, the Earl of Desmond, laid the plan for the existing streets and townhouses of Adare. These lands and dwellings were rented to tenants, under various agreements, some of which still exist today.  It was an interesting walk down the street that was very modern with an old world flare. 

The Trinitarian Priory
 

This is the only recorded Trinitarian monastery in Ireland. It was originally built by the Fitzgerald Clan for the Trinitarian order of monks in the early 13th century. This order of friars was founded in France, following the Holy-Land Crusades, with the main purpose of raising ransom money in order to rescue Christian captives taken by the Moors, during the crusade wars. It is believed that the Trinitarian monks who came to Adare may have come from Scotland. The monastery was suppressed and badly damaged during the reign of King Henry VIII. Repaired and enlarged in the mid 19th century, the building is, today, called the "Holy Trinity Abbey" and is used as the local Roman Catholic Church.   I was unlucky because there was some kind of service going on and I was unable to go inside.

The Augustinian Priory

On a short walk down the road, on the bank of the river Maigue, I found the Augustinian Priory.  The road was not very safe so I didn't walk over, but the history states that the priory was founded by the Earls of Kildare in the early 14th century. It became and remained the home of the Augustinian Order until they were driven out, in the mid 15th century. The Priory was suppressed and badly damaged during the reign of King Henry VIII. Repaired and renovated during the early part of the 19th century, the building is regarded as a fine example of what a medieval Irish churches looked like. The building has been used as the local Protestant Church (Church of Ireland) since the early 19th century.

The Desmond Castle is also located in Adare, but unfortunately I couldn't find it.  It was one of the many times that I wished that I had someone navigating while I drove.

After Adare, I stopped at Castle Bunratty.  It is right off the payway and it was the one real time that I had trouble staying on the left side of the road.  I got off of the payway and turned into the town, but there was construction.  Not paying attention, I went on the wrong side of the road and let's just say that I greatly annoyed a local Irish driver (whoops). 

 

Bunratty Castle is a large tower house that lies in the centre of Bunratty village.  The name Bunratty, Bun Raite (or possibly, Bun na Raite) in Irish, means the 'bottom' or end of the 'Ratty' river. This river, alongside the castle, flows into the nearby Shannon estuary. The site on which Bunratty Castle stands was in origin a Viking Trading Camp in 970. The present structure is the last of four castles to be built on the site. Robert De Muscegros, a Norman, built the first defensive fortress (an earthen mound with a strong wooden tower on top) in 1250. His lands were later granted to Thomas De Clare who built the first stone castle on the site. About this time Bunratty became a large town of 1,000 inhabitants.

In 1318 Richard De Clare, son of Thomas was killed in a battle between the Irish and the Normans. His followers were routed and the castle and town were completely destroyed. The castle was restored for the King of England but was laid waste in 1332 by the Irish Chieftains of Thomond under the O'Briens and MacNamaras. It lay in ruins for 21 years until it was rebuilt by Sir Thomas Rokeby but was once again attacked by the Irish and the castle remained in Irish hands thereafter.

Under Henry VIII's 'surrender and re-grant' scheme, the O'Brien's were granted the title 'Earls of Thomond' and they agreed to profess loyalty to the King of England. The reign of the O'Briens came to an end with the arrival of the Cromwellian troops and the castle and its grounds were surrendered.
Bunratty Castle and its lands were granted to various Plantation families, the last of whom was the Studdart family. They left the castle in 1804 (allowing it to fall into disrepair).  Bunratty was to return to its former splendor when Viscount Lord Gort purchased it in 1954. The extensive restoration work began in 1945 with the help of the Office of Public Works, the Irish Tourist Board and Shannon Development. It is the most complete and authentically restored and furnished castle in Ireland.  I am going to take a stab and try and identify all of the rooms (wish me luck)

I'm going in



 The Basement or the Main Guard



The Great Hall



The Earl's Kitchen

The Earl's Bedroom

The Earl's Pantry

The South Solar Lounge

 

Along with the castle was the village.  It is extremely large with homes, shops, churches and the Bunratty house.  Unfortunately I missed the Bunratty house, but the rest of the village was fun.

This was fun, they were re-thatching the roof (one of the two times I saw this done).

Just some of the buildings in the village.

There was a lot to see at this place and unfortunately I didn't have the proper time to spend.  It is a place that I would (like everything else) go back to and spend more time in the area.



The Wonders of Killarney

I have a story for the beginning of my stay in Killarney.  I didn't realize that the town was as large as it was and when I arrived I had no clue how to get to my hotel.  I had no idea where was and as I drove a bit into town I realized that I needed help.  I pulled over and plugged in my GPS, which of course didn't help me at all (it couldn't find me in Killarny, then it could not find my hotel in relation to where it could not find me).  So I said a little prayer for help and told myself that I would stop at the first petrol station that I could find.  I had to turn at the next light to find one (that is nerve racking to be turning the wrong way) but I stopped at the petrol station on the corner and this really nice older gentleman (I noticed that most of the gas stations were manned by nice older gentleman) smiled at me and said, "Well, it is just down this street.  Go about 3 miles and you will see a large entry way, you cannot miss it".  Talk about an answer to a prayer.  There is no way that I would have found my way with out the help from that prayer.  It made me realize that someone was watching over me.  After I checked in, I asked the nice attendant at the desk what there was that I could see and she pointed me in the direction of Killarney National Park.  It was just 3 miles down the road and was packed full of beautiful sites.  I parked my car and walk the first kilometer to Muckross Abby.

 

Founded in 1440 as a Franciscan Friary, Muckross Abbey has an exciting and violent history typical of Ireland. In 1589 the monks were expelled by Elizabeth I, and in 1653 Oliver Cromwell's troops burnt it down when he reclaimed Ireland for the English bringing to an end the Irish Confederate Wars. Despite this setback, the friars continued to live here until 1698 when the new Penal Laws against Roman Catholics introduced by the English occupiers forced most in exile in France or Spain. These days it is a ruin but one of the most complete examples of Irish medieval church building.

Today, the Abbey still has its bell tower and church, and massive Gothic arcades and arches. Four of Ireland's leading poets of the period were buried there, three in the church, one in the nearby cemetery. In the centre of the inner court is an old Yew tree. This grew from a sapling taken from the abbey on Innisfallen Island and planted in the new abbey at Muckross. In turn, a slip from this tree was planted at the abbey in Killarney Town.

 Massive Gothic arcades and arches

Bell Tower

Yew Tree



View of the Abbey and ground

From Muckross Abbey, I traveled 1.5 km to Muckross house.  I was adventurous and took the long way.

Walking through the woods to Muckross house.

Beautiful, gorgeous, wish you were here...

 

After going my 1.5 km I turned the corner...

My third Dream House

 

...and had my first glimpse of Muckross House. Queen Victoria gave advance notice that she would visit, in 1861, and the Herberts worked for almost 10 years to prepare for her visit. This preparation for this visit - in hopes of a reward from the queen (a title?) financially ruined the Herbert family.

Arthur Guiness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, bought the estate to help preserve the area from developers. The Bourns subsequently bought the estate as a present for their daughter, Maud, upon her marriage to Senator Arthur Vincent. After she died, the Vincents and Bourns gifted the estate to Ireland, which was the basis of Killarney National Park.   I missed being able to tour the place by minutes, but the grounds were amazing (but my pictures were not).

Front View

 

Side View

 

Not understanding that there was a lot more to see, I started to go back to my car when I was stopped by a guy with a horse and cart.  For 20 euro he would drive me up to the falls but hey, why drive when you can walk for free.  Again this 2 km showed some amazing scenery.

The long road...

Muckross Lake

Getting closer...

Almost there...

Almost there....

Almost there...

Almost there...

Hurray, I made it. 

This was a wonderful place and one that I need to go back to and spend more time in.