Ireland, part 2

Chapel in Bohermore Cemetery (previously known as 'New Cemetery')
Galway, Ireland

Galway, on the central west coast of Ireland, is home to a large and striking cemetery now known as Bohermore. Located within the cemetery, not too far from this chapel, is the memorial for the victims of Hugo de Groot, KLM flight 607-E, which crashed off the coast of Ireland on August 14, 1958. The memorial is elegantly simple, and perhaps all the more humbling as you look at the side by side graves and see how many are marked simply, "Unknown".

William Butler Yeats grave, Drumcliff
"Cast a cold Eye / On Life, on Death. / Horseman, pass by."

Further across the Burrens, in the village of Drumcliff in County Sligo, one of Ireland's favorite literary sons - William Butler Yeats - is buried. Technically, he was re-buried here, as he died in France and was originally buried in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. St. Columba's Church of Ireland and its cemetery lay just off the main road through town; the cemetery is a tumble of well-weathered Celtic crosses and old graves with a beautiful central chapel on the grounds.

Oddly enough, on the fringes of the cemetery's parking lot is a small shop, perhaps seven or eight feet square, where a local artisan sells their wool products - sweaters, scarves, hats, etc. I bought two hats here - one a traditional, off-white woolen winter cap, the other a more rakish, modern hat in a stormy blue color - and I delight in the knowledge of where I got them. I am especially glad I bought them straight from the artist and not in one of the "traditional Irish crafts" stores that seem to dot the major population centers.

This was seen in a castle courtyard. We had planned to take the tour, but they weren't open yet. However, there were a pair of extremely friendly local cats who said hello to us while we decided what to do next instead.

Golf course, Portstewart(?), Northern Ireland

On a more cheerful note... the Irish are just as mad about golf as the Scots are. And since prime agricultural land must of course be saved for food and grazing, you will see golf courses carved out along the coastline - a player's joyful challenge of gorgeous vistas combined with impressively rugged fairways that meander among dunes and rock formations.

After seeing many of such golf courses, it occured to me that learning to golf in Ireland would be like learning to ski in New England: once you can do it there, and do it there well, you can do it anywhere with confidence.

This coffee house's name amused me, simply because I thought it was funny to find a place called "Bubba's" in Portrush, Northern Ireland.

Yeah, maybe I lived down South a little too long.

Northern Irish coast
View of Portballintrae from near Giant's Causeway

One of the absolutely-must-see sights to see of Ireland is Giant's Causeway, on the Antrim coast between Portballintrae and Dunseverick, Northern Ireland. It is a natural wonder that was formed as the result of volcanic activity, which, as it cooled, formed hexagonal columns.

Giant's Causeway

Local legend is far more colorful, however, stating that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the Causeway in order to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart, named Benandonner. There are variants on the legend, but Benadonner was fooled into thinking the sleeping Finn was in fact Finn's son, and he thought that if the child was that big that the father himself muts be gigantic indeed, so he fled back to Scotland and destroyed the causeway.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Ballintoy, Northern Ireland

A little further east along the coast from Giant's Causeway is another highly popular attraction, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. The walk to the bridge is very scenic and worth the walk, even if you don't make the walk across the bridge itself; on clear days, you can see across the water to Scotland.

Originally, the bridge was constructed by fishermen to allow them to more easily cross to the island to check their nets. Today, the bridge stretches approximately 60 feet across a chasm that is about 70 feet deep.

Clonmacnoise
County Offaly, Ireland

After spending a week circling Ireland, we then moved inland to see two of Ireland's great historic treasures.

The first was Clonmacnoise, an extensive religious site along the banks of the River Shannon that was founded by St. Ciaran, and was once a major center of religion, trade, politics, learning, trade, and craftsmanship. Its position put it along a major crossroads and was, for many years, benefitted by its allegiances with local kings.

Although it was plundered many times over the years, it was rebuilt again and again, until it began to fall into decline and was eventually destroyed in 1552. In 1877, it was designated as a national monument, and although it has not been rebuilt, work does continue to preserve the existing buildings and gravestones, and to continue to unearth gravestones which time has buried.

Some of the finest examples of Celtic stone art can be found on this site. The only new buildings here are the museum, and the pavillion which was built to honor Pope John Paul II's visit in 1979.

During the summer, you can ride Viking boats from Shannonbridge to Conmacnoise.

Newgrange

The other historic site we visited was the Newgrange Megalithic passage tomb, part of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath.

Older than the Great Pyramid of Giza by 500 years, and Stonehenge by 1,000, the tomb dates to approximately 3,100-2,900 B.C. It lay covered and unknown for many years until its discovery in 1699. Although studied for many years, it was not fully excavated and restored until between 1962-1975.

Like many of the great Neolithic/Megalithic sites, Newgrange is attuned to the seasons. On the winter solstice in December, the rising sun shines directly into the tomb's interior passage, illuminating the central chamber floor for about 17 minutes. Although today the sun takes a few minutes after sunrise to reach this point, when the tomb was built, it would have happened immediately at sunrise. An annual lottery is held for a total of 100 spaces to witness this event each year; however, thanks to the marvels of modern technology, it is recreated multiple times daily for visitors taking the tour.