Today’s field trip really put the icing on the cake for me. I have been yearning to have a chance to wander around a cemetery and photograph old headstones and celtic crosses and today my wish came true. Glendalough is an ancient monastic site that was active from the 7th to 12th century. That’s 500 years folks.
Here is a picture of St. Kevin’s Church which was the main place of worship prior to the building of the Cathedral in the 12th century. And here is another view from closer in. The cemetery does not seem to be as old as the monastic buildings as many of the graves date from the 19th century and some further out are even from t
he 20th. One of the challenges today was the flat white sky.
The round tower was a bell tower and landmark to help visitors find the place. Occasionally when marauding Vikings struck it was also used to protect supplies but not, as was earlier thought, the people of the community.
A word about the Celtic cross. We had an archaeologist talk to us early on and express the opinion that the term was a misnomer as the Celtic period in Ireland dated from about 500 BC to 400 AD and the Celts were pagan so had nothing to do with the crosses which generally date from the 8th to 12th century. However, it has also been indicated that the whole idea of the Celtic Cross was to make Christianity less threatening to the pagans by adding a 
circle representing the sun to the Christian cross.
In any case, I have a fascination with Celtic crosses and Celtic inspired design and the notion of a brand of Christianity that is closer to nature and less dominated by imperialism. Some of the older “High” crosses date to the 8th century and may have been used by the monastics to mark their boundaries. But just because they were not cast in stone until then does not mean they did not exist until then. There apparently was a renaissance in the 19th and 20th century as the cross was embraced anew and became popular for grave markers.
I now have over 1800 images in my Ireland file so if you have been following along you know that you have seen only the tip of the iceberg so far. Not that they are all worthy of further consideration but there certainly will be more to come once I have time to sit down and work with the images. So look for at least one more posting on Ireland but not before the middle of next week as I have to travel home, recover from jet lag, and celebrate my birthday before I can finish editing my pictures.
Another fun and full day. We headed out to Bru Na Boinne this morning. This is a megalithic burial complex which includes New Grange, Knowth and Dowth. The tombs here date to 3300 BC. Our group went to Knowth where there was one large mound surrounde
d with numerous smaller ones. This picture shows two of the smaller ones. Around the large tomb are kerbstones with megalithic art inscribed on them. Each one is different and no one knows what they mean o
r whether they are, in fact, just art. Here are a couple of examples.
Next up we went out to visit the Connemara Ponies who really just wanted to be fed but let us pet them anyway.
y the bodhran, a sort of Irish drum. Here are my friends Jackie and Susan showing off their new skills.
et a friendly pig. One of our group chose to kiss it on the nose. Yuck.
rut his stuff. Hard to believe we have only one more day in Ireland but it should be another good one.
Today was mostly spent of the bus but we did have a stop in Waterford. First we visited the Waterford Crystal factory and showroom where many glittery things caught o
ur eyes.
phies.
m.
a community center that does many good works for many different groups, from Downs Syndrome to COPD. If I understood correctly they are somehow affiliated with the Christian Brothers. I couldn’t help but wonder about our priorities in the United States. We can be hyper-critical of the British for turning a blind eye to the potato famine in Ireland but are we really any different as we turn away refugees and ignore the apparently growing numbers of people in our own country living on the streets? At least I didn’t have to feel guilty about spending my money on crystal since I didn’t buy any.
I have over 300 new images today and it has been hard to narrow it down to just a few representative shots. We started the day with some free time in Cork and I headed directly to the English Market which is a photographer’s (and foodie’s) paradise. I finally settled on this imag
e of a real life butcher but there are lots of other wonderful things I could have shown you. Fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, cheese, fish, chicken, chocolates… and on and on.
three claims to historical fame. It was one of the principal points of embarkation during the potato famine. It was the final port of call of the Titanic and it was also a destination of the Lusitania which was sunk just offshore.
grungy textured treatment just to prove I still can.
It was another lovely day to be in Ireland today. We had free time in the town of Killarney this morning so I set out to see St. Mary’s Cathedral. It is very impressive with lots
of stained glass and ornate mosaics. I was particularly impressed, though, by this modern stained glass
Then I swung back around to the Anglican Church which was nearer our hotel but not yet open when I set out. It was smaller but beautifully decorated inside. I had never before seen a painted pipe organ and this stained glass window was more to my taste than some of the more biblical ones.
the country on stipulation that only foot, bicycle or horse traffic would be allowed. I got one last look at the McGuillycuddy’s reeks, the highest mountain range in Ireland at around 3500 feet.
horses and dairy cattle than sheep now, to County Cork and on to Cork City with a stop at Blarney Castle. Even if the cruise ship had not just dumped thousands of people on the place I would not have stood in line to bend over backward and kiss a rock. It’s a little too late for the gift of gab to do me any good anyway.
We set out on the ring of Kerry which is a scenic drive in and around the Killarney National Park and Iveragh Peninsula. Our guide was intent on getting us to lunch on time so there wasn’t much time to photograph the beautiful scenery. We finally had a photo stop along the Dingle Bay. I’d never seen a rainbow quite like this one projected onto the water. And no, I didn’t find the pot of gold.
ut just as we got there the ceiling dropped and the clouds opened up and all we could see was fog and
ne last stop at an overlook with a magnificent view of a glacier carved valley.
me in town tomorrow but I did get a quick shot of one of the horse drawn carts. It is also possible to walk into the Park which is adjacent to the town. One thing for sure, if I don’t like the outcome of the upcoming election I’m moving to Killarney.
Along the way we picked up guide, Shane Connolly, who had quite the accent and quite the sense of humor. Some of us thought he might make it as a stand-up comedian in the U.S. One thing about the Irish is they are very savvy about American politics and like to poke fun at both sides in the current election. But Shane was also very knowledgeable about archeology, natural history and geology and gave us an expert walk through the Burren, a rocky, desolate landscape. He insisted though, that it is of the best land in Ireland for raising cattle because the grass stays fresh in the winter and farmers bring their cattle up here where the limestone covered hills absorb heat from t
he sun so stay warmer than the valleys below.
After lunch we headed out to the Cliffs of Mohr which Patrick tells us is the second most visited site in all of Ireland. The first being the Guinness storehouse in Cork. The crowds are well managed but it does put one in mind of such over loved national parks as Grand Canyon and Yellwostone. I have to say it was quite different from my last visit to the cliffs when it was so foggy you could barely see your hand if front of your face, let alone the cliffs.
Our destination yesterday was Connemara. A beautiful, rugged and somewhat desolate peninsula on the west coast bounded by Killary Harbour on the north and Galway Bay on the south. We only had one photo stop in the morning so I tried to take a few shots out the bus windo
w to give you a sense of the terrain. Along Killary Harbour, which is actually a fjord we saw boats out tending mussel farming operations.
oat. Our guide, Patrick, talked some about sheep farming. He said that it is
which was later purchase by the Benedictine order and used as a girls school. The school is now closed but the Benedictines seem to be doing a good business in tourism. I had visited Kylemore back in the 1990s on my first brief visit to Ireland but the gardens had not been restored at that time so it was a delight to get to see them now. We had a voucher for lunch at the cafeteria where I chose quiche and a salad, at least slightly 
less rich than the usual fare and possibly my first meal in Ireland without potatoes! By the time I had seen the gardens, had lunch, toured the mansion, and explored the gift shop our allotted three hours was well a
nd truly spent.
ery at the Lodge was amazing and I could see getting lost in Connemara for a few weeks, or
Next we proceeded to a heritage center called Cnoc Suain. Not at all the commercial enterprise I had envisioned, here a couple has taken it upon themselves to preserve what they can of Irish culture. They have restored some old cottages out in the middle of the bog lands. We had a demonstration of Gaelic speaking and singing, the making of Irish soda bread (along with a taste, yum), there was a peat fire and we had an opportunity to taste some seaweed. Hoping I never have to rely on that for 
a food source. Next we went to another building for a fascinating talk and demonstration on the peat bogs and how peat is harvested and dried. The sphagnum moss which makes up most of the bog vegetation is actually a great carbon dioxide sink so the burning of peat for fuel is now being discouraged. In the third cottage we met a musician who demonstrated the Irish version of an accordion and a variety of tin whistles. Then some of our group learned an Irish dance. All in all, a fun and interesting stop.