Ireland

Dear Family and Friends,

From England, we continued our summer vacation by taking a quick flight from London to Dublin to see a little bit of Ireland. From the time we touched down, we could tell we were in an altogether different place. Firstly, all of signs were written in both English and Irish. Secondly, everyone with whom we came in contact had a thick Irish accent that was sometimes hard to understand. Third, where much of England has turned brown in the summer sun, Ireland was bright green, wet, and cool. As we were escaping the hot Provence temperatures, this didn't bother us too much, but it did require us to dress in layers.



Once we arrived and had located our hotel for the evening (The Red Cow), we drove into downtown Dublin to visit St. Michan's church where some of Julie's ancestors are reportedly burried. While the gravestones around the small, unassuming church were unreadable before 1830, we did manage to find a small plaque in the interior of the church dedicated the founders of the parish, including the relative for whom we were searching.



Since we were already there and wanted to get more information on the history of the church, we decided to take a short tour which included a visit to the crypts. Each of us decended through a steel door and down some steep steps into tunnels dug beneath the church centuries ago.



All along the corridor were small dark rooms in which coffins dating from the 11th century were stacked in a rather haphazard manner. In some cases, the sides of coffins had split and we were able to peer in at the mideval occupants inside, complete with skin and clothing. Of course, the highlight of this tour was the opportunity to see three completely open coffins, which included mummified remains of an early nun, a reformed criminal, and a crusader. As a token of good luck, the tour guide invited us to rub the extended finger of the crusader, but although Elyse gave it some thought, ultimately none of us were brave enough to accept the challenge.



Following our surreal brush with the dead, we attended an evening performance of Riverdance in downtown Dublin. Although we had seen Riverdance on television, it was quite an experience to see the world-renowned performers live in Ireland. The show included singing, dancing, and of course Irish music. Elyse was particularly impressed with the fiddler, who was able to play amazingly fast while always keeping a smile on her face. Nicolas' favorite part was a dancing duel between Irish dancers and American rythym and blues tap dancers. The frequent scence changes and switching between dancing, singing, and the Irish band kept all of our attention throughout the show.



The following day, we drove from Dublin to the town of Killarney in southern Ireland. We spent the evening looking in the various woolen shops before sitting down to an Irish diner of steak and fish.



Joe also took the opportunity to listen in on some live Irish music.



The purpose of our trip to Killarney was to drive around the Ring of Kerry. After departing the city, our first stop was at the Muckross House where we caught a jaunting car, or a two-wheeled Irish carriage, to tour the massive estate. With our Irish guide giving us historical information and beautiful views all around, this was one of our favorite parts of our trip.



Our driver dropped us off near the mansion, where we were able to explore the gardens and grounds. However, since Nathaniel resolved to put a gash over his eye while climbing on the rocks, this was decidedly not one of our favorite parts of the trip.



We continued our drive through Killarney National Park and up above the lakes. However, we stopped frequently to take pictures of streams or scenery that caught our attention along the way.



We located a trail head near the summit of the hills and set out on a brief hike. As we got further and further into the hills, the scenery become more impressive and we were able to see the coast in the distance.



Unfortunately, the further we went, the wetter the ground became to the point where there were very few dry places to step. In fact, the whole mountain seemed to be seeping water from underground and with the exception of Joe, everyone's feet were soaked by the time we returned to the car.



We continued our drive along the ring road, occassionally taking a detour to drive narrow roads lined with rock walls. After some time, we arrived at the coastal town of Waterville. Though very picturesque with colorful buildings and a rocky coast, this town will be forever remembered as stop number ~20, or one of the numerous bathroom breaks we took for Nathaniel who started dancing in his seat every fifteen minutes despite our futile attempts at reason.



In the evening, we stopped in Rossbeigh to allow the kids to have some freedom after a long drive. There, they took turns jumping off the large sandunes and looked for shells. They even got to prod a rather large jellyfish that had washed up on shore and were somewhat disappointed when Joe refused to pick it up and move it to the safety of deeper water.



Our final stop of the day was at the bog village not far from Killarney. Here, we were able to tour several preserved bog village huts in order to have a better idea of what life was like for people living in the region.



Near several of the huts, there were mounds of peat, the main fuel source for many Irish even today. This substance is comprised on decayed plant matter and is harvested from bogs. When burned, it gives off a unique odor that sticks to one's clothes.



The inside of the roof of the houses was also lined with peat. Also, some of the huts were divided into two sections, one for the livestock and the other for the farmers.



Water is the dominant theme of Ireland. Villages that are not directly on the coast usually have a river or lake close by as is the case with the town of Killorglin.



On our last day in Ireland, we stopped briefly to look around the 15th century Ross Castle on the shore of Lough (lake)Leane.



Finally, we took an hour hike through the forests of Killarney National Park. It seems that everything in the forest is green, even the rocks and trunks of trees.



At the end of our hike, we arrived at Torc Waterfall.

Best Wishes,

Joe, Julie, Nicolas, Elyse, and Nathaniel