What a life! Waking up in a luxurious spacious room in an Irish castle! The plaque on the door says “Johnny Cash” and we are told that he indeed slept here! Dinner and breakfast are served in what must have once been a glorious ballroom. Markree Castle has been owned by the Cooper family for over 350 years.
Markree Castle dining room
Today we are exploring western Ireland – the province of Connacht and Connemara National Park. First stop this morning is Westport, Co. Mayo. We want to exchange some $$ for Euros, but the first bank won’t take our $100 bills because forged bills have been a problem in Ireland. The next bank says OK, but only $500. Then we go sweater-shopping for Bob – it is very cold here, and he’s been borrowing our driver’s leather coat for the past 2 days
On the road again, we stop at Croagh (pronounced croak) Patrick – or Mt. Patrick, named for St Patrick, of course. According to legend, he fasted for 30 days on the top of this mountain (back in the 5th century), and folks have been making pilgrimages to the site ever since. We don’t take that hike, but we do check out the National Famine Monument across the street. When the potato crop failed between 1845 and 1850, this part of Ireland lost about one million people to starvation or disease and another million to emigration. This sculpture commemorates that episode in Irish history. http://www.croagh-patrick.com/natfamine.html
National Famine MonumentWe meander across hardscrabble terrain and stop to take pictures of some obliging, photogenic sheep.
Near Oughterard in Co. Galway, another photo opp. is the famous “Quiet Man Bridge,” so called because it was featured in the movie by that name starring John Wayne, whose photo is posted near-by.
Quiet Man Bridge
Galway city itself is a vibrant university town, and the pedestrian streets of the “Claddagh” area are filled with people
Galway
There are many colorful signposts all along our way, and we finally ask Kevin to stop so we can snap a picture of one. From this one it was only 16K to the fascinating village of Lisdoonvarna, which is known for its annual matchmaking festival!
Matchmaking in Lisdoonvarna
Almost to our destination for the night, we enter Co Clare and the area called the Burren – meaning “rocky land.” We arrive in Doolin and our B&B, aptly named Sea View House. We enjoy dinner and a pint in a great little pub nearby, complete with live music, looking forward to the Cliffs of Moher tomorrow
View from Seaview House
LOVE the castle, smiling sheep, Quiet Man Bridge (how old is that?) and the quaint, countryside view from the Seaview House. How amazingly cool is it to have a village aptly known for it's annual matchmaking festival? We need one of those festivals in the US. What a funny concept to be known for...enjoy Cliffs of Moher, get lots of pics...(Googled and it looks exquisitely fantastic)! :)'s!
ReplyDeleteI think it was in the potato famine that Mom's relatives came over. I'll have to dig out my notes now and see where they came from.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing place!
Bob and Leslie: We're enjoying our round the world trip with you guys-thanks for all the good photos and commentary. We stayed at the Markree Castle, as well, and our girls ended up sleeping in the "highest room in the tallest tower." Romeo didn't show up to serenade them (nor did Johnny Cash, come to think of it), but we have fond memories nonetheless. Keep sending those exciting updates! Rick and Martha
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