Two Thousand Pictures

Here we are, Road Trip through Ireland part two! After leaving the beautiful area of Connemara, we traveled cross-country, hopping to the other side of the island. 

Aughnanure Castle

Probably one of the few castles I visited that fits into the typical stereotype of a castle--you know, the whole lords, princes, princesses, moat, outer wall as a first line of defense, and peepholes for shooting arrows as the last ditch defense bit--Aughnanure Castle certainly had its charms. Left pretty much as it was, the Castle contained no furniture, nothing at all but drafty castle rock, except for a few informational signboards and a still-functional spiral staircase tucked into the corner. The three of us climbed up the windy, ever-narrower staircase all the way to the top, several stories up. 

Aughnanure Castle

A brief glimpse of the Burren, nothing but a vast expanse of rock, and the coastline in county Clare

The Cliffs of Moher

What's a visit to Ireland, without a stop to the Cliff of Moher? A wasted one, pretty much. The cliffs are stunning, especially the section marked: Stay off, no trespassing. Ah well, can't read 'em all. Our generous B&B host offered to give us a ride to the cliffs, dropping us off amidst the green fields, trampled by cows. The next little while was marked by tramping through fields, climbing over gates, and tip-toeing past the ferocious--ly chewing cows to climb out to the cliffs. The initial view was nothing short dazzling, and it wasn't the worse for the wear as time wore on.

Brian's Tower

Dromore Wood

The Rock of Cashel

In other words, giant ruin on a hill, equipped with the standard graveyard. Unfortunately, I never did snap a photo from a distance, but this ruin was massive. 

Kilkenny Castle

Probably my favorite castle in Ireland, Kilkenny Castle was completely restored to all its former grandeur. Complete with library, art gallery, and themed decorations, Kilkenny Castle lived up to its name.

Question: How often does one get to lie on the grass?

Answer: In four of the better months, three times. 

Glendalough

Tucked into a corner of the Wicklow Mountains is the wee town of Glandalough, which contains half a road, one lone hotel, a stray billy goat, and a dozen tour buses. Do the numbers compute? Not exactly. But the charms of Glendalough draw tourists like cell phones draw sticky kid-hands. And I could see why. Between the leisurely walk around the lakes and the mystery of the monastic city, I really enjoyed my time in Glendalough.

The Monastic City

Powerscourt Falls

Mount Usher Gardens
A pretty little garden, and voted the best scone in Ireland!

The coolest looking flowers ever. The picture just doesn't do them justice. 

Carbury, Kildare, Ireland

Of course, we couldn't visit Ireland without stopping to visit the place where my predecessors lived, an out-of-the-way place known as Carbury, just west of Dublin, and probably inside the area known as the Pale in not-so-ancient history. You might refer to it as a one horse town. But I'd probably refer to it as a one pub town, and considering the locale, that's saying something. 

We stopped at the only church in town. Closed, surrounded by old gravestones and the constant cawing of crows, it showed all the hallmark signs of a classic horror film. 

Unfortunately, we didn't locate any graves marked Carrigan. Nor did a drive around town 

enlighten us any further.

Knowth and Newgrange

On our way out of Dublin, we stopped at one last place: Bru na Boinne, the visitors' centre for both Knowth and Newgrange. What are they? The easiest answer is man-made structures of rock and earthen material. What were the used for? Well, that's still up for grabs. Burial grounds? Sacred sites? Living space? All of the above? 

Knowth

Newgrange

The opening above the entrance allows sunlight to pierce the central chamber for a brief space of time during the winter solstice. Seems like an awful lot of effort to ensure about fifteen minutes of light, once a year if (and a big if) the sun is even shining. What was the motivation?

And on the enigmatic note, that's a wrap for my adventures in Ireland. Wherever will the path lead next? I don't really known. Until then, slan!