It is going to be difficult blogging on my phone after a long wallow of a very hot bath in the peat-colored water of Cashel House, lying between extremely soft Irish linen sheets as Megan showers over there ... Zzzz... Oh yes, where was I?
Today we went to the Aran Islands!!! Well to the biggest one, Inish More.
We got up early and had a nice Irish breakfast (including my lovely Porridge and Whole Wheat Sodabread). Then we drove to the ferry landing, once more not trusting our instincts and going far enough, and arriving late and nearly missing the boat. The ride over was extremely hairy as the boat prow beneath us smashed into the 10-foot rollers. Megan felt sick and had to go on deck. Special times in the Atlantic.
Took about an hour to get there. Once into the harbor we perused the line of buses with distaste. Megan declared she did not want to go in another diesel-smelling vehicle. Just then a nice sixtyish Irishman called Padraigh Connelly came up hat in hand and politely asked if we would like a tour of the island in his horse trap, for only 25 Euros. Would we EVER!!! In joy, we followed him to his lovely green side-seat carriage and his sweet little mare Grace, and then proceeded a wonderful 5 hours of exploration of the island as we clopped behing wee Grace. SUCH FUN!
The wind was sweet and fair off the Atlantic, with many long doses of the Yellow Thing, and only 3 or 4 monsoons. We saw the seal colony, lots of Connemaras and Irish Cobs in pastures and in fellow carts, lovely houses old and new and walls that were probably 2,000 to 3,000 years old. He showed us houses abandoned in the Famine, but he said 800 or people so came over to the Island in the Famine time as the fishing was so good. We saw graveyards with gorgeous Celtic crosses, and the flat rocky landscape that he said was all there was till settlers made the earth out of seaweed and sand and manure and imported peat. Inch by inch they piles stones for walls and made earth. Padraigh said the biggest trade used to be peat for fish, as there are no peat bogs on the island, but very good springs.
He left us at the base of the great hill fort Dun Aengus, and we had a long merry climb up the switchbacked hill to the high-stone-walled eyrie above the sea. Utterly glorious cliffs like the Cliffs of Moher, only crowned with an astonishing hill fort.
Megan got Archeological and taught me a bit about it till the monsoon drove us down the hill for postcards.
We explored the ancient church that dated from 700 AD - sigh- I put a stone on the small altar of stones for Indian Point and Towhee both, and I prayed for our loved ones living and dead. Then back in the trap (with one more nice lady fromSpain aboard) for the exploration of the only other road on the island, the High Road. On it we saw old style thatched roof houses and a wee leprechaun house like the one we had seen by Dun Aengus. Padraigh said the leprechauns were all in the pub.
It was over too soon and we had to say goodbye to Padraigh and Grace. We wandered through the sweater shops, tried on many and did not buy one, had a scone and off to the quai for the much-less-bouncy ride back. On the way back once again Megan was convinced we were lost and wanted to ask everyone the way, but when we finally did ask we were once more on the exact right road, we just hadn't been patient enough to get to the next intersection :)
We had a nice, long, leisurely pub dinner and discussed things near and dear to the two of us; what at Whitman we would have called an "HDR". And once again we were wat too sleepy to go out to a pub for music that started at 10pm; a good thing too as we had to get all packed to load out tomorrow bright and early for 6 hours in the car!
I hate to leave Connemara; am very glad we chose this place to hunker down for three very horsey days :)
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