Author: Lisa

Today’s 13 mile hike from Ballyvaughan to Carran was so much EASIER than yesterday’s trek from Fanore to Ballyvaughan!  Not only did the weather, although overcast, stay dry and mild, but also the climbs and trail were so much smoother than yesterday’s.

The scenery was rocky at times with lots of big boulders

Abundant limestone

Limestone landscape dotted with windswept trees

The reason I take off my boots before entering my hotel and put them on just before exiting

“Bog road” with black shale rock in the trail

Peat, a scarce commodity in the Burren, is dried and used as heating material

The lush green slopes of the small valley of Lissylisheen

A much less muddy trail – rock walls on the sides

6,000-year-old Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, the most famous dolmen in Ireland

Flags at the entrance to Caherconnell Stone Fort – no British or Northern Ireland flag…

Sheepdog demonstration at Caherconnell Stone Fort – four border collies each responding to her own voice commands and whistles – I can see why border collies need work to do – it’s bred into them

A ewe and her twin lambs – same pregnancy with the same ram

Caherconnell Stone Fort, one of three ringforts on today’s expedition

Maybe because I didn’t sleep well last night, even though I was tired.  Maybe because today was my third “half marathon” in a row.  Maybe just ’cause.

But I was tired on my trek today.  Nothing over the top.  Just slow and steady.

There were so many terrains and vistas, which kept me motivated.  Ocean views, climb to a mountain gap, narrow dirt trails, green roads (grass covered), limestone rocks to scuttle over, mucky mud to try to skirt, minor roads, cattle, alpacas, sheep, lambs… Today’s hike had it all.  🙂

Alpacas at the start of the hike in Fanore

Jim and Cathy (from Minnesota) and I leap-frogged all day – they took this pic of me

Black Head – the northwestern-most part of this peninsula

Not alone on the trail!

Looking back towards Fanore from Black Head

A bit of the gnarly trail

Gleninagh Castle

One of many stiles I climbed over

Limestone rock wall

Farmhouse – cool to see after climbing a mountain with a trail similar to Lizzie/Bowden Ranch in SLO

These two lambs kept a close eye on me

Springtime in Ireland

Newtown Castle

Hazel woodland

Tired feet, dirty boot and gaiter – I was so fortunate not to have rain today.  Even with all of the mud, rain would have made today’s trek so much more difficult!

Today’s hike, slightly shorter than yesterday’s at “only” 12 miles, took me first to Doolin Cave and then through farmland to the village of Fanore.  Happily, although the sky looked threatening, no rain today.

Addendum:  Although there was a light drizzle, I headed to O’Connors pub at about 6:30 for a pint and a bowl of chowder.  Thinking I’d be too tired to stay up past 9pm to listen to music, I was surprised when my bartender said the music started at 8pm.  Enjoying my Murphy’s stout and reading my book, I noticed the table next to me receiving a “reserved” sign…and a few minutes later, the band showed up.  What a treat to listen to and chat with the band, who played only a few feet from me.  I mentioned that I sang The Wheels on the Bus, Emmett’s current fave, while hiking today – and they, of course, had to play it!  Later, these two high school students asked if they could join in for a true O’Connors session.  Another fun Irish evening!

View of Cliffs of Moher just outside my BnB

Throughout my trek, there are many ruins mixed in with newer buildings

A short detour took me to Doolin Cave which boasts the largest stalactite in the world at over seven meters long

Stalactite soda straws

Heather, found all along the trail

Farmhouse

Atlantic Ocean with a tower in the distance

A waymarker for the Burren Way

As the trail meandered and with no one around me, I sang at full volume!

The village of Fanore

Trad music in O’Connors Pub

Yesterday morning, after a fabulous week of traveling together, I gave Ben, Kait, Grey, and Emmett big hugs and took a taxi, two trains, one bus, and another taxi from Kilkea Castle to Liscannor for the start of Phase 3 of my Irish Adventure.

For this phase, I’m hiking the Burren Way.  Scheduled through Hillwalk Tours, I’m on a weeklong (seven days – which is really six nights with five hiking days 😊) supported self-guided trek in western Ireland.

Today’s 13 mile walk from Liscannor to Doolin took me through the beautiful Cliffs of Moher.  With only a slight drizzle for part of the way, the view was incredible.  The mud…also incredible!  🤣

In my Liscannor hotel, ready to begin my hike

Liscannor

On the trail, I saw cattle and sheep

I couldn’t find a pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow!

Hag’s Head, the beginning of the Cliffs of Moher

Signal tower built during Napoleonic times by the British government

Mid-hike with Cliffs of Moher in the background

Cairns and the cliffs

Cliffs of Moher

Tide-pool

Rocks…?  They seem to be too small to be a tomb marker…

Doonagore Castle, a round 16th-century ‘tower house’

These boots (and gaiters!) were made for walking…through lots and lots of mud!

A highlight of our time at Kilkea Castle, we experienced the majesty of owls, hawks, and a falcon on the gorgeous grounds with the magnificent castle as our backdrop.

Bernard, our committed and knowledgeable falconer, spoke passionately in detail as he not only showed us the birds, allowing us to hold all of them, but also educated us on their history, lifestyle, and eating habits.

Owls

Red-tailed Hawk

Harris Hawk

Falcon

Bernard, our falconer

For two glorious days, we stayed at Kilkea Castle.  Dating back to 1180, Kilkea Castle was once the medieval stronghold of the FitzGerald’s, Earls of Kildare. Now it is a luxurious resort with 180 acres of landscaped gardens, ancient woodland, and a meandering river.

During our stay, we explored the castle grounds, indulged in beverages in the castle keep, and, which I’ll showcase in my next post, experienced the majesty of falconry.

Kilkea Castle

Castle Grounds

Hailstorm!

Mullaghreelan Hike

Team photo by selfie extraordinaire Greyson! ❤️

Today, I took a tour, along with about 60 other people, to Kilkenny, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, and a sheep farm!

In Kilkenny, we explored Kilkenny Castle and climbed the Round Tower at St. Canice’s Cathedral.  Next, we moved into the Wicklow Mountains, viewing the Wicklow Gap from the highest point.  From there, our big bus traveled the winding roads to Glendalough where we toured the Monastic City and hiked to the two lakes.  At our final stop, a sheep farm that has been in the same family’s hands for over four generations, we watched a border collie herd sheep and learned about the farm.  I enjoyed, too, holding a two-week old lamb!

Kilkenny Castle

The Round Tower at St. Canice’s Cathedral (121 steps)

Wicklow Gap

Glendalough

Sheep Farm

Early Monday morning, I walked to the bus station in Belfast for one of the easiest “transition days” ever!  The Dublin Express to Dublin was quick, efficient, and clean.  Once I arrived in Dublin, I walked only two blocks to a store I found on the app Bounce where I could securely store my luggage for the day.  From there, I meandered around Dublin, following Rick Steves’ audio tour and snapping photos all along the way.  In the afternoon, after lunch and the Irish Whiskey Museum (yum yum!), I retrieved my luggage and hopped onto the tram to Heuston Train Station where I met Ben, Kait, Greyson, and Emmett.  Big smiles and even bigger hugs!

Sarah, our AirBnB host, greeted us at the train station and drove us – including our luggage and the accoutrements needed for a toddler! – to her fabulous home next to Phoenix Park.

Over the next two days, the five of us saw The Book of Kells, Trinity College, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Guinness Storehouse, Christ Church, Dublinia Museum, Dublin Castle, Grafton Street, and St. Stephen’s Green.  Wowza!

Fun – and creative – too, Greyson and I forged our own silver rings at a craft class the second evening!

St. Stephen’s Green

Bronze plaque honoring James Joyce (Grafton Street)

Ha’Penny Bridge

One of many monuments commemorating the struggles for Irish independence along O’Connell Street

General Post Office bullet hole

Garden of Remembrance

Trinity College

Trinity College Library (Book of Kells photography not allowed)

Guinness Storehouse

With our silver rings!

Dublin Castle

Magna Carta – Christ Church

View of Christ Church from top of Dublinia Museum

For this final set of photos from Belfast, I’m grouping images based on where I visited.

During my four days in this city, in addition to many other places, I visited…

The Titanic Museum

Crumlin Road Gaol

City Hall

Queen’s University

Botanical Gardens

The Dirty Onion

The Crown Liquor Saloon…

…where I had my first Guinness!

*Note: Although photos may exist of me dancing to Irish music in a pub, none are on my camera or phone!  🤣

Oh, wow!  This is going to be hard – culling all of my photos of Belfast into manageable chunks for posting!

This post has somewhat random street scenes. Note how much I love capturing murals!

Murals around town

Street scenes

Icons of Belfast

Albert Clock (“Leaning Clock” – one of my navigational markers!)

Big Fish

Samson and Goliath

It was a cold and blustery day…

Really cold.

Really blustery.

And rainy, too.

Regardless, I joined Finn McCool’s tour of the Giants Causeway and saw the magnificence of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Giants Causeway

Dunluce Castle

Gracehill Mansion

Dark Hedges

I’m writing this after a long day of touring, walking, and exploring – following a night dealing with jet lag and travel weariness.

Regardless, I want to document how I’m feeling at this time.

This morning, I took a private Political Murals tour of Belfast.  My guide, Joe, did a fantastic job explaining the complexities of the conflict, including the political, economic, and religious contributions.  He also talked in detail about the effects on lives of both Catholics and Protestants.  His stories about his sisters getting shipped off to England, his brother being kneecapped, and going to church with members of the IRA captivated me.  Balanced, he called out the terrorists on both sides of the conflict. 

While he was speaking, I concentrated so hard on understanding his accent that I couldn’t fully process everything – until now. Looking at my photos is giving me the space to reflect and process.

I can’t look at my photos and not think about what I saw in Berlin…similar wall… Or Israel and Gaza… Or…everywhere else in the world divided by power, anger, and terrorism.

When, oh when!, will we ever be able to live together in peace???

Called the “Peace Wall,” it’s really 60 walls separating the Catholics and the Protestants.

This wall on the Catholic side shows how houses have a “grenade cage” to protect homes if a grenade is thrown over the wall.

Gates in the walls are closed every night (around 6:00-7:00 pm) and opened every morning (about 6:30am).  Although there are ways around them, one must drive a meandering route, making it harder for a terrorist to escape.

Murals on the Catholic side…

…and the Protestant side.

A wall of murals on the Catholic side was repainted supporting the Palestinians, which will stay up until there’s a permanent ceasefire.

The Protestants hang Israeli flags and support the Israelis.  Very upsetting is, as Joe said, Protestants will hang Israeli flags along with swastikas!