Ireland: chapter IV

Day 9, August 16th

Here and there in Connemara and the Sky road.

Starting from Galway we had an idea of Connemara. First we stopped in Coral Beach, what an amazing place. The sand was made by these little pieces of corals: white, red, orange. Sun was shining, only thing that kept us off the water was the really really strong wind!

 Then on the famous Sky Road, I suggest bike tours over there. Final visit of the day was at Kylemore Abbey and gardens (http://www.kylemoreabbey.com/).

The mountainous valley around Kylemore is an area of old oakwoods which terrace the mountainside. As the story, and wikepedia, goes: Kylemore Castle was built as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy doctor from London, whose family was in textile manufacturing from Manchester, England. He moved to Ireland, when he and his wife, Margaret, purchased the land around the Abbey and became a politician, and was also an MP for County Galway from 1871 to 1885. The castle was designed by James Franklin Fuller and Ussher Roberts. Construction first began in 1867, and took one hundred men four years to complete. The castle covered approximately 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) with over 70 rooms and the principal wall was two to three feet thick. The facade measured 142 feet (43 m) in length and is made of granite brought from Dalkey by sea to Letterfrack and limestone from Ballinasloe. There were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, ballroom, billiard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room and various offices and domestic staff residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants. Several other building including a Gothic cathedral and family mausoleum containing the bodies of Margaret Henry, Mitchell Henry and a great grand nephew.
The Abbey remained in Henry's estate after he returned to England, and the castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1909, they resided there several years, before being forced to sell the house and grounds due to gambling debts. In 1920 the Irish Benedictine Nuns purchased the Abbey castle and lands after they were forced to flee Ypres, Belgium during World War I. Previously the nuns, who had been based in Ypres for several hundred years, had been bombed out of their Abbey during World War I. The nuns continued to offer education to Catholic girls, and opened an international boarding school and established a day school for local girls. They were forced to close the school in June 2010.
The Estate includes large walled Victorian Gardens, which have been open since the 70s, to public tours and 'nature' walks. The Benedictine community have restored the Abbey's gardens and Cathedral with donations and local artisans, in order to be a self-sustaining estate.

 Driving back in Galway enormous black clouds came in and just a moment befor the rain became to fall down heavily we had the luck to get a famous double raimbow from Connemara, huge and complete : D
Second night in Galway.

Day 10, August 17th

At  Clonmacnoise

Leaving Galway for Culain Mhic Nois - Clonmacnoise: founded sometime between 545 and 548 by Ciarán Mac a tSaor, a young man from Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon. Until the 9th century it had close associations with the kings of Connacht. The strategic location of the monastery helped it become a major centre of religion, learning, craftsmanship and trade by the 9th century and together with Clonard it was the most famous in Ireland, visited by scholars from all over Europe. From the ninth until the eleventh century it was allied with the kings of Meath. Many of the high kings of Tara and Connacht were buried here.

 Next was Newgrange. A prehistoric monument located in County Meath, on the eastern side of Ireland, about one kilometre north of the River Boyne. It was built around 3200 BC, during the Neolithic period. There is no agreement about what the site was used for, but it has been speculated that it had some form of religious significance because it is aligned with the rising sun, which floods the stone room with light on the winter solstice. Which should be such spectacular to watch! Thing taht made me shiver: you walk in the hill and in the middle room the stones are the same, never been touched by anyone but the men that worked to build it up!wow...

Last stop of the day was Monasterboice, in the cemetery and around the Church there is a roundtower and three Crosses of the most important founded in Ireland. Nobody was around but if you're passing by I would definitively suggest a quick visit.

Then we landed in Dundalk in a verly lovely B&b, little note: under the heavier rain we got during the two weeks. Dinner in a pub with great music aired on the radio (a change, nobody playing live!) then bed time!

Day 11, August 18th

Drove to Belfast and did a tour of the murals, with a guy explaing you while getting on and off the taxi (http://www.belfastmuraltours.com/ or http://www.belfastcitytours.com/ or you can find many others and decide once you're there). Well I think it was one of the most interesting thing we did. It was really strange to pass from a modern city centre to something totally different, two SIDES of the same city, "peace" walls between them. Really made me think how good ideas andideals may become ideologism (I hope that you can understand what I'm trying to say, pretty difficult to explain in a foreign language) in time.

Lunch and then walked around the city, to the port and to the mall where we left the car. Pretty much bought an entire soda machine to use all the English money we had :P
Dined in a place in the centre of Dundalk after Mass.