Of tiny roads and sheep

Tuesday August 06 2024

It was road trip day, again. The destination being Galway City with a major detour into the Dingle Peninsula and the town of the same name. I knew it would be a drive filled with dramatic views and roadside vistas. What I was unprepared for was an accidental left hand turn that put me on a road the eventually was only as wide as the car and it kept leading upwards into the mountains. There was no going back because there was no where to turn around. There was no space for an oncoming vehicle to pass mine. My hands were glued to the steering wheel and gearshift, my eyes firmly on the road twisting upward. Eventually the descent began. The views were spectacular into the valleys below. There were sheep everywhere including on the road. Unfortunately, I have no photos. All I could do was keep moving at a moderate speed of 15 kms per hour and the journey seemed endless. Eventually, the road descended to normalcy and I was able to recover my equilibrium. There are some photos of the rest of that road trip below. The stop in Dingle didn’t last long. The place was crowded beyond capacity and there was zero parking. Onward, to Galway!

The Eyre Square Hotel in Galway is situated on the square of the same name in the heart of the city. I arrived in time for dinner at the hotel and had a friendly chat with the waiter about the music scene in Galway. I was looking for traditional music. He pointed me in the direction of the Crane Bar where his father took him when he came of age for his first pint of Guiness. However, I decided to save that for the following evening as I needed to be up early for the tour of the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Mohr I had arranged for the following day. It was a full day excursion to Inis Mor Island returning via the cliffs. The outward trip to the island takes approximately an hour and thirty minutes. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing and the sea was seriously rough. It was a major roller coaster ride all the way and there were very few passengers that didn’t need two or three barf bags, me included. The return ferry to Galway was scheduled for 15H30 so we had plenty of time to explore. I opted for a small tour bus ride with guide. My legs weren’t sure where they were and my sense of balance was off! There are four prehistoric hill forts on the island. We had the opportunity to explore one of them on foot. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing fresh and sweet off the sea and the walk did me a world of good.

After a tiny bit of lunch and some shopping for clothing made from Aran wool it was time to hop on the bus and continue the tour. Some of the photos were taken through the bus window so have an odd tinge to them.

At first glance, it seems a wild and desolate place but on closer scrutiny, there is life, lots of wild birds, seals, and fishing. Farming is difficult because the layer of soil is very thin. Sand and soil had to be carried from the beaches after thousands of rocks had been removed from the field. Seaweed and kelp were and are harvested to fertilize the land. Rain water is caught in reservoirs to water plants and animals. Everything else comes by boat from the mainland. Our guide and bus driver had us back at the dock just in time to catch the return ferry. Mercifully, the return voyage was much smoother! The Cliffs of Mohr were barely visible through a fine mist along the coast.

Safely back on more or less dry land in Galway, I decided to see some of the city and check out the Crane Bar. It was a great way to top off the day. The music was great and one of the musicians, Paul, played harmonica, sang and also step danced. Met some folks from Seattle, WA and an audience member sang a cheeky song about Galway Bay.