There is wild fuchsia growing in the hedgerows which gives a striking burst of color on a grey day. I walked along the coast today, taking pictures. I caught a bush full of fluttering goldfinches. I’d been looking for black backed gulls, and was just sneaking up on a group of them when a dog ran along the beach and startled them all. There are great and lesser black backed gulls in this bunch, as well as herring and black…
Having done the bottom left hand corner of Ireland we set off yesterday for the bottom right hand corner, passing through Waterford (where the famous crystal factory has sadly gone out of business) to Wells House in Wexford. We visited for their “hawk walk”, an hour long hands on falconry class. Paula and I both got to have the birds (Harris Hawks native to the Americas) land our our wrists multiple times, and learned about their training. However, it turns…
Ireland, land of many surprises. Green post boxes, and black traffic cones. Today we took a loop drive down the Beara Peninsula before heading back to Ardmore. The weather was cold, grey, windy, and damp, which one of the locals told us was typical summer weather here. Still, the scenery is beautiful. We debated whether the sheep perched on the rocky hillsides were incredibly surefooted, or just too stupid to know that was really dangerous. At Allihies near the end…
Everyone knows that you shouldn’t invade Russia in the winter season. It’s also true that you can’t invade Afghanistan at all. The British Empire failed twice, the Soviet Empire failed, and the American Empire had failed but refuses to admit it. I’ll add another military maxim to that. Don’t try to invade the British Isles in sailboats. It hasn’t worked since 1066. The weather will get you if the British Navy doesn’t. There’s a statue in Bantry to the last…
We checked some more items off the Ireland bucket list today. There was the Irish pub that doubles as an estate agent (US: realtor) and undertaker. I guess it makes sense that if you die from alcohol poisoning then can drop you straight into the coffin right there in the pub and then sell your house. This, incidentally, was in Midleton, home of the Jameson Irish Whiskey distillery, so there is no shortage of embalming fluid. Midleton was having a…
This morning we took a guided sea kayak tour along the coast. There were three other visitors on the tour, all about forty years younger than us, but they managed to keep up with us. It was a really interesting tour. We went past a five star hotel with the grass growing on the roof in a pathetic attempt to be less visible. That blue float is the target for a golf driving range where the hotel guests can drive…
Just pictures today
The local cattle are cute, friendly, and tasty. We were walking along the beach today, and a group of them came over to say hello. Paula tried being a cow whisperer, but they stayed a respectful distance behind the electric fence. I think I mentioned there is a art gallery in town devoted to cows. Just to be clear, the cows are not the artists, it’s just that the art is about cows. Right now I’m listening to Horslip’s The…
Paula neglected the legend of how her grandfather came to America flying on a battle swan. Since a swan cannot carry a whole human (that would be silly) he had to leave his legs behind, but unencumbered by a body they were able to run across the Atlantic and got to the North Side of Chicago before he arrived. (If you think that’s unlikely, just wait till we visit the Blarney Stone). After we had visited the ancestral territory of…
My maternal grandfather was born in Ireland. Years ago, my Mom had been here and she took a picture of the ancestral home being used as a farm building. The area was clearly not a tourist destination. But, on a whim, I asked a few cousins if they had any info about Grandpa. After poking around on line, and with info and encouragement from my dear cousin Regina, we trundled off to Saint Mary’s Church Newmarket Co Cork, established in…