Shipwrecked on Inis Oirr

My trip to the Aran Islands a week and a half ago was the last of my big trips for the semester, and probably was one of my most favorite. Going to the islands was a breath of fresh air - literally - and almost like going back in time due to the traditional nature of the island population. There are three islands altogether - Inis Mor, Inis Meain, and Inis Oirr - and they are best known for their beautiful landscapes and the preservation of the Gaelic language. We went to Inis Oirr (pronounced Inisheer) which is the smallest and arguably the most beautiful out of the three, with a population of only approximately 250 people. 

About 5 miles off the west coast of Ireland, Inis Oirr has been inhabited for at least 5000 years and is just under 3 square kilometers or 1400 acres in size. We were lucky to have beautiful weather for the day, although I have to say that waiting for the ferry at the Doolin pier I thought I was going to freeze. There were blue skies and crashing Atlantic waves, the latter causing the ferry to have rather a bumpy ride for those of us who are prone to seasickness.

One of the first things we came to after getting off the ferry was this ancient burial mound, Cnoc Raithni. The mound was revealed after a storm in 1885, revealing the earliest evidence of settlement on the island. Cnoc Raithni dates back to 1500 BC during the Bronze Age. According to some Irish legends, the people buried beneath the mound had fled to the island in order to escape invaders. 

The next stop on our walk around the island was up on a hill at the site of a small graveyard. But even more interesting than the old burials is the fact that in a sunken hollow in the ground lies the ruins of an ancient church. Teampall Chaomhan, or Church of St. Keevaun, dates back to sometime around the 10th century and was for a long time buried in sand.

The church is only visible upon climbing the relatively large hill, which overlooks most of the island and the Atlantic Ocean. Caomhan, who is the patron saint of Inis Oirr, is buried somewhere in the graveyard as well and residents of the island blow sand from the ruins on an annual basis.

Cattle were historically a very significant commodity in Ireland and there was definitely no shortage of cows on the island. Due to the timing of our trip almost all of the cows were either pregnant or had new babies. It was so cute watching the new babies try to fight with each other - having no horns to do anything with. Also their fuzzy coats were extremely soft and fun to touch (as weird as that may sound).

Because of the small size of the island, there are walking trails all along the coast. Rather than splitting up and doing our own thing, most of us on the trip decided to stick together and walk some of the trails which proved to be a really beautiful few hours. With the rock walls everywhere it was a bit like walking through a maze.

There were also several horses roaming around the island. This guy, poor thing, had to deal with us all wanting to stroke him and take pictures with him. Like the cows, most of the native horses in Ireland are fuzzy, resembling more of a pony than a horse.

About half way along our walk we came across a small lake surrounded by low stone walls and fields of grass. Seemingly insignificant, Loch Mor has revealed pollen samples which lead archaeologists to believe that the island was originally covered in forest thousands of years ago. That image is almost hard to believe considering what the island looks like now, with very few trees in sight. 

The history of Inis Oirr is greatly linked with the sea. The Atlantic provided food for the people living on the island and protected them from famine, as well as creating many different jobs for the population. This particular rock "beach" is known as Carraig na Finise and depending on the visibility and the weather you can see the Cliffs of Moher in the distance. Inis Oirr was also shown on TV during the 1990s, when it was used as a backdrop for the credits of a sitcom called "Father Ted" which was set on a craggy island.

Above the high tide mark off the coast of Carraig na Finise lies the Plassey shipwreck. The ship, "Plassy" was wrecked sometime around 1960 after colliding with a rock beneath the surface of the water.

The stricken cargo vessel remained underwater for several years and then was later washed ashore after a storm caused rough waves to unearth the wreck. Fortunately the wreck was easily visible from onshore of the island and the islanders were able to rescue all passengers.

Since looking at the wreck wasn't enough, a few of us decided to break the rules and climb inside the rusted remains of the ship. There were holes in the floor and the walls, and while it wasn't closed in enough to be creepy it was still a little weird to be inside a ship that we knew had been at the bottom of the ocean for years with only fish for company.  I wasn't as adventurous as some, who somehow managed to climb all the way up to the top deck and back down in one piece.

You may be thinking: what is so great about this picture? Well, I'll tell you. These, my friends, are potatoes! We always think about potatoes and the Great Famine when we think about Ireland, but honestly up until that weekend I hadn't hardly seen potatoes in the store let  alone growing in the ground. I didn't recognize them at first because they were covered in sand, but I was strangely excited about seeing genuine Irish potatoes.

The natural landscape of the island is so beautiful and so unique. Due to the nature of the land and the fact that the islanders try to preserve the Gaelic heritage, the main form of transportation is either jaunting cars or tractors. There are also several types of flora which are unique to Inis Oirr, and it greatly resembles the Burren area of County Clare on the mainland with bare limestone rocks. The stone walls cover most of the island, and at one point the limestone rises to around 60 meters above sea level. The full trail around the island takes about 4 hours in total so we decided just to cover half of the island in order to be able to visit all the heritage sites we wanted to see.

I posed this picture because of the nature of the sheep in it. If you don't notice anything odd right away then look a little closer. The baby lamb in the picture has a tail which reaches almost all the way to the ground! Several of the people on the trip noticed because, funnily enough, many of them had always just assumed that sheep were born without tails. However, since I knew that sheep were in fact born with tails but that they were cut off at a very young age, I was rather amused that his tail had been allowed to grow out.  I never really understood why we couldn't just leave them alone, but all the same it was so unnatural to see a sheep with a long tail that I simply had to take a picture. Plus, he was really cute.

Perhaps the most notable monuments on the island is Caislean Ui Bhriain, or O'Brien's Castle. The imposing three story tower dates back to the 16th century and was built within a Stone Age fort, called Dun Formna. The O'Brien family who built the castle actually owned the island up until 1585, and as the castle lies atop the highest part of the island they must have had the most terrific views.

The signal tower, which is just up the road from the castle, is almost equally imposing though it was built much later in 1804. Bryan and I happened to break the rules once again and we ducked under the barriers to the tower so we could explore the inside. Behind the tower are more ruins but of what we weren't exactly sure as there were no signs and obviously no one else there to ask. So we just contented ourselves with sticking our noses in things and climbing over aging stone walls.

O'Brien's Castle has deteriorated in such a way that if you look at the corners and such you can see sort of a staircase-like shape. Since I had climbed on all sorts of things already I suppose there was no doubt I had to scale this castle too. There's something about climbing to the top of an old ruin and looking out that just can't be matched.

This is me and Bryan - he is the crazy one sticking out of the window. While I was all for breaking the rules and climbing all over the castle like a monkey, those of you who really know me know that I am an accident waiting for something to happen...all the time. I don't even have to be standing up to hurt myself so I decided to err on the side of caution and just hang out up there rather than experience diving at a whole new level.

This is what the castle looked like from the bottom of the hill. Looking at all those layers of rock with the castle situated at the top, its easy to imagine how impressive it must have looked all those many hundreds of years ago when the ruins were in their original state. Clearly building on that hill was a defensive strategy but all the same it must have been truly amazing.

Our last stop before leaving the island was the beach. We had passed it on our way to the start of our walk around the island after getting off the ferry but the clouds and brief shower of rain had deterred us from wanting to stay. Now the sun was out and there was hardly any wind, so we decided to hang out and poke around in the small tidal pools that  were hidden amid the holey rocks. Muscles in particular dominated this part of the island, and unlike the ugly gray and black muscles that I see when I'm at the beach at home, these muscles were a pretty blue color. Personally, I hate seafood. But these things were so fun to look at and they literally covered the surface of almost every rock on that beach.

The beach is beautiful and extremely clean, apparently winning an award almost every year for its cleanliness and pretty sand. The water is amazingly clear and you can clearly see many different shades of blue which was awesome. It's also incredibly cold which isn't surprising considering the fact that it is the Atlantic Ocean after all. The beach is right next to the pier and peoples' favorite pastime during the summer months is to sit on the pier and drop a line in.

This is me and another guy who went on most of the trips for international students, Bryan. The funny thing about this picture looking back is that we got so sun burnt. Before we left for the island, our tour guide Cillian told us he hoped we all brought sunblock....we just laughed. You have to understand that for most of us from the U.S. it has been ridiculously cold and windy for almost our entire stay in Ireland. When we were waiting on the pier for the ferry I was wearing my sweatshirt, a winter jacket, and a scarf, and I was still cold. But by the end we were both "crunchy" as Bryan called it and I even peeled a few days later. Who would have thunk!

A great part of the ferry ride was being able to see the Cliffs of Moher off in the distance. It  feels like so long since I was there back in February, and we never really got to see the entirety of the cliffs since we were on top of them looking down. It also took me back to a few years ago when I took a ferry across the English Channel and saw the White Cliffs of Dover. Other than the occasional bout of seasickness, I really do love being out on the water and I thoroughly enjoyed getting a whole different perspective on some things that I had seen from the mainland.

Overall the ferry ride took between 30-50 minutes. It didn't feel that long while we were on the boat, but then thankfully I didn't feel sick on the way back to Doolin pier. Since the weather had warmed up noticeably and there were hardly any clouds we enjoyed being on the deck rather than below.

If you look closely, in this picture you can see the fin and a hint of the body of a dolphin. I did not expect to see dolphins in Ireland, and actually have never really seen one outside an aquarium, but we had the privilege of having a dolphin follow us on the ferry. On the way to Inis Oirr he jumped alongside the ferry and then when we got back he was waiting for us again. I've always loved going to the aquarium but I have to say it is so amazing to see animals like this in their natural habitat.

Our last stop was a little village in County Clare on the way home, called Kilfenora. Currently known as "The Gateway to the Burren," in years past the village was referred to as the city of the crosses as it has one of the highest concentrations of old Celtic high crosses in all of Ireland. The Cathedral we visited was originally built in 1189, and since then there has been construction in the form of a high glass ceiling in order to preserve the six major crosses which remain there. The cathedral is small in size but looked to be an amazing construction during its time of use.

As I said before, the Aran Islands trip was probably my most favorite out of all the ones I went on this semester. I got to hear pure Gaelic for the first time and it really was like being in a different country because most of the signs weren't in English. I don't know that I could live there, so far away from normal modern conveniences, but it was a fantastic place to visit.

Galway: City of the Tribes

Well, I'm finally getting to the last of the trips grandma and I took during Spring Break. Her last weekend here was Easter weekend and we decided to take a day trip to Galway. I don't know what I expected Galway to be like but we ended up having a really interesting day in a city that was unlike any of the others we had been to. 

Galway is also known as the "Bilingual Capital of Ireland" and is most associated with music and art and other traditional Irish culture. In its entirety there are approximately 1 million people living in and around Galway and it is a popular tourist location. The city also has a rich history of international trade, having been the principal port for trade with Spain and France during the Middle Ages and supposedly being visited by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century. After a nine month siege with the Cromwellian troops Galway fell into disrepair until the early to mid twentieth century, when an economic boom helped rebuild the city.

After having a lovely breakfast in a bustling cafe we stumbled upon, we found a large mall to wander around in. While Dublin had had a relatively decent mall, I hadn't come across any mall that resembled ones I had been in at home in the States so it was really fun to walk around and look in a bunch of the shops. Besides finding lots of cafes and gift shops, we also found this large tower in the center where grandma was able to get a poster of sorts with the family history of our ancestors' surname. There are in reality a great deal of shops around Ireland that do that sort of thing but we had never really thought of getting one before, and it was a nice souvenir to take home. 

Following our mall exploration we just decided to wander the main streets and window shop. There were definitely a lot of people around and it was fun just to walk around and watch people, and to not be in a hurry to see or do anything in particular. I was really excited to find a gelato shop on the main street as I hadn't had any since I was in Venice a few years ago. In addition, I found out grandma had never had gelato - that had to be remedied at once! It was relatively cold outside and there was no where to sit inside but honestly I was so excited to be having gelato again that I didn't really care. One thing I'm going to miss when I go home is eating out of little cafes and shops like that, it is such a fun way to live.

One of the stores we walked into had a photo opportunity that I just could not pass up - and so....I became a sheep! A rather cute and goofy sheep I might add ;) Funnily enough, even though sheep aren't actually native to Ireland, sheep themed gifts run rampant throughout most of the gift shops. I'm a bit disappointed I haven't gotten to take a picture with a real sheep, but I suppose this will have to do.

There was also a gold toilet with bog growing out of it which I insisted we sit on. If you ask me the leprechaun is a bit on the crazy side but hey. 

Another thing I really liked about Galway were the street musicians. Some of them weren't so great but I found this singer to be really funny and enthusiastic and fun to listen to. We did see one musician in Dublin but this was the first place we went where it seemed to be commonplace to have crowds gathered around musicians on various parts of the streets. I think it makes for a really great atmosphere and puts people in a jolly mood as they shop. 

One thing I did want to do in Galway was visit the famous Claddagh shop. Claddagh rings, a traditional symbol of friendship, love, and loyalty, originate from Galway in the 17th century according to most legends. Overlooking the bay in the heart of the city lies an old fishing village named Claddagh, which means "the shore." The rings consist of two hands clasping a heart which is topped by a crown. The crown represents loyalty, the heart love, and the hands friendship. Claddagh rings have become popular all over the world.

Easter weekend in Galway happened to coincide with a food festival - and you know me: I love food! There were little markets all over the city centre with lots of different types of food.

For one, there were whole pigs being roasted. Obviously this is not restricted to Ireland by any means, but this was only my second time ever having seen one (the first being at the Milk Market in Limerick City). The smell is relatively good and it seems to be a big hit with the Irish people.

There were also huge barrels like these full of spices and fruit and sauces, etc. The pesto in particular smelled and looked amaaazing. I've been to several markets and food festivals at home but it was really fun and different there.

One of the I suppose "touristy" things we did see in Galway was the famous Spanish Arch. Built in 1584, the arch is what remains of a 16th century bastion (fortification). During medieval times the town walls were additionally fortified to prevent looting of merchant ships in the Bay. The arch is located along the River Corrib where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. Originally the arch was known as Ceann an Bhalla, which means "head of the wall", and interestingly enough has no known association with the Spanish even though it is known today as the Spanish Arch.

 After we walked down to the bay and the Spanish Arch we happened to find more food booths. Although neither of us was hungry in the least, there was no way I was going to pass up a chocolate fountain! The man in charge of the booth was nice enough to give us half the normal serving size that way we wouldn't explode. The fresh strawberries and chocolate were so delicious that I probably could have eaten more. Also, while we were sitting there eating our treat we saw the funniest thing: a little terrier dog had managed to steal a huge slab of meat from one of the booths and was running through the market with it. We were all so astounded and honestly amused that no one really thought to stop him. I wanted so badly to take a picture of him but he was long gone by the time I thought to get my camera out.

One thing I noticed was that Galway was similar to Dublin in that you see old stone buildings nestled right in between newer ones. Its so odd to see all of these brightly colored shops and then all of a sudden come across an old stone church or remnant of a castle. That's another thing I am really going to miss about Ireland. The history here is so much older than at home and its really wonderful that they are so big into preserving it. 

The last thing we decided to go see before going back to catch the bus to Limerick was the cathedral which we had seen rising up above the trees as we walked along the river. The Galway Cathedral, which is technically called The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas, is probably the youngest of Europe's stone cathedrals.

Mistakenly taken for an old building, the cathedral was actually constructed only about 60 years ago in the late 1950s. Most churches and the like were being built out of concrete but for some reason the builders of the cathedral went with stone. 

The Galway Cathedral was built on the site of the old city jail interestingly enough, and is influenced by many different and eclectic styles of architecture, including Romanesque, Gothic, and even some Renaissance themes. There are beautiful glass windows and an impressive collection of art and statues inside.

Overall Galway was nothing special when compared to other places I've been, in the sense that there is nothing you simply have to see. However, the atmosphere and the people were really lovely, and Galway is one of the best examples of an old medieval town. There are loads of narrow cobbled streets and beautiful churches, good food, and wonderful music to be had. I was sad that it was our last trip together but we managed to have a really good day all the same.