Irish Halloween

Folks that know me, KNOW I love Halloween. It is my favorite holiday.  The decorations, getting dressed up, music, candy, pumpkin carving, witches, scary stuff, did I say – decorations!  I love everything about the holiday. I had no idea what to expect here in Ireland, but I knew for certain it would not be the same as it has been for me in the past.  That’s part of what I hope to experience this year.

I did a wee bit of decorating, but did not want to buy something I need to pack up and bring home.  My sister, Pat, took pity on me and sent a Halloween care package.

 Milk Jug Witch

Derry

I had heard there are a couple of great events close to us here in Ireland and just had to decide which one was right for us to attend in order to celebrate this marvelous holiday.  Dublin’s festival is the Bram Stroker Festival.  Galway has the Macnas Parade and Derry has the Under the Samhaim Moon Festival. The festivals go on for the long weekend with lots of stuff to do and see.  Derry seems more geared to children and families (carnival rides, fireworks, parade, bands).  Dublin seems more geared to young adults (lots of blood, guts, gore, zombies, drinking and more drinking) Galway has the Macnas Parade which is an artsie-fartsie theatrical production with artists, large puppets and floats performing for a one-night parade.  BINGO.

Macnas

Macnas

 We anticipated a very large crowd for the very narrow streets of Galway for this parade, but it looked intriguing and probably fun. So, when I saw an ad for parade volunteers I jumped at it. Thinking I’m so smart, we can be IN the parade rather than standing on the street with 40,000 of our closest friends.  As it turns out I did crowd control – ahead of the parade and Tom was not able to participate since he was not dressed in black.  So, he watched the parade, on the sidelines, with his closest friends.  All-in-all it was a great experience, a wonderful way to participate in the Halloween festivities here in Ireland.  I think the biggest celebration is Samhain. (summer's end)  This is when fall become winter and the vale between the worlds of the living and the dead are at their thinnest.  Great bonfires are lit, and folks anxiously await their deceased kinfolk to come calling.

As the holiday approached I kept waiting for some signs of Halloween, anywhere. BUT Ireland simply is not commercial. There is no gross spectacle of decorations – anywhere.  Slowly, the stores began to put a few items on the shelf’s, a few window decorations went up here and there.  I had also heard that turnips were carved, not pumpkins.  So, I anxiously watched for “Halloween turnips” in the stores – something worthy of being carved.   Never appeared.  Just a few days before the 31st a couple of the stores had large crates of pumpkins.  I’m not sure if they are locally grown, or imported.  In fact, I’m not even sure they are pumpkins.  They are not the perfectly orange round variety found in the states.  These are some strange shaped, colored and textured pumpkins.  After cutting into ours it smelled like a melon – tasted like one too. Our sort-of round pumpkin had this little pointy tip on the bottom, not your standard looking bottom, so we tried the new method of carving out the bottom.  Worked great and gave us a perfectly level sitting pumpkin.

Since we live in a gated community we were not sure how many trick-or-treaters to expect.  This is also fall break from school.  The last Monday of October is always a bank holiday and is called Halloween Holiday.  I think they tried to get kids to go on Monday, but it never stuck so they came out on the 31st.  All 13 of them. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

P.S. I prefer Halloween in the states.

Rock of Cashel

So far, this was one of the toughest blogs to write, words are not coming easy to me. Not because of the location, it’s great, but because of my own viewpoint. Possibly, I’m transitioning between being a tourist in Ireland to becoming an inhabitant of Ireland.  We’ve seen so many ruins, I’ve learned so much history and discovered so many stories. History repeats itself among these ruins and the stories seem to be blending into one another for me – thus making my blog tedious. Yet, this location seems particularly difficult for me.  The Rock of Cashel is a wonderful location filled with lots of real and mythological history. It’s perfect for getting all your boxes checked when visiting Ireland and wanting to see ruins, an old castle or abbey, some marvelous vistas and of course very picturesque.  I don’t mean to belittle the location, because it is all that and I’m glad we visited it. But when you must pay to enter, it’s a sure sign that not all is golden – but staged for storytelling. 

So here is some history on the Rock of Cashel. 

For over 400 years it equaled the Hill of Tara as the center of power in Ireland. It was the residence of the kings of Munster, until the Norman invasion. In the 11th century King Muircheartach O’Brien gave the Rock to the Church, a decade or so later an archbishop moved in. There are numerous buildings on the hill, some dating back to the 9th century, some survived – others did not.  King Cormac’s Chapel was one of those that survived and according to the storytellers, the main attraction.  It’s beautifully carved doorways and colorful wall paintings are all wonderfully preserved.

One of the first things the Christian’s did when they moved in was build a Round Tower. Not the tallest in Ireland (we’ve seen that at Kilmacduagh Abbey) but is still impressive at 90 feet with the entrance door about 12 feet off the ground.  The main cathedral was built in the 12th century just about the same time the town of Cashel was founded.  The cathedral was used for worship until the mid-17th century.  It’s an impressive location with lots of wonderful Irish high-crosses throughout on numerous graves. Even more impressive are the many carvings still visible after 800 years.

Down the hill from the Rock is the Hore Abbey, founded in 1266 by ‘independent’ Benedictine monks. However, in 1272, the Archbishop dreamt that the monks were going to kill him, so he gave the abbey to Monks from the Mellifont Abbey; a Cistercian order. I don’t know what happened to the Benedictine Monks after they were kicked out. The Archbishop also gave the Cistercian monks private land, other buildings and working mills. Most of the abbey was built in the 13th century, with many structural changes taking place over the years, but it never prospered, and all property was given to James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond in the 15th Century.

Please be sure to look at the pictures, they are the best reflection my experiences.

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Ophelia

Well we survived one of Ireland’s greatest storms, Ex-hurricane Ophelia.  By the time it reached our shores it was a tropical storm.  Ireland had not experienced a storm such as this since 1987 and 30 years to the day!  The storm came up along the west coast, across the tip of Ireland and headed off to Scotland.  There was a lot of forewarning, schools closed, buses stopped running, the Shannon airport closed and all the Dunnes' stores, over the entire island, closed for the day in anticipation of the storm. People were being warned not to get out there and take pictures (they did anyway - iggets).  Even a couple of windsurfers had to be rescued from the high and wild water surge.

We walked over early to the Tesco for our weekly shopping, it was not crowded and all was quiet.  It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out, and there was a slight breeze. I found the clouds very interesting; from what we could see 3 different layers all going in different directions.  Slowly the winds picked up along with the water in the river.

Borrowed from the internet
   

At one point the wind was so strong it was pushing the water back up the weir so you could not see any water flowing back down over it.  We could hear the wind howling down our chimney and little waves crashing on the walls below our patio.  All the water fowl safely disappeared from sight, with the exception of one swan who tucked himself safely into the reeds across the river.  At one point we watched as the life saver ring pulled itself from the post on the floating dock and bounced around in the river until it too finally came to rest along the opposite shore of the Shannon.  I continued to check the weather stations for any updates and/or damages.  Seems the loss of power was the biggest problem for over 380,000 homes and businesses. There were numerous trees down and due to fallen trees 3 folks lost their lives.  The weather and condition updates continued all day, the communication was excellent and thoughtful.

The entire storm event seemed to be personal to this island and its people. This morning this was posted on the internet with a request for prayers for the families.








Schools remained closed today and the weather channel asked that if you don’t have to travel, don’t.  They are not sure how long it will take to clear even the smallest of roads of fallen trees and/or debris.


 This little video was from our patio.

Trinity College

We decided it was time to take a train ride.  We took one with little fanfare or difficulty to Dublin.  A 1.5 hour, most enjoyable, train ride.  I really don't like driving into Dublin, it's like any big city.  Cars, people, buses, scooters, motorcycles and trams going every which way.  It's busy, crowded and generally just another big city.  The train enabled us to relax, sit back and enjoy the views.

We walked into town rather than take the tram (Luas, it's called) and after stopping for a delicious elevensies at the Bus stop Café we headed to today’s primary focus, Trinity College.

Borrowed from the Internet

Two years ago, the line to see the Book of Kells and Library was out the door and around the building (summertime tourists). The campus is still crowded, but now it's students. This time, we were able to walk up to the counter and buy our tickets and walk right in.  Cameras are not allowed so there won't be any of my shots to share of the 1500-year old books, but I did borrow one from the internet. Originally there were 4 books, today bound in 2 volumes.  Written in Latin they glorify Jesus and his messages (gospels).  They were created by Celtic monks and believe to be used for ceremonial purposes. There are very nice commentaries and displays on how the vellum and various pigments were made and used.  There is also a description on how the books were rebound in the 19th century.  I was mostly impressed with the script itself and the decorated gilded pages.  The handwriting is meticulous, delicate and beautifully done – and the lines straight on the page!  I would describe the drawings by the original artists throughout the books as lavishly-gentle & delicate.  It’s thrilling to know we can look upon something so old, and that they are in such excellent condition after all these years.

I was in awe as we entered the library, more specifically the Trinity Library Long Room.  Reminded me of Hogworts.  Even though it’s considered a tourist attraction it’s still part of the main college library.  We chatted with one of the docents, Ken and he indicated there were over 200,000 first additions in that room.  Just let that soak in for a minute 200,000 first additions!!  Numerous collections, manuscripts, literature, journals, depositions & plays. Can you imagine looking at Shakespeare’s original handwritten plays?! They’re here too! In 1801 the Library was endowed with “Legal Deposit Privilege” and continues to receive copies of material published for safe keeping. What a fantastic building, and all those books. I bet there are some books the students aren’t allowed to check out.

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St. Finbarr Chapel

We drove to the Gougane Barra Forest (aka boonies) to find the most coveted and highly photographed St. Finbarr Chapel.  I knew we’d be out in the middle of nowhere and was pleasantly surprised to find a hotel adjacent.

The Gougane Barra Hotel has been in operation since 1936 and is currently run by 5th generation Neil and his lovely wife Katy. (A whole bunch of various family members too). This is another one of those special places that will stay with me always.  It’s old, but in a charming way.  When we arrived, the only sound we heard was the breeze through the pine trees – a very favorite sound of mine.  I would describe it as very serene and peaceful.  Looking out across the lake I could see St. Finbarr’s Chapel.  Over the years, I’ve seen so many different photographs of it, I was filled with such excitement (almost giddy) to actually be seeing it in person.


Throughout the hotel there are numerous large glass display cases filled with dolls.   I asked Katy who collected the dolls and she just groaned and rolled her eyes at me.  Apparently, no one did or does.  It started many, many years ago when a couple of guests sent dolls to Neil’s mom as a thank you and she displayed them.  Since then it seems this ‘thank you’ trend has continued.  They have over 260 dolls from all over the world.   There are many different rooms to sit and enjoy afternoon tea, or relax and read one of the many books on the bookshelf. 

The hotel is right next door to the entrance of the forest; where there are many different hiking trails if you are so inclined.  We arrived too late to take off on a hike, but if we ever return I sure hope to.








Dinner was exquisite in their elegant dining-room, nice soft Irish tunes playing in the background, lovely view of the chapel and the server was 5-star!  Probably the BEST meal I’ve had in Ireland to date.  After dinner I rolled myself outside to get some sunset pictures of St. Finbarr’s chapel and walk off my meal.

  

They also host many weddings.  One had just taken place the day before we arrived.  Every year they  close down November 1 and reopen  April 1.













Being optimistic, I awoke early to see if we were going to get any sunrise. I was pleasantly greeted with the rising sun (and a few other photographers with the same idea). I got some pretty good shots of the chapel with refection from a couple of separate locations.   BUT once the sun moved up and over the mountains and shined directly on the hills I got the most spectacular shots I’ve ever seen. The color of the hills was stunning. Of-course, I took a gazillion pictures and have had a very hard time choosing which one(s) I like best. So, I left them all in the photo album. 😉  Within 1-hours’ time the clouds rolled in and the remarkable setting was gone.

We came for the chapel, but would return for the hotel (and food).

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Fota Wildlife Park

Tom say’s ‘we came all this way to Ireland just to go to a zoo?” – YUP!!

On a small island just outside Cork is the Fota Wildlife Park. Which is unlike any zoo I’ve ever been to.  As a rule, I don’t care for caged animals, but this place is pretty much ‘free-range’. The habitats are massive for each of the species they have in this 100-acre park and some are actually allowed to
room free with other animals and well as us humans.  So Cool.  The first time I saw a Kangaroo hopping along I was afraid it got-out of its enclosure, but no, many of them are free to hop about where ever they like. The entire park is kept as unobtrusive as possible (for the animals) which seems to be a nice way to live. Better than any zoo I’ve ever visited.

Part of this set-up is allowing the animals to seek shelter, or go to sleep, when they deem it necessary. They all have some sort of water feature – whether they want to swim, frolic or just go for a wet walk.  Many of their ‘inside homes’ are visible via thick plexiglass windows. The big cats have a very extensive area with enclosed cat-walk (haha) over your head, tunnel under the walkway, trees, grassy mounds, lots of places to hide and seek and their own pools.

Zebra’s and Ostrich roam a large savanna together and the giraffe come out when they want to. Otherwise the giraffe are free to wonder in and out their own habitat. 

Now the cheetah’s set up is quite unique and huge. Once a day (we missed it since it was going to be later in the day) they chase their food. A special device which suspends their food on a wire travels 10-feet off the ground, at about 40 mph around their grounds.  If you’re there at 3pm, you can see them haul-ass by. What a great enrichment and exercise program for them.  We heard the gibbons before we ever saw them, playing and swinging from limb to limb on their own

island, with a cool rope bridge access into their ‘indoor’ habitat.  Birds of all sorts fly and swim, even lemurs are free to go where they like. I have to assume that the animals know the places to stay out of, and they pretty much avoided us. They have lots of activities for kids, special petting times and a nursery.  They have a cute little train that runs around if you’re not up for the 2-hour walk.

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Cobh

When the new owners of the condo upstairs decide to remodel the ENTIRE UNIT – it’s time for a road trip.  After hours of banging and pounding going on over our heads our chosen location was just what we both needed; the quaint waterfront town of Cobh – which is also an island in Cork’s harbor. Cork is Ireland’s second largest city so we gave it a wide birth as we drove towards Cobh.  Even though the tourist season is coming to a close the traffic was ‘measurable’.  

Cobh is a harbor town in every sense.  This was the last port-of-call for the Titanic before she sunk in 1912.  In 1915, the Lusitania was sunk 26 miles off the coast and all that survived were bought to Cobh.  They have 3 mass graves in the old Church Cemetery of those that did not survive. 

 A few miles off the coast sits Spike Island. Unfortunately, it was closed the day we were there.  There is so much history on this island, but I will address that when I return for a visit, someday.  😉 In the meantime, I can see it from our 3rd floor hotel room at the Commodore Hotel.  

There is a statue of Annie Moore and her brothers, they say were the first immigrants to be processed at Ellis Island in America. Apparently, many immigrants to America and convicts to Australia have been processed from here. 











What a hoot the hotel was!  Talk about history, it was built in 1854 as the Queens Hotel (for Victoria).  Ownership was taken over by Mr. Otto Humbert (German) around the time of WW1.  He upgraded the hotel with electricity, telephones, a motor garage and horse stables in hopes of attracting the more lucrative passenger lines from Cork Harbor.  It was working until the Lusitania was sunk, by the Germans. The townsfolk were already pretty anti-German, but the sinking of the Lusitania sent them over the edge and they wanted to burn the hotel to the ground.   The entire Humbert family hid in the wine cellar until they could escape. The hotel was commandeered by an English Lady Mackworth who turned it into a hospital for the survivors.   Following the War of Independence in 1921 the name was changed to the States Hotel and in 1939 it became the Commodore.  It's been owned by O'Shea family since 1968.

It's full of character (not quite charm) from the crooked walls to the wavy floors.  Century old 'lift' and on some doors you can see where there have been numerous hinges and handles.  The walls are thick and the toilet rocked (due to antiquated and ill fitted plumbing).  I love staying in older hotels, but this one was borderline.  We ate dinner down the street at Jacob's Ladder in the WatersEdge Hotel. 

The City itself reminds me of San Francisco, in that it's all up and down - with every steep hills that come right down to the water's edge.  Numerous one-way streets just to confuse the tourists I'm sure.  There are lots of shops that cater to the tourism trade and many that were closed for the season, or like Spike Island only open on the weekend. 

On the highest hill, overlooking the city and harbor is the extremely impressive St. Colman’s Cathedral, Roman Catholic diocese of Cloyne. Built in 1879, Gothic Revival architecture.  Oh Baby!  It took more than 50 years to be completed and consecrated.  It houses Europe’s largest carillon. The church bells, connected to an automated system that rings on the hour and every 15 minutes, or connected to the organ and independently played by a carillonneur (what a specialized job) for masses, weddings, funerals or special events.  This cathedral has 49 bells and we heard them loud and clear, play numerous times throughout the day.  This is an imposing, beautiful and inspirational structure. 

We visited the Old Church Cemetery and located the three mass graves from the Lusitania as well as Irish boxing legend, Jack Doyle.  We were greeted with a spectacular sunrise for a glorious new day.

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Claregalway

Back when we first arrived in Ireland, we drove back and forth through Claregalway many times as we traveled from Westport to Athone. We drove by the castle and ruins of the friary but never stopped, seems we were always on a mission to get from point A to point B.  When I saw that there was to be a medieval combat tournament at the castle I jumped at the chance for a visit. We were not sure what to expect from such a tournament, but it was an opportunity to visit this small castle and to check out the grounds of the Franciscan Friary across the street.

The tournament is an actual competition - warriors (both men and women) who use replicas of medieval weapons and armor. Pure hand-to-hand fighting; with throws, punches, jabs, headbutting and kicks. Each round lasts one minute and when the competitors are equal in skill there are 3 rounds, otherwise it can be called at
2 rounds. Short rounds, but the weapons and armor are very heavy.  There are specific points given (or taken away) for where, and how, you strike your opponent and those points are tallied during the competition.  The champions are awarded after the two-day competition. There is an organization they all belong to The Medieval Armored Combat Ireland and they travel all over Europe holding tournaments/competitions. These folks take it all very seriously.  Lots of folks walking  around in period costumes, musicians, a jester and misc. royalty. There was only one vendor selling stuff, and an outdoor oven selling pizza.  The emphasis of the event was the competition, but with the number of children in attendance I think they could have done so much more – even a pony ride.

We took a tour of the castle built in the 1400’s by the Burke's. Up and down the region they controlled the crossing points for the River Clare and various trade routes.  Of-course there were battles, both personal (philandering husband) and military.  It was the last castle to fall to the Cromwellian forces in the late 1600’s. In the 1700’s, citizens installed a water wheel mill, which was in operation at the castle for many years.  During the war of Independence (1919-21) the British used it as a garrison and prison for the captured I.R.A. soldiers.  The first Garda (Irish Police) established a station there and they claim that Orson Wells stayed there as a young man in 1931.  At one point there was a tunnel between the castle and the friary, it’s not there any longer. 

The Friary also had a colorful history.  Founded in 1250, it went through many personnel changes, religious persuasions, alternations, power struggles (coinciding with the control of the castle) and numerous battles for the next 300 years.  In 1589 the friars were driven out of Claregalway and the friary was converted into barracks for the men of the governor at the time, Sir Bingham. The Friars returned in 1641 and began restoration.  It finally fell following the 1731 “dissolution of the monasteries” and anything of value (chalices, records, crosses – even the bells) were seized by the High Sheriff of Galway.  The 3 remaining friars were forced to leave.  Volunteer groups are currently restoring 'dangerous' portions of the friary.  It's a beautiful site, and again as with most abbey's and friaries we've come across, is still being used for burials. 


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