Photos by: Philip Galvin
IRELAND - COUNTRYSIDE 2
1. Cliffs of Moher
These cliffs are located at the southwestern edge of County Clare. On the west coast of Clare extends for 8kms /5miles. It is a UNESCO site.
There is a folklore associated with these cliffs. There once was a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid, only to see her return to the sea and left him behind.
There is a Visitor Center which contains a restaurant and some souvenir shops, etc. on top of the cliffs. The sight from the building looking over the sea is spectacular. You can walk around the top of cliffs and enjoy the wild flowers.
Formed by layers of siltstone, shale and sandstone and are 650ft/214 meters high.
2. Aran Islands (Galway Bay):
There are three scenic limestone islands make up the Aran Islands, namely Inis Mor, Inis Meain and Inis Oirr. They are the last lands to the west before reaching the US.
FERRY TO INISHEER (Inis Oirr)
A view from the Ferry.
INISHEER (Inis Oirr):
Inisheer is the smallest (3km x 3km) and most easterly located island out of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay.
We took a horse carriage to look around the island. The massive effort that was needed to build those walls becomes evident when you get a closer look at how the walls were assembled.
A ship driven ashore during a storm. The locals helped recuse the crew during the storm and kept the loss of life to a minimum.
The rugged shoreline of Inisheer.
A LOCAL PUB
A closer look at the back room.
A PLEASANT SURPRISE, WHEN VISITING THE VISITOR CENTRE AT THE CLIFFS OF MOHER (Our family Coat of Arms)
Quick historical references of Ireland.
400 BC Celtic tribes invaded Ireland
432 Christianity was brought to Ireland by St. Patrick
795 Vikings began to raid Ireland
1014 At Clantarf, Brian Boru defeated the Vikings
1541 Ireland's Parliament was forced to declare Henry VII to be a king
1603 Elizabeth I ended revolts in Ulster
1649 Oliver Cromwell crushed an Irish revolt against England. He took
many political rights and land away from Irish Catholics
1690 In the Battle of the Boyne, The English defeated James II and
Irish forces.
1801 Ireland became part of the UK of Great Britain and Ireland
1845-1847 About 750,000 people were killed by a potato famine
1916 In Dublin, the Easter Rebellion against British rule broke out.
1921 It became a dominion of Great Britain called the Irish Free State
1949 Ireland declared itself a republic
1955 Ireland joined the United Nations
1973 Ireland became a member of the European Community
