Isle of Dough, Ballyliffin, Ireland

Monday- Sunday, August 11-17, 2014    Isle of Dough, Ballyliffin, Donegal County, Ireland

WOW! What terrific views looking out the windows  of our abode here in BallyMcGeehan, the name of our home on Dough Island.

 

 

The house was built to be a B and B, but our hosts had decided that running a B and B would tie them down too much. They too have the traveling itch as Larry and I do. Built seven years ago, the home has three bedrooms with en suite and a well designed open floor plan of family room, dining and kitchen. There is another room for a formal dining or living area that they have not decided how to use.

 

 

Margaret, Gerry's wife, is a retired art teacher and she has many beautiful painting displaying her talent.

 

 

There are additional three en suite bedrooms upstairs. Larry could have fun chasing me around this house! HA!  It is a lovely home with tall windows of sweeping views of the water.

 

After so many days of driving and sightseeing, we decided to just relax and enjoy a couple of quiet days. We took a great long walk along the waterside and up several mountains and enjoyed so much gorgeous scenery right out our front door.

The beach out our front door

 

 

Each area of our walk had a special stone with the family name giving the area  their name.

 

 

 

Along our walk we saw many mounds of the peat bricks that the locals burn during the winter for heat.

 

 

 

It was probably the best two days to take off because it rained more than we had seen the whole time we were in Ireland. It turned out to be two great days of not getting in the car and just reading and enjoying some peaceful moments.

 

The people of Ireland have been some of the friendliest on Earth. They always stop what they are doing to have a chat. We have had many offers for tea and some who have wanted to lead us to the right road. Many encounters have been quite memorable.  

Eating out in Ireland is  very pricey. We had read that it would be wise to pack picnic lunches due to the remote areas not having a lot of places to eat. There are very few fast food places….the variety of pubs make up for the lack of eateries.

Festivals are plentiful in Ireland. Each little area seems to have something going on to bring people out and about during the summer. We missed the Festival Roses of Tralee  by just a few days in Tralee. When we arrived in Ballyliffen a local music Festival of Clonmany was coming to an end. The streets were closed off and for 10 days, talented bands took center stage to perform. We saw cars parked all over the sides of these narrow roads and crowded streets as we came into the area on Sunday. This is a very popular festival that has been going on for close to forty years. Many of the same Irish return every year. Larry and I attended the final night of the festival on Monday which was a talent show. We especially enjoyed one contestant who was trying to sound a lot like Johnny Cash.

Wednesday was a marvelous day! It was raining cats and dogs but by the time we left  to find Gerry’s other home. …4 kilometers away…the rain had stopped. We pulled into his driveway and found Gerry ready to go. We continued on toward Malin Head, the most  Northern point in Ireland.  From  Ballyliffin we scurried down R238 to Carndonaghn on to R242 into Malin, winner of being the Tidy Town for three years.

On we journeyed down a narrow twisted road to Ballygorman and on to the very spot of the most Northern point of Ireland, Malin Head.

 We hiked down the path taking in so many fabulous view points out to the Atlantic Ocean…so natural…so rugged…so wonderful! Larry was experiencing a photographers dream and was snapping away. We took a rigorous hike here with the wind blowing very steady. It was exhilarating.

              A lookout that dates back to Napolean's time... also used during WW I AND II

 

Gerry was so kind to take us down several back roads that led to many marvelous views. After a while we headed back the way we came… there was no other way off the  remote peninsula.

We stopped in Carndonagh to see one of the oldest stone crosses in Ireland. Dating back to the 7^th century,  it had been taken from its original position and placed under roof for preservation. Some of the carvings of human figures and interlacing lines could still be seen. It was unusual to touch something so old.

 

Next Gerry guided us through Ballyliffinn to Clonmany to Dunaff. We stopped to get shots of an old church, several beautiful homes, and just some  downright gorgeous scenery. 

                                     We passed a whole field of the sweetest donkeys.

 We had a little picnic lunch on one of the most scenic hill sides along the way.

 

 

The Gap of Mamore

 

Irish heather was blooming across the mountains. Heather is to Ireland just as tulips are to Holland. How did we get so lucky to be in Ireland while the heather was at its peak!

 

We passed over the Urris Hills through the Gap of Mamore to Fort Dunree, one of four government posts that the British guarded during World War I and II.  We walked about enjoying the history of the area.

Fort Dunree

Yes, it was breezy and cool, but refreshing enough to walk about.

 

Crossing the draw bridge into the fort!

 

View from the drawbridge!

On we drove to where we took a hike by a brackish stream that lead us to fantastic Glenevin Waterfall. What a beautiful two mile walk especially since it ended with ice cream at a restaurant/café/B and B.

Entrance into Glenevin Waterfall

 

 

 

  



                      A little snack at the Glen House after walking to the Glenevin Falls

Gerry directed us to an unspoiled  beach on Tullagh Bay. It was just on the other side of the mountain where we had walked on Monday. The tide was out and the beach was enormously wide.

                                  What a gorgeous beach....but not as warm as Clearwater!

Gerry took us to a castle ruins near BallyMcGeehan. It was the final stop of the day and a marvelous place to capture a few more snapshot of the seascapes with the sun starting to sink.

 

 

 

Larry and I dropped Gerry off at his home around 5:30. We returned to BallyMcGeehan to get on flip flops and head down to the waters edge at low tide to hunt for some Irish mussels. No luck with finding any mussels but we enjoyed a walk around the mud flat area and came back with some succulent oysters.

What a day….just about as fabulous as one can be!

  

Thursday we left the house at 8:00 AM heading for Moville and Greencastle to catch a ferry to Northern Ireland…the English side. It was a glorious day with lots of sunshine. 

 

 

The ferry was a quick fifteen minutes to Magilligan Point.

                                   Now in Northern Ireland, we were on British soil.

Here we drove the car out on Benone Beach.

 

 and  then stopped to view the Mussenden Temple in Down. 

                                               Mussenden Temple out on the cliff

      Down, Ireland...Could it be named for the rocks coming down? Wire net fencing covered the hillsides. 

British flags flapped everywhere. Following the Causeway Coastal Route we got a little lost going into Coleraine. A sweet tourist guide pointed us in the right direction through Bushmills past the ruins of the Dunluce and Dunseverick Castles.

Upon arriving at one of our destinations, the Giant’s Causeway at noon, Ireland’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site and the 8th Natural Wonder of the World, we hiked down the mountainside and out to unbelievable views of the North Atlantic.

 

 

The strangeness of this place and the bizarre regularity of its basalt columns have made the Giant’s Causeway the subject of numerous legends. The most popular legend tells of how the giant, Finn MacCool laid the causeway to provide a path across the sea to his lady love who lived on the Island of Staffa in Scotland where similar columns are found.

 

 

 

We have seen various estimates of basalt columns existing….from 14,000 to 43,000. Most columns are hexagonal but some have four, five, eight or even ten sides. Millions of years of geological activity can be witnessed in the eroded cliffs flanking the Causeway. We enjoyed climbing all over the stones and catching the ocean breezes while viewing the wonder of the column formations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                         Some columns are quite tall!

After a quick lunch we drove on to our second destination of the day,  the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge. I thought, “Oh, this has to be a tourist trap.” But the bridge was traditionally erected by salmon fisherman back in the 1700’s.  We paid our 5.3 British Sterling and began a fabulous walk....Oh the scenery was stupendous!

                      The Rope Swing Bridge connected these isles to the mainland

                              Can you spot the line of people waiting their turn to cross?
After an exhilarating coastal walk we traversed  a 30 meter deep and 20 meter wide chasm by rope bridge capturing views of Rathlin Island. Having crossed one of these in New Zealand that was three times as long, we said, "No Sweat!" It was more fun watching the kids that attempted.

The views walking to and from the bridge were stunning!

Our car headed back down the scenic Causeway Coastal Highway. It is interesting that going down the same road the opposite way affords totally new views of the ocean and the rolling hills. We arrived a little early for the 5:15pm  ferry so we scurried into the convenient restaurant for a couple of  ice teas. We looked at the sweeping views of the Foyle while enjoying our liquid refreshment. Larry enjoyed talking with a couple of German motorcyclist who were touring Ireland for the next two weeks.  We are hoping that they have sunny skies for their tour.

The ride across the Foyle was smooth and relaxing. We arrived back at Ballymcgeehan around 6:30 for a night of peaceful pleasure on the Isle of Dough.

 

 

Tralee to Galway, Ireland

Saturday, August 9, 2014      From Tralee to Galway

Bright and early, Ben drove us 2 hours north to Shannon to pick up our rental car. It was another bright sunny day. After hugs and goodbyes, Larry and I headed up N18 toward Ennis and on to the Cliffs of Moher. Here we paid 8 Euros to visit the park and walk on the cliffs, 650 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. 

                                                    Welcome sign of the  Cliffs of Moher

                                                                 Cliffs of Moher  

Well worn pathways lead tourists on a five mile hike along the tops of sheer rock face with the layers of black shale and sandstone. Musicians played a harp and squeeze box during our stroll along the path. Looking south along the Cliffs of Moher has to be one of the most dramatic stretches of Ireland’s west coast. We had a tasty little picnic lunch before continuing on our journey northward.


 

 

 

 

                                                           Birds living on the cliffs...
                                    Kathy wish you could come spot some Puffins for us!!!

We enjoyed a curvy drive along the coast road in an area called the Burren,  seeing castles and old Irish huts.

 

What amazing abandoned stone homes!

Burren means rocky land and it was certainly that! Vast limestone plateaus in the northwest County of Clare allowed only a few trees to grow; however, an array of colorful wildflowers were growing in the fields during the summer. 

 The Burren is one of the best places in Ireland to see butterflies and bird life is abundant. We listened for the cuckoos in the area and watched for some puffins, without spotting one. Although badgers, foxes, wild goats and Irish hare live here, we only spotted cows and sheep which seem to be abundant throughout Ireland.

 

 

We learned that there are two types of dairy farms here in Ireland…with one being primarily a milking farm and the other being a dairy products farm; providing butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.  We followed R479 through Doolin on to Black Head Point to Ballyvaughan to Kiloolgan into Galway.  Stunning views were around every ben in the road. It was an outstanding drive.

 

Galway was a bustling city. Of course our arrival time on Saturday evening in August was probably one of the busiest times of the year. The streets were packed with tourist as we passed the city center. We ventured on to find a place to park down next to the waterside scooting right into a space right next to the Galway colorful row houses. People were out enjoying the last part of the warm sunshine watching the swans and boats that sailed by.

We strolled along several of the streets taking time to enjoy a break from the left hand driving. We gathered some dinner provisions and traveled on to find a resting spot out of the city in one of the thousand of B and B’s that are all over Ireland. After driving for about 30 minutes along the shoreline, we stopped at an inn in Spiddle that was facing the sea.

                                                            Our B and B

The lady of the house, Philomena or Phil, was mighty nice and set us up with a special room with a view of the sea. We enjoyed a couple of hot teas out on the back deck and relaxed for a bit before breaking out our chicken dinners from Galway. What a fabulous day of traveling north in Ireland! 

That evening Larry and I laughed so much over some of our days adventures….one was about putting the gas in the car. Our little Yaris gets excellent gas mileage, but we stopped to top off the tank. We couldn’t figure out how to open the gas tank….WHY? We were looking for the release on the left passenger side of the car when we should have been looking on the right hand driver’s side…Guess we were still getting used to the experience of driving on the Irish side of the road!

                                     What  gorgeous cloud formations out our back door!

Tralee, Ireland

Friday, August 8, 2014      Tralee, Ireland

Today we decided to enjoy a leisure morning in Tralee. At 2:00pm we met Margaret, our friend from Donegal County in the Fels Point Hotel. While having some Irish tea, we shared some delightful stories about our travels and then departed two hours later planning to speak again soon.

 

We walked from the Fels Point Hotel out to the Brennerville Windmill. Still a working windmill, it brought back fond memories of our visit to Holland. 

From the Windmill we walked back to the car and then traveled to the City Center of Tralee.

Here we parked the car and just wandered through the streets of yet another picturesque Irish town. Tralee is the county government seat for the County Kerry region.

 

 

 

 

 

             The streets had lights strung across the roads for the Rose of Tralee Festival.

Tralee has many bustling businesses and a  tremendous rose garden for their Festival called the Rose of Tralee. A young girl of Irish descent is crowned to be the 'Rose' during the festival.  Many girls from all over the world have traveled here to compete. Several USA girls of Irish decent have won. The Rose Garden has all the winners listed and etched in glass. It is a well manicured, relaxing park for all to enjoy.

 

Have we been lucky for having another sunny day in Ireland? When we returned to our home away from home, Ben had a nice fire going on the outside patio to warm our cockles from the cool Irish evening air. Everyone enjoyed tea by the fire.  While Larry barbecued pork chops, I made new potatoes and asparagus with a delightful melon fruit salad.

                                                            Larry and Kevan
Anne served fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream for dessert. We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company for our final night in Tralee while listening to some wonderful Irish tunes in the background. How wonderful it is to have friends in Ireland; however, it is sad that it will be a while before we will see them again.