Our last night in Ireland, we stayed at Ballyseedy Castle. The grounds are beautiful, and the imposing entryway flanked by lions. Just as you’d expect from a castle!
Rather than looking ferocious, this lion looks a bit forlorn to me. It’s like he’s saying “everybody just walks right by, and nobody wants to play with me”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This was the final stop on our annual Ireland women’s tour. It’s fun to stay in a castle with lions at the door, and suits of armor standing in the hallways!
Innisfallen Island (or Inishfallen) is in Killarney National Park, Ireland. There are 3 lakes there — lower, middle and upper. Historic Innisfallen is in the lower lake, known as Lough Leane - Lake of Learning.
During the dark ages, when classical learning was forgotten across most of Europe, isolated Ireland remained a center of scribes and scholarship. It’s quite possible that Ireland’s role during this period saved much of ancient Greek and Roman science, philosophy and the arts from being lost forever. That story is in How the Irish Saved Civilization.
We took a small boat from Ross Castle (fascinating place) out onto the lake. The castle receded, we passed a flock of swans and a few smaller islands, then reached Innisfallen. Asking the boatman to leave us there long enough for picnic lunch & exploration, we stepped ashore.
The 1st monastery here was founded in the 6th or 7th century AD by St. Finian the Leper, and the island was occupied for 700 years. It was ideal for a contemplative monastic life. Eventually, Innisfallen became a major center of learning — Europe’s first University in centuries. Princes were sent from all over Europe to study on this tiny island. This was the A-list school at the time!
On this day, we ate our picnic lunch just outside the ruined walls of Inishfallen Abbey. It’s a beautiful and atmospheric place. Wandering through the ruins of buildings and cloisters, you can imagine monks scratching away at manuscripts day after day, and lads of privilege at their studies. No doubt there was a sense of excitement at the time — everyone knew they were in a special place.
Many centuries later, it’s so quiet we had the island to ourselves.
Echoes still seem to linger.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This was part of our Ireland tour for women that just finished up. The Inishfallen visit made me wonder how different my own college years would have been if spent on a little island with monks. (-:
We walked a portion of the Dingle Way, around the end of Ireland’s spectacular Dingle peninsula, with its rugged coastline views. It was a glorious day for a walk.
We walked by and through many rock-walled fields, scattering sheep as we went. As you walk, it’s easy to see why both the rocks and the sheep make sense. The land is very marginal — mostly rocks, with patches of moss and grass. Everything was built of stone, and rock fences and buildings were advantageous by-products of trying to clear the fields. Sheep can handle this territory, able to pick their way through steep rocky hillsides, eating wherever they find some green.
One of the fascinating sights along the way is a series of stone beehive huts. The huts are reminiscent of those at Skellig Michael. Evidence shows these probably had a different purpose, though.
Unlike the huts on the Skelligs, which were part of a long-lived monastic community, the huts here were used for people in transit. This would probably have been folks who were on a pilgrimage, perhaps to Skellig Michael or one of Ireland’s other holy sites. If you were traveling to the Skelligs a thousand years ago, you might have had to hold up for a considerable period, waiting for weather and waves to moderate enough for a safe crossing to the island.
Several of these beehives were scattered along the way. While most of the huts were stand-alone, a few of them were combined into multi-unit structures — for all the world, like ancient motels.
Most of the beehives have had their roofs removed now. Like the US, Ireland has become a litigious society, and ancient roofs could prove a liability. What a shame! These mortarless huts stood for centuries, and now we purposely chop them off — destroying history for the sake of trespassers who might decide to climb on the roof.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We’re in Ireland now for our annual women’s trip to Ireland. It’s such a fascinating place, full of history and culture — both ancient and modern. Imagine living here, with a 1,000-year old beehive “motel” in your back yard!
Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world — making the most of one’s best.”
~ Harry Emerson Fosdick
What a cool way to look at life!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m in Ireland now, at the lovely Carrig Country House. — part of our Ireland tour for women. Definitely playing that most interesting game in the world - I love it!
When I arrived in Dublin a couple of days ago, I was greeted by hundreds of signs plastered around the town, urging readers to vote Yes or No.
“YES - Put Ireland at the heart of Europe.”
“NO - Ireland can do better”
I quickly realized that this was more than just a minor election; Ireland was voting on whether to accept the Lisbon Treaty - the new version of the European Union (EU) constitution. The first day of our women’s Ireland tour was the day the results were announced, and we discovered that Ireland said NO to Europe.
From what we’ve heard here, the No votes were largely a result of
… a) fears (fueled by the No backers), that a Yes could lead to anything from EU taxes to abortion to conscription into an EU army, and
… b) general protest vote of unhappiness with gas prices, food prices, immigration, and any other problems.
The treaty had to be ratified by all 27 member nations. Other countries approved it by government action without a referendum, but Ireland’s constitution required voter approval. Their No vote is effectively a veto.
So what’s the world’s reaction? And what happens next?
EU government leaders are shaking their heads in frustration, but many citizens of other countries are happy. They say they would have voted No too, but their governments didn’t give them a chance to vote. Associated Press: Would-be voters support Irish veto of EU treaty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m in Ireland right now for our Ireland tour for women. We’re having a great time, and all the political doings are adding a little extra excitement. I know we’ll all be watching this more closely once we get home!
Today, Skellig Michael is a World Heritage Site, and an amazing place, indeed. It’s incredible to be here, high on top of the island, and try to fathom what it was like to live here, year round, in these little stone huts, on this steep rocky island. It was a beautiful day when we were there, but the monks didn’t always have it so good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’ll be heading back to Ireland in a few weeks for our next women’s tour of Ireland. As long as the weather and sea conditions co-operate, we’ll be sitting by one of these beehive huts soon, imagining the life of those hardy monks who built it.
I’m setting myself up for a killer schedule on my Europe trip this summer. I’ve got a long red-eye on the way to London Gatwick, arriving there about 630am. Then a long layover in London. Then another red-eye on the train/boat combination getting to Ireland.
And I couldn’t be happier about it!
This is the perfect opportunity to try out the Yotel at Gatwick. They’ve got mini-hotel rooms that you can book by the hour. Instead of curling up on a bench, artfully wrapped around your luggage, you get a small, secure private room — Real bed! Desk with free wi-fi! SHOWER!
This is something I’ve been wishing more airports had. It looks so cute, I can hardly wait! I’ll post a candid review with photos once I’ve been there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m heading to the Emerald Isle for our women’s tour of Ireland this summer. Yes, there are easier ways to get there, but hey — I get to take planes, trains, and boats, and try out a Yotel all on the same trip. Sounds like a travel adventure to me!
Skellig Michael, one of the islands of Ireland. These beehive huts were built about 1,400 years ago, by monks who chose to live on this isolated, steep, rocky island. It’s an amazing place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here! (photo by Deanna Keahey)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A visit to Skellig Michael is a highlight of our women’s trip to Ireland. It’s astounding to climb up here and realize people actually lived here! Nothing like the lush greenness you’ll see in the rest of Ireland - this was a spartan existence in grey and blue.
Click for larger image
We took a small boat from Ross Castle (fascinating place) out onto the lake. The castle receded, we passed a flock of swans and a few smaller islands, then reached Innisfallen. Asking the boatman to leave us there long enough for picnic lunch & exploration, we stepped ashore.
One of the fascinating sights along the way is a series of 
Several of these beehives were scattered along the way. While most of the huts were stand-alone, a few of them were combined into multi-unit structures — for all the world, like ancient motels.
These mortarless huts stood for centuries, and now we purposely chop them off — destroying history for the sake of trespassers who might decide to climb on the roof.
When I arrived in Dublin a couple of days ago, I was greeted by hundreds of signs plastered around the town, urging readers to vote Yes or No.
(click for large image)
