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Published: July 10th 2010
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Oldest Church in Ireland
This is supposed to be the oldest surviving church in Ireland. This is a large lake not too far from Cooraclare and after lounging about most of the morning we decided upon this destination for today. We stopped in to visit a museum in the small town of Tuamgraney. It celebrates Brian Boru one of the great Irish kings that united some of the clans to defeat the Vikings once and for all. The museum is housed in one of the oldest churches in all of Ireland. I took a photo of the entrance. Notice that the design is quite simple in contrast to the later Romanesque arches that came into vogue after there was more influence from Rome.
We chatted with the museum guide. She inquired as to where we were from. She noted that the number of visitors has been markedly down this season. She was derisive about all the happy talk about a recovering economy. She noted that people were still losing jobs and that there were a number of places for sale in the immediate area.
Our conversation then turned to the history of the famine. In nearby Scarriff there was an infamous workhouse. Apparently thousands died there in absolutely horrific conditions of starvation and disease. Every day
Squared off entrance
This predates the later Romanesque architecture. the workers would haul a wagon piled high with dead to a mass grave that is located just at the edge of this town.
So great was the rate of death that the work house in Scariff used coffins with false bottom. The practice was to open up previous holes and then position the coffin over the hole and dump the bodies on top of other bodies. There are thousands stacked on top of each other. Although an estimate is given, the museum guide thinks that the number are much greater since accurate records were not kept. The mass grave site is very forlorn and sad. I didn't take a photo as it seemed just too sad.
So then we drove to Mount Shannon. This is a popular lakeside tourist spot for locals and visitors alike. There are a lot of empty houses for sale. One gets the sense that they were bought or constructed as vacation homes. The economy really went bust here.
The area is very pretty and has a pretty park/harbor area. We were getting a bit famished and we stopped in at recommended restaurant. Gah! Closed today, so we went to another; it was closed as
Lough Derg
The "lough" is pronounced "luck" and means "lake" well. Not grand or lovely!!
We stopped in Ennis ate at The Town Hall. This was a very excellent dinner. We had an interesting conversation with our waitress. She is Polish and she said that that even though that she was only a waitress, she was making good wages compared to living in Poland. And she added that she had gone to university in Poland but couldn't find a job and was on state assistance. She stating very adamantly that she did not want a life like that. In addition, she came to Ireland and married a fellow Polish immigrant. She said, “This is the best thing that ever happened to me. In Poland I couldn't find a husband or a job. Now I have both.” Isn't serendipity just fecking grand.
We then went home and hit the sack early.
The next day was a very low key. We were leaving for Galway the next day so we didn't want to exhaust ourselves, this means that we couldn't stay up late either. We stopped in Ennis on the way for a hike in Dromore Wood. I had to stop in at a shop for an item that they had ordered
In Dromore Wood
Are these woods haunted? Oh...its just Beth...whew! for me. While we were there we stopped in to visit the Clare museum. It is a first rate museum and it is free! They do a very nice job of covering the history of the local area from Neolithic time to the present. I absolutely recommend this museum.
We were looking forward to a day of hiking so we didn't stay long in Ennis and we drove to Dromore Wood. This is a forest preserve. Although Ireland was covered with a giant forest, little if any evidence exists today. Preserves like this demonstrate what that forest must have looked like. The wood is quite dense. The forest has reclaimed an old castle and nearby church with walls. Oddly, the wood didn't have much in the way of woody fragrance. It only smelled damp and musty.
The hike was invigorating. There are well defined and marked trails to follow although one can go off trail.
Rain was threatening and so we drove toward home. By the way, although it was raining the first day that we arrived and it rained a couple of more times after that, not once has it rained on us when we were out and about.
Massive Oaks
Which covered Ireland in a primeval forest. It pays to eat your fecking lucky charms!
We stopped in at Fanny O'Deas on the way home for...just half a pint and a snack. It is the oldest family run pub in Ireland. It has been run by the O'Dea family since 1790. They had their family tree displayed on a wall.
By the way, Ireland is in the midst of trend of slowly but surely adopting ethnic foods into their diet much in the same manner as the US. We ate a tortilla wrap. Huh? It really was a quesadilla. The waitress asked how we like our food. “It was lovely,” I said, “but it isn't a wrap actually.” I told her that it was actually more of a quesadilla than a wrap. I explained to her the difference and she dutifully wrote down the info I gave her. A couple that was sitting nearby became interested in my explanation and I chatted briefly with them.
Afterward we then went home, I and cooked dinner. With sad hearts we went over to bid farewell to Arthur & Ann O'Keeffe and have just one half pint! Their story is a separate story.
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