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Published: October 31st 2008
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Howling winds woke us several times during the night. It seemed like the full force of an Atlantic gale was battering the walls of the house. Despite the double-thick window panes, it seemed at times like the wind was blowing straight into the room. In the morning, as we dined on the best breakfast yet, we watched sheets of rain blowing horizontal outside the windows. Given that Dingle is in a well-sheltered natural harbor, we could only imagine what the conditions would be like out on the shore, our intended destination for the day.
Emlagh house made us a yummy breakfast. Home-baked goods were du jour. Axel finally sampled the “Full Irish Breakfast” which consisted of the following: Two farm-fresh eggs any style, sausage, bacon, and black and white puddings. Both puddings contain oats and other grains and the white contains pork while the black contains blood. The egg yolks were a bright yellow-orange and looked fresh as can be! Axel was stoked.
Despite the forbidding weather and poor visibility, we were determined to venture out and explore the Dingle peninsula. Alone on the narrow coastal road high above the cliffs, we squinted out the windshield trying to glimpse the spectacular
Picturesque Dingle
After the rain storm... coastline through the sheets of rain and sea spray. In the stormy weather, Slea Head was an awesome sight with the big waves crashing ashore. The headland was like the prow of a great ship knifing unflinchingly through the Atlantic. At Clougher Strand (beach) we took a windy road which led down to a small beachy cove surrounded on all sides by black rocky cliffs. We dared not roll all the way down as the big waves sometimes reached all the way across the beach as they came ashore! We did however, get out of the car half-way down the slope to attempt a photograph. The ride in the car up to that point had not really prepared us for the experience of trying to stand outside to feel the full force of the Atlantic gale. The wind caught hold of the car door and flung it open setting everything inside the car that was not tied down in motion. Although we were wearing our rain gear, it seemed like the wind was cutting right through our clothing and we definitely felt the sting of the gale on our faces as the rain felt like a thousand little needles on
our skin! Defeated by the weather, we scurried back into the relative safety of our little car and attempted a picture with the window rolled down.
One of our stops along the coast road was at a museum/visitor center dedicated to the Blasket Islands which lie a mere three miles off Slea Head. These five small islands are subjected to the full fury of the prevailing weather in these parts, and yet for several centuries a small community of hardy souls lived on the largest island’s relatively sheltered Eastern face. The center tells the incredible story of these gaelic-speaking inhabitants who were forced to evacuate in 1953 because their shrinking numbers made their continued existence untenable. For several hundred years a unique and vibrant society with an enduring cultural fabric existed on the Blaskets. The story serves as something of an inspiration for the Irish nation and is compellingly presented in the visitor center.
Deciding that we had had enough of being cooped up in our car, we decided that we would try to go for a walk, properly dressed for the elements, in a more sheltered part of the peninsula. We parked our car in front of a pub
Laurie in the Rain
Playing with the cows to ensure that the department of agriculture has enough work to do when we re-enter the US... and set off on foot on a little country road that Axel was (fairly) confident would take us across the peninsula and land us right above the cliffs. Conditions started out mediocre at best, with low cloud cover obscuring most of the landscape, and rain pelting our faces. As we climbed to the ridgeline however, they turned downright abysmal. The wind was blowing so hard in our faces that the fronts of our pants were soaked all the way through and we felt miserably cold. We had to shout to hear ourselves over the wind. Having come so far though, we determined to trudge on over the crest and down the other side. We continued for about half a mile down the exposed side but we were up in the clouds and could see no end to our misery in sight. We were alone with the sheep, and they didn’t look too happy either. We looked at each other and simultaneously decided that we were better off turning around…and so we did, with the wind pushing us along now.
As we neared the car, the wind subsided and rays of sunshine began to poke through the clouds! Wet and cold,
we drove back to our wonderful little country house, looking forward to that fabulous water pressure and endless amount of hot water.
Where we ate: John Benny's Pub
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