Irish Grass Pollen

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Do you suffer from hay fever? I do and I just discovered that Ireland has intense grass pollen from May through August. During all my previous travels and living abroad I've rarely had hay fever problems. In fact, my hay fever has gotten better over the years. Maybe my body has built up some resistance to Idaho pollens except for sage; that one always gets me.
The Irish grass pollen is kicking my ass. I didn't pack my hay fever medication and so the day was quite miserable. I think I can get my usual stuff over the counter at a pharmacy. Or at least that is what I read when I did a quick search online.
So anyway, we started out our day with the intention of going to see a megalithic tomb in an out of the way spot. The early inhabitants of the island built rock tombs all over the island and one of the more famous examples has been heavily photographed at an equally famous place called The Burren. I plan on going there but I wanted to see a another tomb that is located closer to us.
We started out with the plan of finding a place to have lunch. In nearby Doonbeg is the ritzy golf course/club The Doonbeg Golf Club. This place was designed by Greg Norman and is located right on the coast. It is a very cool place and it was recommended by one of the locals we met at O'Keeffe's pub the first night we were here.
Before I render my verdict on my dining experience, in all fairness I must issue a full disclaimer: I like hot, spicy food, and big bold flavors both in wine and food. My three favorite places to eat are at Debbie's Diner, Dan's Place, and Chez Mark & Darin. The food served up there is always flavorful. I like flavors - I want flavor in my food.
Thus far everything I have eaten has been sans flavor. The best dish I've had was a seafood platter that was unadorned and the fish was fresh. Everything else has been bland. I ordered a rare roast beef sandwich at the Doonbeg Golf Club restaurant. Mind you, this is supposed to be a world class resort. The meat was bland, the horseradish was more like ranch dressing and lacked any zip, the fries (chips) were on the edge of crispness but not quite. Beth ordered a Gnocchi dish that came with morel type mushrooms, dried peppers and tomatoes. It was flavorful, making it at least two things that I've eaten or tasted that had some flavor. Also, Guinness does have a wonderful flavor and I swear it tastes differently here in Ireland. But alas, this man does not live by beer alone.
After that we headed off in search of this tomb that is indicated on the map. We took a leisurely drive through some back roads headed to the tomb. We found it all right. Unfortunately the land it was situated on was private and had No Trespassing signs posted. If there hadn't been a sign I would have hopped over the fence to take a photo, but there were several signs which usually means business. Plus, there was a guy working in a peat field. “Know the rules, just don't get caught breaking them” is a dictum by which I live so I figured best not get in unpleasant situation with the locals. To make things worse I couldn't even take a long distance photo as the only view was from the road and there was no place to pull over at the only possible angle. Gahhhhh!!!
I fear that other places that I may want to see may be just like this. I hope not. Otherwise, just because it is identified on the map does not equate with being able to actually get right up to it. As the Irish would say, “What the feck!”
On the way home we came across some guys working a peat field. Peat is used like coal and according to one of the locals I talked to, the peat burns quite hot. We have smelled some as we have walked by houses and the chimney is smoking. I can't really describe the odor. The first time we smelled it we knew that it must be peat. It is that distinctive.

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Photos

Peat Field
I would have liked to have watched how the sod gets turned over.

Peat Pyramids
The individual bricks are then stacked upright to allow them to dry.

Peat - Repeat
That is a lotta peat!

Peat Power
We see tractors pulling trailers full of peat all of the time. Its peat harvest time! The stuff is sold commercially.

Comments

[Mark]

Have you seen colcannon on the menus there? It's basically mashed potatoes with cabbage and bacon baked in. I've done it at home a few times--it's probably bland too, but better than regular mashed potatoes. I do mine with green onions, celery and spinach, but it can also be done with Kale and other bitter greens. Looks like you need to bring your own condiments with you when you eat -- store-bought horseradish and hot sauce, at least! mark

[GS arcs]

My own condiments?
Well we did bring a mini moka to make espresso. Mini bottles of tabasco would have made a difference.