Day Three (Killarney-Blarney-Dublin)

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No need to describe the great breakfast. The rest of Irish/English food may not be all that exciting but they certainly give better breakfasts than the Italians and French.

James had us on the bus and out of the hotel parking lot before 9:00am. Once again it was a brilliant, sunny day. The temperatures were expected to rise as we went further inland.

We were headed to Blarney Castle on the old road through Macroom. Of course, this was probably the only road between the two towns but in any case, I learned after this trip that it was a very historic route. It was along this road that the IRA won their first major victory against the British forces at the Kilmichael Ambush in 1920. A week after "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" where the Brits pretty much kicked the butts of the fledgling IRA, the IRA staged a reprisal attack where they murdered 17 members of the Auxiliaries, a para-police force working for the British. The IRA stopped a couple of English trucks full of the Auxiliaries and shot them all without giving them a chance to surrender. Two guys escaped, one was shot in the head and permanently paralyzed while the other soldier that escaped was severely wounded. He headed to a nearby home seeking help only to find two IRA soldiers there. They killed him and dumped his body in the nearby bog. To their credit, most of the IRA troops involved in this brutal attack were so traumitized by it that they became physically sick and lost interest in the struggle. When the British headquarters learned of the attack they staged massive reprisals where farms and livestock were destroyed in revenge. The Kilmichael Ambush pretty much led to the escalation of hostilities with England and eventually became a landmark in the Irish history of independence.

A similar, less successful attack called the "Coolavokig Ambush" also took place in this area in 1921.

Of even greater significance was still another ambush on August 22, 1922 during the Irish Civil War. The Irish had won their independence but one faction approved the interim government that was set up while the rest of the IRA wanted to fight on. Soon it was Irish against Irish. One of the heroes of the War for Independence, Michael Collins, was the 32 year old leader of the group trying to lead a more peaceful break from the English. His pragmatic approach irritated the IRA types. While driving along the Macroom Road he was ambushed by the anti-Treaty forces and shot in the head. His youthful death did more to rally the people than the fight against the Brits.

I knew none of this as we drove. Once again this was not a super highway. We went through a number of little villages and past many many pastures full of many many sheep. Seeing the quaint town of Macroom was like arriving at an oasis in the desert of sameness.

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Photos

Macroom Castle
James and Patrick stopped the bus in Macroom and gave us a half hour to explore. James told us that this castle was once owned by the father of William Penn who founded our home state of Pennsylvania. On the morning we arrived a little farmers' market was being set up.

A pretty little place this Macroom is
It might have been nice to spend more time here. Had I known about the whole IRA history of the area I would have bought a book in the nearby bookstore. As it was we didn't have much time to do anything here except take a couple photos.

The facade of Macroom Castle
I'm not sure what the deal was with this castle but just beyond this entrance gate there was absolutely nothing - just an alley and a bunch of buildings. Nothing that looked worth exploring. Perhaps the evil English destroyed everything that once sat inside the castle walls.

Malachy Duggan - the most hated man of Macroom
Back in 1798 the British and Irish were again fighting. The Irish wanted the British out of Ireland and the British were reluctant to give up the property their nobles owned in Ireland. Many of the richest folk in Ireland were either British or allied with them. A Colonel Hutchinson lived on a big farm outside Macroom. One night Malachy Duggan, his son, a cousin and 13 other near-do-wells decided to rob Hutchinson. Somehow the Colonel was killed. The British arrested Malachy who they then starved and tortured until he confessed then ratted out his cohorts, including his own son. The names of the executed listed on this plaque just inside the castle walls were the folks that Malachy gave up. They were all hanged, drawn and quartered. Then their heads were stuck on pikes and put on display in the town square. The other people that were transported to Australia were supposedly indirectly involved. More likely they were guys the British considered troublemakers who might get involved in the guerilla fighting action going on elsewhere in the Macroom area. While the Duggans and their friends were pretty much nothing more than a gang of thieves, over the years their story has become a legend where they are now seen as early freedom fighters in the cause of Irish Independence. Very similar to our re-telling of what happened at the Boston Massacre.

The town square
This is just another angle of the town square in Macroom. It was quite a pretty little town and in retrospect a very interesting town from an historical perspective. Prior to all these other incidents I mentioned between the Irish and the English, back in the 1600's the forces of Oliver Cromwell marched into this part of Ireland and crushed the Irish forces. To hear the Irish and contemporary historians tell the story, it was that evil Cromwell and his vicious English Protestants storming into a land where they didn't belong trying to impose their will. Fortunately I read some Irish history books back in the 1970's before political correctness and the "blame the English and Americans for everything" mindset invaded historical circles. The reason Cromwell invaded Ireland was because forces loyal to King Charles and the Monarchy were being harbored there. In order to protect his own claim to power back in London he was forced to put down the rebels. As a result of their victory, the Cromwellian forces hanged the leader of the rebels, the local bishop.

IRA memorial
By now you probably get the idea that I'm no fan of the IRA. There was a time when I appreciated their goals but not their methods. However in today's world of faceless and mindless terrorism it's hard for me to respect any group that uses the innocent populace as a shield against their enemies. The IRA's tactics of ambushes and guerilla raids where they murdered unsuspecting British soldiers, police and politicians not to mention innocent bystanders only to run and hide among the general public instead of fighting on a field of battle has become the blue print for all the wacko Muslim extremists, Bosnian thugs and Sri Lankan insurgent groups in today's world. I fail to see the difference between those guys and someone like Charles Manson. Murderers. Yet there are also the many atrocities committed on the English side. They are no less guilty.

Next stop. Blarney Castle
A less controversial tourist spot was next on the agenda. Actually it just might be the MOST controversial since it's probably the silliest scam going in all the world of travel. This is the site of the Blarney Stone scam.

Waiting for Gail
Visitors pay a couple bucks to climb up to the top of the ruins of this decrepit meaningless castle where they bend over backyards hanging on for dear life over a precipitous drop in order to castle a moldy, worn old stone. The Irish think this is a great joke and laugh at the dopey tourists that feel they have to perform this task. I even heard someone say that Irish kids used to sneak into the castle at night and peed on the stone. Needless to say, Gail had to perform this rite for the second time. I sat with Gail's mom down below and watched the fun. The spot for this tourist ripoff is that upper widow on the side that angles away from my location, on the left side.

Shopping (again) in Blarney
Blarney Castle features a huge souvenir/Irish goods store located in an old woolen mill just off the castle grounds. We were getting hungry for lunch and really didn't feel like paying the tourist-inflated prices for food at the Woolen Mill so we walked a couple blocks into the colorful little town. It was getting very hot by now with the temperature close to 90 degrees. We found a little bistro where Gail, her mother, Jeanne Moyer and I ordered tall drinks. I got Shepherd's Pie again and was pretty happy with my choice this time. We spent a couple minutes looking around the tiny village then headed back to the Woolen Mills. I really didn't want anything else for myself but decided to look for something for my work substitute's young son. We walked through a mile of sweaters, blankets, jewelry, silver, hats, music and books but I couldn't find anything for him. I was thinking of a soccer or rugby jersey but the prices for little kids stuff was ridicilous. The only bargain I saw was in the bodhran section where they were only 25 Euro instead of the 30 I paid the day before.

Rock of Cashel
We spent a couple hours in Blarney which pleased everyone else in the group, but looking back on it, I think I would have preferred to learn more about Macroom. Such is the price of traveling on a tour. Judging by all the green and white shopping accompanying my fellow busmates it looked like the Blarney Woolen Mills would have plenty of capital to add an addition to their facility.
Our next stop via a quick pass by Cork was the Rock of Cashel. This is a near mythical site of reverence for the Irish. It is said that it was on this site that St. Patrick converted the King of Munster and where Kings ruled Ireland before the Norman invasion. The Munster kings were not cowed by the Danish and Norse Vikings that settled in the Dublin area. They maintained autonomy and kept Christianity alive during the Dark Ages.

Under Construction
If you've never been to Europe, one thing you should know before you go is that virtually every old cathedral, city wall or castle you want to see is going to have some sort of ugly on-going construction happening to it. As cool as these old buildings are you almost never see a totally pristine view of the place. To fool the folks back home you have to walk around a bit to get the right angle where you can crop out the ugly scaffolding and tarps.
This was our second visit to the Rock of Cashel and like the previous time we only spent a few minutes here. I would have preferred less time at Blarney so that we could explore the Celtic and Medieval architecture. Most of the buildings here date from the 15th Century.

Hore Abbey
This Cistercian Monastery dates from 1272. It was the last Cistercian building in Ireland. It is thought that this monastery was built within sight of the Rock of Cashel because of the significance of St. Patrick in the County's history. The abbey was dissolved during the reign of Catholic-hating Henry VIII, then burned down by Cromwell a century later and burned again in a feud between local lords.

Dublin rowhouses
We took one more little break after resuming our trip from Cashel to Dublin. We stopped at a gas station/food mart for potty breaks and to grab something to drink. When we continued on to Dublin most of us dozed on the bus. Around 5:00 we reached the outskirts of the city. Here we actually saw a 4 lane highway as well as Burger Kings, McDonald's, Starbucks and TGI Fridays. Another sign of encroaching globalization as well as the burgeoning economy of the Celtic Tiger was the number of new buildings going up and the use of real estate agents to sell them.

The Mecca of Irish beer drinkers
On our route into the city of Dublin we passed by every Irishman's favorite place on earth, the Guinness Brewery.

Castle Hotel in Dublin
Because of the rather odd system of one way streets it took Patrick a couple trips around the block until he was able to get us to our hotel for the next two nights - the Castle Hotel. Prior to leaving the U.S. I had read that this hotel was purported to host a ghost. I could believe it once we checked in. The hotel was old and a little worn in that charming English way and the room I was given was in an isolated wing on the ground floor. But the TV worked fine, the bathroom was huge and I had a fake fireplace. What else could I ask for?

This really is a beer lover's city
Almost as soon as we checked into our rooms James was summoning us to go for dinner. Our hotel was just off Parnell Square. We simply had to cross to the other side of the square to reach our restaurant. It was getting uncomfortably hot in the early evening in Dublin and unfortunately our restaurant didn't have a/c. We enjoyed an Irish favorite, lasagna and orange drink for dinner then quickly left the stifling heat inside for a walk along the Liffey River.

The Ha'penny Bridge
Even though there are a score of bridges over the Liffey, the one every tourist has to take is the narrow pedestrian-only Ha'penny Bridge. Officially the bridge is "The Wellington Bridge" but since it once cost a half penny to cross it, that was the name the locals used. This was the first wrought-iron bridge erected in Ireland.

Trinity College area
Emerging from the Temple Bar area we headed up past Trinity College. Once again I had my eyes peeled for Kilkenney beer, but had no luck. Gail, her mother and I wanted to go off and explore on our own but the rest of the group stuck with us. We spent some time window shopping then started back toward our hotel. I was still a wee bit hungry.

Molly Malone
Across from Trinity College was this rather evocative statue of Mollie Malone. You heard of her: "She wheels her barrow through streets that are narrow...singing 'Cockle and Mussels', Mollie Malone" The buxom Miss Mollie statue caused quite a stir when first erected (pun intended).

Charles Stewart Parnell
The street leading back to Parnell Square was lined with fast food and shoe stores. While I scouted the former, Gail stopped into the latter. I eventually settled on a McChicken sandwich to take back to my room. In an adjacent quickee mart I bought two cans of beer which Gail and I shared back at the hotel. On our way back to the hotel we could see things were starting to get lively as darkness approached. Scary-looking punk and Goth kids seemed to be appearing out of the woodwork. Screaming hen parties and rowdy soccer/rugby guys were carrying on at every street corner. We were accosted by a drunk as we tried to cross the street, but he left us alone when we ignored his ramblings. We knew we were almost back to the safety of our hotel when we saw this monument to the great Irish politician, Charles Parnell. As an elected member of Parliament in the 1870's and 80's , he was the architect of the concept of the political whip. The number of Irish representatives in the British Parliament was small and they were totally insignificant until Parnell came along and organized them into a potent block of voters. He was able to set much of the groundwork which led to Irish independence 40 years later. He led a controversial life that included a mistress, allegations of corruption and disputes with his Catholic Church.
Back at the hotel Gail's Mom was pretty spent from our long day of walking around in the heat. She went up to bed while came came to my room where we watched some TV and drank our beers.

Comments

[Macroom Person]

How dare you!
Listen you scumbag american how dare you comment on the IRA you know fuck all about what happend in irish history what gives you the right to talk down about the brave men and women who fought and gave there lives for irish freedom. God Bless The IRA