Photos by:  Philip Galvin

  

IRELAND - COUNTRYSIDE 2 

 

1. Cliffs of Moher 

 

These cliffs are located at the southwestern edge of County Clare.  On the west coast of Clare extends for 8kms /5miles.  It is a UNESCO site. 

 

image001 

There is a folklore associated with these cliffs. There once was a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid, only to see her return to the sea and left him behind.

image002

There is a Visitor Center which contains a restaurant and some souvenir shops, etc. on top of the cliffs.  The sight from the building looking over the sea is spectacular.  You can walk around the top of cliffs and enjoy the wild flowers. 

image003

image004

 Formed by layers of siltstone, shale and sandstone and are 650ft/214 meters high.

image020

 

 

2. Aran Islands (Galway Bay):

 

There are three scenic limestone islands make up the Aran Islands, namely Inis Mor, Inis Meain and Inis Oirr. They are the last lands to the west before reaching the US. 

FERRY TO INISHEER (Inis Oirr)

 

image022

 

A view from the Ferry.

 image021

 

INISHEER (Inis Oirr):

 

Inisheer is the smallest (3km x 3km) and most easterly located island out of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay. 

 

image023

 

We took a horse carriage to look around the island.  The massive effort that was needed to build those walls becomes evident when you get a closer look at how the walls were assembled.

 

image024

 

 

image025 

 

A ship driven ashore during a storm. The locals helped recuse the crew during the storm and kept the loss of life to a minimum.

 

image026

 

image027

The rugged shoreline of Inisheer.

image028

 

A LOCAL PUB

 

A closer look at the back room. 

image009

 

A PLEASANT SURPRISE, WHEN VISITING THE VISITOR CENTRE AT THE CLIFFS OF MOHER (Our family Coat of Arms)

image010

 

Quick historical references of  Ireland.

400 BC   Celtic tribes invaded Ireland

432  Christianity was brought to Ireland by St. Patrick 

795  Vikings began to raid Ireland

1014 At Clantarf, Brian Boru defeated the Vikings  

1541 Ireland's Parliament was forced to declare Henry VII to be a king

1603  Elizabeth I ended revolts in Ulster

1649  Oliver Cromwell crushed an Irish revolt against England. He took

          many political rights and land away from Irish Catholics 

1690  In the Battle of the Boyne, The English defeated James II and 

         Irish forces. 

1801 Ireland became part of the UK of Great Britain and Ireland

1845-1847 About 750,000 people were killed by a potato famine 

1916  In Dublin, the Easter Rebellion against British rule broke out.

1921  It became a dominion of Great Britain called the Irish Free State

1949 Ireland declared itself a republic

1955 Ireland joined the United Nations

1973 Ireland became a member of the European Community