Sugarloaf Mountain and Black Pudding

Yesterday there about nine things that Jane wanted to do with us. We realised our time here is drawing to a close and there was not enough time to fit them all in. As the sun was shining, we decided to climb Sugarloaf Mountain that lies to the south of Shankhill, which is where Ed and Jane live.

It is a spectacular looking hill and we were assured there were wonderful views from the top. We were not disappointed. It is really a scramble up to the top - you pull yourself up. The sun shone and we could see snow on the Wicklow hills in the distance.



After enjoying the views, we scrambled down and drove on the Sallygap Road to a place where there were spectacular views to a hidden lake. The countryside had this raw, bleak beauty that is incredibly appealing. It is a two hour return walk, and with all the other things we wanted to do, we decided we would have to do this walk "next time".



Once home, Ed cooked us all bacon and eggs with black pudding. It was surprisingly good and we enjoyed it immensely. Jane was determined to get us to taste this during our time here, so we did.

Later that afternoon, we went to see the latest James Bond movie that had just come out and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is every chase imaginable and there is a constant adrenalin rush through the entire film. Keith didn't think it was as good as Casino Royale, but I thought it was great.

We then went out to dinner with some friends from Crinken church - and had a wonderful evening and a delicious meal. The Irish are warm and friendly and great fun. They were as interested in us as we were in them - it was a late night talking in front of a fire. Later, Ed drove us home past Bono's home, not that we could see much,as it is gated and surrounded by a high wall.

Snippets of history

During our time with Ed and Jane, we have been soaking up Irish history. I knew very little about how the Republic of Ireland evolved and why Ireland is divided into north and south, and have little understanding of the religious and political tensions that have created the Ireland of today. A couple of nights ago we watched the film "Michael Collins" about one of the leaders of the uprising and eventual civil war during the 1920s. I was intrigued. Earlier this week, Ed and Jane took us to where the Battle of the Boyne took place in 1690 - a different period of time, but equally significant.

I have also learnt about the potato famine which almost halved the population in size and despite pleas to the English for help, none was received. We found out that most of the trees of Ireland were removed centuries ago by the English to build Naval ships - ships such as those we saw at Portsmouth several weeks ago - the Victory, the Mary Rose and the Warrior. Poverty, hunger and cold were the bleak reality for most Irish people.

Ed's father grew up about six kilometres from the Cliffs of Moher during the 1920s and never visited them. The expression "you can't eat a view" was the reality of their life. Most of the children had no shoes and having felt the cold you would have permanent frozen ice blocks for feet and would not choose to walk anywhere.

Ed's grandfather's name was John O'Halloran and he grew up in Tulla - east Clare. Keith has just discovered that one of his distant ancestors was John Halloran who grew up in Dooniss - not far from there! The O was often dropped off in Irish names. Keith's ancestor made his way to Australia during the potato famine in 1855. What an amazing coincidence. There is a genealogical centre in Clare and if we had known this information before going, we might have been able to trace these two John's to see if there was any connection. Next time.

As it was, we had plenty to keep us busy. We were keen to visit the place where Niall Williams has settled with his wife Chris Breen in 1985. I have been reading their delightful book "O Come Ye Back to Ireland: Our first year in County Clare" during our time here and enjoyed it immensely. They settled in a place called Kiltumper which is not on the map but is close to the village of Kilmihil. On arriving there, Jane went into the post office to ask for directions to Kiltumper. "And who would you be looking for there?" she was asked. On explaining that we were Australians and just wanted to go there, she was asked "would you be looking for the Williamses?" She was given very Irish directions "well you see this road? you go down this road a while and you go past the school and then you go and you come to a bend in the road to the left. At the point of the bend there is a road and this is where you go. You will then go past a house, then another house and then there is a lull and then you are there."

We followed these directions and found their house, but didn't want to intrude - we just peeked over the hedge. Their first summer had been very wet I felt like I had been there with them as they adjusted to their new life away from New York. It is an insightful look at Irish life and the friendliness and warmth of the people as well as the harsh realities of the land and making ends meet.

They had described a monument in Kilmihil erected in the 1920s commemorating Sean Brean who had been shot during the uprising. So we returned to Kilmihil to find it. Nothing jumped out at us and we found ourselves in the Catholic cemetery when a woman walked in, who we stopped to ask if she could tell us where it could be found. In the way of the Irish, we engaged in a delightful conversation with her and found out all sorts of things but nothing about any monument, as she is fairly new to the area - her late husband was from here and was now buried in this cemetery and she daily visited him.

She suggested we ask at the post office, which we were reluctant to do, as we had already been there. We could already imagine the gossip of the village - these four Australian's looking for the Williamses and a monument. Fortunately, we stumbled across it by accident - in the book, it was outside the community hall which is now the public library. It is a beautiful celtic cross and diagonally across the road is a stone marking the place where he was shot. Sean Breen had been involved in attempting to shoot the police as they left church one Sunday morning. The police then started shooting and threw grenades towards civilians also leaving the church, so Sean ran forward in an attempt to divert them from killing innocent people and in the process was shot himself. In the book is a letter his mother Catherine writes to her sister living in Australia expressing her angst but also pride in her son's actions. A tiny village and a tiny snippet of history, but somehow it seemed to make the reality of the uprising and civil war more real to each of us.







We had a most untypical Irish day - clear blue skies without cloud. We headed for the coast - a place called Spanish Point. We walked along a flat beach in the brisk cold and enjoyed the sun and sea. Again, this place has a history - this time of a Spanish ship retreating during the Spanish Amarda that hit the rocks and sank. The crew survived and spent the remainder of their lives here - thus explaining the dark skin and hair of some of the locals.





After driving along a part of the coast that was spectacular, we had lunch in a village at a pub - another vegetable soup which was green this time - so Jane and I had fun identifying the vegetables, we headed back for Dublin. A long drive without snow and with wonderful views of the countryside clothed with autumn splendour that turned golden in the setting sun.

West coast county Clare

We set off on Wednesday for the wild west coast of Ireland. This is where Ed's father grew up in a tiny coastal village. It is also where Niall Williams lives and writes is evocative books which we have all read and enjoyed. We drove through a snow storm heading west. it was so white we wondered if it might be wise to turn back and head home.



Towards late afternoon we arrived in Ennis where we were to stay for two nights. The snow had eventually turned to rain, but it was cold, bleak and windy. We walked around the town looking for pubs where we might eat and hear some traditional Irish music. Keith bought me a CD of Declan O'Rourke and chatted with the guy in the shop who assured us there were at least four pubs that served "very nice meals" and had music. We found one, that proudly displayed a sign "live music tonight at 9pm". This is where we did eat and waited for the music. At around 9.45, we asked the owner when the music would be starting and he told us they didn't do live music on Wednesday's. This seems to capture something of the Irish, where you don't find out the full truth about anything - yes, we have live music but not tonight.

We awoke to a clear blue sky and drove to the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs seem to arise out of no where - they soar 200 metres above the sky. Despite the sun, it was bitterly cold and we tried to rug up as warmly as we could. We made a dash for the cliffs from the car and enjoyed the spectacular views across to the Aran Islands, and up and down the coast and then down to the sea. This is a place of bleak beauty - but it was almost too cold to stand and appreciate. We headed back to the car and drank cups of coffee in the warmth before driving north up the coast towards Black Head.







There are these castles dotted around the country side that are crumbling down, but dominate the local landscape.





The colours of the rocks, sea and grass blend to an irish quilt of greys and greens waiting to be made back home. I love the rocky walls - these stones have been put together like a jigsaw puzzle and are then overgrown with gorse and bracken. In the spring time, Jane tells me that the gorse flowers bright yellow - this must be an amazing sight. I am enjoying the autumn colours, but at this place there are no trees and the landscape is barren and bare.



We decide to head towards a perfumery in the Burren National Park in a village called Corofin where they have a cafe. The countryside is gorgeous and it seems like we are driving forever along windy narrow roads with few signposts and there is an uncertainty that we will reach this spot on the map.

We stop firstly to see a dolmen. This is an ancient portal tomb that dates back to the Neolithic period, 3200BC. We are amazed that this structure has stood the test of time - the winds, the rain, the blizzards and the gales.





On arriving, we discover that the cafe is open during summer only - we can only laugh as it has taken us so long to get there. The pub in Corofin had looked inviting, with beautiful views across a loch. We arrive to discover it is closed to the public as there is a private function on. By this time is is 3.30, so we load ourselves into the car to in the hopes of eventually finding a pub that will find us. We are finally revived with soup and brown soda bread - an Irish staple that is delicious - as was the vegetable soup, that looked like pumpkin, but was probably mostly carrot and potato and warmed us to the core.

That evening we were treated to wonderful Irish music at a different pub. The pub is where the locals meet their friends and chat and socialise. County Clare is a gorgeous spot and we feel we have merely glimpsed what is on offer. Tomorrow we will do more exploring.

Once and Dublin

Landing at Dublin airport was a bit like being on a luna park ride. We bounced up and down to shrieks from the children aboard the flight. On landing we could see the wind blowing the grass and realised it was blowing a gale outside. it was bleak, wet and cold and I realised I had told Ed the wrong time for our flight arrival. We were two hours earlier than anticipated. Why am I so good at making these mistakes?

Fortunately, Ed checked on our flight and realised he had been given the wrong time, so we didn't have to wait two hours. After a wonderful warm welcome, and a delicious soup for lunch we set out on a walk in the drizzle through a magnificent autumnal forest. It reminded me of the forest of Fontainbleau in France. We don't have anything like it in Australia.





I just love these autumnal colours - they are simply spectacular.

It has been wonderful catching up with such dear friends who we have known for ever. Keith and Jane went to uni together and spent hours talking together. Keith and Ed were at college together. Since arriving here we have talked and talked and talked. I am surprised we still have voices.

Last night we watched a wonderful movie together with Ed and Jane's two gorgeous girls called Once. A low budget film set in Dublin about a man and woman who enjoy making music together. Both have left relationships with scars. However, the film is mostly about the music they make together and the chemistry of their relationship. The music from the film won the Oscar for the best sound and deservedly. This is not a chick flick and has a refreshingly moral end. There is no "hanky panky" using the words of one of the main characters. It was a great introduction to Dublin which we visited today.

We started the day in glorious sunshine, so much so, that it never occurred to Keith or I to pack raincoats - not a good idea in Ireland! We caught the Dart into Dublin. The line follows the coast right up the coast - we had the most spectacular views north and south and the sky was blue and without clouds and the sea sparkled. On arrival to Dublin, the weather had changed and a cold wind blew, the sky turned black and it began to rain. And it was cold. The sort of day that I would snuggle up inside and sew or read a book - not explore a new city and sit on the top of a bus with an open top. However, the weather doesn't stop the Irish from doing anything.

We retreated to a cafe and waited for the weather to change. Jane assured us it would and sure enough it did. The rain vanished and the sun came out. But the cold remained. We did a tour on an open topped bus of Dublin and turned into iceblocks. Dublin is a delightful city - Georgian in style - most of the buildings are built of grey stone, and it is also the city of the doors. Each door is painted a different colour. It reminded me of the amish quilts that are bright vibrant in colour but the women all wear black. Dublin is a city of grey with splashes of vibrant colour. The result is quaint and unique.

We did some shopping in the afternoon and ran out of time to be tourists properly. We later found out it was a mere 4 degrees - perhaps explaining our reluctance to spend much time outside. We searched the shops for a woollen hat to keep my head warm.

We are about to watch the movie called Michael Collins who was a revolutionary in Ireland. We saw much today about this man and I am keen to learn more.

Tomorrow we are driving to the west coast of Ireland - Clare for a couple of nights. I am now prepared - with a new woolly cap and will wear all my winter woollies.