Ahh, let's see, where did our intrepid traveler last leave you all? Ennis, right. We were in the town of Ennis. From Ennis we headed towards the cliffs of Mohar, with a few stops along the way. The first stop was a stone portal that used to sit in front of a tomb, but the tomb is long since gone. So now it's really just a couple of upright stones with a cap stone on top. I don't tell the story very well, it sounded much better coming from our guide.
The next stop was a fairy ring. Originally they were temples built by people, but after they were abandoned, the fairies took them over and started using them. Under no circumstances are you to enter a fairy ring, or very bad, catastrophic luck will befall you. You are, however, allowed to walk around the outside and look in, which is what we did. And once you leave the fairy ring, if you make a point of saying thank you to the fairies in gaelic, they may grant you a wish. Our tour guide taught us how to say thank you in gaelic, but I've forgotten already.
From the fairy ring we went to the cliffs of Mohar, which are amazing. They're these 700 or so foot cliffs that just drop right into the ocean, straight down. Apparently the newest Harry Potter movie was filmed there, and I actually think I kinda recognize it. From there we went to Galway, where we spent the night. April and I even decided it was time to go out for another couple pints, so we headed to the Quays pub, where I discovered my new favorite beer, Smithwicks. Good stuff.
The next morning we hopped on a shuttle bus that took us to a passenger ferry that took us to Innismor, one of the Aran islands. They're these barren, rocky islands just off the coast that are really quite beautiful. Once we got there the tour guide fixed us up with bike rentals, because that's the best way to explore the island. We went to a few different graveyards, and finally made our way to Dun Aengus, a centuries old fort that sits right on the edge of a 300 foot cliff. And the best part is that you can actually go right up the edge of the cliff and look off. And there's no hand railing. People literally crawl right up to the edge of the cliff and hang their heads over the 300 foot void. I did. It's like hanging your head off the edge of the world. It's terrifying and exhilarating and amazing all at the same time. It was awesome.
I might also add that the bikes we had weren't exactly in top condition. We literally couldn't change gears because the chains would fall off. After fixing them several times we pretty much just picked a gear and then walked them up the steeper hills.
Once we go back to town we went to the Aran Sweater Market. I'd been coveting the Irish wool sweaters for days, and there I finally managed to find one I liked. It's green with a hood and a zipper front. And it's so comfy. Thought it's currently living in April's pack, as mine has mysteriously run out of room. I think my stuff is multiplying without my knowledge. That night we had a free BBQ courtesy of the kind Italian man that runs the hostel there, and drank a few pints with the rest of the people on our tour.
This morning after a quick ferry ride back to the mainland of Ireland, we did a lot of driving. We stopped for lunch, then stopped again at the final resting place of the Irish poet, WB Yeats. After that we were headed for this evening's accomodations in Derry, with a side trip up a windy, steep country lane to another ring fort that gave us an amazing 360 degree view of the county and beyond.
Once we got to Derry, we took a walking tour of the wall and got a lot of political and other history of the city. Derry is the city where a lot of the "Troubles" (as the locals call them) took place over the last 40 or so years. It was also the place where Bloody Sunday occured. Yes, the one from the U2 song. It's hard to explain without taking up too much space, but you can Google it if you'd like to know more. Sufficed to say that the "troubles" are now over and all the people here are very, very glad for it. And it is a wonderful city with quite a bit of history, so if you're ever in Ireland, make a point of coming to Derry. You won't be disappointed. Derry is also the only intact walled city left in Europe, which is pretty amazing considering what the city's been through.
That's about ir for today, and I should probably stop since all my bunkmates are trying to sleep and my clacking of keys is probably keeping them awake. But there's a good full day booked for tomorrow, so keep checking for updates!
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