the northern coast

St. Patrick's Day

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Happy Paddy's Day! It's very much a family holiday here, and we celebrated in style with my dad and two of his sisters.

Sligo

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Mary and I went to Sligo, to see Yeats' Country. Mary hates Yeats, which extends to not admitting that Maud Gonne was the most beautiful woman ever to live.

Actually, we went to have seaweed baths, which were really wonderful. Then we drank all their tea and walked along the beach.

This is Knocknarea, which holds Mebh's Cairn. We didn't walk up it, because it was 4 km of climbing to get there.

We think Mebh was angry, because after that, everything we went to see, or anywhere we went to eat, was closed, despite what the signs on the door said. Here's me not getting in Carrowmore, the largest megalithic cemetery in Europe.

The parking lot at Strokestown Park, home of the National Famine Museum. It was lovely. We drove all over the grounds to stick it to them. They seemed nice too.

Clonmacnoise

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We went to see Clonmacnoise with my friend Mary. It's on old important monastery sitting right in the center of Ireland, on the Shannon river. It's known as the crossroads of Ireland. 

That's the Shannon River you see behind the round tower. It's really full right now, like all the rivers. 

This is the whispering doorway, that supposedly the priests used to use to hear lepers' confessions. We couldn't get it to work.

T found a "dungeon" where they kept stone pieces from the buildings. He was very creeped out by the face he found staring at him.

 Clonmacnoise is famous for some really beautiful stone crosses.

From inside the museum/interpretive center/whatever
"1070 'The head of Conchobar Ua Maeil-Shechlainn forcibly carried from Clonmacnoise by Toirdelbhach' who was compelled to return it, 'for he was smitten with a miraculous disease imparted to him by a mouse that issued from the head, and ran under his garment.' "

Just a warning that the same thing will happen to anyone who takes my head.

Athenry

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I thought I'd post some more general pictures of Athenry. The kids aren't really into context. 

Here is Brinda by a road sign. She's impressed with the two languages. We've learned a little Irish, and I think that's as far as we're going. Athenry means the Ford of the King (baile means town). The town, with the castle, priory and church, was built in the 13th century, when people had no use for sidewalks.

We haven't been in the Norman castle yet. It will open around St. Patrick's Day, apparently.

Here's the house from the front garden.