Wrapping it Up

This trip was a bit different from most of my other trips.  Instead of taking off to learn something about people that are culturally very different from me, the purpose of this trip was to actually learn a little bit about myself and my own heritage.

It was all a lot of fun but, I have struggled to find a way to wrap it up; until now.  I just saw this Ted Talk by Simon Anholt.  I can't think of a better way to end my blog of Ireland.

Elisabeth Fort

My last day in Cork has been very relaxed.  After a nice morning run, I had an Irish breakfast and then headed out with no particular destination in mind. I eventually made it to the southwest side of the city; where I strolled through a residential neighborhood and talked to a few people along the way.  On my way back to the downtown commercial/touristy area, I passed the Elisabeth Fort. It was built by Sir George Carew in 1601, after the Battle of Kinsale. It wasn’t long before it came under attack. After the death of Queen Elisabeth in 1603, the Irish, rejecting the crowning of James I, demolished and disarmed it. It was rebuilt about ten years later, this time in stone, and has since served as a reminder of Cork and the rest of Ireland’s continuing conflicts with the English and themselves. 

  

Sheep Dogs

Lamb and wool are big industries here in Ireland and the sheep dogs are all business. 
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Ring of Kerry

I was on the road most of the day; circling the Ring of Kerry. It’s a looping ring of scenic views, small towns, castles and cliffs. It’s said to be a favorite place of Queen Victoria. 

The Cliffs of Moher

I walked a trail along the Cliffs of Moher today.  The Cliffs run for about nine miles on the southwestern edge of the Burren region in Clare County.  The highest point is around 700 ft above the Atlantic Ocean. 

You will find 300-million-year-old river channels cutting through and forming unconformities at the base  of the cliffs. 

I was lucky enough to spot a few Atlantic Puffins through the heavy fog.  The sea life also includes sharks, dolphins, seals and whales. 

Leaving Dublin

I’ve just left Dublin heading to Galway. Fortunately I managed to get into Kilmainham Gaol where I found this letter in the small museum there. It is a letter from James Fisher to his mother; written just before his execution. While maybe not as elegantly written as Robert Emmet’s Speach, it is just as poignant. James was the age of some of my students. He was among the last to be executed here in 1922 at the start of the Irish civil war. 

Trinity College Library

Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth the I. 

Its famous library I s the largest research library in Ireland with about five million books,  

Of course, The Book of Kells is the Library's most famous book. You will find it in the Old Library with many other ancient texts.  This is where you will also find the Brian Boru harp, one of three surviving medieval Gaelic harps, and a national symbol of Ireland.