Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for ireland
Posh Dublin
By Linda Tancs
Founded as a Viking settlement, Dalkey is a posh suburb of Dublin, Ireland. As such, it’s no surprise that famous locals like Bono call it home. For those who can’t afford the fancy address, it also offers one of Dublin’s best walks as one of its most scenic coastal suburbs. One of the trails weaves through the village down to the coast, following the shoreline on Vico Road until you reach the top of Killiney Hill. The view at the top of the hill reminded 19th-century Dubliners of the Bay of Naples, which is why so many of the roads around there have Italian names.
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Ireland’s Holy Mountain
By Linda Tancs
An important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Croagh Patrick is Ireland’s Holy Mountain. Known locally as “The Reek,” it’s over 2,500 feet high, overlooking the village of Murrisk. According to tradition, in A.D. 441, St. Patrick spent 40 days praying and fasting on the mountaintop as part of his effort to convert Ireland to Christianity. It’s still climbed today, particularly on the last Sunday of July (Reek Sunday), an annual day of pilgrimage.
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A Circle of Love in Cork
By Linda Tancs
The Irish Potato Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, was a period of mass starvation and disease in Ireland from 1845 to 1852. During such a time of great need, the American Chocktaw Nation donated money to the famine fund to assist those suffering from malnutrition. In recognition of their generosity, a monument was erected in Midleton, County Cork, known as “Kindred Spirits.” Made of marine-grade stainless steel, it features nine 20-foot-high eagle feathers representing the tribe, weighing 1,600 pounds each, which form a perfect circle. LED lights illuminate the poignant sculpture at night. You’ll find it in Bailic Park.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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An Odd Name for a Beach
By Linda Tancs
It’s anyone’s guess why one of Ireland’s most spectacular beaches, Boyeeghter Bay, would be christened with the moniker “Murder Hole Beach.” After all, there’s no backstory worthy of a crime novel to report. But there is a bit of mystery about the place, considering the trek it takes to get there. Located on the Rosguill Peninsula in County Donegal, it’s a hidden beach, revealed at low tide. That’s when you’ll find a golden beach with cliffs gnawed at by the roaring Atlantic Ocean, creating caves battered with holes. Maybe those are the “murder holes.” Nearby Downings is a good place to stay.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Ancient Ireland
By Linda Tancs
Older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland. Situated within a bend in the River Boyne, it’s an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period. Newgrange, together with nearby ancient sites Knowth and Dowth, contain the largest collection of megalithic art in western Europe. Access to the ancient mounds is via the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Myth and Legend at Kylemore Abbey
By Linda Tancs
Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded for Benedictine nuns who fled Belgium during World War I. Legend has it that a giant living in mountains adjacent to the abbey threw a giant stone at his rival in the valley. The stone landed in an unusual position in the estate, where it remains today. Known as the Giant Ironing Stone (due to its resemblance to an iron used for clothes), it’s a popular wishing stone for visiting children, who also enjoy the pigs and Connemara ponies. The 1,000-acre site also features a six-acre Victorian walled garden as well as a lakeshore walk that will lead you to a neo-Gothic church that is now used for music recitals and poetry readings.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Ireland’s Famine Way
By Linda Tancs
In 1847 a famine arising from a potato blight threatened the Irish with total extinction. Among the millions who either died or emigrated, a group of 1,490 tenants who were forcefully evicted from Strokestown Park in County Roscommon walked a path toward Dublin to board emigration ships. Their route is commemorated in the National Famine Way, a walking trail comprising 103 miles, connecting the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park House with the Famine Memorial on Custom House Quay in Dublin along the banks of the Royal Canal. The waymarked trail takes about six days to complete.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Capitals of Culture in 2020
By Linda Tancs
Happy New Year! And you know what that means—another set of European Capitals of Culture! This year’s honorees are Rijeka (Croatia) and Galway (Ireland). Croatia’s third-largest city, Rijeka is its principal seaport, with an attractive promenade along the city center (Korzo). Given its seafaring heritage, a visit to the Maritime and History Museum is a must. Housed in the former Governor’s Palace, it includes artifacts like a Titanic life jacket, picked up by a worker on the Carpathia, the ship that saved over 700 passengers. In Galway, the offerings for its celebratory year will be classically Irish yet seen through a European lens. It’s a perfect opportunity for the Galway International Arts Festival team to collaborate on a year of arts programming. Don’t miss the chance to stroll along the city’s canals, following the River Coribb, where the locale is perched.
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Creature Comforts in a Park
By Linda Tancs
Like any national park, Glenveagh in County Donegal, Ireland, has its share of extraordinary vistas, like bogland, woodland, freshwater and rocky precipices. And in the center of it all is the stately elegance of Glenveagh Castle. Built by a wealthy land speculator in the 1800s, the castellated mansion was subsequently occupied by army forces during the country’s civil war and later owned by an Irish-American until it was conveyed to the nation. Enjoy the surrounding courtyards, walled garden, pleasure grounds and woodland gardens. A shuttle bus runs there daily from the park’s Visitor Centre.
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Ireland’s Savage Land
By Linda Tancs
When Oliver Cromwell ordered a survey of the area surrounding Ireland’s majestic Galway Bay, The Burren was described as “a savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury.” Derived from the word “Boireann” (meaning “rocky land” in Gaelic), it’s true that few trees grow there, but a unique plant environment thrives, causing Mediterranean and alpine plants rare to Ireland to grow side by side. The result is a cascade of colorful blooms from May to August that lights up the savage landscape.
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