Gil's Adventure in Ireland

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 Our last day in Ireland was full!   We began with a visit to the primary GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) stadium Croke Park: It seats 85,000 people and two games are played there, both of which are extremely popular in Ireland, and both of which are played by amateur club teams representing towns, villages and cities all over Ireland.   The two sports are hurling, sort of a combination lacrosse and hockey, and Irish football, sort of a combination of soccer and basketball.   They are each played on a field much larger than an American football field, 130-145 meters long and 80-90 meters wide.   There are both men’s and women’s teams, and as there are no payments to the players, both are widely and deeply supported for pride.   We saw great videos; here’s one on hurling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzivRetelE And here’s one on Irish football: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAbWrdB9XU Both are...

Tuesday, July 16, 2019 A really full day today!   We began with the Archeological Museum, housed in a former private mansion: The collection is remarkable, and we could have spent the day.   As it was, two hours had to suffice; most of the artifacts had been discovered in bogs which preserved them with lots of tannic acid and no oxygen.   Some treasures which impressed us included a dugout canoe from 2500 BCE: There was lots of gold including this necklace dated 1200 BCE: And this gold collar from 800 BCE: Humans were found in the bog, most likely victims of ritual sacrifices or other kinds of ritual killings: Following the visit to the museum we took a “Viking” duck boat tour of the city and part of the waterfront:     Part of the experience is wearing a Viking cap and screaming at the pedestrians: We then had a wonderful time at an Irish language school where we ate a box lunch an...

Monday, July 15, 2019 Today was mostly a travel day as we drove across the country to Dublin, with a stop at the incredible Irish National Stud.   The Stud is a place, not a use of the word we’re used to, and it is owned by the government.   Race horses retire to stud there, and many foals are born there. One horse, Invincible Spirit, accounts for 80% of the entire revenue of the farm with his stud fees.   No artificial insemination is permitted in thoroughbred horses, so the mares are brought to him.   In season, he services two or three mares a day; his fee is paid after the delivery of a healthy foal. It’s an eclectic place, reflecting the unusual interests of the man who started the place, Colonel William Hall Walker (1856-1933).   On the premises is a replica of a 6 th c. beehive monastery with a roof supported only by the concentric stones:     There are beautiful and extensive gardens: And a...

Sunday, July 14, 2019 This morning we traveled to Lough Gor, a site of beauty, but also the site of finds dating asfar back as the Neolithic part of the Stone Age.   The lake is beautiful: With cattle appearing on the opposite side:   One of the most important finds was from the early Bronze Age, and is an intact bronze shield, probably ceremonial.   The one here is a copy of the original which is in Dublin: At the educational center they had Middle Ages clothing for the five children to try wearing:   Nearby is the largest stone circle in Ireland, from 4000 B.C.E., the use of which remains uncertain. Here’s an aerial view (internet): The circle is older than Stonehenge; more information here: https://loughgur.com/destination/the-stone-circle/ Some people say that if you put your forehead and hands on the largest (40 ton) stone, you can feel the energy flowing out of it.   Gil tried, but f...

July 13, 2019 This morning we drove to Killarney, the site of the enormous national park, larger than Manhattan!   We had a great day there. In the town of Killarney is St. Mary’s Cathedral, a beautiful example of the “famine church” which was built by out-of-work laborers given jobs by the church during the famine: Our tour of the park was in “jaunting cars” which are horse-drawn buggies: The park is truly lovely, and the weather was perfect, with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s: We ended our ride at Ross Castle on Loch Lein, a semi-ruin, with loads of ducks and a few swans at the water’s edge: We then walked to Muckross House, an estate mansion where we had lunch: After lunch we went to the nature center where the children spent a couple of wonderful hours learning about the fauna of the area: The naturalist had set out traps early in the morning, and they were opened by the children wit...

Friday, July 12, 2019 We left Ennis this morning, and drove to Bunratty Castle, a remarkably renovated and preserved relic of the end of the 13 th c. The only ground floor entrance is a trap, going into a dead-end room with a “murder hole” over the space between the two entrance doors:     Today one climbs a wooden ramp up to the main entrance well above the courtyard below, but in the original days there was a drawbridge to a steep ramp which made for good defenses.   We entered the great hall with its wonderful Belgian King David tapestry dating from about 1500: The Earl’s bedroom was up in   one of the towers which was a narrow difficult climb up and down, again making for good protection: There was no explanation of these ceiling fixtures which require some research.   They appeared to be mermaids on antlers.   There’s got to be a story, but I don’t have time to research it now: Gil and I climbed...