Ireland

We landed in The Republic of Ireland on Easter weekend, in the 100th year of the country’s independence. We were instantly steeped in the history of this small but storied land. Despite centuries of struggle for political and religious independence, enduring the rages of Oliver Cromwell and famine, losing half of their population as a result, the people of Ireland were some of the most welcoming and cheerful we have encountered.

We were enchanted by the patchwork of green fields lined by hedges and stone fences, rugged coastlines, sprinkled with elegantly crumbling medieval abbeys, priories and castles. The villages are brightly painted with a variety of hues (we were told this was to combat the Irish grey weather.) We were pleasantly surprised by the additional bonus of mountainous inland passes, windswept moors with the gorse in bloom and the vast limestone swaths of the Burren which added variety and interest. Maybe we were blessed with luck but during our three weeks we were granted many a sunny day and very little rain. It was hard for us to see why the early Romans spurned settling the island, dubbing it “Hibernia,” or eternal winter.

On our first day our ferry arrived in the early evening, so we opted to stay in a campground (it was also laundry time). Camac Valley Camping is not usually our style - big developed grass parking lot for caravans, but it was convenient - a 30 minute direct bus ride to the city center, and the tourist bus stopped right at campground registration so it couldn’t have been any easier.

*We began our visit in Dublin. The river Liffey runs through the center splitting the north and south sides of the city.*

*Scenes of Dublin, what felt like a serious and busy city*

Visiting Dublin on the anniversary of the 1916 Easter uprising, the city was alive with celebration. Here the presidential motorcade passes us. Our walking tour guide quoted Yeats, who said on that day “a terrible beauty is born.” On this day the final phase of fighting with the British began again, finally resulting in the establishment of an independent Republic of Ireland in 1922.

Of course we took advantage of the Dublin free walking tour to get grounded in Irish history - troubled and bloody. We had not been aware that the Vikings moved in and settled Dublin in the 700’s. They were followed by the Normans from England and Wales in the 12th century who pushed the Danes out and took over, parceling out land to loyal Anglo Normans and beginning centuries of oppressive rule. Apparently the Irish were moved out into the wildlands which became known as “beyond the pale,” where the pale Irish were banished. So much to learn. We walked the scenes of the 1916 Easter uprising, hearing the tales of some of Ireland’s revolutionary heroes, including the iconic Michael Collins.

*And then the not so serious side of the city, the revitalized Temple Bar district lined with cheerful pubs and restaurants.*

*Dublin Castle, square where Michael Collins accepted control of the new Irish government in 1922, ending the 6 years of the latest fighting with the English that began with the Easter uprising.*

With both of our relatives harkening back to England, we were much better versed in English history and it was good to get more perspective. Here follows our over-simplified takeaways: following the establishment by Henry VIII of the Church of England (because Rome would not allow him to divorce his wife), and the ensuing civil war in England, relations between the Roman Catholic Irish and their British conquerors went south quickly, especially with the arrival of Oliver Cromwell. On behalf of the Commonwealth of England (which had just executed Charles I and replaced the monarchy with parliamentary rule), Cromwell arrived in Ireland in 1649 to take control. He is reputed to have killed about a third of the population in the process. Almost every historic abbey, monastery, castle and walled town has a tragic story to tell in relation to Oliver Cromwell, Ireland’s most infamous historic villain.

*Our Dublin pub of choice, the beautiful old Long Hall (reputedly Bruce Springsteen’s favorite, so how could you go wrong?)*

*Next we headed north to step further back in time. Hill of Tara, home to early Irish pagan kings.*

*Ancient monument Lia Fail, associated with the inauguration of the kings of Tara, and yes probably meant to represent exactly what it looks like.*

Then we made our way to Brú na Bóinne, site of stone age passage tombs. Visits are controlled, you start at the visitor center and are bussed to the two tomb sites, Knowth and Newgrange. The sense of history of humankind is staggering, people struggling to eke out a living yet still capable of incredible ingenuity and creating beauty, treating the dead with respect and dignity. A man can die but once.

*Knowth passage tombs - not open for entry but visitors can climb on the mounds and enjoy the megalithic stone art placed around the edges as decoration.*

*Entrance to Newgrange passage tomb. 5,000 years old it pre-dates both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.*

Incredibly, Newgrange is designed so that on the morning of the winter solstice, the sun enters the entrance and lights up the whole interior burial chamber. We were able to walk inside and see the original structure and the amazing roof, still in tact and waterproof! But no inside pictures allowed.

Leaving the Boyne valley, we passed sites for the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Following Oliver Cromwell’s ravages, 45 years later the endless fight for control in Britain continued and this valley was the site of the resounding victory of Dutch William of Orange over Roman Catholic James I in James’s final bid for the throne. Protestant William of Orange won and the colors orange and green still figure hugely in today’s Northern Ireland politics (orange for Unionists (pro being part of the United Kingdom, mostly Protestant and able to trace roots back to Britain, green for Nationalists, mostly Catholic and pro Ireland being a one-island country without any British rule).

Following the battle, various Irish Penal Laws were enforced by Britain. Discriminating against any non-Protestant, these included a ban from education and certain professions, owning firearms, owning or inheriting property, marriages not being legally recognized, and one of the weirdest, owning a horse worth more than 5 GBP. Which effectively meant any Protestant could demand to purchase any horse from a non-Protestant for 5 GBP. The more we learned about the history, the more clear the reasons for the split between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland became.

A life-on-the-road tip: we seek out a country specific history book or novel on Audible that we listen to as we drive. It helps us connect the dots between the natural and historic sites we are visiting and understand the people and the land. For Ireland we were listening to a novel compiled of some of the stories and legends throughout the ages.

Needing to balance history lessons with nature, our next stop was Wicklow Mountains National Park. Expansive, mountainous moors, both bleak and somehow inspiring. As usual we were using our Park4Night app to find overnight spots. Wild camping is not specifically allowed in Ireland, but with discretion and care, spots can be found. We stuck to public access sites and made sure we didn’t end up on private land.

*Our first real hike in Ireland, Dawn learns the treachery of hiking on bog land. Bright green moss is not solid ground. Full leg immersion.*

*But still smiling, or really saying to Andy “I almost drowned in a bog and your reaction is to laugh and take photos?”*

*Our overnight spot in the Wicklow Mountains - perched with a lake view.*

*The next day’s hike went much better, starting in the the beautiful Glendalough valley. The first of many abandoned monasteries, complete with medieval round tower.*

*Ruins of the 6th century monastic site at Glendalough*

*Spinc hike out of Glendalough -8.5 mile beautiful hike climbing up the valley*

Next stop on the route (Andy planned this trip around Ireland to include 65 points of interest and 45 driving hours, don’t worry, only giving the highlights here), was Kilkenny. Rooted in medieval history with a lively shopping center, we decided to spend a night and explore the town.

*Kilkenny cathedral - with round tower - this became a theme in Ireland*

And then, dealing with a life-on-the-road issue. Ever since our wet time in Scandinavia, we have been fighting with mold on the inner supports of our camper. Andy wipes them diligently with a bleach solution but it is insidious. With our overnight in Kilkenny we decided to go on full attack. We taped off the strips, and painted them with an anti-mold paint.

*Going to battle with the mold with anti mold paint. Unfortunately, the story will continue as the paint is starting to flake from the plastic wood.*

So back to travel life. Ireland’s religious history, full of faith and pain. The country is covered with the exquisite relics of its foundational Catholic faith, with abbeys, priories, and monasteries. We tried to visit some of the best, realizing that if we went to them all we would lose our sense of wonder. We also are always balancing the cost/benefit. Travelling full time means we choose carefully what we want to pay for admission for.

*Jerpoint Abbey, founded in the 12th century*

*Kels Priory, one of our favorites. Extensive ruins to wander, no charge and no crowds - at least when we were there.*

*Stopped by the Medieval ruins in the town of Fethard*

*We read about these in our guidebook and were intrigued and then horrified. Not sure in what world this could be an erotic depiction of a woman.*

*Serene lakeside overnight spot found on Park4Night*

Next, our favorite castle! Rock of Cashel. Steeped in the history of Saint Patrick arriving in Ireland in the 5th century, leading the country’s conversion to Catholicism, the first site of the castle on the hill is magical. The hill itself is supposed to be a rock bit out of a nearby mountain by the the devil then spit out in ire at St. Patrick.

*The Rock of Cashel rises above the town, the traditional seat of the Irish Kings of Munster prior to the Norman arrival in the 12th century*

*Somber site at Rock of Cashel where Oliver Cromwell killed 2000 people in 1647*

*Back to the high country! Muskry Lake hike - beautiful 5.5 mile out and back hike. Lots of sheep and newborn lambs.*

*Found a private spot near the trailhead*

*Another favorite historic site - Cahir Castle. Built in the 13th - 16th centuries and impressively in tact. Taken over by Oliver Cromwell in his time.*

*The only working portcullis in Ireland. Still looks deadly.*

*Typical Irish countryside. We learned there are actually more cows than sheep, but we certainly saw more sheep on our travels.*

*Stopped in the village of Ardmore to take a beautiful coastal walk. Andy is walking by Saint Declan’s well, a pilgrimage site.*

Then back to the city! Cork felt younger and livelier than Dublin. The central downtown area was walkable with pedestrian streets and sprinkled with old cathedrals and a great old fort.

*Of course, the river runs through the city*

*Saint Finn Barre’s Cathedral - Church of Ireland*

Speaking to Overlanders about what to see and do in Ireland, The Wild Atlantic Way always comes up as a must. This 2,500 km route winding its way along every peninsula and inlet of the western Atlantic coast is a commitment to incredible scenery and slow driving days. We did much of it, but not every bit. We came in and out of the route to see inland areas, and sometimes took a short cut. We have been continuing our commitment to walking at least 5 miles a day and trying to keep driving time to well under three hours daily (ideally 1-2).

*The zigzag symbol of the The Wild Atlantic Way became a friendly way finder for us as we drove the coast.*

*Dromberg Stone Circle - incredible to be on your own in such an ancient place. A Bronze age mystery.*

*Sheep’s Head Peninsula - our first real taste of the Wild Atlantic Way*

*Sheep’s Head Lighthouse - beautiful hike*

*Many of the roads were single lane, with very little traffic*

*From Healy Pass we made our way to Killarney National Park where we hiked Strickeen Mountain - gorgeous 4 mile out and back*

*Back to Wild Atlantic Way - Inch Beach - the first place since Baja we could drive on the beach! A little colder though.*

*Beautiful town of Dingle. Somehow the rows of brightly colored houses never got old.*

*Gallarus Oratory - church from the 11th or 12 century, incredible engineering with stone*

*and walking along the Atlantic - Loop Head*

*And sitting along the Atlantic. Ross Bridges*

*And camping on the Atlantic (zoom in for Andy’s beverage of choice)*

*The stunning Cliffs of Moher - walked the edge for hours - who says it rains all the time in Ireland?*

*Dipped in to the Burren - extraordinary expanses of limestone rock - and visited this 5000 year old portal tomb - Poulnabrone*

Then, our last big city in Ireland. Galway was fantastic, teaming with life, street musicians, colorful art, the Saturday market, and pedestrian shopping streets. One young Irish woman we talked to said that Dublin was the old and serious city, Cork was middle aged (she thought of it as people in their 30’s) and Galway was the young thriving place mostly populated by people in their 20’s.

*Outdoor pub seating in the Latin Quarter, Galway*

The city felt happy and upbeat, the only downside was our camping spot - 24 hour parking at the port. Not beautiful but highly convenient for a rare and welcome night out having dinner at a pub.

Northern Ireland

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