Last full day in Ireland - Visit to the heartland - midland counties of Meath, West Meath and Offaly - Clonmacnoise on the River Shannon

Yesterday, Eugene took me on an adventure to te Heartland Counties of  Meath, West Meath, &Offaly . Which I am still digesting - Especially the story of the Children of Lir as reflected in a Franciscan restored chapel near the calm and quiet lake, with numerous white swans, Lough Derraveragh - very centering place for me, very peaceful and quiet, away from the bustle of the city.  A real sense of family and rural life. Thanks Eugene for the companionship and spirited music sharing as well.
 
All Hallows Grounds with a changing into autumn tree, for me the end of a interesting venture on the green isle, guided by my inner third eye and this map. (Signs and street numbers are not part of the clear heritage of roads based on cow paths.  Just started postal codes here. :-) 

 

Eugene drove me to Lough Owei, and here is a sculpture capturing the story of the Children of Lir.  In the center is the jealous step mother, Aoifa, who hated the King of Lir's four children, 3 boys and one girl.  I mythic part of Ireland's history......they lived as swans for from 300 to 900 years depending on who is telling the story. 

 I noticed the star in the center which is supposed to be the step mother who carried a Druidic wand. visions of Hogwarts :-)
 
Swan with a star ribbon at the base of the sculpture.
 
From here Eugene led me to a favorite quiet lake, Lough Derravaragh, where white quiet swans trolled the waters, and no other humans were around.  Likely the most meditative spot I experienced in all of Ireland.

After settling in for a bit here for a rest and with a centering ceremony....Eugene took me to a Franciscan Chapel at Multyfarnham . Now an evolving center that now is socially engaged in dealing with Autism and other social concerns in addition to having a chapel that has modern windows reflecting the story of the Children of Lir, which is an evocative story that connects me to the myths and poetry of the people here.

 Eugene took me down some of the rural cow paths (AKA Roads) to find his cousins farm house.
Mary prepared tea for us and I took a cigarette offering to to add to my prayer bundle.  I had read about burning peat, and Mary fed the stove with peat bricks, like these brown bricks that are commonly burned in this part of Ireland.

 
 
Having discerned I needed to get grounded in water today,  I liked the window of the fish, the hogan oyate in D/Lakota - father Eugene could read to Gaelic here.

 

Two Swan Window depicting 2 of the children of Lir 

 Single Swan window
 
Second single Swan Window
 
Faces of the Four Children of Lir with Gaelic. 

 

St Patrick in green 

Here Eugene took me for a walk under the avenue of mature flat cedar trees on the way to a ghostly stations of the cross scene.
 
The Franciscan Friary, like the Catholic Church in general, seems to be looking for new avenues to attract an increasingly disenchanted  public and we talked about the cultural shadow here in Ireland.

 Panorama of Clonmacnoise with Eugene by the wall.

  
Round tower of Clonmacnoise, begun in 545 by St Kieran.  His day is Sept 9, interesting to note. 

 Round tower, River Shannon Father Eugene and bell tower..
 
Current active gravesites, as Fr Eugene says "The Irish are very much involved with remembering their dead relatives"  With family keeping beauty to honor their loved ones on the other side.

View of Clonmacnoise from the dock on River Shannon.

   Sign on the dock.

Here is where Eugene and I shared a spontaneous dinner overlooking the River Shannon, in Shannon Bridge near the Clonmacnoise Monastic site.   My final Smithwick's Blonde with a T bone steak!  Good Irish "bo" protein. 

Cliffs of Mohir Co Clare to the Carragh Plains Horses and Roundtower of Co Kildare

 Another Irish B and B that I found just in time (getting tired after a long drive and fun walk on the Burren) and here is how I am lingering with coffee and toast after a full Irish Breakfast with eggs, bacon and all.  This place was for 45 EU, on the coast near the Burren- Cliffs of Moher tourist sites.

 
Here are the two French Guys, both who are translators for Amazon.com, right guy from the north of France near Luxembourg and the tattooed fellow from Paris.  Met them with the O/Maras at the Portal Tomb site in the Burren, the day before.  

 
Riverdale B and B at Lahinch Co Clare, with the Slattery family Noreen, as proprietor. 

 
Short animated video of a flying gull and the pointy island at the Cliffs of Moher visitors center.

 
Yellow ragwort and white yarrow on the cliff looking south at the Cliffs of Moher 

Walking north here is a view of the cliffs, stark blue and green on a sunny day.  

 

Sign about hiking in the Burren.  Lots of tourists making selfies with hand held devise cameras. First time seeing extensions for such here with mirrors?. :-)

 Path with grazing land of a private farm on the right and cliffs on the left of the trail.

 
And families with their 4 legged companions too. 

 
Stark blue and Green of sea and meadows, with my shadow taking the photo. 


Looking back midway on the walk north and east, here is the pointy rock island that was featured in the animated video in the Visitors Center.

 Farmers meadow with Bo, cow in Gaelic .

 

And....it did notice this add after the video and returned to the visitors center, to buy just this one thing.  2 scoops.....:-) mmmm

Co Cork, Bantry Bay to places north - Co Clare and the Burren

 

Kinsella Kitchen with Penny and Jonno opening the window to let the fruitflies out.   Preparing the space for later events.   They moved to Snave closer to Bantry from Glengariff where many contacts were made, including the connection to Harrington's Pub which Jonno has a regular gig. 

 

Harrington's Pub in Glengariff, on my way north on Friday. 

 

John at Mannings where we shared food prior to our drive to Blarney.  

 

Jonno at Manning's where we stopped for a luncheon cheese plate and other snacks on our way to Blarney Castle first visiting some of the hangouts on Bantry Bay.  

 

Sunka Hanwi, the Kinsella Moon Dog, one of the welcoming committee in the home.    

 

Bantry Bay at more full tide, just across the road from the Kinsella home in Snave.  

 

Apple tree with lichens on the branches, indicating the level of humidity in the area.  

  

Hanging red flowers, that are all over this part of Ireland, by the Kinsella driveway

 

Jonno at his big Michelin map in the office, pointing out parts of the west coast of Ireland. 

Rental pony, with the dent on the passenger side, from the after the Thursday night I group in Cork. No one hurt and happy I enrolled in full coverage for my insurance.  Wo wokiya

 

Blarney Castle, Jon Kinsella Tom Weaver and Penny Kinsella on our way to the castle and the stone t the top! 

 Tower of Blarney Castle W co Cork.

 View of the gardens from the top of the castle.  Penny in red jacket.
e
The area at the top of the castle where the Barney Stone kissing queue is located. The guy with the red shirt is handing out tickets to buy photos for 10 EU down below.  :-)
 
Important gift from Penny for supporting smudging and cleansing ceremonies.  Pidamiya Hankashi Penny.  

 
After kissing the stone at the top of the castle, these large tropical like plants appeared to me...looking for shamrocks and the little people.  Where are they?

LEAVING CORK FOR PLACES NORTH THE BURREN IN West CO CLARE

 Bantry Bay from the road as I went north on N71.


 Poster in the local pub with the recent election in Ireland.


After meeting Molly O'Mara and her daughter at the Burren Visitors center and sharing a meal at the Vaughan Pub nearby and learning about Tom Vaughan and his local prime TV personality, we drove in tandem to this parking lot for the portal tomb.

 
The O'Maras and me leaning on their car. Photo by the Paris France tattooed guy.

 
O'Mara's with their stickered, tattooed (:-) Car..

 

Molly O'Mara with a man from the north of France on the Burren limestone 

 Burren Limestone with yellow ragwort.

O'Maras hiking on the Burren

 

Burren Landscape driving north toward the coast.

 

The French men, on the left from the north and right from Paris who both work for Amazon.com and translate English into French.  At the B and B in Lalinch.