Today is the fifth post in my five part series about Ireland, leading up to St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  A week about Ireland wouldn’t be complete without mention of Irish music and dance.  My daughter grew up watching videos of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, so we certainly couldn’t go to Ireland without seeing some live, authentic Irish Dance. I have to give a shout out to my friend Kerry Dexter who blogs at Music Road about Irish and

Scottish music and spent a lot of time coming up

with options for me to consider for live music and dance. She is a true expert and I highly recommend her blog.

We ended up choosing to see the show at the Brú Ború Cultural Center in South Tipperary.  If you are in the area, you must go. Check their

calendar since shows are not performed every night.

The center is located at the foot of the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel is an imposing ruin that was the seat of the kings of Munster, where St. Patrick converted King Aenghus to Christianity. It is the most visited heritage site in Ireland and it is certainly an impressive collection of Celtic and medieval art. The rock is actually a church/monastery that is in ruins and which sits at the top of a very steep hill. You park at the bottom and climb up. It’s worth the climb though. The view is spectacular and you will get to see a High Cross, frescoes, and the ruined cathedral, tower, and chapel. We visited the Rock during the day and returned at night to the cultural center for the show.

The show we saw had two parts. The first half was in a theater. A cast of at least 20 played instruments, sang, and danced. There were heart rending solos, toe-tapping dances, reels, and jigs. There are harps, fiddles, and many other instruments. The show was mesmerizing, even if we couldn’t understand much of what was sung (most was in Irish). The performers were talented and seemed to really enjoy their work.

Once the show in the theater ends, guests are invited to the pub to continue the evening for a traditional céilidh, singing in a more informal venue with storytelling and impromptu dancing. We didn’t stay for this (we had a long drive ahead of us that night), but it looked to be shaping up to

be a good time.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the cultural center has a nice gift shop. There are a few tacky souvenir shops at the very bottom of the Rock’s driveway. There is a tiny cafe on the road that leads from the cultural center’s parking lot to the Rock’s driveway where we had a very satisfactory lunch.

Don’t miss the Rock or the show, but plan to stay up late!

 

Today is the fifth post in my five part series about Ireland, leading up to St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  A week about Ireland wouldn’t be complete without mention of Irish music and dance.  My daughter grew up watching videos of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance, so we certainly couldn’t go to Ireland without seeing … Read more →

I recently posted about Adare, called the prettiest town in Ireland. My assessment didn’t quite match the moniker. However, to offset that disappointment, we were lucky enough to stay someplace that had the most beautiful view we came across.  If you go to Ireland, you will be told that you must “do” the Ring of Kerry. This 179 kilometer drive is truly spectacular. It takes you along the coastline of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry in southwest Ireland. We truly enjoyed the Ring of Kerry (might have enjoyed it more if we didn’t have two kids prone to carsickness) – the ocean views are gorgeous and the lovely little towns along the way break up the

scenery. If you go, be sure to pull down at least one of the roads that leads down to the beach. We stopped and found the most magnificent beach with ruins. But wait – this isn’t the best view in Ireland.

We took lots of photos as we drove around the Ring and all of them are spectacular. I’m sharing just a few here so you can get a sense of the overwhelming beauty of this area. The photos cannot do it justice and I would have loved to have more time to explore the area. We heard lots of warnings about getting stuck behind tour buses, but we had no problems at all. There was very little traffic and we had no problems getting around at all.

As gorgeous as the Ring of Kerry is, none of these are my favorite view.

We stayed at  theAghadoe Heights Hotel outside of Killarney while in the area. This was advertised as a luxurious spa hotel. It was a very modern hotel with comfortable surroundings.  While it was a lovely hotel, it didn’t quite live up to its hype, at least for the accommodations. Our beds were hard. The AC/heating unit was very loud and blew either very hard or not at all – in both rooms we had. Those complaints are minor however because the staff was very friendly (except for one waiter who seemingly became angry when we spilled something and seemed not interested in helping us), there was coffee, tea and fruit infused water in the lobby and the restaurant was simply excellent.  The best thing about the hotel was the view. It is nestled in the Kerry Mountains, overlooking the Lakes of Killarney. The view is so good that tour buses pull up and discharge people to walk over and take photos. I

could have sat in front of the giant picture window in our hotel room all day, simply watching the light play on the lakes, hills, and islands. There was an old church or monastery on one of the islands as well. There was no boat traffic at all.  The lakes are an incredible mosaic of different sized bodies of water, tiny islands, larger islands, and hills. It is simply enchanting. Inside the hotel there is a huge map on one of the walls, naming all of the islands and points.

The hotel is situated across a road from a viewing area and we walked over and would have sat on

the bench there for hours, just soaking in the beauty if we had had time.

We were able to see the Lakes of Killarney from other angles as well. Our Ring of Kerry pathway brought us through other parts of the area and we saw some stunning hills, lakes, and islands from other viewpoints. I would go back here and kayak to get to see it up close and personal. Hiking in the hills would be a lovely experience. There is so much to see and do here. We stayed two nights and could have spent so much more time here.

 

I recently posted about Adare, called the prettiest town in Ireland. My assessment didn’t quite match the moniker. However, to offset that disappointment, we were lucky enough to stay someplace that had the most beautiful view we came across.  If you go to Ireland, you will be told that you must “do” the Ring of … Read more →

Kissing the Blarney Stone was one of my bucket list items. When we visited Ireland, I had to go. How could I not? Read the story of what it was like and why you should go in my new piece at GoGirlfriend.com.

Kissing the Blarney Stone was one of my bucket list items. When we visited Ireland, I had to go. How could I not? Read the story of what it was like and why you should go in my new piece at GoGirlfriend.com.

One of things you realize about America when you travel abroad is that it really is the New World. What we think of as old is practically yesterday in Europe. It’s not until you walk in castles or colosseums built before Europeans set foot in or imagined America that you get a sense of how recent everything on our continent is.

After visiting England, Scotland, and Italy, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of this. Knights and gladiators were something I could visualize. And then we went to Newgrange in Ireland. I had never heard of Newgrange until I began researching our trip, but my History

Channel-watching son knew all about it. Located about half an hour north of Dublin, Newgrange is a passage tomb built more than 5000 years ago. Think about that. 5000 years.

3000 years before the birth of Christ (and we think the Liberty Bell is old). I can’t even imagine what life was like then and we have no historical events we can tie it to. It’s practically forever ago.

A passage tomb is a tomb characterized by a long passage with a burial chamber, all underground, usually made of stone.

Getting There

To get to Newgrange, you must go to the Brú na Bóinne Visitors’ Center and take a guided tour to the site. The visitors’ center also has tours to Knowth, a similar passage tomb. We had our own vehicle and drove up from Dublin. You can also arrange for a day tour that will take you to the visitor’s center from Dublin. Our GPS was not very helpful in finding this, so I highly recommend you take down the GPS coordinates that are on the official site.

The Visitor’s Center is located in the middle of nowhere. You wouldn’t think you were going anywhere well known as you zig and zag down some one lane country roads. Eventually you see a little sign and pull into the parking lot. This was one of the parking lots on our trip that made me nervous about the safety of our possessions (all of our luggage was in the van). There are signs warning not to leave anything valuable in the car due to frequent break-ins (why then is there no security or video surveillance?). Some parts of the lot are far away and ringed with vegetation, making some cars not very visible. To add to my worry, the lot is not directly next to the center; you must walk along a covered path to get there. My wonderful husband found a spot directly next to the path and backed the van up so that the back door was almost directly against a small hill (making it impossible to open), so that I was able to breathe and not worry incessantly about the car.

Despite warnings in my guide book that tours fill up quickly, with the entire day often sold

out by 10 am, when we arrived around 10 am on an August Friday, there were very few visitors and we were scheduled for the next tour which left in ten minutes.

To get to the tour bus, you must walk across a bridge over a perfect gurgling river and through some woods to a little bus stop where 4 shuttle buses take visitors to and from the sites. Everyone who worked here was friendly, welcoming, and helpful.

Welcome to the Past

We hopped on the shuttle and it drove down more country roads, past farms (interestingly, there is a town called Drogheda here we passed signs for – if you’ve ever read The Thorn Birds, you know this was the name of the sheep farm in the book) and sheep until it pulled up in front of the Newgrange site. Visitors get off the bus and gather at a small building where the tour guide meets you. This was all very casual – no lines, no big groups of people. At the top of the hill is the

imposing tomb. This does not look like a prehistoric site. It looks like a newly constructed bunker.

Our guide led us to the opening of the tomb where she pointed out the rocks with the symbols made by the people who created the tomb. These are beautiful symbols, but no one knows for sure what they mean. The outside of the tomb has been repaired and the entrance has been made more accessible with some stairs. Our guide talked to us about the people who built this tomb and pointed out that the countryside in this area is littered with these types of tombs (in my photo below, you can see a small bump in the middle of a sheep pasture – that is another tomb), although Newgrange is the largest. Most have not been excavated because there are simply too many. The tombs seem to not only be

for burial but also for memorial and as a way of marking territory or areas, as well as for possible religious reasons.

Our group was divided in half for entry into the tomb because although the outdoor structure is gigantic, the inside of the tomb is actually very small. She explained that the passageway is very narrow and instructed us that we had to take all bags and purses off our shoulders and carry them near the ground, where the widest part of the tomb is (I imagine this is the case since they slid or rolled stones in along the floor). Both my son and I, who are none too fond of enclosed spaces, were slightly nervous about going in, but I’m not about to

let some irrational fear stop me from seeing something made 5000 years ago! We entered the tomb single file, ducking to get in. It starts out pretty comfortably but as you move through, there a couple of spaces where you wonder “Am I going to fit?” as you duck and turn sideways. I kept telling myself all the people in front of me had managed and I could too. Before you know it, you are into the open part of the tomb and you can breathe. It’s actually a very short passageway and I think most people would have no trouble physically fitting or mentally coping.

Entering a Mystical Space

The inside is magnificent (and no photos were allowed so you will have to let my words show you). The narrow hallway opens up into a round center section where our group of 15 were able to stand comfortably. The roof above our heads was rounded and made up of gradually layered stones, climbing around and around, up to the ceiling. It had a beehive feel to it and was a very high ceiling, possibly 20 feet high or more at the center. Our guide told us that this portion of the tomb has been untouched and unrestored. Construction that has lasted more than 5000 years is astounding to see. If only the roof on my house could last this long.

Off of the center section, there are three small little cubbies. Each one has what looks like a giant shallow stone bowl sitting on stones. This is where the remains were placed. There are carvings and symbols on the walls.

Seeing the Light

This tomb goes beyond burial. It also has astronomical significance. At sunrise on the winter solstice and only then, the sun shines directly through an opening above the door and completely illuminates the inside of the tomb (there is a lottery to win tickets to be present for this event). Or guide first turned off the artificial lights so we could experience what the tomb is naturally like on a normal day and it was astounding to be in such complete and utter darkness. If you think about it, we are almost never in total darkness. When we turn off the lights in our homes there are alarm clocks, DVRs, and appliances with displays shining, not to mention the street lights and light from our neighbors. Even if you go into the forest or desert at night, there is light from the moon and stars. The inside of this tomb has absolutely no light. The darkness is heavy, rich, and velvety. Then our guide turned on an artificial light that recreates the rise of the sun on the solstice. It was simply magical to see and feel the light moving through the tomb. It filled the space with vibrancy and life. It is very clear that this moment once a year had a deep significance to the people who built this tomb. I could imagine what it would have been like to be there for this highly awaited event and feel the power of the sun that had somehow been captured by humans.

In that tomb, I felt deeply connected to these ancestors who had a necessary connection to the sun and rhythm of nature. It is hard to imagine that people who themselves lived in dwellings that did not last could build something so huge and magnificent to honor their dead and to be connected to the universe. The amount of resources, energy, and time that were put into creating this tomb is truly difficult to grasp, given their technology and the harshness of their lives.

We came out of the tomb and walked around it while the second half of our group went inside. There is a beautiful 360 view of the green rolling countryside from the tomb’s hill and I could imagine a group of people looking out and thinking “all of this is ours and we have put this marker here so everyone will know.”

Back to Reality

The shuttle took us back to the visitor’s center where I again realized that perhaps my true calling in life is to be a merchandiser for gift shops. The selections were not great. First of all, you’ve got to have a great t-shirt and a really good magnet (please – no more of the rectangular magnets with just a boring photo of the location) at major historical sites. There were stunning and moving designs on the outside and inside of the tomb – I would have expected jewelry, art, and other items depicting these.  There were some local artists set up inside the center center selling their work, but none of it impressed or excited me – it had no connection to what we saw or to the countryside. So while I can’t whole-heartedly endorse the gift shop, I will tell you that the memories you will bring home from Newgrange are better than anything you could buy.

 

One of things you realize about America when you travel abroad is that it really is the New World. What we think of as old is practically yesterday in Europe. It’s not until you walk in castles or colosseums built before Europeans set foot in or imagined America that you get a sense of how … Read more →