Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Troubles in Belfast
On Thursdays I took a Black Taxi Tour thru Belfast areas where the Troubles primarily occurred, I will get photos posted soon, but slow internet is causing some issues.
Due to the troubles in Belfast during the 70's, 80's and early 90's there has been a series of walls erected separating parts of the city, separating the protestants and the catholics. These walls are still functioning today, the gates close every night, they open every morning, there is one gate that is automatic and operates all night (but it closes at night and will open upon request), there are no guards at the gates. The tensions are still there, I was taken by one pub on the catholic side of the wall that still requires a person to be "rung" in via a bell, if they don't know ya' or you are a known protestant, you probably ain't getting in.
The murals of Belfast are better at telling two-sides of the story of the Troubles than what I saw in Derry. The Unionists (protestants) murals may depict the effects of the Troubles on protestant families, Single Parent Families is an issue that resulted from the Troubles, homes being destroyed (this occurred to both protestant and catholic homes). Cromwell is the hero to the protestants and hated enemy to the catholics. Both sides have murals of their heros thru the years, most of those that are depicted in the murals have perished as a result of the conflicts. Many of the deaths have been the result of tit-4-tat reprisals between various organizations within the UFF or UDA or UDU (protestant) or IRA (catholic).
I wrote on the wall a request for Peace, Peace is the only Solution - Participate in the Peace.
The Troubles in Belfast
Due to the troubles in Belfast during the 70's, 80's and early 90's there has been a series of walls erected separating parts of the city, separating the protestants and the catholics. These walls are still functioning today, the gates close every night, they open every morning, there is one gate that is automatic and operates all night (but it closes at night and will open upon request), there are no guards at the gates. The tensions are still there, I was taken by one pub on the catholic side of the wall that still requires a person to be "rung" in via a bell, if they don't know ya' or you are a known protestant, you probably ain't getting in.
The murals of Belfast are better at telling two-sides of the story of the Troubles than what I saw in Derry. The Unionists (protestants) murals may depict the effects of the Troubles on protestant families, Single Parent Families is an issue that resulted from the Troubles, homes being destroyed (this occurred to both protestant and catholic homes). Cromwell is the hero to the protestants and hated enemy to the catholics. Both sides have murals of their heros thru the years, most of those that are depicted in the murals have perished as a result of the conflicts. Many of the deaths have been the result of tit-4-tat reprisals between various organizations within the UFF or UDA or UDU (protestant) or IRA (catholic).
I wrote on the wall a request for Peace, Peace is the only Solution - Participate in the Peace.
The Troubles in Belfast
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| Belfast Murals & Wall |
Ireland Immigration
I am going to backtrack a little about the trip.
Traveling overseas since 9/11 has introduced a great deal of security facade on the US side, both when leaving and when arriving from/to the US. On the other side of you travels you will have a variety of levels of security, some more stringent than the US some more lax. In the case of Ireland it is more lax, for example the Immigration form when entering the US, is quiet extensive in asking your name, where you live, what is your passport #, where was your passport issued, what are you bringing with you (cash, food, etc.), have you been on a farm; entering in to Ireland you filled out a post card with Name and Address, no passport info, no other questions. The immigration officer did ask how long I was planning on being in Ireland and/or the UK, and that was pretty much it.
Upon arrival in Scotland from Northern Ireland, after I picked up my luggage I did pass thru a small gauntlet of officers and a dog (a little scottish terrier), but that was it.
Basically, they did not seem too worried about their security, they take it seriously but that they have made the choice not to be too invasive into the citizens/visitors lives as they travel. It seems to work.
I still feel safe and I'm OK.
Here are some photos of three of the Hostels I stayed in.
Traveling overseas since 9/11 has introduced a great deal of security facade on the US side, both when leaving and when arriving from/to the US. On the other side of you travels you will have a variety of levels of security, some more stringent than the US some more lax. In the case of Ireland it is more lax, for example the Immigration form when entering the US, is quiet extensive in asking your name, where you live, what is your passport #, where was your passport issued, what are you bringing with you (cash, food, etc.), have you been on a farm; entering in to Ireland you filled out a post card with Name and Address, no passport info, no other questions. The immigration officer did ask how long I was planning on being in Ireland and/or the UK, and that was pretty much it.
Upon arrival in Scotland from Northern Ireland, after I picked up my luggage I did pass thru a small gauntlet of officers and a dog (a little scottish terrier), but that was it.
Basically, they did not seem too worried about their security, they take it seriously but that they have made the choice not to be too invasive into the citizens/visitors lives as they travel. It seems to work.
I still feel safe and I'm OK.
Here are some photos of three of the Hostels I stayed in.
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| Hostel Environments |
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Belfast revisited
Well Belfast was not the best of Ireland for me, but I did make it out and about to see a number of the sights; Queens University was just a block away which included some botanical gardens, walks along the river, and I did take a taxi ride thru the troubled part of Belfast. I will post pictures some time, maybe this weekend.
Queen's University Botanical Gardens
Queen's University Botanical Gardens
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| Queen's University Botanical Garden - Belfast |
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
First impressions of Belfast
Oops!
should have stayed in Derry for another day.
Maybe my attitude will change tomorrow.
should have stayed in Derry for another day.
Maybe my attitude will change tomorrow.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Relaxing in Derry
Well the past couple of days have been more relaxing than they have been adventurous, which is one of the things I was wanting from this part of my adventure, some quality relaxation.
I have been out late the past couple of nights enjoying several musical enclaves of Irish music, Peador's and Sandino's. There is no doubt that the majority of the songs being sung are about, peoples' rights, solidarity, and making things just.
The area that I have been staying in is a few blocks away from Bogside, the area of Derry (that once was a bog) where most of the catholic immigrants were forced to live. By forced I am describing a fact that for years (1830-1920) the unionists government was in control and as such had control over what properties were sold to which individuals, if you were catholic you could only buy property in Bogside and as the catholic population grew other areas such as Creggan were opened for development, but only due to severe over population.
I have always been a supporter of democracy; a "government of the people, for the people, by the people". It seems that governments, either knowingly or out of ignorance, make horrible decisions about how the people should be governed. In the case of Derry, there have been many issues, but it seems to have been primarily started due to lack of just representation within the government, in fact they governing powers ensured this fact by gerrymandering the districts.
This part of Ireland, specifically Derry and Bogside, have had generations of greater than 20% unemployment and it continues to day, with in excess of 25% unemployment of the working population. The one thing that I have found interesting is that the people from Derry know what they need; being present in the moment and enjoying it, love of family, friends, community, giving & helping, laughter & enjoyment, ... hmmmm! wealth is not in their list of needs.
I have updated the pictures in the Album "Free Derry Murals & Bloody Sunday", the link to this Album can be found below in the "Free Derry Corner" post.
Also, I did take a walk out to the city cemetery and around. I did not find any relatives of my family (that I am aware of), I needed my Aunt Joey there to help out with the genealogy. The earliest graves that I found at this cemetery were from the early 1820's when Bogside was being developed.
Tomorrow I will leave for Belfast. I plan to catch the 11:30am bus.
I have been out late the past couple of nights enjoying several musical enclaves of Irish music, Peador's and Sandino's. There is no doubt that the majority of the songs being sung are about, peoples' rights, solidarity, and making things just.
The area that I have been staying in is a few blocks away from Bogside, the area of Derry (that once was a bog) where most of the catholic immigrants were forced to live. By forced I am describing a fact that for years (1830-1920) the unionists government was in control and as such had control over what properties were sold to which individuals, if you were catholic you could only buy property in Bogside and as the catholic population grew other areas such as Creggan were opened for development, but only due to severe over population.
I have always been a supporter of democracy; a "government of the people, for the people, by the people". It seems that governments, either knowingly or out of ignorance, make horrible decisions about how the people should be governed. In the case of Derry, there have been many issues, but it seems to have been primarily started due to lack of just representation within the government, in fact they governing powers ensured this fact by gerrymandering the districts.
This part of Ireland, specifically Derry and Bogside, have had generations of greater than 20% unemployment and it continues to day, with in excess of 25% unemployment of the working population. The one thing that I have found interesting is that the people from Derry know what they need; being present in the moment and enjoying it, love of family, friends, community, giving & helping, laughter & enjoyment, ... hmmmm! wealth is not in their list of needs.
I have updated the pictures in the Album "Free Derry Murals & Bloody Sunday", the link to this Album can be found below in the "Free Derry Corner" post.
Also, I did take a walk out to the city cemetery and around. I did not find any relatives of my family (that I am aware of), I needed my Aunt Joey there to help out with the genealogy. The earliest graves that I found at this cemetery were from the early 1820's when Bogside was being developed.
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| Derry City Cemetery |
Tomorrow I will leave for Belfast. I plan to catch the 11:30am bus.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Derry City Wall Walk
On Saturday morning, I took a walk around the city wall that was built to protect the city from all sorts of invaders, it did not seem to work too well since almost every time the people of Derry were overrun by the invading forces. In the map below look for an oval in the middle of the map, Magazine on the northwest, Artillary on the southeast, for an outline of the city wall.
View Larger Map
View Larger Map
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| Derry Cathedrals & CIty Wall |
Free Derry Corner
My first adventure out into Derry took me through the area known as Free Derry Corner. This area is dedicated to the struggle for Civil Rights, with a specific focus on the Civil Rights struggles for Catholics in this area of Ireland. Some years ago there were misrepresentation of the catholic population in the government and employment due to gerrymandering of the areas, this led to "The Troubles". There continues to be tensions between the protestants and catholic population, which is only being heightened due to the economic strife in Ireland.
On the 30th January 1972, during a civil rights protest march 13 unarmed individuals were killed by a British Parachute Regiment, this incident became known as Bloody Sunday and was swept out of site by Government. U2 wrote a song in remembrance of this brutal event, the song title is Bloody Sunday. These types of actions did lead to more militant operations by some within Irish public, such as the IRA, but not all of the people struggling for justice & sovereignty were involved in these militant activities.
The photos included in the post are primarily of murals that represent the struggles of Civil Rights and some of the international figures involved in these efforts of justice.
View Larger Map
On the 30th January 1972, during a civil rights protest march 13 unarmed individuals were killed by a British Parachute Regiment, this incident became known as Bloody Sunday and was swept out of site by Government. U2 wrote a song in remembrance of this brutal event, the song title is Bloody Sunday. These types of actions did lead to more militant operations by some within Irish public, such as the IRA, but not all of the people struggling for justice & sovereignty were involved in these militant activities.
The photos included in the post are primarily of murals that represent the struggles of Civil Rights and some of the international figures involved in these efforts of justice.
View Larger Map
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| Free Derry Murals & Bloody Sunday Memorial |
Friday, February 6, 2009
Note to self
Do not ever drink a 20oz coffee (or any form of liquid) before jumping on a bus that will not stop (for a break) for 3 hours and the bus has no on-board toilet and then with about an hour to go (before getting to the toilet break) a really large irish man sits in the seat next to you and puts his elbow (unintentionally) into your gut and now go flying around right turns (and there were a lot of right turns over the next hour) with that elbow in your gut.
I did make it to the toilet with very little time to spare; I had a very large smile on my face after the visit to the toilet:)
I did make it to the toilet with very little time to spare; I had a very large smile on my face after the visit to the toilet:)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Back in Galway for one more day
I have made it back from InishMore, we hit a long patch of icy roads this morning coming back on the bus (those rock walls all along the road block the sun pretty well, so ice doesn't melt away too quickly), this along with the fact that it was time for school to start and such made the trip take about 30 minutes longer than normal.
So, today I am trying to get my things in order and leave for Derry in Northern Ireland tomorrow. So, I will do some laundry later today, you have to schedule time to use the hostel's laundry room, so I am scheduled for a 6pm session, whaahoo. I also am sending a package back home, with clothes that I don't think I will need after being in the region for a week, this will help make room for other things for me to carry around.
So, today I am trying to get my things in order and leave for Derry in Northern Ireland tomorrow. So, I will do some laundry later today, you have to schedule time to use the hostel's laundry room, so I am scheduled for a 6pm session, whaahoo. I also am sending a package back home, with clothes that I don't think I will need after being in the region for a week, this will help make room for other things for me to carry around.
Hangin' n InishMorei
I have just returned to Galway from spending the previous day & night on InishMore, the largest of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay. I starting to get a little lazy or possibly wiser, I choose not to tour the island on bicycle and thus I took a tour van to get a view of the island. The reason this was wise is because the temperature was right at freezing and the wind was blowing @ 30-40 kmh (20-25 mph), thus the windchill was significantly cooler than it had been, but no worries the van was a great wind block.
As with all the other sights I have seen this week, the island is covered with those crazy rock walls; used to provide property boundaries, wind breaks, grazing areas, etc. The main stop of the afternoon was at one of the islands four historical sites that would have been used in ceremonies for the inhabitants, built about 3000 years ago. With it's semi-circle construction open to the west and high on the cliffs, it would provide for a breath-taking views and sunsets.
On the tour with me I met a wonderful couple that were on holiday from the Belfast area, of course I do not remember their names as I did not right them down last night (but they are going to post comments on my blog, so then I will be able to put names to them). They were very interested in how I am planning to use the knowledge I gain while I am at Findhorn, it's a really good question and one that time will help answer.
The night spent at the Kilronan Hostel was nice and quiet compared to Kinlay House in Galway. Marco, the house host, fixed a great pasta dinner and shared it with several of us staying at the hostel, Suzanne & Raymond. Suzanne was there for two weeks teaching an craft/arts class at the secondary school and Raymond was on a short holiday down from Derry where he works for Waterford Crystal. The conversation was focused on the difficult economic times that is up on us world wide, in Ireland they have been "officially" in recession for more than a year and have been in difficult economic times for several years, both Northern Ireland & the Republic. The conclusion at the end of the night, is that we have a long row to hoe, and we need to better understand the things we need and not confuse things we want with the things we need.
Raymond mentioned economic studies that have dealt with making sure communities have the things they need and how this makes for a healthy community, some things I need to research more.
View Larger Map
As with all the other sights I have seen this week, the island is covered with those crazy rock walls; used to provide property boundaries, wind breaks, grazing areas, etc. The main stop of the afternoon was at one of the islands four historical sites that would have been used in ceremonies for the inhabitants, built about 3000 years ago. With it's semi-circle construction open to the west and high on the cliffs, it would provide for a breath-taking views and sunsets.
On the tour with me I met a wonderful couple that were on holiday from the Belfast area, of course I do not remember their names as I did not right them down last night (but they are going to post comments on my blog, so then I will be able to put names to them). They were very interested in how I am planning to use the knowledge I gain while I am at Findhorn, it's a really good question and one that time will help answer.
The night spent at the Kilronan Hostel was nice and quiet compared to Kinlay House in Galway. Marco, the house host, fixed a great pasta dinner and shared it with several of us staying at the hostel, Suzanne & Raymond. Suzanne was there for two weeks teaching an craft/arts class at the secondary school and Raymond was on a short holiday down from Derry where he works for Waterford Crystal. The conversation was focused on the difficult economic times that is up on us world wide, in Ireland they have been "officially" in recession for more than a year and have been in difficult economic times for several years, both Northern Ireland & the Republic. The conclusion at the end of the night, is that we have a long row to hoe, and we need to better understand the things we need and not confuse things we want with the things we need.
Raymond mentioned economic studies that have dealt with making sure communities have the things they need and how this makes for a healthy community, some things I need to research more.
View Larger Map
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| InnishMor |
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Burren & Cliffs of Moher
Got on a bus to do some touring today. There were several stops along the way to look at castles (that were closed for the season), but the most fascinating venues were the walking tour on a farm in the Burren or the Cliffs of Moher.
The walking tour of the farm was great, our guide, John Connelly, works the farm with his father. But, John is also working in Galway, but one day wants to make his living from the farm. We got to see a day-old calf as this is the season for birth, St. Bridget at work. On the walk he talked about the geology and the history of the area, specifically how glaciers had craved the valleys in the Burren, thus exposing and depositing soil that was rich in nutrients; the layers can be seen in the photos taken at the Cliffs of Moher. He did answer one of my many questions, I asked about the rock walls that are so prolific in the area. Many of the rock walls are not boundaries resulting from clearing the rocks out of the fields, but they are known as "famine walls". During the blight attack on the Irish potato, with so many people suffering and dying due to lack of food, the English would feed individuals that would build these meaningless walls over Irish Mountains (large hills). The English had the Irish do this type of construction since it was not aiding the Irish infrastructure, the English did not want to have the Irish people earn food doing meaningful work that would benefit the a potential rival.
John has also renewed an old Irish tradition of the "Hope Tree", the picture with the cloth tied to it. Before you tie the fabric to the tree branch you ask for a Hopeful thing to be bestowed on the people you are praying for.
View Larger Map
The Cliffs of Moher are pretty phenomenal in size and beauty. It was fairly windy and we had snow flurries while we were there, we also had sunshine which was enjoyable. I could see the Plassey shipwreck on Innisheer, can you find it?
View Larger Map
Today I will take a ferry out to InnishMor for an overnight stay.
The walking tour of the farm was great, our guide, John Connelly, works the farm with his father. But, John is also working in Galway, but one day wants to make his living from the farm. We got to see a day-old calf as this is the season for birth, St. Bridget at work. On the walk he talked about the geology and the history of the area, specifically how glaciers had craved the valleys in the Burren, thus exposing and depositing soil that was rich in nutrients; the layers can be seen in the photos taken at the Cliffs of Moher. He did answer one of my many questions, I asked about the rock walls that are so prolific in the area. Many of the rock walls are not boundaries resulting from clearing the rocks out of the fields, but they are known as "famine walls". During the blight attack on the Irish potato, with so many people suffering and dying due to lack of food, the English would feed individuals that would build these meaningless walls over Irish Mountains (large hills). The English had the Irish do this type of construction since it was not aiding the Irish infrastructure, the English did not want to have the Irish people earn food doing meaningful work that would benefit the a potential rival.
John has also renewed an old Irish tradition of the "Hope Tree", the picture with the cloth tied to it. Before you tie the fabric to the tree branch you ask for a Hopeful thing to be bestowed on the people you are praying for.
View Larger Map
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| The Burren |
The Cliffs of Moher are pretty phenomenal in size and beauty. It was fairly windy and we had snow flurries while we were there, we also had sunshine which was enjoyable. I could see the Plassey shipwreck on Innisheer, can you find it?
View Larger Map
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| Cliffs of Moher |
Today I will take a ferry out to InnishMor for an overnight stay.
Changes to the blog format
I was getting really irritated with the fact that pictures I have been posting on Picassa were taking 1 or 2 days to get sync'd with the Blogger Slideshow feature.
So, I have removed the Slideshows and will include the photos that are relative to the blog posting, like I have been doing.
So, I have removed the Slideshows and will include the photos that are relative to the blog posting, like I have been doing.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Things to do in Inis Oirr when you die
Don't worry about the title of this entry, I stole it some of Warren Zevon's lyrics. Warren was always joking around....
Hopped on a bus at the hostel and rode for about 45 minutes to the port where we boarded (I was the only one on board that was going for leisure) the boat, that went to Innishmann first and then docked at Inis Oirr (Innisheer for us non-gaelic speaking folks).
View Larger Map
There are a couple of things to note, this is off-season and it was windy, the wind made for a brisk day, but it was not numbing, it was actually enjoyable. The first thing that I noted, meant that I virtually saw no one, I am sure they were inside staying out of the wind.
I had about 4 1/2 hours to stroll around the island, the island does not have a complete road around it (or not that I saw on any of the maps). I first went to the north shore to see if I could find any seals, none were found, then I came back thru town and to the south side. I made friends with a horse over there, since I shared my apple with him, he wanted more as I walked away or maybe it was just the attention, it was pretty isolated over there. On the south side there is a lighthouse (which I did not make it all the way to, since it was off limits) and the Plassey ship wreck from the 1960's. After the south side I ventured back into town and went to O'Brien's Castle and teh Church of St. Kevin & graveyard.
Then back on the boat and back into Galway, where I could not eat fast enough.
Tomorrow should be a stroll thru the country side by the Cliffs of Moher.
Hopped on a bus at the hostel and rode for about 45 minutes to the port where we boarded (I was the only one on board that was going for leisure) the boat, that went to Innishmann first and then docked at Inis Oirr (Innisheer for us non-gaelic speaking folks).
View Larger Map
There are a couple of things to note, this is off-season and it was windy, the wind made for a brisk day, but it was not numbing, it was actually enjoyable. The first thing that I noted, meant that I virtually saw no one, I am sure they were inside staying out of the wind.
I had about 4 1/2 hours to stroll around the island, the island does not have a complete road around it (or not that I saw on any of the maps). I first went to the north shore to see if I could find any seals, none were found, then I came back thru town and to the south side. I made friends with a horse over there, since I shared my apple with him, he wanted more as I walked away or maybe it was just the attention, it was pretty isolated over there. On the south side there is a lighthouse (which I did not make it all the way to, since it was off limits) and the Plassey ship wreck from the 1960's. After the south side I ventured back into town and went to O'Brien's Castle and teh Church of St. Kevin & graveyard.
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| Innisheer Northshore |
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| Innisheer Southshore |
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| Innisheer Points of Interest |
Then back on the boat and back into Galway, where I could not eat fast enough.
Tomorrow should be a stroll thru the country side by the Cliffs of Moher.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Music in Galway
I have been to three venues with live music, the best was Tig Cioli with an afternoon of traditional Irish music. The musicians were just streamin' in and taking turns in the circle, flutes, accordions, drums, fiddles, and singing. The singing was performed solo by a couple of different persons. Everyone in the pub enjoyed what they heard and the musicians were having a fabulous time, there was no rush to play songs with about five minutes between songs.
I went to the Kings Head Tavern tonight and the band there was not one that I would have listened to for very long, but I kept thinking that I should give them an opportunity to get in a groove, but they were only playing covers and it is so very hard to get the patrons flowing with the band's selection of music and the band must have the presence to pull it together. Anyway, they tired and I appreciate the effort.
I went to the Kings Head Tavern tonight and the band there was not one that I would have listened to for very long, but I kept thinking that I should give them an opportunity to get in a groove, but they were only playing covers and it is so very hard to get the patrons flowing with the band's selection of music and the band must have the presence to pull it together. Anyway, they tired and I appreciate the effort.
City Center of Galway
The hostel that I am staying at is in the city center, so many things are very accessible from here. Erye Square is an area within the city center with many shops & pubs, when I arrived on Saturday afternoon it was a very bustling place.
I have been searching for some form of transportation; bicycle, moped, and have found a place with bicycles, so I will most likely get one for a day or so. I have opted to participate in a hiking tour that will be through The Burrens & Cliffs of Moher, I will see if I can get that schedule for Monday or Tuesday and possibly go out to one of the isles for a day as well.
The phrase of the day "Do you want that to "take away or to stay"", instead of "to go or to eat-in".
This morning I took a good walk out to a spot called Salthill and South Park, which is the point at which the a small river (that flows thru Galway) flows into the Galway Bay, it was a nice breezy walk, which ended up with me eating a Feta Cheese & Sundried Tomato Crepe (yum). Lots of crepes here, lots of crepes in my belly, veggie, feta-tomato, apple-almond, chocolate; I may be putting on weight.
This afternoon, I will head to the Lisheen Pub to listen to some traditional & folk music.
Here are some photos of Galway & Salthill
Here's a map of Galway
View Larger Map
I have been searching for some form of transportation; bicycle, moped, and have found a place with bicycles, so I will most likely get one for a day or so. I have opted to participate in a hiking tour that will be through The Burrens & Cliffs of Moher, I will see if I can get that schedule for Monday or Tuesday and possibly go out to one of the isles for a day as well.
The phrase of the day "Do you want that to "take away or to stay"", instead of "to go or to eat-in".
This morning I took a good walk out to a spot called Salthill and South Park, which is the point at which the a small river (that flows thru Galway) flows into the Galway Bay, it was a nice breezy walk, which ended up with me eating a Feta Cheese & Sundried Tomato Crepe (yum). Lots of crepes here, lots of crepes in my belly, veggie, feta-tomato, apple-almond, chocolate; I may be putting on weight.
This afternoon, I will head to the Lisheen Pub to listen to some traditional & folk music.
Here are some photos of Galway & Salthill
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| Galway City Center & Salthill |
Here's a map of Galway
View Larger Map
Gettin' to Galway
You know if the US had a mass transient system that was as accessible and easy to use as the one that got me from Dublin to Galway, it would be a great thing. $25 Euros got me to Galway, a little high, but not bad and if it allows the trains to operate without going bankrupt...
The Irish Country side is lusciously green, no wonder since every day I have been here it has been a constant light mist, some light rain. I don't think that they have to rain-harvest here, at least not that I can see. The temperature has been around +5C (40F).
The fields were harvested (I think it was wheat or corn primarily, I did not see any potato fields that I know of) and many were flooded due to the constant rain, the small drainage canals around the fields were running full. There were numerous sheep farms as well, with rolling green fields for grazing. These farmlands were just too cute, with small one-lane black-topped roads running between the farms. All the farm homes had multiple chimneys, but very few had smoke flowing out of them, I guess it is not cold enough yet to be burning a fire in the fireplaces.
Once in Galway, it was a 3-minute walk to the Kinlay House Hostel, the four flights of stairs was a work out, but the Hostel is nice and comfy.
The Irish Country side is lusciously green, no wonder since every day I have been here it has been a constant light mist, some light rain. I don't think that they have to rain-harvest here, at least not that I can see. The temperature has been around +5C (40F).
The fields were harvested (I think it was wheat or corn primarily, I did not see any potato fields that I know of) and many were flooded due to the constant rain, the small drainage canals around the fields were running full. There were numerous sheep farms as well, with rolling green fields for grazing. These farmlands were just too cute, with small one-lane black-topped roads running between the farms. All the farm homes had multiple chimneys, but very few had smoke flowing out of them, I guess it is not cold enough yet to be burning a fire in the fireplaces.
Once in Galway, it was a 3-minute walk to the Kinlay House Hostel, the four flights of stairs was a work out, but the Hostel is nice and comfy.
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