Ireland - Day 3 & Day 4

Yesterday we visited the iconic Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately the birds were too far away below to be seen but there was very interesting fossils in the stones used in the steps up to the top. We learned that they were fossils when visiting the Connemara Marble Factory today. The marble is amazing and the black marble has the fossils of shells and even fish bones in it.

I don't think you can really understand how rocky Ireland is before you actually see it, especially the West. Yesterday we went through the area called The Burren. There are mountains of exposed limestone and we stopped at one particular field of limestone with a moonscape of eroded limestone with pockets like flower pots, full of Mediterranean vegetation, little ecosystems of soil, water and heat. There was also a portal dolman/tomb, the Poulnabrone, which is probably 3000 years old. Down the road on private land was a wedge tomb, likely of similar age. Today we passed through some truly brutal country, huge boulders in the land as far as the eye could see. This was in the province of Connaught, where Cromwell tried to push the Catholics to. The choice was "to Hell or Connaught". Trying to survive, they might have had a difficult choice.

There was some serious rain today, as opposed to the little daily showers they have here. Being from Vancouver, my dad and I weren't really that bothered by it and spent a fair bit of time outside on our boat trip through Killary Harbour. They definitely have more shades of green in the landscape than we do! Took in a show of traditional music and dance tonight. Off to the Shrine of Knock in the morning. I am prepared to hunt for the sacred amid what I'm sure I'll see as commercial spiritualism. I would be happy to be wrong about that. Stay tuned. Photo's will be updated tomorrow. Maybe. In the meantime, I did get to visit a cemetery today.... (my favourite!)