EireLandings ~ Part Nine ~ Good Beer and Old Goats

Does this really need a caption?

Just one more thing in Ennis ... (or maybe two) to close a good day.  It's a charming little town.  The hotel we stayed in was part of a 13th century abbey that survived Henry the VIII's dissolution siege but of course dear Jolly Ollie Cromwell got it in 1651.  It had a brief return under Charles II before it finished its work at the end of the 17th century. The large conference room gives a sense of some of its monastic past.

Hotel conference room

       An early luggage call, then breakfast, and we were again on the bus at 8:00 a.m.  We rumbled past yet another Daniel O'Connell statue (they are pervasive in the Republic of Ireland) but this one has a particular importance.  Daniel was elected by an overwhelming majority to be the Catholic member of (the British) Parliament from County Clare in 1828 and this statue marks the spot where the public meeting first selected him.  Because he was Catholic, he could not take his rightful seat until 1829 when the Parliament passed a law granting Catholic Emancipation. 

Daniel O'Connell, "The Liberator"
On the site of his selection for Parliament

       O'Connell had organized rallies of up to a million people in the early 18th century which led to his election and historic legacy.  To say O'Connell is "important" in the history of The Republic, is grossly inadequate!  There is a statue and/or a street named for him in nearly every town and city in the country.

Ferry on the Shannon Estuary

       Our first destination of the morning was a drive by Clonderlaw Bay to Killimer where we crossed the Shannon Estuary by ferry.  I discovered almost immediately that it is quite difficult to take notes in a moving bus (I have a flair for the obvious).  I did manage to capture a few things that are nearly readable - one is that there are quite a few towns in Ireland with the prefix of "Kill" which is the phonetic pronunciation of the Irish/gaelic "Cil" and refers to a monk's "cell."  (Lots of monastic stuff in a country once known for large families, jes' sayin')  We arrived at the dock and had a chilly but swift crossing. 

       We reached the town of Killorglin on Dingle Bay and                    

we learned of one of the most popular festivals in the country, Killorglin's "Puck Fair".  For three days in August, King Puck, who happens to be a wild goat caught in the mountains, is honored, celebrated, and carried through town in procession on a high platform.  Claimed as the oldest commercial event in the world, the fair includes  a variety of activities including a livestock sale negotiated over a pint or three.  Allegedly dating from pre-Christian times, the fair may also have roots in a stampede of wild goats that warned the town of an impending English attack (probably that Cromwell gang again).  

       At Killorglin we joined the 100 mile panoramic drive around the famed "Ring of Kerry," Ireland's southwestern tip.  It was a rainy, chilly day, perfect for a restful drive through the ancient countryside to take in the striking views of the mountains and the lakes.  More to come...

       Valentia Island is the most westerly point in Ireland and was the location of the first transatlantic cable laid between Newfoundland and Europe.  The first message was in 1858 and the cable remained in use until 1965.