Southwestern Craic

Not too far out of Galway is the Burren, a limestone expanse known for its many hiking trails.
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The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is a must-see destination, but it is not the typical Irish coast.  It is odd and intriguing but not the image of Ireland that so many people see in coffee table books or theatrical trailers.  Those images belong almost solely to the western and southern counties on the isle.  But sight is not the only sense to please here.  Visitors to the west are introduced to a thriving Gaelic-speaking population and to the south, an English-speaking one that could easily qualify as a foreign language.  The counties of Galway, Clare, Limerick, Kerry, and Cork host music festivals and oyster-eating contests that continue to introduce visitors to another side of the Emerald Isle, and, with the second largest city being only a tenth the size of Dublin, often a more accessible one.

The Burren has many random stone walls built by starving Irish as charity work for the British in order to receive food. They neither section anything important nor lead anywhere specific.
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County Galway is home to the Republic of Ireland's third largest city, Galway.  "Large" is a relative term, however.  With only 80,000 people, this town attracts many people looking for an older part of Ireland but with newer amenities and comforts.  My renovated youth hostel was but steps from a modern shopping mall and recognizable banking chains lining the perimeter of Eyre Square.  But it was also a brief walk to a few of the city's 400 pubs (that's 1 for every 200 people), music clubs, and family-owned restaurants, many dating to the 18th century.  I now see why some people criticize Dublin for its lack of "Irishness".  It isn't that it lacks Irish culture in general, it just isn't as strong in a specific culture.  This Irish culture.  Shopkeepers and restauranteurs who take the time to engage in conversations with foreign visitors.  Dank, crusty pubs with equally crusty locals who feel dishonored if a newcomer refuses their drink offers.  As in all cases with all places, it is the people that make a place special.  And while their color was largely green, it was a man of red, white, and blue that I will remember most.

A goal of this trip was to learn about people and stereotypes, and this time it was about me and my own.

Rob, a guy I met from San Diego, one the 'Disneyland of the Burren' rock slide.
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In addition to an expected and desired Irish culture within the city limit's, Galway offers some of the island's finest natural scenery.  The 120 to 210m-high Cliffs of Moher are spectacular, but I found them more enjoyable with my new friends from California.  Once the busses had stopped, me, Lizzy, Brittany, and Rob began exercising our necks with our "this way or that way?" debate.  We soon realized we had sufficient time to see both vistas and headed for the Hag's Head.  The view from this perspective includes O'Brien's Tower, a tourist observation tower built in 1835, and the tallest of the cliffs.  However, the view en route to the tower is even more impressive.  It is the icon of the park: three cascading cliffs of similar height each peaking out from behind the previous as staggered books on a shelf would.

Poulnabrone Dolmen, a 5000-year old tomb used by the Celts.
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County Clare may claim the Cliffs of Moher, but County Galway can proudly boast the Aran Islands.  At first, I did not think I'd have time to see this popular retreat, but Rob gave me an appreciated final push.  We chose to visit Inis Mor, the largest of the three Gaelic-speaking islands.  The island has 1500 inhabitants, but, honestly, none of them are the draw.  It is the island's former residents that attracts boats of visitors in the warm(er) summer.  Pleasantly, there are few cars on this limestone rock, so cycling is the primary means of transportation.  We rode to the abandoned lighthouse atop the island's tallest point, got lost looking for something called "The Wormhole", and tested our courage hanging over the edge of Dun Aonghasa, 'the most magnificent barbaric monument in Europe', according to the brochure.  It was on this day that my original opinion of Rob changed, and I learned a valuable lesson.  I made the assumption after our short initial conversation that we would not mesh well.  This first impression was grossly incorrect, it turned out.  A goal of this trip was to learn about people and stereotypes, this time it was about me and my own.

Since our bus only stopped here for ten minutes, I didn't have time to wait for the lollygaggers to exit the frame.
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In our next chapter, Rob gave me a new trip experience and a missed simple pleasure from the U.S, the road trip.  He had mistakenly rented a car upon arriving in the country, so we put it to good use by driving the 200km from Galway to Cork.  During the journey, we shared more of our pasts and hopes for the future.  And with the more I learned, the more I kicked myself for making an inaccurate presumption.  More than anyone else I have met so far, Rob lives his life in the fire, taking chances...but good ones.  He gave me many examples in business, family, and romance.  And just to prove his point, he lived his past stories by creating a new one with me on our first night.  After finishing dinner, we walked towards Cork city centre.  However, we never made it.  Rob spotted a group of 20 women walking towards us and gave me a 'never know til you try' tilt of the head.  Within half a minute of honest conversation, we were invited to celebrate their hen/bachelorette party at the bar they had reserved.  We swapped nothing more than stories, laughs, and drinks but it was a social scene I could have never mustered the courage to enter on my own, and I thanked Rob for yet another valuable lesson.

At the Cliffs of Moher.
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Do you know the difference between 'blarney' and 'baloney'?  The former is applied with a butterknife while the latter is laid on with a trowel.  Blarney Castle is a mere 8km outside Cork and famous for one reason - the Blarney Stone.  Millions of people, including actors and dignitaries, have visited this fortress and literally bent over backwards to receive the gift of eloquence.  Despite a tiny bit of reluctance after imagining how many mouths had preceded my own, I offered my lips to the prize.  Blarney Castle is famous for this stone, but it deserves more than that.  Its surrounding garden, Rock Close, is a wonderful surprise to the many visitors, like myself, who know nothing about it before their visit.  A short path accented with The Druid Circle, Wishing Steps, and Witch's Kitchen is a fitting environment to ponder and perhaps practice the newly received gift of gab.

The Cliffs of Moher as seen looking towards the Hag's Head.
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The Ring of Kerry is the most popular scenic route in Ireland.  It isn't normally tackled from Cork, but for two eager Americans with a car, little sense of distance, and nothing better to do, it is possible.  The ring follows the perimeter of the Iveragh Peninsula, which is complete with mountains, tunnels, lakes, fields, and Celtic ruins.  It normally takes four hours to complete, but a few missed turns will easily make that time 6, maybe 7, hours.  There are a lot of buses, and it is rare to have a vista to oneself, but I can attest to its worth.  Ignore the crowds and escape the traffic sounds with short walk from the road and it is inevitable to get lost in the landscape.  Whether it is Irish folk music, a passage from a book, or even an image from home, something delectable will find its way into your mind.  And if it doesn't, travel 20 more minutes and you'll get another chance.