The Emerald Isle - Part 2

 The first two days in Ireland were an adventure with the Hillary family.  The third day we struck out into the Irish countryside on our own.

Read 'The Emerald Isle - Part 1' to see what we did the first two days in Ireland.

Thursday morning we got up early and had a great breakfast prepared by our hosts, Bernie and Ollie, at the Lisdoon Lodge.  We walked into 'downtown' Lisdoonvarna ready to catch an early bus to the Cliffs of Moher.  Our plan was to take a bus to the Cliffs, spend a few hours there, and then take another bus to Doolin for the afternoon.  But we waited at the bus stop and the bus never came.

We figured out that the bus we were waiting for doesn't run after August 24th, just under 1 week before; and the next bus going to the Cliffs that stopped in Lisdoonvarna didn't arrive for another 2 hours.  You can walk through the entire town of Lisdoonvarna in a couple of minutes.  We knew there wasn't going to be enough to keep us entertained until the next bus arrived, so we decided to walk.  There were signs indicating our general direction and we had a map.  We figured the best idea would be to follow the route our bus had taken 2 days earlier when dropping us off in Lisdoonvarna.

The roads are about as wide as the average car is long.  Many roads are even more narrow.  When two cars come upon each other, one driver has to find a small spot to pull off the road and let the other driver pass.  It can get even trickier going around a blind corner if the cars are speeding.  Needless to say we stayed vigilant on our walk.  Along the way we came across a couple asses who seemed to take an interest in us.

We walked about 3 miles to The Tweed and Woollen Centre - a great stop if you are interested in authentic Irish sweaters, but be ready to pay for the authenticity.  Down the hill from The Tweed and Woollen Centre is the coastal town of Doolin.  (A 'JTB' for ya: The McGann's, O'Connor's, and McDermott's pubs in Doolin are known to have some of the best Irish music in Ireland).  And another 3 miles past the town of Doolin is the Doolin Cave.  It was a tiring walk, but as it was such a beautiful day, we were lucky to get some great photos.

We arrived at Doolin Cave and ordered some lunch in the cafe while we waited for the tour prior to ours to end.  When it was our turn, we felt so lucky because we were the only two people on our tour so it felt like a tour made just for the two of us.  Our tour guide, Jim, took us 250 feet below sea level to the base of the cave.  Before we went down into the cave, however, we were required to wear these hard hats for safety purposes:

 Once we had the required safety gear in place, Jim took us to the belly of the cave and it was pitch black.  We felt a bit like we were spelunking in the Bat Cave for a bit.  We knew we were in the open area of the cave but that was about all we knew.  Jim told us he was about to turn the lights on and we would see a magnificent sight - he was certainly right!  Hanging from the ceiling of the cave was what is know at "The Great Stalactite."  It is the largest free-hanging stalactite in the Northern Hemisphere, measuring 23 feet long.  It was so incredible to see!

      

Jim concluded our tour and we were all set to walk back to "downtown" Doolin when he told us that he did not have another tour for 30 minutes and that he would be more than happy to drive us into the bus stop in Doolin where we could catch the bus to the Cliffs of Moher.  We said that was not necessary but he insisted, advising it was the least he could do. We gladly accepted the offer and jumped into his car for the quick ride to the bus stop.  He dropped us off and made sure that the bus actually stopped there before heading back, as he said he did not want us to be stranded and have to walk even more.  We checked the time table and let him know that the next bus was coming in 35 minutes and he wished us well in our marriage (we told him we are engaged, getting married next summer), telling us we were very well matched.  We thanked him for his kindness and tried to pay him, but he refused to take anything.  We waved to him and he was back on his way towards the cave for his next tour.  We sat enjoying the beautiful day and the sunshine when no more than 10 minutes later, who comes driving back down the road but our tour guide Jim!  He rolled down his window, told us that his last tour of the day was cancelled and that he would drive us to the Cliffs.  We told him we did not want to inconvenience him at all but he assured us that it was on his way home, so we got back into his car.  It was such a great ride because he gave us a bit of history about the area on the ride, so not only was he a tour guide of the Doolin Cave, but our own personal local area tour guide as well.

Along the way to the Cliffs, he pointed out the tower below and told us the story that it was once part of a castle and that the coast below was where the Spanish Armada was wrecked.  The 10-15 sailors/soldiers that survived the shipwreck went to the tower where they were captured by Queen Elizabeth I and then were marched to Lisdoonvarna (the town where we were staying) where they were hanged.  It was such a surreal story and especially surreal knowing that the grounds we stood on were a very rich part of history.

Shortly after stopping for those photos, Jim dropped us off at the Cliffs.  We again thanked him for his kindness and generosity and wished him well.  He is definitely someone we will never forget.  If any of you ever go to the Doolin Cave, ask for Jim to be your tour guide and send him our well wishes.

When we arrived at the Cliffs, we were immediately awestruck.  The Cliffs of Moher are such an incredible place that even these photos below will not do it justice.  The Cliffs stand about 650 feet above sea level and on a clear day such as the day we went, you can see for miles and miles.  We were so lucky and blessed with such beautiful weather that day.

There is a wall which you can climb over to walk along the edge of the cliffs with no gate to prevent you from falling.  Also, Jim told us on our ride to the Cliffs that taxis are not permitted to take anyone to the Cliffs alone after sunset.  This was very saddening to hear, and seeing these signs made us really realize how lucky we are to be so blessed in our lives, and also reminded us to be very careful.

That being said, we were very careful when taking these photos:

The Cliffs of Moher were probably one of the most magnificent natural wonders we will ever see in our lives.  As mentioned before, these photos really do not do them justice - they are absolutely breathtaking!

After we had walked along the edge of the Cliffs, we headed back and got some dinner in the cafe and then waited for our bus to take us back to our last evening in Lisdoonvarna.  We got back to the Lisdoon Lodge Guesthouse where we were able to speak with Bernie and Ollie about our check out time the next day.  As we were leaving quite early for Dublin the following morning, they allowed us to check out and pay in the evening and Bernie told us that they would wake up a bit early to make sure we had some breakfast before leaving.  We packed up that night and sure enough, when we were leaving in the morning, Bernie and Ollie were already up.  Bernie asked if we would have some light breakfast before we left and we told her we would love to, but we were running a few minutes late and had to catch the bus in town.  She told us to go ahead and sit down, that Ollie would drive us to the bus station since it was raining.  We obliged and when we left, thanked them profusely for their hospitality. They were amazing hosts and we would definitely recommend the Lisdoon Lodge Guesthouse for anyone staying in Co. Clare.

Well folks, this is where The Emerald Isle - Part 2 ends.  As we mentioned, there was so much to see and do and tell everyone about that we've had to split the blog into a few parts.

Stay tuned for Part 3 - DUBLIN!

We love you all and miss you very much!

The Emerald Isle - Part 1

It was such a great trip with so many interesting adventures that we split the blog into a couple parts.

The Emerald Isle - Part 1

About 3 days before we left for Ireland Dan's cousin gave him the email address of a relative who still lives in Ireland.  This relative had not heard from anyone in Dan's family for years and Dan didn't know if she even used that email address anymore.  Not really sure what kind of response he would get, if any, Dan emailed his relative in hopes that she would have information on the location of his great grandfather's home in Co. Clare.  Not more than 24 hours after emailing her he got a response in which she provided the names and phone numbers of several relatives who still live in Co. Clare.  One of those relatives was Breda Frawley, Dan's 3rd cousin.  It turned out they were just as eager to meet old relatives from the States as we were to meet them!

We arrived in Cork, Ireland on a Tuesday morning.  While waiting for our train from Cork to Ennis Dan called his cousin, Breda, who lives in Ennis, to see if she would like to meet us at some point during our stay in Co. Clare.  Breda was excited to meet us and offered to pick us up from the Ennis train stop and bring us back to her house for tea.  We weren't expecting such open hospitality from someone who had never even heard of us until 2 days earlier!

After a 2 hour train ride we arrived in Ennis and Breda was at the station waiting to greet us.  She drove us back to her house where we talked, ate, sipped tea, and learned about each other and the Hillary family.  We also met her husband Pat, a retired mason, who is helping one of their sons cover a cement wall in traditional Irish stone. (A 'Juicy Tid Bit' for ya: Government laws state that exterior cement walls must be covered in traditional stone so as to preserve the historic look/feel of Ireland...at least in the area where Breda and Pat live this is the law).  Before we left Breda and Pat, one of their sons, David, stopped by.  He heard that a cousin of his was in town and he wanted to meet us.  After a few hours spent with distant family who made us feel like long lost siblings, Breda drove us to the Bus station and we got on a bus towards Lisdoonvarna.

We spoke with the bus driver a little bit on the way, making sure that we knew which stop would be Lisdoonvarna so that we didn't miss it.  He asked where in Lisdoonvarna we were headed and we told him Lisdoon Lodge Guesthouse, a small B&B just outside town.  It was a bit rainy and he offered to drive a little bit out of his way in order to bring us closer to the B&B so that we wouldn't have to walk as far in the rain.  We thanked him for his kindness and after a short walk from where he dropped us off we arrived at our lodging.

Lisdoon Lodge Guesthouse

The Irish countryside view from our room

The next morning Breda picked us up from Lisdoon Lodge and drove us to Kilfenora.  Kilfenora is the town where the Hillary family went to church for generations.  We saw the original church of Kilfenora Parish; where Dan's great grandfather, William Hillary, was baptized.  Next to the old church is a cemetery where Dan's great great grandparents, Joseph and Anne Hillary are buried along with Dan's great Aunt Mary Kelly (Hillary).  (A 'JTB' for ya: it is common in small towns/Parishes like Kilfenora for the family to own one burial plot where several family members get buried.  When a person dies, they place the coffin on top of the coffin(s) of the people buried before them; one coffin collapses into another and family members are buried on top of one another.)

The old church of Kilfenora Parish and cemetery where Dan's great great grandparents are buried

The gravestone of Joseph and Anne Hillary

The headstone reads:

Erected by 

Jeremiah Hillary, Doon 

In loving memory of his father 

Joseph who died 13th March 

1929 aged 80 years Also 

his mother Anne who 

died 20th Feb 1924 aged 

84 years

R I P

Next, we met a couple more of Dan's family members in a pub near the church.  We met Joe Carroll, who would be Dan's grandpa Hillary's first cousin, and Joe's daughter Noreen.  Joe is 84 and still sharp as a tack with an impeccable memory.  Joe told us all about the Hillary family origins: how the Hillarys came to live in Co. Clare, how they became Bog farmers, and what became of the brothers and sisters of William Hillary (Dan's great grandpa) who stayed in Ireland.  We even got Joe on videotape, which was a really big deal for the family.  Joe is known for his memory and for telling stories of the family history, but he refuses to speak on videotape.  Joe's brother, Father John Carroll, once tried to get him to talk about the family history on tape, but as soon as Father John pulled out a video camera Joe wouldn't speak and actually left the room.  Lucky for us, Joe thought we were taking pictures of him instead of videotaping.  We didn't intentionally deceive him.  We actually didn't know about his aversion to being videotaped, and we thought he knew what we were doing.  Afterward we found out that we were the first people to get him on tape, but his kids were happy to have a recording of him so we didn't feel too bad about the misunderstanding.  After some tea, apple pie and a nice chat about the Hillary family history it was off to see the old Hillary property.

Joe brought us to the land where the Hillarys farmed Bog and raised their family for generations.  We saw the house where Dan's great great grandpa, Joseph Hillary, was born; also where his great grandpa, William Hillary, was born and raised until he was 23 when he left home for America.  The original house has since been redone, but we were able to go to the exact spot where the house stood.  The house is located in an area called Doon and sits atop a hill that overlooks Lake Lickeen and hundreds of acres of rolling Irish farmland.  (A 'JTB' for ya: Lake Lickeen provides drinking water for all of Co. Clare.)  The Hillary family may have been poor Bog farmers, but they had a million dollar view from their front porch!

The (now re-modeled) house where the Hillary family farmed Bog for generations

Dan's cousins (left to right): Noreen Talty, Breda Frawley, Joe Carroll, Dan Hillary

The view from the old Hillary farm.

After seeing the old Hillary home, Joe brought us back to their farm in Miltown Malbay.  The Carroll farm sits just 300 meters from the Atlantic ocean and has been in the family for more than 300 years.  We met Joe's wife Nellie, their son Michael, and Michael's children Joseph, Geraldine, and Nuala.  Joe and Nellie are retired and their son Michael now runs the farm.

While we talked, Michael called up his sister Frances who owns a B&B in Killarney.  Frances has a fairly extensive written history of the Hillary family, especially of William Hillary.  Frances was able to tell Michael who Dan's grandpa Hillary married and who Dan's Dad married and what number great grandchild Dan is (he is the 125th great grandchild of William and Margaret Hillary).  Dan was really excited about all of the Hillary history Frances had and she offered to mail us copies of everything.  The Carrolls also had a picture of Dan's great grandpa on their mantle.  It was a picture taken in 1972, which was the last time William Hillary, at age 92, visited Ireland before his death in 1977.  This was the first time Dan had seen a picture of his great grandpa.  It was pretty special.  (A 'JTB' for ya: August 22, 1972 was declared "William Francis Hillary Day" in Grand Rapids, MI in honor of his service to the city.)  After a wonderful day spent with the Hillary family it was time to go back to Lisdoonvarna.

Left to Right: Noreen Talty, Dan Hillary, Joe Carroll, Joseph Carroll, Nellie Carroll, Michael Carroll

That night we went into 'downtown' Lisdoonvarna and watched a local Irish band, The Coelan Band.  It was a quiet night in town and we were the only people in the bar for the first hour they were on stage.  We think our waitress told the band we were from the States because the first 5 songs they played were about leaving Ireland to travel to America; then again, in this part of Ireland a huge piece of history involves emigration to the States. (A 'JTB' for ya: over 112,000 Irish men and women left Co. Clare between 1850 and 1880 in search of a better life.  For a comparison, the current population of Co. Clare is just over 90,000).  The band was great and we wanted to stay later, but we had a big day planned the next day so we called it a night.

Downtown Lisdoonvarna.  Don't drive too fast you might miss it!

11 months out of the year Lisdoonvarna is a sleepy town in the hills of Co. Clare.  But during September the 'legendary' Lisdoonvarna Match-Making Festival draws thousands of singles from around the world in hopes of meeting their perfect match.

Hundreds of years before the Match-Making festival, Lisdoonvarna was famous for its mineral waters which were said to have healing powers due to the naturally high levels of Iron, Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur.  You could smell the sulphur near this spa.

The next day we went to Doolin Cave and the Cliffs of Moher, but that will be in the next post...

Stay tuned!

Love,

Abby and Dan