We went on the road to join
Dingle Peninsula...
We drived along Inch Beach
and there was a surprise: 4 dolphins
were playing with the waves.
This beach stretching for nearly 5 kilometers,
offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean
and the surrounding mountains.
It is a popular spot for surfers.
Then we made a little stop
because Amané is a big fan of sheeps !
Irish sheep mainly belong to hardy breeds
such as the Suffolk and the Scottish Blackface,
well adapted to poor pastures and humid climates.
Their reproduction is seasonal,
with lambing concentrated in spring
to optimize growth on fresh grass.
They play a key role in the Irish agro-ecosystem,
contributing to landscape management
as well as the production of wool and meat.
The narrow road along cliffs,
along stone walls
Dry stone walls in Ireland,
built since the Bronze Age,
are both a historical legacy
and a functional feature of the rural landscape.
Constructed without mortar,
they rely on the precise interlocking of stones
to ensure stability and durability.
Traditionally used to divide farmland and contain livestock,
they reflect ancient agro-pastoral practices.
Today, they are valued as cultural heritage
and as ecological habitats for many local species.
And we arrived at Cashel Murphy !!
The site dates around 3200 Bc
same period as Newgrange.
Builders of Cashel Murphy
paid particular attention to astronomy and cycles of nature.
The site is constructed such as at the spring and automn equinox
the sun manage to penetrate the interior of the cave.
This light entry could have had several functions:
to illuminate the interior during short days of sun,
to guide rituals related to the balance of day and night,
to symbolize a connection between the underworld and sunlight.
Like many stone forts, it is surrounded by folk tales
and Celtic myths, sometimes linked to
the SI world, the fairy spirits.
An other way of understanding this site is that it
illustrates teh defensive architecture of the Irish Celts
based on dry and circular layout. Circle is important for Celts:
it reflects the protection, community and continuity.
The cliffs of the Slea Head are mainly
composed of Devonian shales and sandstones,
around 350, 400 millions years old !!!
These rocks formed sediments deposited
in ancient shallow seas: it was folded and fractured
during the formation of the Variscan mountains ranges.
The visible titled and vertical layers witness these ancient tectonic movements.
And then marine erosion shapes the cliffs,
creating escarpments, caves, rocks stacks.
Can you find Yuta?
The contrast between the dark cliffs and the turquoise
ocean makes the landscapes so beautiful.
In Slea Head and even after,
we will see perfect example of combination of
ancient sedimentation, tectonics and marine erosion.
I love these landscapes, it gives so much peace.
In Blasket view
we enjoyed the view on the Blasket Islands.
The landscape is so huge and beautiful,
the air is so refreshing and so vivid
that we did lot of pauses...
And we arrived in Dun Chaoin Pier !!
There was. a little van which sales some coffee...
The young lady inside talked gaelic with
an old man...
Amané chosed cocoa and mashmallow.
The site was stunning !
The cliffs of Dunmore Head rise approximatively
60 meters above the ocean:
we could see the Blaskets islands.
Dunmore Head has served for several movies as
Star Wars, the last Jedi,
Far and away with Cruise and Kidman,
and Ryan's daughter a 1970 romantic drama.
The surrounding waters are home to seals,
dolphins, whales, basking sharks and tuna
but we didn't see any...
So beautiful place...
Even puffins are coming here at the good season.
For sure, when life will be hard
I will close my eyes and replace me there !
The flora that thrives here is adapted to the special conditions:
powerfull winds, salty spray and shallow soils.
Among these plants heather largely dominates:
common heather or Calluna Vulgaris.
This diversity creates striking contrast with
the turquoise ocean.
It's a dense ground cover.
Grasses and heather form a thick carpet that masks
the damp soils beneath.
Walking or lying on it
is like pressing down on a thick layer of moss:
it's so pleasant !!!!
Amané was dizzy:
you can see it by her wobbly legs !!!
No whales around....!
But some beautiful heathers !
Amané lying down and Yuta the photograph...
This round circle is a group of
jellyfish to better defend themselves.
Can you see the flowers? And Amané inside,?
Can you see the patchwork on the hill behind Yuta?
It's really the Irish landcsape !
Much of Ireland land remained
fragmented until the 19th century:
this left a landscape of small and irregular plots.
Then we
reached Cloger Head.
From here you have an other 360 panorama
combining the ocean, islands, cliffs, beaches and mountains.
An other beautiful site to peaceful our mind.
And we arrived to the Gallarus oratory
wich dates from the 7th or 8th century.
It was perhaps a chapel for Irish monks
connected to a small monastic community
or a place of pilgrimage, or a sacred tomb...
The stones are stacked and fitted with precision,
without any binder
The walls slope inward and the stones are corbelled over one another
to form the roof, creating a self supporting structure.
Despite the absence of mortar the stone roof repels rainwater.
This uspide down boat hull shape symbolizes spiritual protection,
poetic link between architecture and religious symbolism.
This place was originally sacred, perhps seen
as a gateway to the others places where live deities or ancestors.
Maintaining for centuries and centuries the monument, or simply protecting it
from destruction also helped to prerce stories and collective memory.
and on the road to Dingle we found this place.
An other beautiful irish landscape...
The Irish celtic cross is a cross shaped gravestone with a circle
(which represents eternity or the sun)
around the intersection of the arms and shaft.
It's often carved with intricate Celtic motifs as knotwork,
spirals or religious symbols.
Kilmalkedar church is a monastic site from the 7th century
it was a site for the pilgrimage to Mount Brandon.
The site houses historical artifacts: Ogham and alphabet stones, a cross, and a sundial.The current 12th century church had sculpture and decorated tympanum.
The sites houses historical artefacts: Ogham
and alphabet stones, crosses and sundials.
Then Yuta found it was the day
for the Peil Ghaelach finale:
so we went to a Dingle's pub to join people.
Kerry is green and gold so it was a good pub !
Inside it was full !
Different screens in different corners of the pub...
Gaelic football played 15 a side on a large pitch.
Players can carry, pass, kick the ball with hands or feet.
The objective is to score points by kicking
through the posts 1 point or into the net 3 pts.
The game is fast, physical.
It combines elements of soccer and rugby
with unique rules.
And Kerry wooooooooonnnnn !!!!!!
We then reached our B and B for 2 nights:
huge beautiful room...
The restaurant looked great!
And we had a surprise:
an irish concert (we forgot to take pictures...)!!!
There were 5 musicians and: violin, flute, bodrhan, concertina,
guitarist, singers.
But a family who was eating there joined them :
even kids played violin, harp,
banjo, and even singing...even a guy like us, who dare to sing a song he loves.
It was a so moving night !!!
