The Engaging Ireland Podcast

Our Choices for Top 10 Monastic Sites in Ireland

In the next few episodes, we will be taking a look at our Top 10 lists for Ireland. Seems like everyone is putting together a “Top 10” list these days, so we thought we would share some of our top choices for Ireland. We have chosen our favorites from several categories; for example, we’ll list our top ten favorite towns/cities, our top ten. Why didn’t we limit ourselves to just one list of Top 10 Favorites? It’s too hard! And, while we admit we haven’t seen everything there is to see yet, these are our favorites thus far.

We begin the podcast series with our Top 10 Monastic/Spiritual Sites. Ireland is virtually littered with sites dating back thousands of years. These are the sites we are most drawn to again and again. For more information on any of the sites we mention, please click on the links below. NOTE: Many of the sites are part of Heritage Ireland (www.heritageireland.ie). If you purchase an OPW Heritage Card, you can enter these sites for no cost or reduced cost.

Skellig Michael

http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=757

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/South-West/SkelligMichael/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skellig_Michael

Interesting web book entitled “The Forgotten Hermitage of Skellig Michael” by Walter Horn, Jenny White Marshall, and Grellan D. Rourke:

http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft1d5nb0gb;brand=ucpress

Boat operators to Skellig Michael:

http://iguide.travel/Skellig_Michael/Overview/Boat_Operators

Loughcrew

http://www.knowth.com/loughcrew.htm

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/MidlandsEastCoast/Loughcrew/

http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/ireland/loughcrew.html (Great Photos)

Loughcrew House, Gardens, and Adventure Course

http://www.loughcrew.com/

Rock of Cashel/Hore Abbey

http://www.cashel.ie/

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/South-East/RockofCashel/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hore_Abbey

Clonmacnoise

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/MidlandsEastCoast/Clonmacnoise/

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/ireland/clonmacnoise

Kells (Co. Kilkenny)

Site with comprehensive information about Kells Priory

http://kells.frantzen.de/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kells_Priory

Kilree Round Tower and High Cross (just up the road from Kells)

http://www.roundtowers.org/kilree/index.htm

Glendalough

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlandseastcoast/GlendaloughVisitorCentre/

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/ireland/glendalough

Dublin

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

http://www.stpatrickscathedral.ie/index.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Patrick%27s_Cathedral,_Dublin

Christ Church Cathedral

http://cccdub.ie/

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/ireland/dublin-christ-church-cathedral.htm

Hill of Tara/Hill of Slane

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlandseastcoast/HillofTara/

http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/tara/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_of_Tara

http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/slane/index.html

http://www.slane.com/hillofslane.htm

Quin Abbey

http://www.nd.edu/~ikuijt/Ireland/Sites/mdonnel2/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quin_Abbey

Brú na Bóinne

(Newgrange, Knowth, Howth)

http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/MidlandsEastCoast/BrunaBoinneVisitorCentreNewgrangeandKnowth/

http://www.knowth.com/bru-na-boinne.htm

In this episode we talk about our hands-down, bar none, favorite day out of all the things we've done and seen in Ireland: our visit to Skellig Michael.

The following links are mentioned in this episode of the podcast:

The B&B Network Ireland site: http://www.ireland-bnb.net/

Skellig Experience website: http://www.skelligexperience.com

Skellig Experience boat operators list: http://www.skelligexperience.com/boat.htm

BirdWatch Ireland: http://www.birdwatchireland.ie

Skelligs Rock Bird Information: http://www.skelligsrock.com/wildlife.htm

Skellig Info from the Dioces of Kerry: http://www.dioceseofkerry.ie/page/heritage/holy-places/skellig/

In anticipation of Saint Patrick's Day, we briefly explore the life and legend of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland.

We caught up with Tommy Sands, world-renowned singer/songwriter and social activist from County Down, at the 2009 Milwaukee Irish Fest and asked him about his musical influences, his new book The Songman: A Journey in Irish Music, and how he views the changes that have taken place in the last few decades in Northern Ireland.

If Tommy Sands' name does not, at first, seem familiar to you, you may well be familiar with some of the songs he has written. Many of you will have heard "Sons and Daughters" or "There Were Roses," arguably his most widely-circulated songs. But the collection of songs in his discography is much broader than just songs about the Troubles.

Tommy is currently touring with his daughter, Moya, and his son, Fionán, and they recently released a CD titled "Let the Circle Be Wide." We encourage you to visit their website at www.tommysands.com and learn more about Tommy and some of his current projects, both here in the United States and in Northern Ireland. More information about Tommy, Moya and Fionán may also be found at the Ixtlan Artist's Group website, www.ixtlanartists.com

We present the second half of our conversation with Peter and Kemberlee from All Ireland Travel (see show notes from Episode 12).

B&B Vouchers

Vouchers for accommodation at B&Bs (and sometimes hotels) are often part of vacation packages for travel in Ireland, or they may be sometimes be purchased separately.

We have never used vouchers on any of our trips to Ireland. We neither condone nor condemn their use. You really have to decide for yourself if you think they would work well for your travel plans. How do you make that decision? Take a look at some of the following sites for more information.

On this site, Michele Erdvig (an Ireland Expert from IrelandYes.com) gives readers an interesting take on when she thinks B&B vouchers may or may not be a good value for travel in Ireland.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ireland-144/2009/2/B-B-Vouchers-Ireland.htm

Read this article for a good look at the pros and cons of the vouchers.

http://www.dochara.com/save/save-on-accommodation/bed-breakfast-vouchers/

Peter and Kemberlee's favorite places to visit in Ireland:

Killarney Countryside

Killarney National Park

http://www.killarneynationalpark.ie/

The Gap of Dunloe

Here, we will make appropriate use of the wonderful descriptions Kemberlee and Peter have placed on their website of places of interest in Ireland.

http://www.all-ireland.com/attractions/munster/kerry/gapofdunloe.htm#brandon

Here is a general description of the Gap of Dunloe.

http://www.irishtourism.com/attractions-ireland/gap-of-dunloe_155224-attraction.htm

And the following description of the Gap comes from the Planet Ware website (www.planetware.com).

"The western part of the Killarney National Park extends from the Upper Lake to the southwest shore of the Lower Lake by way of Purple Mount (2,698ft/822m) and its northern foothills. This range of hills is separated from Macgillicuddy's Reeks to the west by the rocky defile known as the Gap of Dunloe, best reached from the R562, which follows the north side of the Lower Lake. From the road to the Gap, which goes off on the left just after the golf courses, can be seen Dunloe Castle, set amid trees, and a group of ogham stones (National Monument).

It is customary to drive as far as Kate Kearney's Cottage, but from there the climb to the pass (some 2.5mi/4km) is usually continued in a jaunting car, on a pony or on foot. There are five little lakes, fed by a rapid mountain stream. The highest of these is Serpent Lake, into which St Patrick is said to have consigned all the snakes he expelled form Ireland. The mighty rocks bearing the marks of glacial action which flank the gorge give an excellent echo. From the top of the pass (784ft/239m) there are superb views of hills, valleys and lakes in the varied shades of green, yellow and brown presented by the vegetation and the red sandstone rocks."

This little gem is one visitor's description of the walk through the Gap. It's a very wonderful description of most of the walk. We say "most of the walk" because the family in the story didn't walk all the way through the Gap to the Black Valley side. It's a shame that many people don't get all the way through, too, because we really thought that last mile and a half were probably the most beautiful and serene of the whole walk. (Unless you pay them extra, the jaunting cars don't go further than the third lake in the gap, and there's still a couple of miles of gorgeous valley to be experienced from there!)

http://www.irelandforvisitors.com/articles/the_gap.htm

A thorough description (with photos) of how many tourists make the trek through the Gap of Dunloe and back to Killarney Town each day:

http://www.lakehotel.com/Gap_of_dunloe.htm

The Black Valley

On our visit to Killarney National Park this year, we were determined to walk the Gap of Dunloe, and (thanks to confirmation from Peter and Kemberlee) we decided to start our walk at the Gap Head on the Black Valley end of the Gap. We did this because we had heard stories about how crowded it can get at the other end of the gap where most people begin their journey. We parked next to a little church in the Black Valley and made our way up the switchbacks in the road leading up into the gap. When we arrived at the other end of the gap, we had a lovely lunch at Kate Kearney's Cottage and, as it had begun to rain in earnest, we decided to hire a jaunting car to take us up to the third lake (which is generally as far as they go before they turn around and head back). From there, we continued walking through the rest of the gap and back to our car in the Black Valley.

The road down into the Black Valley is not a drive for the faint of heart or the inexperienced driver, but the rewards are well worth it, if you can stomach the narrow, bumpy roads. At the bottom of the drive, you can either turn right toward Lord Brandon's Cottage or left toward the Gap of Dunloe. The drive to Lord Brandon's Cottage is really beautiful (and the road has been repaved beginning at the point where it enters Killarney National Park property) and worth a look! You could park your car at the small lot near the gates at Six Arch Bridge and walk the extra 2 or 3 km to the Gap of Dunloe, and we considered doing that, but decided against it. We were very glad that we didn't have to walk the extra distance at the end of our day, as we were water-logged (despite the proper gear and apparel) and VERY tired from fighting against the wind the last couple of miles! On a fairly nice day, though, it might not have been too bad. We'll never know…

Muckross House and Gardens

http://www.muckross-house.ie/

We have, admittedly, never visited Muckross House, but it looks to be a lovely period house that has been very well maintained and furnished. We would like to stop in during one of our future trips.

Gougane Barra

You might not recognize this name at first, but many of you may have seen photos of the fairly well-known oratory of St. Finbarr, which is located on an island in Gougane Barra Forest Park. http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/?id=53&rec_site=88

http://www.gougane.cork2020.com/

We were quite heartbroken that, due to the late hour of the day when we passed by, we were unable to make the detour to visit. The park also contains the source of the mighty River Lee (which eventually travels downhill to Cork City and out into Cork Harbour). We will be back to visit Gougane Barra!

Dublin City

Just about everyone who visits Ireland will spend some amount of time in Dublin City. There are many, many worthwhile things to see and do in the city, but you won't need a car. For this reason, we generally suggest to our listeners that they visit Dublin either at the beginning of their stay or at the end of their stay (before they pick up a rental car or after they've dropped it off). It's very easy to get to and from Dublin Airport to the city center, and driving in Dublin is, in some ways, more painful than driving in New York City!

An informative website to visit, as one might guess, is http://www.dublin.ie/, where you can plan out your itinerary. Be sure to make note of any festivals or special events that might affect where you can and cannot go.

Below are a couple of the bus companies that provide the hop-on/hop-off tours of the city, as was mentioned in the podcast.

http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/ (Dublin Bus Tour) http://www.dublinsightseeing.ie/pdf/tours_08.pdf (Here's where you can download the PDF flyer for the Dublin Bus Tours)

http://www.irishcitytours.com/hop_citydublin.htm (Irish Sightseeing Tours - the red and yellow buses)

You can also book day tours by bus from Dublin City out to places like the Wicklow Mountains and Malahide and Brú na Bóinne.

The Antrim Coast

As we have mentioned in previous podcasts, we have not made it into Northern Ireland yet. We would like to make a special trip of 2-3 weeks, in order to give the region the attention it deserves.

http://www.northantrim.com/

The following site includes information about Glenarriff, a favorite area that Kemberlee mentions in the interview. http://www.causewaycoastandglens.com/ (Causeway Coast and Glens)

The Beara Peninsula (and West County Cork)

If you would like general information about the peninsula, consult the following website: http://www.bearatourism.com/

The Beara Way is popular walking route located on the Beara Peninsula. The length of the complete walk is apparently difficult to estimate. Some information indicates the walk is 115 miles, while others maintain that is over 130 miles. In all fairness, there are several splinter routes that go off the main route, so the distance you would go would probably be determined by the number of those splinter routes you explore.

Even if you don't get out of your car and walk at all (which would be a real shame, because you'll miss a lot of really interesting sites), the Beara Peninsula offers beautiful landscapes and vistas along the main ring road, and you'll not generally find the number of people and vehicles that you would find on, say, the Ring of Kerry right next door!

Dingle Peninsula

A good site for information about your trip to the Dingle Peninsula. http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/

Dingle is also less crowded than the Ring of Kerry, generally, but there are many historical/archaeological sites of interest. As the Wikitravel website describes the area:

"The landscape is wild and beautiful from the eastern spine of the peninsula in the steep Slieve Mish (mountain of phantoms) to the western end where the land breaks into a scattering of uninhabited and dramatic islands and cliffs and beaches alternate around the coast. Dingle town (An Daingean) is small enough to walk and big enough to be lively." http://wikitravel.org/en/Dingle_Peninsula

North Clare

Doolin

"Doolin is a small fishing village on the west coast of Ireland, often referred to as the capital of Irish traditional music." – this is the description on the Doolin website: http://www.doolinireland.net/.

For further information on Doolin and its environs, refer to: http://www.doolin-tourism.com/

The Burren

The Burren is basically a geological region of County Clare. http://www.burrenpage.com/ Wikipedia describes it this way: Its "rolling hills are composed of limestone pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints". The region supports arctic, Mediterranean and alpine plants side by side, due to the unusual environment. The blue flower of the Spring Gentian, an alpine plant, is used as a symbol for the area by the tourist board. Burren's many limestone cliffs, particularly the sea-cliffs at Ailladie, are popular with rock-climbers. For potholers (spelunkers), there are a number of charted caves in the area."

The Burren Centre in Kilfenora is a great place to start your visit to the Burren region. You can view an informative video about the Burren and walk through the exhibition area where you'll get an understanding of how the Burren came to be and what life on the Burren has been like for animals, plants, and man. http://www.theburrencentre.ie/

This is one of our favorite pages about the Burren: http://www.burrenbeo.com/

Derry City, Northern Ireland

You may still hear Derry referred to as Londonderry, but most locals simply refer to the city as Derry. Derry has a long and, sometimes, unsettled history. But its turbulent history is always interesting.

http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/http://www.derryvisitor.com/

Here is a brief history of Derry (up to the 1920s).

http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukider01.htm

A Wikipedia article examines more of Derry's history and geography.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derry

Carrickfergus, County Antrim

Dobbins Castle (a.k.a. D'Aubins Castle or Dobbins Inn Hotel)

A little of the history of the hotel and its ghost(s) can be found at the All Ireland Travel website:

http://www.all-ireland.com/accommodations/ulster/antrim/dobbinsinnhotel.htm

Glenariff, County Antrim

Glenariff, sometimes called the "Queen of the Glens," is one the famous Glens of Antrim. It is the largest of the glens and was shaped, as were the others, by glaciers during the Ice Age. One of the most popular places to visit in this beautiful glen is the forest park:

http://www.irelandholidays.net/English/Activities/Glenariff/Forestpark.htm

We hope you enjoyed listening in on our afternoon conversation in Inchigeela. We'll meet you again down the road!