A special drive through Ireland

Pat Lowe

The 2003 Special Olympics were over on June 29, and our friends,

Roger and Shirley VanPelt, were ready to begin touring Ireland with

us.

Buz and I had spent several days in Dublin while they completed

their volunteer assignments at the track and field venue. We visited

the main sights, but the one that impressed us most was our visit to

Newgrange. This passage grave is part of a great Neolithic cemetery

in the valley of the River Boyne.

We arranged for our bus tour at the main tourist information

center in Dublin. It was about a 45-minute ride, but our guide,

Peter, filled our heads with Irish history and stories.

Upon arrival, we visited the interpretative center and then the

tomb itself. People built this watertight tomb with recesses and

carvings and a massive stone entrance 5,000 years ago. Above it is an

opening where the rays of the rising sun illuminate the interior of

the central chamber for 15 minutes on one day a year, Dec. 21 -- the

winter solstice. This occurrence is recreated for the visitors who

stand in the dark for a few seconds, and then the chamber fills with

light. Wow. The ancients figured out that when this occurred, the sun

was going to continue in the heavens and not die, as they feared

every winter.

Never before held outside the United States, the Special Olympics

was attended by thousands of people. Each participating country had

been paired with an Irish village or town. The athletes had been to

visit their sponsoring town before the games. As we drove through

Ireland, we saw banners and signs everywhere commemorating the event,

a well-earned source of pride for the Irish people. When people saw

that the VanPelts had been volunteers, we were greeted with special

courtesies.

On many of our driving days, it was “spitting” (raining) or “soft”

(low overcast) as we started out. But on the day we started out from

Kinsale, Cork County, the weather was beautiful. We saw the Old Head

of Kinsale (great sheer cliffs and a golf course) and then drove

along the jagged southern coast on advice of our bed and breakfast

host, Mr. Murphy.

We went through small colorful towns with colorful names such as

Timoleague, Clonakilty, Ross Carbery and Leap. At Glandor, people

were enjoying the sunny day at tables set up on the roadway. Small

sailboats could be seen on the bay far below. We bought picnic

supplies in Skibereen and ate in the park in Ballydehab, where we

turned inland for Kenmare and Killarney.

Kenmare is a busy, charming town of shops painted red, purple,

orange, blue and yellow with flower baskets hanging everywhere. It

made you want to get out of your car and walk the town, which is what

we did.

The next morning, we rode in a jaunting cart pulled by Tom the

horse and driven by Padraig Looney from Killarney to the Muckross

House. This Elizabethan-style mansion built in 1843 has extensive

grounds, which are now part of a national park. We toured the

mansion, were told the history of the house and its owners and

visited the museum of Kerry life, which is housed in the former

servants’ quarters. Then we jaunted back to town while our driver

regaled us with Irish tales and jokes.

We went on to see many beautiful, sheer coastlines and brightly

painted villages. By July 4, we were near Limerick. Our hotel in

Adare was having a special lunch with hot dogs, but we couldn’t stay.

Instead, we went to a special meeting at the Limerick Race Course

that evening. The horses run on a grass course that runs clockwise

(opposite from our race tracks), up a hill and then down to the

finish line. The starter lowered a white flag for the race to begin

instead of having a starting gate. One race had 19 horses in the field. They looked like sailboats in the Beer Can Race jockeying for

position before the start. For this special meeting, ladies were

dressed in fine clothes with feathery hats. They even served

complimentary Budweiser. We discovered that many Irish people have an

American connection.

While in the Limerick area, we spent a few hours at Bunratty

Castle and Folk Park, a living reconstruction of homes and

environment of Ireland more than a century ago. It was very well

done, with people in period costume demonstrating life in the times.

The park reminded me of our own Pilmouth Plantation or Sturbridge.

They burn peat in the fireplaces, a truly Irish aroma. As we drove

further north, we saw peat bogs with peat bricks being cut and set

out to dry.

Cliffs, castles and abbeys are everywhere in Ireland. The famous

Cliffs of Mohr are spectacular. Many castles now serve as hotels, our

favorite being Ashford Castle. The grounds are fabulous. Kylemore

Abbey, Galway County, was impressive with lots to see and a romantic

story to its construction. It is currently the home of the Irish

Benedictine nuns and used as a girls’ school.

We spent a couple of days in Outerard, Mayo County. It sits next

to Lough (Lake) Corrib. Our hosts were a nice young couple who had

met each other while working in the United States. We got to

experience Irish football fever in this small town. Mayo County was

playing Galway. Cars had flags fluttering from the windows much like

our Laker or Angel flags as they made their way to the stadium in

Galway. Those who weren’t attending the game staked out places in the

local pub to watch it on TV and cheer for their team. Co. Galway was

the winner, but we didn’t see any negative behavior -- mostly

friendly jibes at the other side.

As we were leaving Outerard, our hosts gave us directions to the

“real” Quiet Man Bridge, which was nearby at Maam Cross. John Wayne

and the making of “The Quiet Man” are big tourist attractions in this

area. Since there were no tourist signs pointing out this bridge,

maybe we did see the “real thing.”

We went on up the west coast as far as Westport. We saw their

beaches and harbors. Just north of Westport is Newport. Of course, we

went for a visit. Like Westport, it is at the end of a long bay, so

it’s not like being on the coast. The tides are extreme here, often

leaving boats high and dry in the mud flats.

It was time to come home to our own Newport. In 13 days, you can only scratch the surface of Ireland’s sights, but you can appreciate

Ireland by talking with these friendly, fun-loving people, listening

to their lively music and tasting their good pub food and ale. We’re

glad we had the chance to do that.

* PAT LOWE is a resident of Balboa Island.

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