Dingle, Day Two Second Half

 (Day five afternoon recap of my late April Ireland trip.)

Picking up from where I left off in my last post, this one will cover everything that happened on the second half of day five.

After a delicious lunch prepared by the guesthouse staff, our tour group assembled on the lawn adjacent to Milltown House.  Sandwiched between here and another guesthouse was a business known as Kingdom Falconry.  And lucky us, we were about to have a close and personal experience with some extraordinary birds.

There was a falconry business right next to our guesthouse

Seeing this falconry demonstration on the tour agenda, I'd packed a lightweight zoom lens.  Not only did I plan to photograph still images, my intention was to hopefully capture these impressive raptors in flight. 

Peregrine falcon demonstration

Two falconry experts, a man and a woman, first outfitted each member of our group with a thick leather glove.  Wow, instead of merely observing, these birds were actually going to land on us!  I began to get even more excited than I already was.

The falcon enjoying its reward

The first raptor brought out was a peregrine falcon.  Our male falconry expert twirled a rope with some meat on the end.  Used for teaching purposes, this exercise was to simulate prey in flight.  The falcon was released and kept diving towards the "reward" on the rope's end.  That bird was super fast!  I tried to get some images of it in action but failed miserably.  The only good photos I was able to capture were still images after the falcon was allowed to catch and eat his prey.

After the demonstration, everyone got a chance to hold a Harris hawk

After the peregrine falcon, our hosts brought out a lovely Harris hawk.  They had us form a circle and began letting the hawk fly to each of us.  Setting a small piece of meat onto our gloved hand enticed the hawk to come over and visit.

Kim's turn

What a thrill!  I must admit, I was a bit tentative at first to have this fierce bird land on me.  But once my turn came around I found the bird to be quite gentle and surprisingly much lighter weight than expected.  The bird was merely after the meaty morsel our guide had placed on my hand, nothing more.

The hawk flew to each of us

I had a blast trying to capture this hawk landing on each of my tour-mates.

Such a thrill!

Such a beautiful bird!  Watching it fly to each person was a thrill.

Take off

My tour buddy Randy was standing right next to me.  Since we both had large DSLR cameras, our shutters were clicking away!  Because it was hard to get selfies with our big cameras, I took photos of Randy holding the falcon and he returned the favor for me.

Randy captures the hawk on his arm

I tried hard to get a photo of each tour-mate holding the Harris hawk.  Upon later review of the images, the thing I liked most was seeing the genuine smiles of joy on all their faces.

I loved the expressions on people's faces

After a long session where the Harris hawk landed on each of us multiple times, the falcon-keepers finally took him back and returned with another lovely bird.

Debbie admiring this beautiful bird

Meet Luna, the barn owl!  She was as charming as she was beautiful.

Luna, the barn owl

Again, our hosts repeated the pattern, and Luna was allowed to fly around our circle, landing on each person in turn.

Landing on an arm

When my turn came around, I was surprised by how lightweight Luna felt on my arm.  She also was a very quiet flier.  With outstretched wings, Luna glided noiselessly through the air.  Owls use this advantage to silently sneak up on their prey.

Luna captured in-flight

I really like owls, so having a chance to see this gorgeous barn owl up close was a real treat.

Such a cute little face!

After Luna had made several rounds, she also was retired to her cage.  Then our keepers brought out a third raptor, a large Eurasian eagle-owl.

Next was the Eurasian eagle-owl

One of the world's largest owl species, this eagle-owl was too heavy to land on our arms.  Instead, our falconry guides carried it around the circle so each of us could get some photos.

Such intense eyes!

I couldn't get over this bird's eyes.  Such an intense shade of orange!

This owl was quite a character

Then the falconry guides had the eagle-owl fly between the two of them.  It was impressive to watch this large raptor spread its wings and glide around our circle.

I had lots of fun trying to photograph the owl in flight

This bird was the most fun to watch in flight.  I couldn't get over the size of its wingspan.  And, like its barn owl cousin, this raptor also was a very silent flier.

Quite the wingspan!

At the conclusion of the demonstration, the falconry keepers invited us into the area where the birds are housed.  Several cages contained many different species.  Besides the raptors used in today's demonstration, we saw two lovely snowy owls and a large golden eagle.  In addition to educating the public about falconry and using these birds to hunt, the place also takes in injured raptors, nursing them back to health.

Snowy Owl

This falconry demonstration had definitely been a high point of the tour so far.  What a unique opportunity!  It's certainly something I won't forget anytime soon.

Whiskey tasting

After such an interesting presentation, the whiskey tasting afterwards was a hard act to follow.  A local man set up his wares on a table outside of our guesthouse.  Kim and I aren't huge whiskey drinkers, but it was informative to learn about some of the better Irish whiskeys.  We tasted three different Irish brands and then a sample of Jack Daniels to compare.  I've never been a Jack Daniels fan, but after trying the three Irish whiskeys, it tasted terrible in comparison.

Guesthouse Irish wolfhounds bidding us goodbye

For the evening, we were transported back into Dingle to fend for ourselves.  We bid wolfhounds Seamus and Ogie goodbye for the night and boarded the bus for a short hop into town.

Another shot of the colorful Dingle storefronts

After visiting the Dingle Crystal factory that morning both Kim and I wanted to buy a piece of it for ourselves.  So the first stop after our bus let us off in Dingle was their retail store.  Not surprisingly, half our tour group were there also.  Kim and I each decided upon a tumbler in the patterns we both liked (me the lovely harp and fuchsia pattern I'd admired in the plant.)  I would've bought more, but that stuff wasn't cheap!  After purchasing and arranging for shipment (for 40 euros Dingle Crystal offered to mail our orders back home) it was time to look for some dinner.

Dingle street name signs

Kim and I wandered up the main street, before deciding to drop into nearby Dingle pub.  Although it was a bit early for dinner, we had our choice of seating and the food arrived promptly.  I had a delicious Irish stew - washed down with a pint of Guinness, of course!

Delicious Irish stew and of course more Guinness!

Then we wandered around town in search of some local Irish music.  Most places didn't start their performances until much later so we had lots of time to kill.  After several days of nice weather, it started to mist and got quite chilly.  So Kim and I ducked into a nearby pub for in search of an Irish coffee to warm us.

Funny restroom signs

Who should we run into, but our tour-mates, Kim and Alicia!  The ladies were just finishing dinner, so we joined them at their table.  It was fun chatting with these two long-time friends.  Since Kim and I were also friends traveling together we all got along well.  Much laughter and good conversation ensued.

Irish coffees to ward off a chilly night

Both Kim and Alicia were also interested in experiencing some local music, so after finishing our coffees, we set out to try and find a place.  Our group walked back up to the main business area but the pubs offering music were either packed to the rafters, or in the case of one place, was burning stinky peat in the fireplace and the odor was just too much for my friend Kim's sensitive nose.

Love the Irish sense of humor!

Batting zero at finding a suitable pub to hear music, my friends and I ended up back near the waterfront.  Seeing a nearby pub, we decided to duck inside and check things out.  Who should we find seated at the bar but our guide Pascal and bus driver George!

Kim tries a "baby Guinness"

The pub was definitely a place where the locals congregated.  Two families, with young kids and dogs in tow, filled an adjacent room.  Everyone seated at the bar seemed to know each other.  Finding seating rather limited, my friends and I split ourselves between the bar and a nearby bench.  We then joined Pascal who was enjoying a bit of the local "craic."  In Irish slang, "craic" (pronounced "crack") means news, gossip, fun and enjoyable conversation.  It's usually prevalent in any pub you visit.  (Pascal told us he once innocently used this term while visiting the US and got predictably humorous results)

The Kims having fun in the pub

We had a good time listening to the "craic" and sampling more of the wonderful Irish hospitality in this humble pub.  But soon, tired after another full day, we ladies hailed a cab back to the guesthouse to catch a few winks.  Tomorrow we'd bid colorful Dingle a fond farewell and head back into Ireland's interior.  

To be continued in my next recap - stay tuned!

Slea Head Drive

 (Day five recap of my recent Ireland trip.)

Apologies for the large gap between my last post!  I went on another trip - to South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park.  I thought I'd have time to dash off a few more Ireland posts while on the road, but obviously that didn't happen.  However I'm home for awhile now, and will pick up where I left off, recapping my journey around the Emerald Isle.

Morning views

So.....day five!  Kim and I awoke to yet another sunny day in lovely Dingle.  After breakfast we walked down the lane from our guesthouse to rendezvous with driver George and our tour bus.  

First stop - Dingle Crystal!

Our bus didn't travel far.  The first stop for today's itinerary was a visit to Dingle Crystal, just up the street from our guesthouse.  On tap was a crystal cutting demonstration.

One of Sean Daly's sons explained the crystal patterns

As my tour group exited the bus, we were greeted by a very energetic poodle mix dog.  The pup gave each person a very wiggly greeting as we entered the Dingle Crystal building.  We walked into a showroom, full of cut crystal glasses of all shapes and sizes.  The dog continued romping around this first room, and I was surprised it didn't knock anything over!  (According to one of the workers, the shop dog has never broken anything yet.)

So many different types of vessels

Dingle Crystal was founded by a man named Sean Daly.  He learned his craft from years of working for Waterford Crystal.  After 15 years at Waterford, the company decided to to move their production overseas.  Sean wanted to keep the tradition of crystal cutting alive in Ireland, so he moved to Dingle and opened his own crystal cutting shop.  Sean is now one of the last remaining master cutters in Ireland.  His factory employs 10 people and all his 5 children work in the business.  

The friendly, four-legged greeter

One of Sean's sons greeted our group and gave a quick orientation about his family's creations.  Then we were allowed to step into the workshop where all the magic happens.  It was here that we met Sean Daly himself.  He allowed everyone to crowd around one of the cutting machines for an up-close demonstration.

Watching a master in action

Sean then turned on the rotary cutting machine and held an unfinished crystal goblet to the whirling blades.  He'd marked a few black guiding lines onto the glassware.  In no time at all, Sean had cut a beautiful pattern into the goblet.  He placed it on a nearby bench for us all to see. 

The finished product

We learned Dingle Crystal produces eight unique designs inspired by the rich heritage and beautiful landscapes of Ireland's west coast.  Dingle Crystal is only sold in the town of Dingle - you can't get it anywhere else.  All the patterns were very intricate and lovely, but the Harp and Fuchsia pattern really caught my eye.  

Sean signs the bottom of each of his creations

Looking around Sean's workshop, there were two other men cutting crystal glassware.  They were both covered in protective clothing and eyewear.  It was somewhat amusing to watch Sean, as he did his work without any type of safety gear.  I suppose when someone has done crystal cutting all his life and mastered the craft, you obviously know what you're doing.

A sample of the beautiful designs

A very huge honor for Sean and Dingle Crystal was creating the Shamrock Bowl for St. Patrick's Day of 2022.  Every year on St. Patrick's Day, the president of Ireland presents a crystal bowl full of shamrocks to the American president as a gesture of friendship between the two countries.  Because Sean designed the 2022 bowl, he was invited to the White House to be a part of the ceremony.

Sean Daly personally designed the 2022 Shamrock Bowl

When I initially saw "crystal cutting demonstration" on the day's itinerary I didn't think it sounded very interesting.  Well, I couldn't have been more wrong!  I thoroughly enjoyed watching Sean Daly work his magic and was sorry when our tour was over.  Both Kim and I agreed we'd have to visit their retail shop in Dingle town later that day.  I now wanted a Dingle crystal glass of my own!

Sheep everywhere!

It was now time for the feature of the day - a tour of the famous Slea Head Drive.  A winding journey around the Dingle Peninsula, this road is known as one of Ireland's most scenic routes.  Historic sites, Irish speaking villages, famous Hollywood film locations, and close-up views of the Blasket Islands are some of the attractions along Slea Head Drive.

Forty shades of green

Not far from the Dingle Crystal factory we stopped to pick up a local guide.  This man was to provide narration during our tour of Slea Head Drive.  To begin with our bus started out along a series of hills paralleling Dingle and Ventry Harbors.  The adjacent slopes were several stunning hues of green.  Our tour guide Pascal had mentioned that in Ireland one could see "forty shades of green" and today we got to see exactly what he was talking about.  Many of the fields held large flocks of sheep, all bordered by stacked stone walls.

Looking out towards the North Atlantic

The day's weather couldn't have been better.  Sunny skies made for sweeping views of the North Atlantic Ocean's blue waters.  I attempted to photograph all this stunning scenery through the windows as our bus rumbled along.

The "upside-down" bridge

The road soon narrowed and became very windy.  It barely hugged the side of a steep cliff.  I couldn't believe our full size bus was able to navigate such roads, and gained even more admiration for our driver George.

A very narrow road!

Our bus passed one very sharp turn where quite a bit of water was running across the road.  Pascal said this was known as the "upside down bridge" where someone had put the road underneath the water, instead of the other way round (don't you just love Irish humor!)

A Blasket shark sighting

Our bus crept around another sharp corner, where George had to slow down for some vehicles coming in the opposite direction.  There was barely enough room for us to pass by!  While the bus was traveling slowly I looked out the window and noticed the steep drop off to the ocean far below.  It looked like the clifftop was inches from the side of our bus.  Eeek!  Then several people in our tour group glimpsed something swimming in the water direly below.  It was a shark.  Everyone crowded to the one side and we all spotted several Blasket sharks swimming in the water.  What a cool find!

Viewpoint

After all the opposing traffic had passed, George expertly steered our bus through several more narrow lanes with tight turns, before arriving at a parking area for a viewpoint.  Here we were allowed to exit the bus for a photo op or two.

Another view of the rock walls defining pastures

Oh were the views here spectacular!  The ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see.  We glimpsed the Blasket Islands surrounded by the blue waters.  Rocky cliffs bordered the beaches here, while green pastures blanketed the slopes.  Rock walls defined the different fields and a few stone houses could be seen set into the landscape.  

Photo op

Ireland has a reputation for rainy weather, so I was doubly grateful for such lovely weather to view this amazing landscape!

Yep, we were here!

After several minutes of photographs and scenery gawking, it was time to reboard the bus for a short trip to our next stop.

Old stone house

As we drove on, I took in more lovely green scenery.  We passed by several ruins of old stone houses.  I tried my best to photograph it all out of a moving bus window.

Beautiful green pastures

I don't know if the landscape is this green all year round, but it sure looked great in late April.

One of the Blasket Islands out the bus window

Yes, this is a photo overload.  I couldn't decide which photos to leave out, so I kept them all in!

Patchwork quilt pastures

Some of the pastures hemmed in by rock walls made the adjacent hills look like patchwork quilts.

More amazing scenery

After driving through many more green, sheep-filled pastures, our bus pulled into the parking area for the Great Blasket Center, a museum documenting the life and culture of the people who lived on the Great Blasket Island.

The Great Blasket Center Museum

The first thing I noticed when we stepped into the museum was a huge colorful stained glass mural covering one entire wall.  Our group was assigned a guide to take us through the museum, and our guide gave his interpretation of the colors and shapes in this mural.  He thought that many of them represented things in the lives of the Blasket islanders.

Gorgeous stained glass window

We watched a movie detailing the story of the people who once lived on the Great Blasket Island.  The islanders lived in primitive cottages, subsisting on fish, potatoes, rabbits, and the eggs of birds who nested on the island.  They used heather, peat, or turf to heat their houses due to the lack of wood.  Bad weather was a constant hazard.  In 1947 the island was completely cut off from the mainland for weeks due to strong storms.  The island was inhabited until 1954 when the Irish government decided it could no longer guarantee the safety of a rapidly declining population, and evacuated all of the residents.

Tour through the museum

The Great Blasket Center was very well done, informative, and full of artifacts from the islander's life.  I could've spent a lot of time here, viewing all the exhibits.  However, we only had about an hour to see the movie and explore the area.  It wasn't nearly enough time.

The museum had many artifacts from life on the islands

While walking through the museum I spotted several spectacular views of the islands out its windows.  Although I was enjoying the displays inside, I was itching to get outside and capture photographs of some of this scenery.

How fisherman got around

Finally, with time dwindling, I cut short my museum exploration in favor of a bit of outside scenery viewing.  A walkway led visitors to an overlook with great views of the islands.

Island viewpoint

It was a bit of a walk to get to the viewpoint.  When I arrived, a couple of my tour-mates were already on the platform, getting some photographs of the ocean panorama.  And it was as grand as I'd imagined.  As I began to snap away, someone commented that we only had five minutes left.

What great weather we had!

Ugh!  Lingering just a minute more to get a few photographs of the islands, I realized everyone had already departed.  There were so many great photo subjects - I didn't want to go yet!  But I also didn't want to be late and hold up our bus, so I reluctantly turned around and galloped back down the path.

Rocky coastline

As I hurried back to the parking lot, the scenery was so impressive, I couldn't resist a few quick stops for some more photographs.  The next few images are from my hasty return trip.  Again, I couldn't decide which photos to leave out, so you're getting them all.

Views from the Blasket Center

Close up of the pastures

Sculpture outside the Great Blasket Center

Nearby houses

Back at the bus, everyone was just loading, so I'd returned in the nick of time.  I even had a couple additional minutes to capture some nearby homes with a thick hedge of golden blooming gorse flowers in the foreground.

Rick Steves' favorite viewpoint in Ireland

Our next stop was at a nearby overlook.  It featured stunning views of the ocean and surrounding landforms.  Pascal said this place was Rick Steves' favorite viewpoint in all of Ireland.  I could certainly see why!

Looking towards the mountains

Everyone unloaded from the bus again and immediately sought out a spot for that perfect selfie.  Kim and I snapped pics of our buddies Randy and Jessica and then Jessica returned the favor.

Mountains and gorse

Not only could we see the ocean and adjacent shoreline, Pascal pointed out faraway mountain peaks that formed the spine of the Dingle Peninsula.  

What a glorious day!

After more gorgeous scenery-gawking it was back on the bus bound for our last destination of the morning's tour, Gallarus Oratory.

Gallarus Oratory

Gallarus Oratory is the best preserved ancient church in Ireland.  Thought to be over 1,000 years old this unique stone structure is one of the few remaining churches of this type to survive intact.

The dark interior

The oratory was constructed using stacked stones only - no mortar binds them.  The stones were cut on every side so that they fit perfectly together.  The stones were positioned such that each course had their edges projecting a small amount inward as the walls rose (known as "corbel vaulting").  The structure's unusual shape has been described as resembling an upturned boat.  

Backside view

Our local guide said this humble structure was one of the most-visited attractions on the Dingle Peninsula.  When we arrived, there were at least two other groups already walking around the site.  Add to it the 28 folks with our tour, and I knew there wasn't any way I would get photographs of the oratory without dozens of people in them.  Oh well...

Side view

After the other tours had exited, our group got a turn to go inside the church itself.  The interior was very small (according to Wikipedia the inside dimensions are 16 by 10 feet).  A small window and the doorway on opposing walls brought in a very tiny amount of light.  I couldn't imagine worshiping in such a dark, cramped environment.

Gravesite adjacent to the church

Emerging back into the sunlight, I noticed a large rock-covered grave on one side of the oratory.  No one really knows who was buried here.  Local folklore have named it "the tomb of the giant."  As a matter of fact, archeologists really don't know much about the people who built and worshipped at this church.  Some experts have suggested this tiny chapel may date from the 11th/12th centuries, based on a number of similar architectural features.

 

I waited until all the tour groups left and had the place to myself

The oratory was in such a lovely setting, surrounded by flower-dotted green hills.  After our look inside, I puttered around the chapel's exterior, snapping copious images until I looked up and realized most of my group were now returning to the parking lot.  I was the lone visitor left at the site.  That meant I could finally get some shots of the chapel building without any people!  Which is exactly what I did.  Then I booked it down the hill as fast as I could.  Luckily Pascal and our local guide were slow walkers so I had no trouble catching them.

Selfie! (with one photobomber)

Our final tour of the morning now complete, everyone loaded back onto the bus. We were due back in Dingle for lunch at the guesthouse.  More exciting afternoon events were planned, but this story has gotten too long, so I'll be recapping that in my next post.  And I promise this time you won't have to wait nearly three weeks!