{"id":573885109,"date":"2013-06-28T23:25:08","date_gmt":"2013-06-29T04:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/?p=573885109"},"modified":"2014-12-30T15:31:52","modified_gmt":"2014-12-30T21:31:52","slug":"on-inishmore-the-aran-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/06\/28\/on-inishmore-the-aran-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"On Inishmore, the Aran Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We took the ferry from Galway over to Inishmore, which was a trip not without its are-we-going-the-right-way-will-we-make-it-on-time-where-are-our-ferry-tickets drama. We did go the right way. We made it on time, but only barely. There was a situation with the tickets, but it wasn&#8217;t the end of the world. We made it onto the ferry, a different kind of vessel entirely, this time bouncing over the same types of waves. But not as big. And people still got sick. <\/p>\n<p>Adam and Jessica did some shopping and relaxing. We wanted to see a bit more of the island and ride bikes. First we saw a horse:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june330.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And then I got to ride in this. People don&#8217;t believe me when I say how much I enjoy the weather, but this is the most fun kind of riding:<\/p>\n<p><object width=\"720\" height=\"405\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/G7OdQA9zBjw?hl=en_US&amp;version=3&amp;rel=0\"><\/param><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\"><\/param><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\"><\/param><embed src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/G7OdQA9zBjw?hl=en_US&amp;version=3&amp;rel=0\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n<p>And since I didn&#8217;t bring any sunglasses &#8212; no sun! &#8212; I just rode in my glasses, which looked like this instantly and constantly:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june331.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>My rental, an almost brand new Felt mountain bike. That&#8217;s the same company as my road bike. And while I have no desire, ever, to do mountain bike riding, this is a sweet little rig. Though it is heavy. <\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june332.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The other problem? I can&#8217;t see the cassette. I have no idea what gear I&#8217;m in back there!<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june333.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>But we got to ride on roads like this. How perfect is this?<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june334.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And down here is a rock beach where the seals come in. We saw one down there, but he scurried off before we got close:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june335.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Some of the other brave road warriors that we met in the rain:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june336.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I mentioned the Burren region <a TARGET=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/06\/26\/the-cliffs-of-moher\/\">the other day<\/a>, here&#8217;s an interesting example of the sheets of rock you see here. And, for whatever reason, the grass that grows through there is incredibly nutrient-rich for the livestock.<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june337.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>We rode up to one tail end of the island, until we could ride no more, and then we walked up to  D\u00fan Aengus, which has been called &#8220;the most magnificent barbaric monument in Europe.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june338.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Three dry-stone ramparts and part of a fourth, with the outermost closing in 11 acres. <\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june339.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;ll look to the left of that picture above it just seems as if the fort is floating in the air. For good reason. It overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and dominates the surrounding landscape as the highest point on the island. No sneaking up on this place, so it was both offensive and defensive. And also possibly cultural. Or religious. And, if anything like the mainland forts, it might have also once marked a territorial boundary. <\/p>\n<p>Frustrating historians and archeologists, this site was a multi-generational endeavor. The dry-stone technique doesn&#8217;t yield a lot of clues. Weathering erosion isn&#8217;t very helpful. So they looked at how the walls are related to one another, the ground plan and exposed cross sections in some areas of the walls. <\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s given them three major phases, the first was in the late Bronze Age, perhaps between 1100 and 500 BC. Around 800 BC D\u00fan Aengus was thought to be a cultural center for several related groups. In the Iron Age, between 500 BC and 500 AD, there was a decline of activity at the site and little evidence of what may have been taking place there. There were some defensive additions made which suggests the site&#8217;s importance had diminished. People may have just moved on, for a variety of reasons. It was a busy 1,000 years in Ireland, after all. <\/p>\n<p>In the early medieval period, between 500 and 1100 AD there is evidence of the final major remodeling of the fort. Quarry work made a vertical plateau. The walls were thickened. Terraces were added inside. Evidence suggests that people were living at D\u00fan Aengus once again.   <\/p>\n<p>Also, you&#8217;re more than 300 feet above the water here:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june340.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I didn&#8217;t want to say anything at the time to worry The Yankee, but the thought occurred to me, at the moment I took this picture, that people could have very unfortunate &#8220;accidents&#8221; here. When I told her later in the evening she said &#8220;I had the same thought.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>We both made it back without pushing one another. So did these two ladies:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june341.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Even the lichen growing on the rocks is beautiful: <\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june342.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the view from D\u00fan Aengus. <\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june343.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s a bit of video, just to give some ambiance:<\/p>\n<p><object width=\"720\" height=\"405\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/WtZvd-kPchM?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0\"><\/param><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\"><\/param><param name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\"><\/param><embed src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/WtZvd-kPchM?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/embed><\/object> <\/p>\n<p>About the name of the fort. In Irish mythology, Aengus &#8212; \u00d3engus (Old Irish) or \u00c1engus (Middle Irish) &#8212; is a member of the Tuatha D\u00e9 Danann and probably a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. The Tuatha D\u00e9 Danann a race of people in the invasions tradition of Irish mythology the fifth group to settle Ireland, conquering the island from the Fir Bolg, whom we also learned about at the Cliffs of Moher. It is all starting to come together now, right? <\/p>\n<p>The name Aengus stems from a Proto-Celtic origin, and if you&#8217;re really brave, <a TARGET=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Proto-Celtic_language\">Wikipedia will get you started<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Nearby were more cattle:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june344.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And then more riding. The rain stopped when we weren&#8217;t on the bikes and continued again for awhile when we got back in the saddle, almost like magic. So I chased her around the island some more:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june345.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><br \/>\nWe saw other tourists and locals alike. The next few shots are just of people pedaling: <\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june346.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june347.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june348.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june349.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>At the far other end of the island we found a field of rabbits. I took several pictures in this sequence and tried to put them together. It isn&#8217;t quite right, but it is interesting:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june350.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>More to the middle of the island again we passed the Lucky Star Bar, which looked like it hadn&#8217;t been lucky in some time:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june351.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The most prominent cemetery we found on Inishmore:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june352.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>More of those beautiful rock walls that dot the landscape:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june353.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And this path isn&#8217;t on the map, nor is the ridiculous ridge we rode across trying to get over to the other side to see the ocean:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june354.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>But here is the route we took, minus some scary and fun off road portions:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"mapmyfitness_route\" src=\"http:\/\/snippets.mapmycdn.com\/routes\/view\/embedded\/237858589?width=720&#038;height=540&#038;elevation=true&#038;line_color=E60f0bdb&#038;rgbhex=DB0B0E&#038;distance_markers=0&#038;unit_type=imperial&#038;map_mode=ROADMAP&#038;last_updated=2013-07-25T11:55:26-05:00\" height=\"670px\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>By comparative standards, a contemporaneous church:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june355.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Sadly turned our rental bikes back in. I grew to enjoy this thing pretty quickly. It was heavy, but great on hills. You could really sling it around well, and the shocks were a big novel fun:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june356.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>After we vainly tried to dry off we walked back passed the closed Lucky Star Bar and found there were new tenants:<\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june357.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>And we headed to Joe Watty&#8217;s pub, one of the view options on an island of 870 people. (There was also an &#8220;American restaurant&#8221; in a hotel that apparently came off like the 1980s place in Back to the Future III, just a hodge-podge, and full of locals.) This place was packed too. Our host told us that there was a big local sports and youth festival this weekend and tonight they were crowning the island&#8217;s pageant queen. It was all going down in Joe Watty&#8217;s, which became shoulder-to-shoulder and chest-to-back packed. <\/p>\n<p>The food was delicious though. We realized we&#8217;ve eaten incredibly well in Ireland, despite a few too many desserts. The food has been good and not processed and hearty and I want it every meal. <\/p>\n<p><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/photo\/june13\/june358.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Tomorrow morning we&#8217;ll have breakfast with our B&#038;B hosts and then catch a ferry back to the mainland. We&#8217;ll drive back to Powerscort in Enniskerry for one more night before this incredible vacation has to, inevitably, come to an end. We&#8217;re having a blast. And going to start looking for jobs here. <\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re only slightly kidding about that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We took the ferry from Galway over to Inishmore, which was a trip not without its are-we-going-the-right-way-will-we-make-it-on-time-where-are-our-ferry-tickets drama. We did go the right way. We made it on time, but only barely. There was a situation with the tickets, but it wasn&#8217;t the end of the world. We made it onto the ferry, a different [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,40,14,22,32,62,10,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-573885109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures","category-cycling","category-friday","category-friends","category-history","category-ireland","category-photo","category-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573885109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573885109"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573885109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":573887407,"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573885109\/revisions\/573887407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573885109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573885109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.kennysmith.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573885109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}