Ireland continued

We went to the Cliffs of Moher and it was windy!

Some people wanted different vantage points :).

Mom and dad are blue and green specks at the very top of the cliff and you could see trails leading down to the water.

We took the back way in ;).

Next was a sheepdog herding demonstration. The guy has his own sheep and they spend part of the year on the mountain/hill across the lake. He takes a couple dogs and heads across in his boat. From the boat he can work the dogs and collect all the sheep from that side. It was amazing to think about.

There were two puppies there running around.

The dogs were so eager to work, barking, whining and jumping in the kennels. This one made a mad dash for the field when he opened her gate.

She was bonkers for sheep!

Then he showed us a younger boy in training and how he works with them. One of his dogs has a cameo of about 2-3 seconds in Marley & Me.

Next we went to a super fancy hotel and walked the grounds. There is a falconry school there and you can have them fly and land from your arm! But we just walked the grounds :).

There was this huge tree that looks like it all comes from the same root system underground.

A train crossing that I thought was neat/different.

We went to see artifacts left from the megalithic time period - basically tombstones or cemeteries that were like 4,500-5,000 years old. It's huge boulders in a pentagon type shape with an opening and a large Boulder on top. It's crazy to think how the rocks were moved.

The tombs would have been encased in a larger mound of rocks like this example. A walkway is cut out to show you what it would have looked like with the tomb inside.

Inside.

There were also large rings of boulders that evidenced there use to be a mound.

Across the road from where we stayed was the Mass Rock, in the middle of the field. After visiting those tombs, I wonder if this isn't a tomb. You can barely see it at the top of the hill. We were told it is the mass rock because mass would be held up there in order to see (and disperse) if the British were coming.

One night on a walk around the neighborhood, Dad spotted this calf with a cast on its front leg.

Then we left the countryside and headed back into Dublin. There are all sorts of grand churches. One we saw had a mosaic that included JFK :).

It was a beautiful day and all the students came to the grass in Dublin Castle to relax in the afternoon sun.

A street memorial to the famine. There were still potatoes available in Great Britain even though Ireland's crop had gone bad. But the British could sell the elsewhere for a better price. Thus, the famine. (Maybe a little simplistic, but you get the idea.)

Mom being the only beer drinker on this trip, had to have a Guinness. Dad helped out with the Irish whiskey. And I....got my souvenir coke bottle.

I just like this picture :).

We tried to visit the Guinness brewery gift shop but you have to do the tour to get to the shop. We didn't have time and I've heard it isn't worth the cost.

We also visited one of the famous prisons. It held many political prisoners.

Cell door

Looking into the cell from the peep hole.

The hallway - it was old.

It is most famous for holding and later executing leaders of the Easter Uprising. Their executions really sparked the movement toward independence from the British.

Crosses marked the execution spots.

The museum had some of their handwritten notes with family.

Out front you could see where the gallows use to be for the public hangings. There are two small white-ish squares over the top middle window and that's where the gallows came out of the building.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Ireland. It was a really fun time and I enjoyed seeing some of the more 'off the beaten path' type things. This photo was taken from a cemetery in the countryside - it was called a famine cemetery because many residents were from that period of time.