Thursday, 17 August 2000
Glendalough and Wicklow Trip: 10:30 a.m. We set out, travelling through the southern part of Dublin, past streets of Georgian townhouses and "Embassy Row." Saw the U.S. embassy, which is round and has odd framing around the windows that looks like elongated hexagons (Imagine honeycomb-shapes stretched vertically). We also saw the docks and a bit of the commercial shipping area,- interesting. We travelled along the south coast of Co. Dublin, through Dun Laoghaire (pronounced "Dun Leary") and Dalkey (pron. "Daw-key"). Dalkey has two parts of a medieval castle, divided by the main street! Bono, of U2, lives here, opposite the Canadian Embassy. Enya, and most of the wealthy film directors, sports and music heros have homes here.
Killeney Bay is a wide curve of beachlined water of an indiscribable deep blue. We stopped at a roadside park overlooking the vast panorama, and met a group of elderly couples who were celebrating Ann's 83th birthday. Mr. Treacy had brought a card for her. I talked with her and her husband, who told me she had a heart attack three months ago, so this was a special celebration! They spoke happily about their trip to the States several years ago. They had been to Niagara Falls and were as overwhelmed by the falls as I had been. They also had found the cemetary in Queens where her father was buried. They insisted on giving us 3 kinds of home-made cake and punch.
Seanchill (pron. "Shankill") was the home of the Jamison family. Their estate was called Glencormack. They planted trees from all over the world in their gardens,- Australian gum, sequoia,..... and Monteray cypress. But, something happened, a mutation, and they wound up with the only adult, droopy-limbed "weeping" Monteray cypress in the world. This estate fell on hard times, and after 25 years of total neglect, the Acoma Handweavers restored it.
It's called the Glencormack Cypress, and plant experts have taken slips from it and have some baby ones, but this tree is the oldest. It was planted in 1874!!! Its branches come down to the ground about 25-30 feet from the massive trunk. It is probably at least 50 feet tall, looks like a giant umbrella. Underneath, little grows,- mostly, just earth covered with cypress needles, and a few spindly weeds.
There are lovely herb and flower gardens and the Avoca people have built a gourmet cafeteria with a patio full of tables, overlooking the gardens. This is attached to the back of their store. This store is nearly as big as L. L. Bean's and is full of all sorts of Irish handicrafts, handmade toys, silkscreened T-shirts, home-crafted clothing,...you name it and they've got it.
Leaving the Avoca Handweavers co-op store, we went up to Glendalough through farmland and tree plantations, with little villages every 8-10 miles. There were lots of hayfields and sheep pastures.
2:45 p.m. at Glendalough -- I've got a blister (left foot, next-to-little toe), and am sitting on a rock wall between the visitors center and a horse pasture (they look like retired jumpers).
I can see the corbelled roof and tower of "St. Kevin's Kitchen" church. That was built about 1000 years ago and it's weathertight today. This is the older of the 2 churches and is in great shape. Wind blew dust down from the courtyard/cemetary and nearly buried it. Later generations forgot what it was and called it St Kevin's Kitchen because of the tower on one end that looks a bit like a smokestack.
St. Kevin wanted to be a hermit, but people kept tagging after him and he became persuaded (by a vision) to come down and set up this monastery. His hermitage is on the shore of the upper lake of this glen.
The glen is a steep, narrow valley {would remind Mainers of Carrabasset Valley before Sugarloaf ski resort was built} and the wind is blowing down it. Lots of clouds and cool today, probably 55 F.
As at Monasterboice, local people have used it as a cemetary for centuries. The courtyard, up around the tall tower, and larger church ruin are covered with graves. There is a wonderful curvey cross chiseled into a 5'x5' boulder in the wall by the gatehouse. It could be an abstract angel. I smile at the thought of a bored watch-monk setting himself to this task as a spiritual exercise. Pilgrims have passed down the story that touching the rock brings good luck and the protection of the monks' spirits. It may be as meaningful as the story about the "kitchen" but I touched it in respect of the artisan.
After leaving Glendalough, we went up to the pass at the head of the valley, Wicklow Gap. Parts of "Braveheart" were filmed here, also a BBC science fiction film about Mars, the planet. I picked some heather, which smelled a bit like honeysuckle, and saw peat, which smells swampy, as you might expect. At the top of the gap is a water reservooir with hydroelectric turbines under it. It's pumped full of water when electric demand is low and used to generate electricity when demand is high.
Wicklow Gap is a good stand-in for the Scottish Highlands,- LOTS of sheep. Wool is low-priced now and the government is trying to figure out ways to raise the demand. If they can discover a way to fireproof it, they're hoping to use wool to insulate houses.
We also passed a played-out lead mine, with a miserable mess of tailings drooling down the hillside.
West of the Gap, the land is fertile and more sandy, great farmland,- lots of cattle and crops.
Just a side note: Donegal is about a five-hour drive from Dublin, probably the farthest point from here. I learned that watching a local TV quiz show, "That's Not the Answer." One of the contestants was a teacher form Donegal.
One of my roommates is from Bilbao, Spain, in Basque country. Last night, I had a good chat with a New Zealand girl. It's such a pleasure meeting so many energetic and adventurous young people. And old folks, too: a couple of ladies with canes on the tour today were delightful. One had been to Montreal when she was young, so she had an idea of our winters, which she regarded as Arctic!
It was funny to see "Warning: Sheep Crossing" signs in Wicklow, in the sort of places where we might see deer or moose crossing signs in Maine. There are many plantings of Sitka spruce and other softwoods (larch = "hackmatack", Scotch pine, etc.). There were three fields (fenced high to keep out deer and wild goats) where they've planted oak saplings for future generations. Ireland was heavily forested with oak before the English cut them for their navy-building and so forth. [It's still jarring to think that this land was a colony for over 400 years, only getting out from under it 80 years ago!] This beginning of reforesting Ireland is the government's attempt to build a legacy for their children. They are paying farmers an annual stipend to put their land into trees.
I plan to head to Cork tomorrow, though there's still lots to see here in Dublin. I do need to get off this blister for a bit. Lots of walking is out. I might be well-advised to ride around tomorrow.