Monday, September 9,
2013
After we all enjoyed an Irish breakfast at the hotel, Gary and I took a bus to the Shannon Airport to pick up the rental car. So I had to re-learn to drive on the left side of the road. Not too bad except for all the roundabouts. (Look right, turn left!) After our safe return to the hotel, we went on a
half-day excursion through pastures and fields populated with horses, cattle and sheep. We stayed off the main roads as much as we could. We went east about 50 miles to the 6th century Celtic monastery
Clonmacnoise. It was founded by a monk by the name of Ciaran, based on the principles of scholarship and piety. Though St. Ciaran died
from the plague at the age of 33, the monastery thrived through many plunders
by Vikings and Anglo-Normans until the 16th century when it finally was destroyed by the English.
We drove through some rain on the way, but
when we arrived at the monastery the clouds parted and we were treated to blue
sky and white puffy clouds. The view of the Shannon River through the ancient
ruins was spectacular. Truly one of the most beautiful places I have seen. Once
a year on St. Ciaran's Day, pilgrims come early in the morning to celebrate with silence, prayer and a symbolic walk three times around the grounds. We
happened to arrive on that very day – September 9. After a leisurely drive through more small back roads we arrived in Galway in the late afternoon and our day was topped off with a double rainbow.
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| Our Irish breakfast |
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| Ruins near Clonmacnoise Monastery |
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| Taking a breather |
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| Clouds and crosses |
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| One of the round towers. Looking toward the river |
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| The Shannon River |
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| Double rainbow at the end of the day |
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us! I'm enjoying going along for the ride, although the beers would definitely be better in person!!
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