An Irish Holiday - This photo album is a pictorial of my May 2011 Irish holiday. It was an adventure often with tumultuous weather. My adventure began with a walk of the Wicklow Way. Then by train to Galway and a car rental to brave the always narrow and often rutted roads to Doolin for Irish music and to the Cliffs of Moher and to the intriguing Burren; then by ferry to (my favorite) Inis Mór; and then by car again to Clifden for the Connemara landscape. By bus I arrived for a walk of the delightful Dingle Way. I then visited Killarney National Park and lastly before returning home to Bunratty Castle. If you are planning your own Irish walk, prepare yourself with GPS routes for the Dingle Way or the Wicklow Way or the Aran Island of Inis Mór.

Left top-down to right: (1) Windswept on Inis Mór, (2) O'Brian's Tower, (3) Monument to Saint Brendan, (4) Irish Sea off Dingle Peninsula, (5) Burnet Rose in Burren, (6) Neigh, (7) Baaah, (8) Kylemore Abbey Church, (9) Minard Castle.

Moyne Church

Waypost

Boardwalk

Irish Ponies ... neigh

Glenmalure Lodge

Glendalough Round Tower

Saint Kevin's Church, Glendalough

Saint Saviour's Church,12th Century

Derrybawn Bridge, circa 1700

Blue Bells

Wicklow Way near Roundwood

Dunguaire Castle, 16th Century

A Martello Tower, South of Galway

Bloody Cranesbill, Burren

Burnet Rose, Burren

O'Brian's Tower, Cliffs of Moher

O'Brian's Castle, Inis Oirr

Cock-a-doodle-do, Inis Mór

Dun Eochla Stone Fort, Inis Mór

Burial Tomb, Dun Eochaill, Inis Mór

Cottage, Inis Mór

Seven Churches, Inis Mór

Dun Aengus Stone Fort, Inis Mór

Dun Eoghanachta Stone Fort, Inis Mór

Windswept, Inis Mór

Kylemore Abby

Kylemore Abby Church

Kylemore Abby Mausoleum

Renvyle Castle

Gurteen Bay

Irish Sea near Gurteen Bay

Dog's Bay

Foxglove

Fuschia

Minard Castle

Baa...aaa

Dingle Harbour

Dunbeg Cliff Fort

Beehive Hut

Coumeenoole Strand

Clogher Beach & Bay

Along the Irish Sea

Ballinrannig Standing Stone

Gallarus Oratory

Monument to Saint Brendan As posted at the monument: St. Brendan, Patron Saint of the Diocese of Kerry, was born in the year 484 AD. Tradition has it that together with 14 monks he planned to bring the Gospel to the unknown Continent to the West. Having prepared, by Prayer and Fasting, for forty days on Mount Brandon, he set sail from Brandon Creek around the year 535 AD. It took seven years for the monks to reach America across uncharted waters. The story of his voyage is recounted in The Medieval Manuscript "Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis." St. Brendan died at Annaghdown, County Galway in the year 578 AD and is buried at Clonfert, County Galway.

St. Brendan described his route as via the Isle of Sheep, The Paradise of Birds, The Isle of Smiths, The Land of Crystal Pillars, Through the Region of Fog to the Promised Land. 1400 years later Tim Severin recognised these 'Stepping Stones' of his route as The Hebrides, The Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and America.

Shelter below Mount Brandon

Cloghane Bay

Ross Castle Tea House

Bunratty Castle

Bunratty Castle Decor