Sweating on a livelihood

Elizabeth standing in Galway Bay

The Claddagh

 This morning we set out for Elizabeth to fulfil her obligation to her mother and get her feet wet in the waters of Galway Bay. A short walk from the hotel down Claddagh Quay (where the Claddagh Ring originated) alongside the Corrib River and out to a somewhat rocky beach where Elizabeth ditched the socks and boots and gingerly entered the water. The water was just a tad cold – her feet went numb almost immediately! Exiting the water and heading back to the hotel for breakfast we came across one of the locals (well he married a Claddagh girl and had been there 36 years so he is not a local yet) who was a fisherman and played rugby for Munster. He showed us ‘The Claddagh’ a traditional Claddagh Hooker which belonged to a mate of his and was used in a Guinness Christmas ad a number of years ago. We had a great chat and personal tour around some of the areas of the Corrib River including the salmon weir and the Cathedral.

Cemetery on Inis Mor

Cliffs at Dan Aonghasa Inis Mor

After the personal tour we boarded a ferry to the Aran Islands to Inis Mor. Inis Mor is the largest of the Aran Islands and the people of the islands must be some of the hardiest people in the world. To survive and indeed make a living on these rocky outcrops showed their determination and resilience. There is very little natural pasture on the islands, just lots and lots of limestone rock. To make the pasture for cattle and sheep the farmers would go down to the ocean and collect seaweed and sand and spread it over his patch of ground which would be designated by rock walls. Obviously a long term project which would take generations to build up anything resembling reasonable grazing land. Most of the families would obviously make their living through fishing which was also an extremely dangerous way to earn a quid. The designs on Aran Sweaters had their origins in individual family patterns and served the rather gruesome purpose of identifying fishermen washed up on the Galway coast.

Dun Aonghasa

On Inis Mor we headed around to the seven churches where St Brecan established a monastic community and also to Dun Aonghasa the World Heritage site which is a prehistoric fort called the ‘most magnificent barbaric monument in Europe’. The first construction of the fort dates to about 1100BC and while the view is truly spectacular you have to wonder what the fort was to protect – I don’t figure it was worth battling over a view in prehistoric times. The fort has three separate walls and also a ‘cheval  de fris’ which is a series of upright stones set up to prevent the cavalry charging up to the fort. Given the surrounding countryside was really hard work it seemed a bit of overkill but obviously it was important enough to labour for years and years along with just trying to survive. In some ways it matched other parts on the island where a rock wall was built around an area of solid rock. There was not a blade of grass and seemed completely worthless but it was ‘Paddy’s’ patch of rock and he didn’t want anyone else laying claim to it.

Tomorrow we leave Galway Bay and explore the Cliffs of Moher.

Love to all

S&E