Ireland

After my Madeira expedition two years before, in September 2003 I went to another island with dramatic coastlines, narrow roads, abundant vegetation, interesting weather, mountains, potatoes instead of bananas, and stout instead of wine. Ireland.

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Dublin

On a cloudy Sunday afternoon, I arrived in Dublin, armed with a stack of Ireland books and a rental car which looked much shinier than it would three weeks later. My first island day was spent with sampling one of the 2.5 million pints brewed at St. Jame's Gate every day, walking along the Liffey and watching the sun set behind dark clouds, and exploring Dublin's literary history and its pubs during the Literary Pub Crawl.

Glendalough was the destination of my first trip to the country side. The weather gradually detoriated, so I sped past Powerscourt House, through the deserted Wicklow Mountains, skipped the monastery ruins, and went to the Upper Lake. The hike started at the idyllic Reefert Church, and from there, the wood-planked path went along the wind-swept Spink, down to the valley's end, and back through the Old Mine Workings.

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Cork

The next day, the skies had cleared up. On the way from Dublin to Cork, I stopped in Kilkenny and at the Rock of Cashel. In between, a good part of the day was spent on the scenic route meandering between Kilkenny and Cashel - I should have paid attention to what one of the guidebooks said about scenic routes. But at least I got some practice in hunting for Irish road signs and finding hard-to-remember village names on my map.

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Killarney

After visiting Ireland's south-western tip at Mizen Head, I passed through the 263m Moll's Gap and entered the most dramatic landscape Ireland has to offer - Killarney Park, and the three peninsulas west of it. Lakes, remote islands, and mountains, among them Ireland's highest, the 1038m Carrauntoohil. And lots of tourists. Thankfully, the Dúches has put up signs to keep them out of where I was headed for my second hike.

Torc Mountain

Staying at a nice B&B in near-by Killarney, I arrived at Muckross House early in the morning. The weather looked promising, but I first went inside and marvelled at the view the owners had from their living room.

From there, I walked between Lough Leane and Muckross Lake, and arrived at Dinish Cottage. The cottage was closed for renovations, but the Old Weir Bridge and the grass fields behind it, bathed in sun light and lashed by a strong southern wind, were worth the visit.

So far, the hike had been an easy walk along paved roads. Next came the ascent to Torc Mountain, and it started with the above warning sign. At first, things were not too bad. The path went through some rhododendron bushes, and emerged on an open saddle, where both the view on the Upper Lake and the wind were breathtaking. But then the jungle started. I no longer had to push my way through the rhododendron bushes, but had to walk beneath them. Not much fun on a steep and slippery mountain side.

I breathed a sight of relief when I emerged from the undergrowth and could walk upright again, and was rewarded with a nice view on Muckross House and the lakes. And what a contrast the walk back through the well-kept park was. (more pictures from this hike)

Beara Peninsula

Because I had had enough close contact with the local vegetation, and the higher mountains were hidden in low clouds, I headed for the western tip of the Beara Peninsula, were green meadows and a rough coastline awaited me. The further west I got, the narrower the streets became, but since I passed through during church time on Sunday morning, there was no oncoming traffic except for a herd of cows.

The road ended at Ireland's only cable car, which spans the 200m sound between Dursey Island and the mainland. Its cabin can accomodate three human passengers or one cow, and the Lonely Planet guide warns its readers that cattle gets precedence over humans in the queue for the ride.

My hike started at the cable car parking lot, where I was joined by a dog which was neither deterred by a couple of fences which I had to climb over, nor by a sign saying No dogs in large letters. The Beara Way ran across a meadow towards the top of a hill, and offered magnificient views of the cliffs and the sea, which both of us enjoyed. From there, the path went down to a little fishing harbour, where my four-legged escort met a relative, and stayed behind.

I continued along the road towards the south coast, and climbed another hill. While I sat at a shabby, grey lookout from WW II, sheep where grazing on the green banks of an Iron Age promontory fort 170m below. (more pictures from this hike)

Dingle Peninsula

The next day, I drove to the Dingle Peninsula. Except for a short walk to the most westerly point of the Irish mainland, I was not so lucky with choosing my hikes this day. Mount Eagle was hidden in low clouds, and my hike to the Three Sistsers was cut short by an expensive-looking No walkers or hikers sign in front of the golf course at An Baile Uachtarach. To top it off, it started to rain, so I gave up, visited the Blasket Center and the Gallarus Oratory, and headed back for Killarney.

But the day was not over yet, and when I arrived at Inch, the weather had cleared up. Inch' main attraction is the 6km long beach, where walkers and cars are allowed. On this late afternoon, the beach was pretty empty, with only one rental car stuck in the wet sand, and a couple of people enjoying the sunset. (more pictures from Dingle)

Carrauntoohil

Tuesday would be my last day in Killarney, and I had not climbed a single mountain yet. I anxiously looked out of the window that morning, and was greeted by a blue sky without a single cloud. So off I went to the roof of Ireland, the 1038m Carrauntoohil.

1038m does not sound like much, but the hike starts at 150m above sea level and leads into a rough mountain region one would not expect to find in viewing distance from the Inch beach.

From a remote farm house, the path first runs through sheep meadows and along the Gaddagh River, before it reaches Hags Glen with its two beautiful lakes. At the end of the valley one has to climb the 240m Devil's Ladder, and arrives on a stormy plateau. The final ascend zigzags across gravel and rocks, and the summit is crowned by a large cross. The view on this day was magnificient, and on the way back, I found a nice sunny place next to a waterfall, where I sat down and read in Heinrich Boell's Irish Diary. (more pictures from this hike)

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Galway

On the way from Killarney to Galway, the weather had returned to what you would expect of Ireland: a mix of steady rain, drizzle and frequent showers. I spent the first day with driving past the famous Poulnabrone Dolmen, exploring the Aillwee Caves, and walking through the ruins of Kilmacduagh. The landscape around this monastery cannot compete with the valley of Glendalough, but that is more than made up by the place's atmosphere. It has no visitor center, the keys for the buildings can be borrowed at a nearby farm house, and the few tourists are easily outnumbered by the cows grazing among the ancient stones.

Killary Harbour

The rainy weather did not last long, and on the next morning, Ireland's 16km long fjord lay under a blue-and-white sky like a perfect mirror. My hike started on a small asphalt road, but soon I had to exchange the asphalt for deep morass on the path to Foher.

While I was navigating from one dry spot to the next, fishermen worked on their fields, harvesting mussels. On the left, the ruins of Foher came into sight. Like many Irish villages, it lost its inhabitants during the great famine in the middle of the 19th century. Today, sheep graze among the not-so-old walls. (more pictures from this hike)

Sunset at the Cliffs of Moher

During my first visit, one rain shower was chasing the next, hurled against the cliffs by a cold wind. So when my last afternoon in Galway promised to be sunny, I had no choice but to drive back and enjoy the sunset. (more pictures)

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Sligo

Before returning to Dublin, I stopped in Sligo for two days. One of these was spent with a hike which not only led me along the dramatic coast line of the northern Donegal Bay, but also on a 595m high mountain.

Slieve League

Leaving the car in the little village of Teelin, I began my hike on the road to Amharc Mór, the Great View. It did not take long, and I was dripping wet after a rain storm had crossed my way. I decided to at least continue to the viewing point, where people were driving to in their cars.

When I got there, the storm made it difficult to hold the camera steady, but the weather looked like it was worth taking the risk. And indeed, I would not get wet again until I returned to Teelin, despite many showers passing by over the ocean.

Leaving the other tourists behind, I crossed the muddy slopes of the Screagioctar, Eagles Nest and Cnocreamhar with magnificient views of the cliffs and the sea, and arrived at the ruins of a 6th century hermitage on a wind-swept plateau. The storm up there made walking difficult, and before getting to the Slieve League's summit, I still had to cross One Man's Pass, with a 550m falloff to the sea. But apart from a boot covered completely in black mud, I passed it unscathed, and found a little stone wall at the summit which held off the wind. After watching the clouds race by left and right for some time, I walked back to Teelin on the old pilgrim's way. (more pictures from this hike)