DAY TEN
MONDAY, MAY 27, 2019
getting in touch with ancient Ireland… and a once-in-a-lifetime music experience
Today we took in a number of Early Christian sites on the Dingle Peninsula, starting with a visit to the ruins of the Reask Monastic Site. Billy walked us around and talked about the different sections that would have made up the monastery, probably developed in the 4th-7th Century.
Moved by the setting, one of the men in our group treated us to an a cappella Kyrie Eleison while we were standing in one of the enclosed circles, and it was really lovely.
The next stop was Kilmalkedar, home to a picturesque old cemetery and the ruins of a Romanesque church from the mid-12th century. Inside the church there’s a standing stone with carvings on it that suggests it was used to teach the alphabet to children. And legend has it that if you can fit through the “eye of the needle” (the narrow window at the back of the church on the east side) that you will go to heaven. I did not try, haha.
Outside, we stopped to talk about a standing stone with ancient ogham writing engraved on it… and a hole at the top, meaning unknown.
Leaving the cemetery, we headed to another Early Christian site in the area: Gallarus Oratory. The date is unclear because the dry stone is so hard to test, but this boat-shaped chapel (…probably a chapel) seems to have been built somewhere between the 7th & 12th centuries. The stones are constructed using the Neolithic building technique called corbelling… and angled to create a waterproof roof - still to this day, apparently. The only light inside is from a tiny window at the back, also used as an “eye of the needle” direct line to heaven if you could pass through it, like Kilmalkedar. (Though in this case I think only babies have that option.)
The best part of our visit is that Billy had a musician friend join us for the morning, who treated us to some traditional Sean-nós singing inside the oratory. She sang two songs (I captured the first, which is below, and kept my eyes closed for the second), and with the little bit of sunlight streaming into the shadowy space and the haunting melodies, it was a truly serene and beautiful moment. Arguably my favorite from the whole trip.
Such beautiful music in such a beautiful setting… what a day.
View from behind the Oratory.
After leaving the Gallarus Oratory, we got back on the road and headed towards the Slea Head Drive, a particularly scenic coastal view.
That zigzag pattern that appears on signs all across the west coast of the country is a stylized “WAW,” the logo for the Wild Atlantic Way. This trail through nine counties, created by Ireland’s tourism board, points out over 150 historic sites, plus 1000 attractions and even more activities. That zigzag logo is everywhere.
Our next stop was the Blasket Islands Heritage Centre, for lunch and a walk through their exhibits on the history and culture of the Blasket Islands. Fellow travelers Tricia, Chris and I ended up in a good conversation over lunch and totally lost track of time, so really only quickly walked through the exhibits for 10-15 minutes. I took a few pictures, but can’t say I came away with a great knowledge of the Blaskets, and will just have to go back!
In the meantime… there’s an Irish pub in my neighborhood called The Blasket, which now has a whole new meaning.
Back in the bus and on the road, Billy pointed out that the Blasket Islands were used a lot in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Specifically we drove past Sybil Head (Ceann Sibéal) on the Dingle Peninsula, on which they recreated famous 6th century stone “beehive” huts from nearby Skellig Michael to create the Caretaker’s Village in the movie.
Our next stop was unplanned, so we had no idea where we were going when we were told to get out of the bus and follow Billy up a hill (joined by a friendly and curious pup).
When we got to the top and were admiring the beautiful scenery in front of us, he pointed out a pair of prehistoric stones that formed a gate, telling us the story of a mythical enchanted giant cow (Glas Gainach) who always had milk… when she was full her sides would touch both of the standing stones.
We thought we had seen what we came up the hill for, but then Billy led us down a path and… broke into someone’s shed. Except that it turns out it was his shed, and this whole time we had been enjoying the scenery (and history) of his own backyard in Ballyferriter.
What we didn’t know - or at least I didn’t know - is that he spends time building and restoring traditional Irish musical instruments. My heart skipped a beat when I found this out, as I’m a sucker for unique world instruments; the world instrument gallery at the Met is arguably my favorite place in NYC. So for the next hour or so we got an amazing tour and demo as Billy showed off his work and told us about each of his creations before skillfully playing each one. Easily the coolest afternoon I’ve spent in a while.
The grand finale was an “acoustic synthesizer” called a yaybahar, which when put together took up more than half of the shed. Wild.
It looked pretty cool, but sounded even cooler…
Thank you, Billy! This was just the best.
What a place to live!
After leaving the magical music shed, we headed back to the hotel where we relaxed for a minute before meeting the group again. I spent some quality down time watching the cows walk by outside my window. Loved those cows.
Our entertainment for the evening was a trio of musicians: guitarist Donogh Hennessy, singer & flutist Éilís Kennedy, and singer & flutist Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh… who also happens to be Billy’s wife. All three were fantastic musicians, and as an added bonus, casually chatted a lot in between songs to describe what they were singing in Irish, explain the differences in traditional rhythms, and demo the different kinds of flutes. With the icing of a lovely view of Dingle Harbour through the windows behind them, it was a really special performance.
Here’s a video of Muireann —who is clearly a renowned singer in Ireland— singing the first song they sang, which, like Greenshine a few days earlier, got stuck in my head on a loop for the next couple of days. Makes sense that it’s hummable, since it’s apparently a common children’s song about a cow. But it’s cool to hear her sing in Irish Gaelic since it’s just so different than any languages I think most Americans are used to hearing!
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh — Bó na Leath hAdhairce
And as an added bonus, here’s a music video that she and Billy just made together, featuring the yaybahar that he had shown us earlier in the day. So haunting and beautiful.
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh & Billy Mag Fhloinn — Port na bPúcaí - The Fairy Tune from The Blasket Islands, Co. Kerry. A fisherman heard this music on the wind one night and played it on his fiddle. The words tell the story of a woman captured by the fairies.
After the great concert, we all split up, and I ended up heading into ‘downtown’ Dingle with Sims, Maggie, and Jeff from Harmonious Wail for a homey pub dinner, quality whiskey, and great conversation.
