DAY FOURTEEN
FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2019
ROCKS, DOGS, SHEEP, FRIENDS, and an unforgettable SENDOFF
Our last full day in Ireland started out with a visit back to The Burren to check out the Poulnabroune Dolmen, a particularly large portal tomb from the Neolithic period, built probably between 4,200 and 2,900 BCE. You can really feel the scope of history around you when standing at such an ancient place, so we spent some time admiring the site before getting back on the bus to head to Caherconnell.
The view opposite the entrance to the path to the tomb. Random countryside shot = ton of sheep, always.
Our stop for the next few hours was Caherconnell, a medieval stone fort that’s also home to some fun sheepdog demonstrations. We watched owner John Davoren call out to his three border collies Rose, Lynn, and Lee to guide them as they herded a group of sheep in a tight formation around the fields. He commands them both with his voice and with a whistle… so crazy that they each know a different whistle tone to follow!
Lee was living her best life
After the adorable demo, we walked to the Medieval ring fort on the site to wander around and get some intel from Billy. It was probably originally built in the early 10th to mid-12th century but stayed in use for many centuries to follow (as a farmstead, a metal-working site… unclear) and it’s used today as an archaeological field school for students to learn under professionals, which we saw in progress as we walked around.
Following the fort visit, we stopped for a nice lunch at the Caherconnell visitor’s center before getting back on the road.
Wool wool everywhere
At this point it was pretty windy and rainy, and the plan was to go on a boat ride on the water below the Cliffs of Moher. The cashier at the lunch place mentioned in passing that the previous day every single person got seasick in the choppiness, so a few of us 🙋🏼♀️ opted to get off the bus in Doolin and just wander the shops there (maybe seven total… tiny town!) and take the afternoon to relax. I ended up back at the B&B and enjoyed a peaceful view of the rain from the cozy living room while playing some guitar, listening to music, and editing photos, and it was a perfect afternoon.
FWIW, opinion on the boat seemed to be 50/50 with our group. Half thought it was exhilarating, the other half… did not. 🤢
Tonight was our last dinner as a group, a nice one at the Glas Restaurant in Hotel Doolin, with one last performance by Harmonious Wail.
After dinner, we gathered upstairs for a final heartwarming go-around to talk about our favorite things from the experience. It was the perfect way to bookend the tour.
It was a particularly nice meal so I feel compelled to post pictures of it 😄
That’s a goat cheese & beet “salad”… a rustic mushroom, asparagus, hazelnut, and hen’s egg concoction… and a lemon posset with pistachio ice cream & shortbread cookies. Lovely!
No final night in Ireland would be complete without a pub, so after the formal go-around a bunch of us ventured downstairs to enjoy our last rounds of Irish whiskey & beer. Hell of a trip!
One final magical moment
After a few (several) glasses of Tullamore Dew, and after everyone else had called it a night, Billy grabbed me, Sims, and Jeff and had us meet him outside the pub. We had no clue where he was taking us, but trusted him fully at this point, though I raised an eyebrow when he had us jump a fence in the pitch dark night and wander into an overgrown field. Clearly trespassing, we started climbing a very tall hill through a nonexistent path in the shrubbery, silently in the dark for what seemed like ages, until we finally reached the top and realized why Billy had brought us up there.
At the top of the hill was a giant ancient stone that Billy said at that point was really unmapped - he had seen it on an academic archaeology site, but had never found it in person. The four of us stood up there in silence, with our hands on this likely Neolithic stone tomb, and it was probably the most special moment of my life, just thinking about life, human history, these incredible musicians I had come to know, and this once-in-a-lifetime trip I had just experienced. We could see the tiny twinkling lights of the pubs in the small town below, and could just barely make out the distant sound of fiddles and laughter. Truly one of the most lump-in-your-throat, humbling things I’d ever experienced. Still haven’t thrown those mud-covered boots away.
It was pitch black and I didn’t want to ruin the moment, but needed to capture something to remind myself that this pinch-me nighttime adventure actually happened.