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Ireland's West Side Story
After a long, arduous journey (two hours to Hong Kong, thirteen hours to London, and forty five minutes to Dublin) from Manila via three different airlines, I finally arrived in Ireland. Luckily, I was not burdened by jetlag and the cramps that had been bothering me during the many flights had miraculously disappeared. The cool blast of air that I immediately felt as soon as I stepped outside the airport was simply refreshing. Could it be the Irish luck everyone talked about? However, not being Irish, I simply took this as a sign of good things to come. Once we were satisfied with our short exploration of Dublin, we decided to rent a car for our trip out west. Apparently, the best way to see Ireland is by car. First of all, many interesting sights are not served by public transport and second, Ireland is a manageable size, simply 300 by 182 miles. We promised to wake up early the next morning so that we could get a good head start on our seven- hour journey to Connemara. In 1929, HV Morton, famed travel writer who had spent a great deal of time traveling around Galway and Connemara said after his trip, "I know now where the world ends." Almost eighty years have passed and yet in some ways, the revelation of this statement has not. It was heavily overcast with the winds blowing slightly as we drove toward Connemara from Galway, the capital of the West of Ireland. I was taken aback by the scenery; I had never seen anything quite like it. Connemara, County Galway is one of the most scenic areas of Ireland, in a wild and lonely way. It was as if all time had stopped in this beautiful place. The Twelve Bens are a group of mountains in shades of lonely grey that simply stick out over the green horizon and are the first landmarks you'll come across. One will definitely notice Ireland's forty shades of green in the landscape of Connemara, replete with grazing white sheep and the occasional black sheep of course. Amidst the rolling hills and mountains are lakes with little islets and pebbled shores. Connemara is definitely a timeless land of wild beauty. It has contrasting landscapes—dramatic mountains, silent lakes and rust colored bogs. The countless colors of the landscape change constantly, beneath the shifting sky. We finally arrived in Clifden, the capital of Connemara at about 8:00 p.m., just in time for dinner and to enjoy the last of the day's sunshine. During the summer, the sun can set as late as 10:30 p.m., which I could not believe. It was quite difficult getting used to it. But in the end, I figured that it was probably to the benefit of the Irish people, who do not get as much sun as we do in the Philippines. Clifden is the ultimate picturesque town. It is colorful and lively, brimming with boutiques, gift and souvenir shops, cafes, fine restaurants and lots of quaint Irish pubs (which I will talk more about later). We chose to have dinner at the Derryclare Restaurant which seemed warm and inviting enough. After a nice glass of wine and a few slices of pizza, we were ready to explore the town and see what Clifden had to offer. One cannot truly experience Ireland without making a trip to a pub for a fresh pint of Guinness, the famous local draught beer. This is exactly what we did, and it was amazing to see what seemed to be the entire city of Clifden, cramped into one space. It was as if everyone laughed and talked at the same time, en- joying each other's company and the traditional live Irish music that played in the background. A few pints later, we decided to retreat to the Quay House, the eclectically decorated guest house we would call our home for the next two nights. A good night's sleep was what we needed. And it was exactly what we got. Waking up to a freshly cooked Irish breakfast was even better. A traditional Irish breakfast consists of pan fried pork sausages, rashers of bacon, black pudding (made of blood), white pudding, sautéed stewed tomatoes and eggs. I tried every- thing of course and enjoyed the Irish sausage the most. I don't think there is anything quite like an Irish sausage, oozing with spice and flavor. After filling ourselves with delicious food, we set off for the next leg of our trip, the famous Sky Road. The Sky Road is an exhilarating seven-mile circular drive west of Clifden. To get to this road, one passes by the historic Abbeyglen Castle Hotel. As you go further up, you get a spectacular view of Clifden, with the 12 Bens as the backdrop along with the two church spires which give Clifden its distinctive skyline. To drive along Galway's coast road is to feel life's difficulties slipping away. On the left is the powerful, clear blue Atlantic while to the right is the rocky landscape of Connemara. There are many little towns and villages along the Coast Road. This area of Ireland is known as the Heart of the Gaeltacht, since much of the area is Irish or Gaelic speaking. Towns such as Barna and Furbo have nice white sandy beach- es comparable to those famous white beaches of Asia. Carraroe, on the other hand, has a coral beach, quite rare for a place outside the tropics. But don't go in the water unless you are planning to freeze to death! To my amazement, I spotted a few swimmers every so often. I tried dipping my feet into the water but it was just too cold! After a few hours of driving, we decided to stop at Cleggan, a small fishing village to get some snacks. We discovered that quite a number of the large fish companies in Ireland are based in Cleggan. It is also the departure area for ferries bound for the Aran Islands. We got back in the car and decided that we would go to Roundstone for lunch, since we were almost at the end of the Sky Road anyway. As we made our way back to Clifden, we then headed south. Again, the scenery was fabulous, with bogs and beaches on either side. By the time we reached Roundstone we were all famished and found ourselves at a sandwich stop. A nice big sandwich did the trick and of course a walk around town. Roundstone is one of those picturesque sea villages with Victorian homes and little expensive boutiques. I chose to save my money (and save the shopping for Dublin) and bought myself a pint of Guinness at a local pub instead. What better way to learn about Ireland than to mingle with the locals, right? I found myself deep in conversation with the bartender, explaining to him exactly where the Philippines was and why I had an "American" accent. In exchange, he taught me some Irish/Gaelic words such as "Slainte!" (Cheers!) and "Failte!" (Welcome!). I decided after that Irish people were very friendly, easy going people. They reminded me of the people back home. The next morning, we headed back to Dublin. I rolled down my window and took a deep breath. It would be the last time for me to smell such fresh air, the last time for me to see the different landscapes of trees on one side and loughs on the other. Just when I thought that Connemara had amazed me enough, I was astounded once again as the rugged scenery of Connemara unfolded. It is a place where the Ice Age left its mark. Majestic mountains rise steeply from an earth of contrasting rock and boglands, abundant with lakes and rivers. As Oscar Wilde said, "(Connemara) is a savage beauty". Well put. |
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