Our Day with the O'Sullivans

One of our best days yet was the day we spent with the O'Sullivan family.  They live in Ireland and are longtime friends of a family dear to us, the Kusyks, who live in Charlottesville.  While we were in County Galway, we found out we were only about an hour from where they lived, so we decided to try to pay them a visit ~ easier said than done when your phones don't really work, the GPS does not seem to know the location you are requesting, and there are NO street signs ANYWHERE! 

The directions we had gotten from Margaret seemed pretty straightforward, but we got a little lost.   We stopped at the store in this photo, hoping for some help.  This area of Ireland is especially rich in Irish culture and language as you can see from the signage.   We made our way closer to our destination, but still didn't find it.  Then,  just as we had pulled over on a road and asked a young guy (I think he said his name was Aidan, but I am not sure ~ the way things are pronounced does not always align itself with how my mind thinks they should be spelled) whether he knew the O'Sullivans, serendipitously, the one time Jeff's phone has worked on this trip, it rang and it was Margaret, wondering if we were lost.  Margaret talked to Aidan and we followed him in his car and eventually we were happy to see Margaret and her girls, Una and Ella, standing on the side of the road, waving their arms to flag us down.  Jeff and I sat down for a cup of tea with Margaret, while Ben and Chris went outside and got acquainted with the girls.  Then we headed toward the water to meet up with Morgan, who was going to take us out on his boat to the island where they are renovating an old schoolhouse.

The beautiful Ella

The boat ride out to Inis Bearochan ~ Margaret, if you read this, did I spell that right? :)

View of the boat landing as seen from the school house.

If I am remembering this correctly, there is no one currently living on the island.  The O'Sullivan's own property on the island ~ property that has been in Morgan's family for several generations.  They are renovating a building that was at one time a schoolhouse for the 20+ families that used to live on the island.  This photo is a picture of some artwork from an art exhibit they had in the schoolhouse on the island last year.  The artist made portraits by growing grass (or not growing grass).  They were faded, but you could still make out the figures and I saw a photo or two of what they had looked like ~ it was fascinating!  

This was the "road" to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.  I am not sure how much time we spent there, but it was NOT long enough for Ben and Chris ~ they did not want to leave!

This is Joe, the O'Sullivan's 15 year-old son.  He kindly gave Ben a ride down to the beach since "somehow" Ben's shoes had gotten completely soaked.

Una, Ben, and Chris looking for hermit crabs.

The search for shells and "bairne", or barnacles, which are a little shellfish that the girls assured us were delicious when roasted.

Una and Ella

Joe, Ben, and Chris searching for barnacles....they brought back a pailful!  I don't think Ben and Chris were all that interested in the idea of eating them....it was the hunt they loved.

As usual, Ben ended up soaked. :)

The island has a stark beauty that is like nothing I have seen before.

Morgan's boat ~ I never asked if it had a name.....

Joe, Una, and Ella ~ these are three great kids!  

Here is Ben on the ride back to the mainland.  

Morgan, Chris, and Jeff on the ride back.  It was a lovely ride....not too cold or breezy and the sun was going down as we made our way across the water...pretty magical.

The tide was out when we got back, so Morgan had to drop us off quite a way from where he picked us up.  We got to climb over rocks covered in seaweed that were totally underwater earlier.

We headed back to the O'Sullivan's house and had a delicious meal of lasagna together.  The boys got to play a soccer video game with Joe, which they loved.  We got to visit in the kitchen with Margaret and Morgan which was a delight since we don't get a whole lot of interaction with just other adults on these extended trips.  It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.  We are so blessed to have made these new friends in Ireland....thanks so much to all the O'Sullivans!!

Connemara National Park

The area in western County Galway where we were staying is referred to as Connemara.  There was an entrance to Connemara National Park right in Letterfrack, so we decided to take an afternoon to explore the park a bit.  We had heard there was a great hike of a mountain called Diamond Hill with 3 loops, one of which takes you to the very top of the mountain.  Ben is not a big fan of heights, so he wasn't too sure about it, but we set out anyway, saying we would do the first two parts and see how we felt.  Of course, once we got that far, his competitive juices wouldn't let him quit, so all four of us set out for the top.  

The smiling hikers at the beginning of the hike.

Two parts in.....still smiling!

The trail ahead......

Deep into the final part of the hike....a much-needed breather!

We thought it might be funny to make it look like Jeff was the only one who needed a break, but that was definitely not the case.  I love Ben's fake smile. :)

Getting close to the top!

Almost there.......

Made it!  The boys' friend Killy had told them about a custom of taking a rock off the trail and putting it on the highest point on the mountain, so naturally the boys HAD to do it.  This was no small feat as it was incredibly windy at the top of the mountain.  I was especially proud of Ben, who did not let his fears stop him!

Way to go, Chris!

 

It was VERY steep on the way down....even I was a bit nervous.  Ben made me even more nervous because he practically RAN down.  I think he really just wanted to be OFF that mountain. :)

This view back toward the top gives a picture of just how steep it was.

Happy to be nearing the bottom.  I really do appreciate that Jeff and the boys did this hike with me.  I tend to like hiking more than the rest of them and I know they did this for me.  It will definitely be one of the highlights of the trip for me.  Thanks guys!

Inishbofin

Another of our wonderful adventures in County Galway was a trip to a remote island called Inishbofin. "Inish" means island in Irish/Gaelic ~ there are many island names that start in this way.  Apparently "bofin" means white cow.  So Inishbofin means Island of the White Cow.  

It was a beautiful, sunny day as we boarded a ferry in a nearby village called Cleggan.  This was the view back toward the shore.  

Once I snapped this photo, the boys headed to seats inside (Chris had shorts on as usual), but I thought it felt wonderful to stand on the deck, a crisp breeze blowing in my face, taking in the amazing scenery.  

This photo was taken as we approached the island.

As was this photo ~ it is what remains of a fort built in the 1650's by Oliver Cromwell during his occupation of Ireland.  

In order to see as much of the island as possible, we decided to rent bikes. Once off the ferry, we followed the signs to a bike rental place.  This was a view of a pretty little harbor we saw along the way.

Here is Ben ~ ready for action.  He really was happier than he looks.

Apparently biking is serious business!

Our first stop was Dumlach Beach ~ it was GORGEOUS!  I remember being surprised by the beautiful beaches when we were in England a couple of years ago, and, though I probably shouldn't have been, I have been equally surprised by the amazing beaches here in Ireland.  

The boys had a blast climbing on this rock formation.

And, as always, regardless of the water temperature, they ended up in the water. :)

Thought this was a nice picture of me and Jeff.  

And just one more of the beach.

Eventually we realized if we wanted to see anymore of the island, we would have to tear ourselves away from the beach...not easy for these Wisconsinites after a long winter!  We continued on the road and came across another lovely harbor.  The water looked almost tropical!

I have LOVED seeing the daffodils!

A happy boy!  We have been fortunate on this trip that so far we have had many opportunities for activity ~ there has not been much sitting around and that makes for much happier boys!

The man who rented us the bikes told us that at last count 140 people live on Inishbofin.  Everyone knows everyone.  On the day we were on the island there was one restaurant open (I think there were two more that were still closed for the winter) and we found this one little shop that also served as the post office.  It really only sold the bare essentials.  Inishbofin is a very remote, secluded place ~ we felt like we were stepping WAY back in time.   On one hand, it is hard to imagine living is this isolation, but on the other hand, it was quite appealing to think of living such a simple life.

After a wonderful day on the island, we boarded the ferry and went back to the mainland.

We headed to a charming little town called Clifden for dinner.  Jeff had seen online that there was a music festival in Clifden that night and over the coming weekend so we thought we would check it out.

We had a delicious meal at E.J. King's Pub, but found out the music did not start until 10pm.  Guess we are a little old and tired for Irish music festivals.