Sunday, August 6

 We were informed two of our group tested positive for Covid; with their travel partners we have lost four members. I feel sad, for one of the four was my buddy. So now I have a new buddy, Mike. These four have to find a place to stay to quarantine and then adjust their travel plans - what a disappointment. 

I neglected to write about the Gallarus Oratory which we visited on Friday. This is one if the best preserved early Christian churches in Ireland. It is shaped like an upturned boat and constructed of dry fitted stone walls, and it is still waterproof.  Only one window, it could hold a dozen worshipers. This is a work of art.

We drove through countryside green and sunny, one after the other. Thehehe village of Annascaul the home of revered Antarctic explorer and rescuer, Tom Cream. Lynn summarized his dangerous journeys, indicating why he is so revered. She also talked about cultural and political changes in North and in the Republic in the South. 

We crossed the River Shannon into County Clare by ferry. Window and cool the crossing took only 15 minutes. We were near the west coast. The Atlantic Ocean was visible, and dark blue. 

And the dark blue of the Atlantic is a dramatic contrast to the Cliffs of Moher. Hundred of feet above the water these cliffs appear undulating along the coast. Slate barriers keep visitors safe, and that's a good idea because the wind is strong. We experienced it all on a perfect weather day: sun and only a few drops of rain, which my mother called liquid sunshine. 

Ten square miles of exposed limestone rocks cover the coastline. We stopped to walk over and among the rocks and observe the deep blue Atlantic and wonder about their origin. Some are jagged with crevasses and some some are flat.

On the bus Lynn told us about the famous Irish poetry Seamus Heaney and read some his poems . He was a 1995 Nobel Prize winner in literature. She also told us about Edna O'Brien a famous Irish writer and read some quotations of hers. I really appreciate learning about Irish culture. 

We are settled in our hotel in the center of Galway. Lynn led us on an orientation walk around the city center.  The streets, parks, and pedestrian streets were crowded, I mean mobbed to the point that it was a challenge staying together. In addition,  it was really noisey, several street musicians competing with people talking.  After a group supper at a very nice restaurant we made it back safely through the mobs of people and cacophony of music and talk. 

We are now watching the Irish TV and Radio network, RTE, to check weather and watching hurling competition.