Exploring Ireland - Connemara - Part 3

 Today just a few final photos from Connemara. The light at Ballinkill Harbor with a storm approaching was exquisite. This is Derryinver Pier on the Connemara Loop and the Wild Atlantic Way.

I believe this pretty scene is Renvyle Beach .

Aren't these cottages sweet? They are in the village of Tully in Renvyle, Connemara.

The sun was beginning to set over Galway Bay as we came to the end of our tour with Jim Parslow of Ireland West Tours.  . . the perfect end to a truly perfect day.

Exploring Ireland - Connemara - Part 2

This is one of my favorite photos from our day in Connemara and perhaps from our whole trip. These ponies were so friendly and photogenic . :-)  The location was in the Inagh Valley.

Have I mentioned that there are lots and lots of sheep in Ireland? 

Why the two different colors on the sheep? Ask anyone who was on the trip; by now, we're experts on sheep. :-)

Notice the long snaking lines up the side of these hills. Back in the time of the famine, workers were paid a penny a day to build these stone walls hence the name, penny walls. These walls are seen all over Ireland.

I love the stonework in this image. The back of this structure has not fared quite so well.

This concrete giant shows the Irish sense of humor as does the nearby plaque.

More from Connemara next time . . .

Exploring Ireland - Day 5 - Galway and Connemara

This was the view from our room at the Hotel Meyrick in Galway in the early morning hours, and here's the same view a few hours later. (You may click on any of the images for a larger view.)

While the rest of the tour group left to go on the regularly scheduled bus tour of Connemara, six of us went on our own tour of the area with Jim Paslow of West Ireland Tours. A bus trip is great, but as photographers we wanted more time to take photos than the bus's quick photo stops would allow. Six of us set out for a very full, wonderful day of shooting.

Before our scheduled departure time, I photographed these roses in the park across from the hotel.

Soon it was time to meet the others. Along the way we photographed this pretty thatched cottage and

some friendly Connemara ponies . . . 

What struck me the most was the quality of the light. Just look how this blue boat appears to glow.

These boat were photographed in Baurisheen on the shore of Lough Corrib.

One last photo for today's post . . . 

Tomorrow . . . more from our magic day in Connemara.

Exploring Ireland - Day 4 - Belleek Pottery Factory

Our first stop on Day 4 was at the Belleek Pottery Factory where we had a wonderful tour. 

We got to observe each step in the making of this delicate china. 

Each piece is still hand decorated today, and our visit gave me a new appreciation for the few pieces that I own. 

Next, a brief stop was made at Drumcliffe Churchyard to view the grave of Noble Prize-winning poet W.B. Yeats.

Later we stopped was Lissadell House, the country estate of the Gore-Booth family and the childhood home of Constance Markievicz, one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising.

Having been a fan of Downton Abbey, I found the most interesting part of this tour to be the downstairs area where the servants lived. 

We stopped very briefly at the Knock Marian Shrine in County Mayo. It is said that on this site in 1879 there was an apparition by the Blessed Virgin Mother .  There was just time to say a few prayers before we were on our way to Galway.

Exploring Ireland - Day 3 - Slieve League Cliffs

One of the most impressive places we visited on our tour was the Slieve League Cliffs. The winding road is too narrow for busses, so our group divided into two . . . photographers and non-photographers. The other van made it up to the cliffs in no time at all while our group took a bit longer. We had the most obliging, wonderful driver who stopped so we could take photos along the way.

Have I mentioned that Ireland has a lot of sheep? Not your average sheep, you see, but perfectly lovely sheep who were willing to smile and pose for our cameras. ( Dominic, our regular tour guide/ bus driver, thought we were all a bit crazy and would soon be sick of seeing sheep; he was wrong, we never were. :-)

Look at the water troughs that they had for the sheep.

This formation is referred to as the giant's desk and chair.

Some members of our group climbed this path to the top, but as I was nursing a foot injury incurred before the trip, I stayed put on level ground.

 

After coming back down from this incredible place, we were treated to fresh baked scones and coffee. If you are traveling to Ireland, be sure the Slieve League Cliffs are on your itinerary.

We also made a photo stop at Glengesh Pass.

Our final stop was at  . . .

. . . so when it gets cooler and you see me sporting a beautiful new cape, you'll know where it came from. :-)