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General Travel

POTD 228/365 – Giants Causeway

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Depending on who you ask, this strange rock formation on the north coast of Ireland was either created by a giant, Finn McCool, or by an unusual cooling process on basalt columns after a lava flow.

It isn’t the 8th wonder of the world, but it is something unusual among beautiful cliff and a gentle sea.

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General Travel

POTD 227/365 – Causeway Coast

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This drive along the northern coast of Ireland is stunning, with cliffside ocean views and emerald fields filled with sheep.

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General Travel

POTD 226/365 – Bishop’s Gate

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Kath and I just found the ruins of this 18th-century house, as well as its beautiful gardens and stark architecture, fascinating.

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General Travel

POTD 225/365 – More from Kilmalkedar Church

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For some reason, these photos didn’t upload the first time.

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General Travel

POTD 224/365 – Kilmalkedar Church, Dingle

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This is a 12th-century Irish Romanesque church, surrounded by medieval tombs, a Celtic Cross, and an ogham stone used to seal deals by touching thumbs through a hole in the top.

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General Travel

POTD 223/365 – Dunbeg Fort, Dingle

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I was impressed by the efficiency and design of this Bronze Age dry stone fort, occupying a sliver of land jutting out into the sea.

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General Travel

POTD 222/365 – Conor Pass, Dingle Peninsula

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These photos are from several days ago, going over the Conor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula.

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General Travel

POTD 221/365 – Bishops Gate

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This is the view at dusk through Bishops Gate out to the stone tower, behind which many Protestants lives before the start of the Troubles.

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General Travel

POTD 220/365 – Derry

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Derry is a fun, interesting town and our first stop in Northern Ireland.

Our hostel is only a few blocks away from Bog Land and the site of Bloody Sunday, though we spent our first night walking the old city walls, observing the police presence, and thinking of the looting going on in London and other UK cities.

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General Travel

POTD 219/365 – More from Inishmann

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Some additional shots from the Aran Islands.

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General Travel

POTD 218/365 – Inishmann, Aran Islands

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Kath and I elected to visit one of the smaller and less developed of the Aran Islands, named Inishmann, for a day.

We walked around the entire island, drank some tea, ate some scones, bought some locally-made sweaters, watched and chatted with the locals every chance we got, and enjoyed the sea breeze.

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General Travel

POTD 217/365 – Connemara

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Simply beautiful country, covered in bogs, erratics (large rocks strewn across fields), cracking hilltops, and loads of sheep, goats, and cows.

We drove (and occasionally even walked) all over the Gaelic-speaking region. Even Elmo was speaking

Gaelic this morning on TV.

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General Travel

POTD 216/365 – The Cliffs of Moher

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The cliffs are amazing, as many have recommended, but I was surprised that they were divided into an ultra-safe area (think: high walls, set away from the edge) and the no-rules-apply area (think: no fences, you can hang out on the 600+ foot edge all you want).

Guess where I spent all my time.  😉

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General Travel

POTD 215/365 – Dunsmore Fort

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Kath standing on Dunsmore Fort, as we made our way around the Dingle Peninsula.

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General Travel

POTD 214/365 – Kath Drinks a Guinness

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We found a comfy pub in Tralee and settled into a corner booth, watching the light dim and the locals roll in for the night.

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General Travel

POTD 213/365 – Ring of Beara

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I’m standing at the tip of the Beara Peninsula, with Dursey Island behind me.

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General Travel

POTD 212/365 – Timoleague Friery

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The Franciscans built this in the late-12th century, and Cromwell burned it in the 17th.

Magnificent Gothic ruins.

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General Travel

POTD 211/365 – Baltimore, Ireland

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We drove southwest from Skibbereen to Baltimore, down to the western headland.

The locals call this landmark beacon “Lot’s wife.”

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General Travel

POTD 210/365 – Lower Lake

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At Glendalough, with Kath in the background.

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General Travel

POTD 209/365 – Tower

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At Glendalough.