Ireland and Scotland, 2005
Later in 2005, Ron and Carol visited the Gaelic areas of Ireland and Scotland.
Day 1. Arrived in Galway after four(!) flights. Quick walk to the city for supper.
Day 2. Bus tour of Connemara region. (Made famous by the movie 'The Quiet Man'.)
Day 3. Boat trip to the Aran Islands with Dun Aenus.
Day 4. Galway city shopping and then an afternoon train to Dublin.
Day 5. Rain. Visited Trinity College and Museums.
Day 6. Local bus to the Newgrange Bronze Age passage tomb.
Day 7. Local bus to Trim. Norman castle, 13th century.
Day 8. Flight to Glasgow.
Typical rock fences of western Ireland...so many rocks.
Connemara lough (lake) with the 12 Bens range.
Inis (Island) Mor, Aran Islands.
Ariel view of Dun Aonghasa (Fort Aengus) on Inis (Island) Mor, Aran Islands. Now thought to be an Iron Age fort. The inner walls are 15 ft. across.
View from Dun Aonghasa.
View out of Dun (Fort) Aonghasa. (Inis Mor, Aran Islands, Ireland) 53.125541,-9.7678823 (One of Ron’s favorite pictures.)
View from Dun Aonghasa.
280 year old cottage in Innis (Island) Mor, Aran Islands.
The approach to New Grange, Bronze Age burial mound, Ireland. 53.694618,-6.4777237
New Grange, Bronze Age burial mound, Ireland. One of ancient carved stones.
Anglo-Norman castle of Strongbow, vassal to Henry II, at Trim, Ireland. It was built in at least three stages, firstly by Hugh de Lacy (c.1174) and then in 1196 and 1206 by Walter de Lacy. Was the castle in the movie "Braveheart". 53.554432,-6.7904739
O'Neills, pub with bed and breakfast above, in Dublin, Ireland.
Day 9. Train to Mallaig, thru the Highlands of Scotland.
Day 10. Glasgow museums.
Day 11. Bus tour to Stirling Castle, and on to Edinburgh. Dinner at the White Stag. (Serving food and drink since 1516.)
Day 12. Edinburgh city tour, including Holyrood House, then shopping.
Day 13. Edinburgh museums.
Day 14. Flight home.
Glasgow, Scotland (north of) - Beached boats at low tide. Low to high tide is 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4 meters)!
The "Harry Potter" viaduct, on the railway north from Glasgow, on the way through the Highlands of Scotland. 56.876353,-5.4339437
Looking the other way is Loch Shiel, where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Scotland in 1745. (Note monument.) Now better know as the fictional Black Lake near Hogwarts.
A lake (loch) in the rain. From the railway north from Glasgow, on the way through the Highlands of Scotland. This little island shows up in most of the Harry Potter movies.
The Isles of Eigg, Rhum and Muck just off the coast of Mallaig in Scotland. They so wanted to buy an Eigg or Rhum cup (or even a Muck cup), but none were to be had.
Stirling Castle, the very heart of Scotland, militarily, royally and strategically.
Stirling Castle, Scotland - William Wallace Memorial (aka Braveheart) on the hill in the distance.
A view down the Royal Mile, High Street, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Another from The Royal Mile, High Street, Edinburgh, Scotland.