Slea Head Drive

 (Day five recap of my recent Ireland trip.)

Apologies for the large gap between my last post!  I went on another trip - to South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park.  I thought I'd have time to dash off a few more Ireland posts while on the road, but obviously that didn't happen.  However I'm home for awhile now, and will pick up where I left off, recapping my journey around the Emerald Isle.

Morning views

So.....day five!  Kim and I awoke to yet another sunny day in lovely Dingle.  After breakfast we walked down the lane from our guesthouse to rendezvous with driver George and our tour bus.  

First stop - Dingle Crystal!

Our bus didn't travel far.  The first stop for today's itinerary was a visit to Dingle Crystal, just up the street from our guesthouse.  On tap was a crystal cutting demonstration.

One of Sean Daly's sons explained the crystal patterns

As my tour group exited the bus, we were greeted by a very energetic poodle mix dog.  The pup gave each person a very wiggly greeting as we entered the Dingle Crystal building.  We walked into a showroom, full of cut crystal glasses of all shapes and sizes.  The dog continued romping around this first room, and I was surprised it didn't knock anything over!  (According to one of the workers, the shop dog has never broken anything yet.)

So many different types of vessels

Dingle Crystal was founded by a man named Sean Daly.  He learned his craft from years of working for Waterford Crystal.  After 15 years at Waterford, the company decided to to move their production overseas.  Sean wanted to keep the tradition of crystal cutting alive in Ireland, so he moved to Dingle and opened his own crystal cutting shop.  Sean is now one of the last remaining master cutters in Ireland.  His factory employs 10 people and all his 5 children work in the business.  

The friendly, four-legged greeter

One of Sean's sons greeted our group and gave a quick orientation about his family's creations.  Then we were allowed to step into the workshop where all the magic happens.  It was here that we met Sean Daly himself.  He allowed everyone to crowd around one of the cutting machines for an up-close demonstration.

Watching a master in action

Sean then turned on the rotary cutting machine and held an unfinished crystal goblet to the whirling blades.  He'd marked a few black guiding lines onto the glassware.  In no time at all, Sean had cut a beautiful pattern into the goblet.  He placed it on a nearby bench for us all to see. 

The finished product

We learned Dingle Crystal produces eight unique designs inspired by the rich heritage and beautiful landscapes of Ireland's west coast.  Dingle Crystal is only sold in the town of Dingle - you can't get it anywhere else.  All the patterns were very intricate and lovely, but the Harp and Fuchsia pattern really caught my eye.  

Sean signs the bottom of each of his creations

Looking around Sean's workshop, there were two other men cutting crystal glassware.  They were both covered in protective clothing and eyewear.  It was somewhat amusing to watch Sean, as he did his work without any type of safety gear.  I suppose when someone has done crystal cutting all his life and mastered the craft, you obviously know what you're doing.

A sample of the beautiful designs

A very huge honor for Sean and Dingle Crystal was creating the Shamrock Bowl for St. Patrick's Day of 2022.  Every year on St. Patrick's Day, the president of Ireland presents a crystal bowl full of shamrocks to the American president as a gesture of friendship between the two countries.  Because Sean designed the 2022 bowl, he was invited to the White House to be a part of the ceremony.

Sean Daly personally designed the 2022 Shamrock Bowl

When I initially saw "crystal cutting demonstration" on the day's itinerary I didn't think it sounded very interesting.  Well, I couldn't have been more wrong!  I thoroughly enjoyed watching Sean Daly work his magic and was sorry when our tour was over.  Both Kim and I agreed we'd have to visit their retail shop in Dingle town later that day.  I now wanted a Dingle crystal glass of my own!

Sheep everywhere!

It was now time for the feature of the day - a tour of the famous Slea Head Drive.  A winding journey around the Dingle Peninsula, this road is known as one of Ireland's most scenic routes.  Historic sites, Irish speaking villages, famous Hollywood film locations, and close-up views of the Blasket Islands are some of the attractions along Slea Head Drive.

Forty shades of green

Not far from the Dingle Crystal factory we stopped to pick up a local guide.  This man was to provide narration during our tour of Slea Head Drive.  To begin with our bus started out along a series of hills paralleling Dingle and Ventry Harbors.  The adjacent slopes were several stunning hues of green.  Our tour guide Pascal had mentioned that in Ireland one could see "forty shades of green" and today we got to see exactly what he was talking about.  Many of the fields held large flocks of sheep, all bordered by stacked stone walls.

Looking out towards the North Atlantic

The day's weather couldn't have been better.  Sunny skies made for sweeping views of the North Atlantic Ocean's blue waters.  I attempted to photograph all this stunning scenery through the windows as our bus rumbled along.

The "upside-down" bridge

The road soon narrowed and became very windy.  It barely hugged the side of a steep cliff.  I couldn't believe our full size bus was able to navigate such roads, and gained even more admiration for our driver George.

A very narrow road!

Our bus passed one very sharp turn where quite a bit of water was running across the road.  Pascal said this was known as the "upside down bridge" where someone had put the road underneath the water, instead of the other way round (don't you just love Irish humor!)

A Blasket shark sighting

Our bus crept around another sharp corner, where George had to slow down for some vehicles coming in the opposite direction.  There was barely enough room for us to pass by!  While the bus was traveling slowly I looked out the window and noticed the steep drop off to the ocean far below.  It looked like the clifftop was inches from the side of our bus.  Eeek!  Then several people in our tour group glimpsed something swimming in the water direly below.  It was a shark.  Everyone crowded to the one side and we all spotted several Blasket sharks swimming in the water.  What a cool find!

Viewpoint

After all the opposing traffic had passed, George expertly steered our bus through several more narrow lanes with tight turns, before arriving at a parking area for a viewpoint.  Here we were allowed to exit the bus for a photo op or two.

Another view of the rock walls defining pastures

Oh were the views here spectacular!  The ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see.  We glimpsed the Blasket Islands surrounded by the blue waters.  Rocky cliffs bordered the beaches here, while green pastures blanketed the slopes.  Rock walls defined the different fields and a few stone houses could be seen set into the landscape.  

Photo op

Ireland has a reputation for rainy weather, so I was doubly grateful for such lovely weather to view this amazing landscape!

Yep, we were here!

After several minutes of photographs and scenery gawking, it was time to reboard the bus for a short trip to our next stop.

Old stone house

As we drove on, I took in more lovely green scenery.  We passed by several ruins of old stone houses.  I tried my best to photograph it all out of a moving bus window.

Beautiful green pastures

I don't know if the landscape is this green all year round, but it sure looked great in late April.

One of the Blasket Islands out the bus window

Yes, this is a photo overload.  I couldn't decide which photos to leave out, so I kept them all in!

Patchwork quilt pastures

Some of the pastures hemmed in by rock walls made the adjacent hills look like patchwork quilts.

More amazing scenery

After driving through many more green, sheep-filled pastures, our bus pulled into the parking area for the Great Blasket Center, a museum documenting the life and culture of the people who lived on the Great Blasket Island.

The Great Blasket Center Museum

The first thing I noticed when we stepped into the museum was a huge colorful stained glass mural covering one entire wall.  Our group was assigned a guide to take us through the museum, and our guide gave his interpretation of the colors and shapes in this mural.  He thought that many of them represented things in the lives of the Blasket islanders.

Gorgeous stained glass window

We watched a movie detailing the story of the people who once lived on the Great Blasket Island.  The islanders lived in primitive cottages, subsisting on fish, potatoes, rabbits, and the eggs of birds who nested on the island.  They used heather, peat, or turf to heat their houses due to the lack of wood.  Bad weather was a constant hazard.  In 1947 the island was completely cut off from the mainland for weeks due to strong storms.  The island was inhabited until 1954 when the Irish government decided it could no longer guarantee the safety of a rapidly declining population, and evacuated all of the residents.

Tour through the museum

The Great Blasket Center was very well done, informative, and full of artifacts from the islander's life.  I could've spent a lot of time here, viewing all the exhibits.  However, we only had about an hour to see the movie and explore the area.  It wasn't nearly enough time.

The museum had many artifacts from life on the islands

While walking through the museum I spotted several spectacular views of the islands out its windows.  Although I was enjoying the displays inside, I was itching to get outside and capture photographs of some of this scenery.

How fisherman got around

Finally, with time dwindling, I cut short my museum exploration in favor of a bit of outside scenery viewing.  A walkway led visitors to an overlook with great views of the islands.

Island viewpoint

It was a bit of a walk to get to the viewpoint.  When I arrived, a couple of my tour-mates were already on the platform, getting some photographs of the ocean panorama.  And it was as grand as I'd imagined.  As I began to snap away, someone commented that we only had five minutes left.

What great weather we had!

Ugh!  Lingering just a minute more to get a few photographs of the islands, I realized everyone had already departed.  There were so many great photo subjects - I didn't want to go yet!  But I also didn't want to be late and hold up our bus, so I reluctantly turned around and galloped back down the path.

Rocky coastline

As I hurried back to the parking lot, the scenery was so impressive, I couldn't resist a few quick stops for some more photographs.  The next few images are from my hasty return trip.  Again, I couldn't decide which photos to leave out, so you're getting them all.

Views from the Blasket Center

Close up of the pastures

Sculpture outside the Great Blasket Center

Nearby houses

Back at the bus, everyone was just loading, so I'd returned in the nick of time.  I even had a couple additional minutes to capture some nearby homes with a thick hedge of golden blooming gorse flowers in the foreground.

Rick Steves' favorite viewpoint in Ireland

Our next stop was at a nearby overlook.  It featured stunning views of the ocean and surrounding landforms.  Pascal said this place was Rick Steves' favorite viewpoint in all of Ireland.  I could certainly see why!

Looking towards the mountains

Everyone unloaded from the bus again and immediately sought out a spot for that perfect selfie.  Kim and I snapped pics of our buddies Randy and Jessica and then Jessica returned the favor.

Mountains and gorse

Not only could we see the ocean and adjacent shoreline, Pascal pointed out faraway mountain peaks that formed the spine of the Dingle Peninsula.  

What a glorious day!

After more gorgeous scenery-gawking it was back on the bus bound for our last destination of the morning's tour, Gallarus Oratory.

Gallarus Oratory

Gallarus Oratory is the best preserved ancient church in Ireland.  Thought to be over 1,000 years old this unique stone structure is one of the few remaining churches of this type to survive intact.

The dark interior

The oratory was constructed using stacked stones only - no mortar binds them.  The stones were cut on every side so that they fit perfectly together.  The stones were positioned such that each course had their edges projecting a small amount inward as the walls rose (known as "corbel vaulting").  The structure's unusual shape has been described as resembling an upturned boat.  

Backside view

Our local guide said this humble structure was one of the most-visited attractions on the Dingle Peninsula.  When we arrived, there were at least two other groups already walking around the site.  Add to it the 28 folks with our tour, and I knew there wasn't any way I would get photographs of the oratory without dozens of people in them.  Oh well...

Side view

After the other tours had exited, our group got a turn to go inside the church itself.  The interior was very small (according to Wikipedia the inside dimensions are 16 by 10 feet).  A small window and the doorway on opposing walls brought in a very tiny amount of light.  I couldn't imagine worshiping in such a dark, cramped environment.

Gravesite adjacent to the church

Emerging back into the sunlight, I noticed a large rock-covered grave on one side of the oratory.  No one really knows who was buried here.  Local folklore have named it "the tomb of the giant."  As a matter of fact, archeologists really don't know much about the people who built and worshipped at this church.  Some experts have suggested this tiny chapel may date from the 11th/12th centuries, based on a number of similar architectural features.

 

I waited until all the tour groups left and had the place to myself

The oratory was in such a lovely setting, surrounded by flower-dotted green hills.  After our look inside, I puttered around the chapel's exterior, snapping copious images until I looked up and realized most of my group were now returning to the parking lot.  I was the lone visitor left at the site.  That meant I could finally get some shots of the chapel building without any people!  Which is exactly what I did.  Then I booked it down the hill as fast as I could.  Luckily Pascal and our local guide were slow walkers so I had no trouble catching them.

Selfie! (with one photobomber)

Our final tour of the morning now complete, everyone loaded back onto the bus. We were due back in Dingle for lunch at the guesthouse.  More exciting afternoon events were planned, but this story has gotten too long, so I'll be recapping that in my next post.  And I promise this time you won't have to wait nearly three weeks!