The Authenticity and Natural Beauty of Ireland
Derrynane Abbey is a burial ground in the ruins of an abbey on an island! Be sure to visit at low tide. Photo by Alison Travis
What do you picture when you think of Ireland? Foggy fields dotted with sheep? Shepherds in thick wool sweaters? Frosty glasses of whiskey in dim pubs? Folk music? Potatoes? While these images may seem like stereotypes to foreigners, they truly embody Ireland within the country. The wonderful and curious thing about Ireland is that it is so wholeheartedly itself. After spending a month there, we got to appreciate that authenticity.
We toured the Jameson Distillery in Midleton, just down the road from our work exchage in County Cork. Photo by Alison Travis
The Republic of Ireland is small in size and population. It has about the same land area as the state of Indiana, and people often joke that it has more sheep than people. While this is not currently true (around 3.8 million sheep vs. 4.7 million people), it probably was at one point. We stopped for more than one sheep crossing along the winding country roads. The Irish-style pubs found in most American cities are exactly how real Irish pubs look - down to the iconic typeface on the signs. Real Irish pubs are filled with regulars downing pints of Guinness - exactly as you’d imagine. And several nights a week, locals go to enjoy live “trad” music (traditional Celtic folk). We ate fish and chips more than once, and were served some form of potatoes most days. There really are a ton of businesses owned by Patrick O’Briens and Sean Murphys.
Perhaps the Irish culture is so rich and alive because Ireland has been through a lot in recent years. The War of Independence was just 100 years ago, and 75 years before that Ireland suffered through the Potato Famine, when 20% of the population either died or emigrated (many to the US). The Irish language, also known as Gaelic, is now being revitalized in public schools. Although most millennials and older Irish people do not speak or understand it because of the British effort to stomp it out, there is now a strong effort to keep it alive through the younger generations. We watched the very popular sport of hurling (and the similar Gaelic football), an ancient field game played with wooden paddles that looks sort of like lacrosse or field hockey.
UCC Campus in Cork City. Beautiful ivy and stone buildings were all over Ireland! Photo by Alison Travis
Ireland is also full of natural beauty. Just like its people, the vistas in Ireland are welcoming and proud, but not boastful. We explored rolling hills, dramatic cliff views, seaside towns, and stone castles and forts. The nickname Emerald Isle is not an exaggeration. For the whole month of October, we gawked at how impossibly green Ireland was at every turn. We thought back to the sprinklers dotting the American suburbs, wasteful attempts to avoid patchy, dry lawns. Ireland’s pay-off for being notoriously rainy is the blanket of grass that stretches from shore to shore, as lush as turf and so vibrant it’s almost neon.
The Kerry Cliffs were some of the most dramatic views we’ve ever seen! A stunning overlook on the Ring of Kerry roadtrip. Photo by Alison Travis
Even one of the country’s greatest treasures, the Book of Kells, is subtly captivating. The illuminated manuscript of the New Testament was written and intricately gilded and decorated by monks in the ninth century. Every so often, they turn the delicate artifact to a new page on display. Visitors can reserve a time to view it at Trinity College in Dublin.
Yet, even though observing this work of art was a wonderful learning experience, it somehow still wasn’t the highlight of our visit. After touring the Book of Kells exhibit, we were directed up a short flight of stairs. I figured it was the exit. Then, I walked into one of the most beautiful rooms I’ve ever seen.
This is one of the few times I turned a corner, audibly gasped, and stopped in my tracks. If you’re a book nerd like me, you might recall the scene in Beauty and the Beast when Belle walks into the castle’s stunning library - a towering, ornate room packed floor-to-ceiling with books. Well, I was similarly awestruck by the The Long Room in Trinity’s Old Library. Light streams through two-stories of dark wood shelves painted with gold lettering. The high, arched ceiling draws you into the hall lined with marble busts of famous thinkers. Photos do not do it justice.
I know the first drizzly, cool day of fall will now trigger a craving for leek and potato soup with brown soda bread and butter. I love that Ireland doesn’t put on airs. It was never alienating or inaccessible. The people there are genuine, resilient, and some of the friendliest you’ll find. I think of Ireland as a sparkling, verdant little hidden gem that is patiently awaiting my return.
During our dog-sitting stint in Wicklow, taking the Glen Beach Cliff Walk at sunset. Photo by Alison Travis