Crannogs And Cliffs

Island Fortress

On our way northward in western Ireland we stopped at a bronze-age heritage site in the back country woods of Craggaunowen. It had a castle, ruined by Cromwell (again, like so many Irish castles and tower houses), and various reconstructed ancient structures. 

One was a Crannog. (The o should have a mark, but I can’t find it on my keyboard). This is an artificial island created by ancient peoples, all over Europe, in wet areas, for defensive purposes. Stones, then fill material, then dirt, were piled to make the island.  Then dwellings were made of poles, with woven sticks, plastering and thatching. These were in use until the introduction of gunpowder in the 16th century made them obsolete.

The Crannog

Roof construction

Twisted grasses to make a tope, woven around the door slats to keep out the weather.

Note the cabbage patch and bean poles.

Other interesting things, beside a Ring Fort and log road for swamps, included an ancient style leather bodied and double sail boat, which was used to cross the Atlantic in the 1970s  to see whether it was possible for Irish monks to discover the America’s before Columbus. They made it. So, yes.

Immensely old part of oak log road.

Rock writing. Maybe it says “Rolf was here.”

Portal grave

More stone writing. Maybe it says, “Rolf pillaged and plundered.”

Ring fort for farmers for security.

A lathe

Interior of a farm house.

A weaver worked here. These are dyed with local plants.











Peat fire

All of hull and sails are leather over shaped wood .

Old breed of sheep.

Quin Abbey

This was another ruin (Henry VIII was responsible for the closing and plundering of most of the religious orders), but still impressive. It had been a castle of a foreigner, but the Irish themselves destroyed that and later was reconstructed into the Abbey.

Cliffs of Moher

This is a major tourist site, and well worth the drive on tiny roads between stone-walled pastures to see it. Of course people do stupid things and some get themselves hurt or worse, but staying on the stone-walled paths is quite suffient for grand views. We didn’t see any puffins at this time of year.

The little dots by the big waves are surfers. Crazy!

The eco friendly shops built into the hillside.

The Cliffs of Moher

This little viewing tower was built in the 1800s, for the newly-begun tourist market.

We read that each year the visitor count here increases by 100,000.

So we went to a small town after this.