Highland Cattle

According to Wikipedia, "Highland cattle (Scottish Gaelic: Bò Ghàidhealach) (Scots: kyloe) are a Scottish breed of cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or  dun.  

These cattle were photographed at a small parking area along a road in the Scottish Highlands.  We were surprised by the variety of color in a single small herd.

It's easy  to wonder if there are eyes behind the hair, but here is proof of at least one.

Many of the calves have multicolored coats.

It's fun to watch the cows with their calves.

We end with a closeup of a rich mane of one cow and the forehead of another.

Ireland: Immersing in Irish

May 3-6, 2013. My sister Carol, Moe and I spent a week in Ballyferriter, Ireland.

We went because of a scrap of paper with an email address on it. I was given it a year ago and had tucked it in my Irish textbook where it was shuffled around or used as a book mark. When I looked up the website, I found a course in Irish language, heritage and activity for proficient irish-speaking adults. 

I needed a beginning Irish course but I wanted to hike the beautiful Dingle peninsula, visit heritage sites, and speak Irish. I was studying Irish at home and so I wiggled my way into the course

 Once in Ballyferriter, a week before the course, I stopped by the office of the Irish Language & Cultural Organization (Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne). Inside the cosy office everyone was speaking Irish-in long, complex, complicated sentences.  In other words, they were living and breathing Irish.

If you could have seen my face, you would have seen a shocked person who could barely babble her own name in English.

I have lined up a tutor for the five full days prior to the course. Maighréad, my tutor, taught me grammar, and local expression. She took me on field trips and hikes and taught me how to herd cows. After five days she turned me out, saying "Call me if you need help!". HaHa! I didn't have a cell phone... and even if I had, one couldn't buy all the minutes I needed.

All's Well that Ends Well

Words can't express what a fabulous time I had in the course! Kudos to Caitríona and Máire, our language instructors. They were so accepting, and kind. I learned so much, wasn't humiliated, and want to continue learning! Each day I had instruction, we all heard a talk (in Irish) and then went on a walk/hike.

Darach Ó Murcú--guest lecturer

 Darach is a freelance mountaineering instructor and trekking guide who also works part-time at home on a small organic market farm. He has a particular interest in edible wild foods.  (see his website www.inmyelement.ie)

This charming young man (left) and friend Frainc Mac Cionnath did a series for TG4 (Irish language television channel) on foraging for food. They collected seaweeds, mussels, shellfish, wild garlic and onions, to name a few, and made tasty, healthy, organic meals.

These boys can cook! 

Darach spoke in Irish to the course attendees; the subject was seaweed--the many varieties and their uses. I deducted this from the color slides and the objects he held up. 

He showed us a video clip of the TG4 presentation for Irish T.V. I understood every word, as it was subtitled in English. The video below is a trailer/teaser for his series on foraging. Go to YouTube and and search for "dul i bhfiáin"to see some amazing episodes.

After the talk, Darach treated us to green seaweed soup and seaweed panacotta. Both delicious.

Next to the beach for up close and personal. Darach glided across the seaweed; I was almost on all fours to keep from falling on the rocks. Irish seaweed is slipperier than snot and the rain didn't help!

Let's go look at another site for seaweed. First over a style. Then to the beach.

Smart people stopped at the top of a seawall. That was the safe thing to do. I teetered down to the water and was rewarded by the beauty of the rocks.

Mt. Brandon

At 3,127 feet, Mt. Brandon is the 9th highest mountain in Ireland. I wanted to climb it and so did Carol, who received a gracious invitation from Caitríona to accompany us. The weather looked good in the morning but deteriorated in the afternoon.

The peak of Brandon is the end of a Christian pilgrimage trail known as The Pilgrim's Path (Cosán na Naomh). The path of the top is marked by crosses and small white posts. That's about all we could see! We were in the clouds and the summit winds were fierce. 

I was the caboose on the hiking train and only made it to the top because I love gummy bears. I would catch up to the stopped group, a fellow hiker would offer me a gummy bear and then start hiking again before I caught my breath. Cruel but effective!

Starting out

We disappear into the fog

Cá bhfuil Irene? I have a bag of gummy bears!

The summit
(sent to me by Vitaly, Moscow, Russia)

Back home to dry off and warm up. Everything--packs, gloves, hats, money, etc was wet!

Beautiful walks on Sunday and Monday afternoon

Slí an Mháimín

Walk from Baile na hAbha

Joggers going up and down the lane

Most of our language and heritage weekend group

While I shared a dinner with my fellow classmates, Moe and Carol joined Hugh and Agnes for dinner in Ceann Sibéal Hotel

The Stones of Inis Mór

Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands, located off the southwest coast of Ireland, is a mass of stone and stones.

 

According to Wikipedia:  "A lacework of ancient stone walls (1,600 km or 1,000 mi in all) enfolds all three islands to contain local livestock. . . Enda of Aran founded the first true Irish Monastery near Killeany (Cill Éinne or Church of Enda). In time there were a dozen monasteries on Inishmór alone. Many Irish saints had some connection with Aran . . .

"The islands were first populated in larger numbers probably at the time of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the mid-17th century, when the Catholic population of Ireland had the choice of going 'to hell or to Connacht.' Many fled to the numerous islands off the west coast of Ireland where they adapted themselves to the raw climatic conditions, developing a survival system of total self-sufficiency. Their methods included mixing layers of sand and seaweed [and clay] on top of rocks to create fertile soil, a technique used to grow potatoes and other vegetables The same seaweed method also provided grazing grass within stone-wall enclosures for cattle and sheep"

Looking at theses images, you can see the "lacework of stone"  as well as areas where the flat layers of stone remain uncovered and grassy plots.  The stone walls have a dual benefit.  By removing the stone from areas with a bit of soil, the farmers started with small plots and then added sand, seaweed and clay, which they hauled in with buckets.  Over time, cow and sheep manure and more seaweed was added; and the soil grew and improved.  Meanwhile, the walls they built provide good pens now for cows, sheep and horses.

The photograph below show mature fields filled with nutritious grass.  

The pooled water resulted from a heavy rainstorm the night before.

The next photograph shows a hand made rain catch and trough for grazing animals.

Rocks of different sizes and shape provide a variety of wall patterns.

Some rocks were too big to be moved; so, the wall was built around them.

Occasionally, a wall is totally covered with overgrowth.

Stone were used to build churches and monasteries,

These images are from the remains of the Seven Churches, which actually were two small churches and five monastery buildings.  

Again, according to Wikipedia:  "On the cliff tops, ancient forts such as Dún Aonghasa (Dún Aengus) on Inishmór and Dún Chonchúir (Fort of Conchobar) on Inishmaan are some of the oldest archaeological remains in Ireland."  The remains of two forts on Inis Mór are shown here.

The bule spot on the fort below is Irene.

In the early 20th century this stone building was constructed to convert seaweed into products for the marketplace on the mainland.

Some of the rocks have been decorated by nature with beautiful lichens.

Do you see smiling images below?