Last Day in Ireland

I've been back in Denmark for about three days now, the time, on the one hand, just flew by, but on the other hand I packed in so much, had such a lovely time with my friends and family, and most importantly, got some great thinkin' done.

I'm at a mini cross roads in my life. One year on from graduation, one relocation, lots of stalling and, unfortunately, lots of waitressing. It's been a varied and exciting year, but I do think it's time to make a stab at a 'career' of sorts or at least find a job that is fulfilling. I need to learn to drive, and I have some travel/volunteering plans for the middle of next year.

But not to get too hot and heavy on y'all, here's some pictures that sum up my trip to Ireland nicely.

P.S. if anyone knows of any social policy/public policy/NGO jobs going in London, Dublin or Copenhagen, it'd be aces if you could let me know.

Unruly cats always sabotaging my meals

Same ceiling since I painted it age 15

This portrait is entitled 'Sleepy Cats-A Study In Motion or Lack Thereof'

Eerie

Look at the creep in the background

Cinammon delights

My friend Richie's dogs-actually harmless as little kittens

Decadent airport treats

Missy

E'er morning

I am so absolutely serious, about the job thing, by the way. I'm a very organised person and would add value to your company/charity.

The Boyne Valley and Knowth, Co. Meath

When Leo came to visit my home, I took the opportunity to show him all the places in Meath that I'm proud of, you know, showcase the best my county has to offer.

And it turns out that Meath is beautiful. On the sunniest days we've had in years, everything looked fantastic. The fields were overflowing with ripe crops, the sun was in the sky, the horses and cows looked their best, and, of course, the neolithic tombs we have littered around the area were looking their very best. Not to brag, but Meath is fantastic.

We arrived too late in the day for a trip to Newgrange tomb, so we went to Nowth, the lesser known of the three sites, the third being Dowth.

The visitors centre may be great for the economy of the area, with Americans and Europeans flocking by the tour bus, but for those favouring a more authentic experience, the obligatory shuttle bus and guided tour of the sites is tiresome.

Newgrange

Passage in Knowth

After our visit to Knowth, we visited the site of the Battle of the Boyne, where in 1690 some colonisers fought for their right to Irish land. Can you smell the cynicism? I'm not a fan of these stories of colonial muscle flexing, the site of cannons and reconstructions of battle scenes do not excite me, they make me slightly angry. The less said about the political side the better, but the lush fields are definitely a must-see if in the area, and the tea gardens are gorgeous.

Painting of the battle by Jan Wyck c. 1693

Knowth and Newgrange are UNESCO world heritage sites, older than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids. 

Wikipedia entry on Knowth
The official page of Knowth
Battle of the Boyne information page

There's a lot more to Ireland than Dublin, Galway and the Ring of Kerry, you know ;)

The Ceide Fields, County Mayo

On our second day in County Sligo we took to the road for what turned out to be a very long car ride to The Ceide Fields.The journey across Sligo and into Mayo was beautiful, as we entered Ballina the river Moy was on our right, the golden sands on the beaches of the Atlantic were glimmer like they never seem to in Sligo, and it was one of those 'wow' moments.

As we entered the Mayo countryside on the other side of Ballina we were surrounded by rural farms on either side, tiny villages with old stone houses, and finally breathtaking cliffs with the Atlantic ocean crashing dramatically below. It's almost ridiculous to think that this natural beauty exists in my very own country.

I'm talking something like this:

Image found here

Our first stop was the Ceide Fields Interprative Centre.

Here's a snippet I extracted completely from their website:

One of the dramatic exhibits that confronts visitors on entering the centre is this 4,000 year old pine tree that was unearthed from nearby bogland.
Todays centre and its interior constructed from natural materials – sandstone, oak and glass – was a combination of local work and resources spearheaded by a local man Dr Seamus Caulfield and the Office of Public Works which is based in Dublin.
The result – the Ceide Fields Interpretative Centre, which received the Gold Medal Award from the RIAI and now attracts visitors from all over the world.

The Centre’s day to day running is in the capable hands of archaeological specialist Gretta Byrne who was part of Dr Caulfields original team.
The architectural and design response to this beautiful and sensitive environment was the use of a simple strong form often seen in lighthouses and martello towers which are a common feature on many coastlines. The resulting pyramid shape reflects the surrounding landscape – and in particular the Stags of Broadhaven which can be seen on the horizon.

We wandered around the informative exhibition and had a quick nibble and cup of tea in the café (tea must be taken at every potential opportunity in Ireland) , and then Leo and I headed outside to look around the fields.

Two archeologists were in the fields checking the soil for signs of activity buried below the peat, and that was really interesting to see. There were all sorts of unique flowers growing in the area, too.

Across the road is an observation point where you have a great view of the goats grazing in the next field and the big sea pillar.

Well worth the visit, even if you are far away. It's one of those rare, truly unique places.

For more information on the history of the fields, here the Wikipedia article.

The fields are located at  

The Ceide Fields Centre
Ballycastle
County Mayo
Ireland

Enniscrone, County Sligo

My mother's home is in county Sligo, in the countryside near the seaside town of Enniscrone. She grew up on a farm, and her father was also the local undertaker (how cool is that!). She now owns the family home and a bit of land around it, and I joined her for a visit there. Leo is also from Sligo, but the other end of the county, and it was his first real venture into Enniscrone, which, he argues, is basically Mayo.

We came across a mother and foal on a walk to Pullaheeny Harbour. I spent ages trying to get them to ear from my hand. Foals have the best legs, so unsteady and spindly.

Pulaheeny Harbour is an actively used harbour and stoney beach near Rathlee in Sligo. It's about two miles from our house. 

We saw some trawlers out fishing, and came upon a thoroughly unpleasant discovery of abandoned fish which had turned rancid in a disused vat. So awful.

 The tide was coming in, and we stayed for too long staring at the tiny pebbles get submerged under the water. The Atlantic is beautiful.

Credit

 
A relaxing time submerged in memories of my childhood. Sometimes it's nice to go home, even if it's to someone else's idea of home. See things how they see it.

Something Political

I don't want to deviate from the positive, upbeat tone of this blog too much, but I don't want to go without saying something about the past week's 'abortion legislation' talks.

I am very concerned, some would say preoccupied, with issues of reproductive rights and, for want of a better term, sexual sovereignty. I wrote my Masters dissertation on sex education in Ireland, and it is my dearest hope that Ireland will one day be a country that isn't so overwhelmingly conservative, especially when it comes to the policing of womens' bodies. I hope to be able to work to aid this in the future.

For those not familiar with the proposed abortion legislation, the Wikipedia entry will give you all the background you require.That way you won't have to wade through all the careerist rhetoric from the politicians of Ireland.

Ireland has one of the most regressive sexual rights stances in Western Europe. That the Catholic Church is no longer solely responsible for this, but politicians such as Lucinda Creighton, who argued on the radio that her justification for being anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion (terms like pro-choice and pro-life are too narrow so I avoid them, and I have a problem with using the language of my enemy) was intellectual and not spiritual is but a small comfort.

As much as the austerity/recession rhetoric enrages me, it is a mere shadow of how angry I get when I read in the newspapers and hear on the radio the extensive media coverage, and hear hour after hour of bizarre rhetoric from women who might be expected to know better, and men whose opinion is unfounded and biased. This is a country where, last year, an actual female politician said crisis pregnancies were the result of fornication.

I am incredibly disappointed in this little country I was born in (but increasingly fail to identify with). I don't want to say anything too controversial, for in Ireland it is clear that abortion is still taboo. All I will say is that it makes me incredibly angry that the state and key legislators hides behind rhetoric, religious language or pseudo-science, and that politicians and political parties willingly uses womens' bodies to further their political agenda and garner public support.

It's 2013, and this needs to stop.