Local Tour!

Last week the class went on a local tour day trip around Louisburgh's surrounding areas, including the nearby city of Westport. It gave us a great opportunity to become more familiar with the immediate area, and gave us some insight about the history of Ireland (hang in there I know that sounds like a four letter word to many people...History). In true Irish fashion we faced the rain and wind in style throughout the day. My classmate offered the motto “take no prisoners!” and it quickly became the battle cry we used for venturing off the bus and into the elements.

We visited a burial tomb which were commonly used in Ireland centuries ago. What looked like one large stone slab laying atop several short upright stone slabs to create a box type formation, held the cremated remains of ancient Irish tribal leaders. We could still see the cross that had been etched deep in the top of the burial chamber which astonished me. To be able to see and touch such an old, sacred object made me feel more connected with the past. To understand that it is real. And I don’t mean seeing the Declaration of Independence I’m talking B.C. here people. 

The next legendary ancient landmark we went to was the Clapper Bridge. Built for pedestrians to cross the ford, it looked as though small windows were carved along the bridge. Those gaps allowed water to pass through the bridge, leaving it in tact during a flood instead of having to stand strong against the rising river. 

One of my favorite moments of the day was when the bus stopped at a beach when the rain was really coming down. A group of five of us decided that no prisoners would be taken and we went adventuring on the beach. For any regular readers, you might remember when I wrote about the recent storms destroying many places around Ireland, and this beach was no different. What used to be a sparkling sand beach, was no completely covered in rocks, similar to those we have on the shores of Lake Superior at home in Minnesota. Turing around to walk back to the bus made battling the rain and wind worth it though. Several persistent rays of sunlight had burst through the clouds and lit the face of a gorgeous green hill in the distance. Brightly colored homes and grazing sheep stood, defiant, against Mother Nature and were rewarded, if only for a brief moment. But oh what a moment. 

We ended the local tour with a stop in Westport. While we only had about forty-five minutes there, our little troop made the most of it. Making a wide loop around the town we were able to see houses built on steep hills, cobbled streets, and secret hallways almost that lead from one area of the city to another. We stopped at Thomas Moran’s shop and laughed at all the little trinkets they had to sell there. T-shirts emblazoned with “The Leprechauns made me do it!” to purses with Guinness scrawled across them there was no shortage of things to look at it. In the corner of hats several of us admired our reflections in the mirror, enhanced by the most Irish headwear we could imagine. While a friend chose a comically large black felt top hot, I myself opted for a beige Irish driving hat. To end our day, we stopped at a bakery. Assaulted with smells of chocolate and fresh pastries, the group of us excitedly attempted to sort out which treasures to escape with. With the famous charm of her countrymen, the baker explained to us the differences in products and made recommendations. One by one my classmates took their chocolate truffles, and coffee cakes dipped in carmel outside, while I frantically had to make what was most certainly the most difficult decision of my week. I asked what the baguette like product on the second shelf was. I was told “its a sugar sprinkled doughnut with-” before I interrupted her with a “Yep! That one!”. She looked at me, winked and said “I had you at doughnut didn’t I?”.