welcome to the callenharty.com ireland trip day ten page

Day ten in Ireland was May 27, my 50th birthday. We spent it exploring County Clare, more of the Burren National Park, an area of limestone rock and strange landscapes, and Connemara National Park.

Irish Goat
A domestic goat alongside the road.

Goat Close-up, County Clare
A goat along the side of the road.

Horses, County Clare
Horses in a field along the roadside in County Clare.

Two Horses, County Clare
A closer look at two of the horses in a field along the roadside.

Horse at the Fence, County Clare
Closeup of a horse in a field. It appears to be an Apaloosa.

Ave Maria
Another roadside shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Karst Field
Karst is the name for a landscape that is formed from the dissolution of rock such as limestone.

Snail Shell, The Burren
Possibly a white-lipped snail shell, this was found among the rocks.

Burren Landscape
The rocky fields and hills of The Burren region under clouds.

Black-faced Sheep
A different breed of sheep than we had seen previously, this was along the road in The Burren.

Sheep with a Full Coat
A sheep with plenty of wool rests in a field.

Pair of Sheep, Ireland
Sheep were almost as common as the color green throughout Ireland.

Horse Looking Out
A horse peers out from its stable.

Stone Wall, The Burren
These walls were everywhere--there was no shortage of rock from which to build a wall.

Poulnabrone Portal Tomb (panoramic)
This dolmen, or portal tomb, was built about 4,500 years ago.

Poulnabrone
Portal tomb. I was amazed by this structure.

Poulnabrone Portal Tomb
The translation of the name of this dolmen is said to mean, "the hole of sorrows".

Roadside Church, Connemara Area
There was nothing on the building or around it to identify this church alongside the highway.

Roadside Sacred Heart of Jesus
While most of the roadside shrines honor Mary this featured Jesus, Mary, and St. Bernadette.

Large Hill, Connemara Region
A large rocky hill rises above the landscape.

Mountain Bowl
Mountains forming a bowl in the Connemara region.

Sheep Behind a Hill
A sheep peeks out from behind a hill.

Mountain View, Connemara
Mountains, streams, and trees in the Connemara region.

Donkey Portrait
A free-roaming donkey in Connemara National Park.

Sheep Near a Lake
A lone sheep grazes next to a lake with an Irish mountain in the background.

Grey Heron
This heron flew alongside the car as we drove past.

Grasses, Connemara National Park
Along a lake edge in the park.

Kylemore Abbey
We didn't seek out this former castle--we stumbled upon it on our drive.

Kylemore Abbey under Mountains and Clouds
Another view of the abbey, originally built as a castle in 1868.

Clouds and Mountains
Clouds hovering over mountains in Connemara National Park.

Mountains near Kylemore Abbey
Nearby mountains viewed from Kylemore Abbey.

Kylemore Abbey (close view)
Another view of the former castle turned abbey.

Blue-tailed Damselfly
A pretty damselfly on the grass at Kylemore Abbey.

Chaffinch
Pretty bird on a footbridge at Kylemore Abbey.

Connemara Lake and Mountains
Part of the gorgeous landscape of Connemara National Park.

Hills at Connemara National Park
Some of the hills in the mountainous Connemara region.

Horses and Ponies, Connemara
Ponies trying to keep up with the horses.

Mare and Pony, Connemara
A moment I was delighted to see, a pony nursing.

Horse Portraits
Close-ups of two beautiful horses at Connemara National Park.

Page last updated 12/05/10