Ireland 2006

Introduction

These pages describe the group tour round Ireland I made in July 2006. Every thought I had then or have now during writing could appear here, it will be a personal document. I want to try to suppress my urge to joke and complain about small inconveniences like the monotonous menu, failing air conditioning devices and disintegrating footwear. Also I would like to avoid mentioning the continuously dozing-off of fellow-travelers, the precise what, when and where of meals and drinks, the geriatric level of our society of green-seekers and its consequences (like denture flapping and fracture, artificial-hip-hop and other noticeable physical discomfort). But I will not guarantee anything. There are for example a few midges that I must dedicate some words to, because they have built a whole new mountain range on the forehead of one (male) goatee-wearer. That fact is out of the way now.

Weak excuses on beforehand?

Talking about facts. I try to be as accurate as I can. Only in the sections called 'musings' fiction rules over fact... or does it not...does it? I hope you will have fun browsing here. It could be useful to look at this page for a moment, it describes the site's structure, the use of the top buttons and it provides clues about what parts you can usually click on with some effect. I am still developing these pages and I do not expect them to be completely ready before coming Christmas - and by now that is 2009. Patience... Language English. Well, I am Dutch and the version of these pages in my own language will be more up-to-date during development and probably will be better written always. You might encounter pages that are still partly in Dutch, because I create the English pages from the Dutch ones, and I could accidentally upload work before it is finished. If you have any comments about my use of the English language, or see missing links, Dutch parts or other mishap, feel free to let me know.

The obvious

Stereotypes and Ireland go hand in hand. With shamrock, drinking, green, superstition and mist I mention a handful, that often occur in reality as well. Therefore I do not feel embarrassed to stuff these pages with beautiful, but threadbare clichés. The Irish themselves do it everywhere...

Sources

I have tried to be the source of all components of this site. Here is a list of materials that I have gotten somewhere else. Should you disagree with the use of anything: let me know and I will try to replace it

Musings 1

Ireland. It lies like a ringfort in the ocean, with mountains for walls and the sunken middle for a courtyard. You go there with the hope to encounter that what you lost there one time, even though you know that once found, you will have to leave it there again.

If you examine closely, you will discover clues of what must be an insane, incomplete plan. The Irish keep silent about it, or mumble about the works of the 'Good People', the 'Duine Matha'. You think you know better. Listen attentively to the mountains, they still whisper the last tones of the songs of the children of king Lir. The old towers and fortresses, battered, weathered and overgrown, are sighing in the eternal western wind. The paths leading to them have been broadened and paved for us, the tourists. And first they take us through shops and restaurants, so some locals might earn a few euro's at the remains of the harsh past. Here the echoes of eras gone by still sound loud and clear. Very slowly every human building will crumble and slower still the mountains will erode to nothing and even the clouds can only float by until the sun has digested its last whiff of hydrogen and while coughing up iron incinerates all. But till that day, this country harbours a secret, a riddle. I have looked for the answer and...