Lots of pictures again. Enjoy. Also lots of links to interesting history. (Yeah, I know. You are only here for the pictures. No problem. You don’t have to click links. Smiley Face!)
We had a quiet morning at home. It was overcast, but we’ve got to do something, right? So we decided to return to Burtonport and take the ferry to Aranmore Island. There are actually two ferry companies. We chose one by chance and booked online. (€45 round trip for car and two passengers) These are small ferries as you will see in the pictures. The ride to Aranmore is only 20 minutes. We left at 12:45 and were scheduled to return on the 3:20. We really didn’t have time to grab lunch on Aranmore. If we had had time, we still wouldn’t have had lunch – nothing was open. The things to do on Aranmore, which is only about five miles long, are to drive to see the Aranmore Lighthouse, to visit a monument in a lake on the way to the lighthouse, and to savor the magnificent views. That’s Eion, our car (license plate 231-D-6260), on the left front in the ferry photo. You have to back onto the ferry, and the cars are inches apart. Fortunately a ferry attendant backs the car on for you. Can you spot cows on the beach? Do cows swim or are they just getting a tan?
Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews may show just thumbnails of the pictures.
ON THE FERRY (with videos)
It was cold and chilly, but at least the sun had come out.
AT THE LIGHTHOUSE
One notable feature of the lighthouse, located on a bluff, is a set of stone steps down to the sea which were used in rescue missions. You can see them on this link. I was never in a good position to get a photo of them. The road to the lighthouse is a freaky narrow strip of asphalt.
AT THE BEAVER ISLAND MONUMENT
Remember the Blasket Island people who relocated to West Springfield, MA that I mentioned in an earlier post? Beaver Island is a similar situation. Many people from this area relocated to Beaver Island, MI during the Irish Potato Famine. The story is told here.
AT THE FERRYPORT ON THE ISLAND
The red ferry shown is the one from the other ferry company. Our ferry was blue. They are almost identical ships though. The monument is about a famous shipwreck (of the Dutch SS Stolwijk) and the lifeboat rescue mission. If you are reading this on a computer, you can read the story. On a mobile device, it’s probably too small. The whole story is here. There is another memorial to another shipwreck, but we didn’t come across it. The sad story about that one is here.
RANDOM PANORAMA
We got back to Burtonport at about 3:40 and we were starving. Unfortunately, the Lobster Pot, where we ate on Sunday, is closed on Tuesday. So we drove back to Dungloe and had a late lunch / early dinner at McCaferty’s Pub. Chowder (wonderful) and Roast Beef Special (OK) for me. Cheesy Garlic Bread (Very Good) and Chicken Curry (Very Good) for Elaine. The usual Smithwick’s and Guinness to drink. Elaine was so impressed with the ladies room that she took two pictures. (See her in the mirror taking the picture?) I should have checked out the men’s room, but I didn’t. Oddly enough, McCaferty’s is a chain with branches in London, Oxford, Donegal Town, two in Spain, and four in the United Arab Emirates (of all places).
Then it was home for a cocktail outside to start and inside to finish. We had a real peat fire in the fireplace. It was grand and smelled great. Tourists rarely see real peat anymore. Peat extraction is tightly controlled by the government (Bord na Móna). You can buy processed peat logs pretty much everywhere, but raw peat is hard to find. I guess that is not so true in County Donegal. We have a good supply in the house. I didn’t take a picture of the fire. Next time maybe. Long day and early to bed.
The ferry ride looked like fun, even though Elaine and Eion look a bit chilly. At least it was less eventful than that of the SS Stolwijk. Yikes. The cows? Just sun bathing, I think.
The food at McCaferty’s looks great. And if you choose to go to the UAE some day, you’ll know where to eat. And wow, that is some ladies room.
So nice to have drinks in front of a fireplace. I bet you both slept well that night after a long and historic day.
Yes, as Sue said, the ride did look chilly. You certainly are seeing other parts of the country, that’s good. That bathroom was something else again. No wonder Elaine took pics. I saw a whole story about peat on PBS one time. Very interesting that you are using it this trip. Stay warm.