Crough Patrick, Famine Village, Aran Islands: Western Ireland Adventure

The days are getting better and better, but I’m not sure how. I don’t think I’ve ever had a day like this. We left for hotel breakfast at 8:30, and we ate everything we could grab on the counter. Then they brought out “hot breakfast” for us…oops. Hot breakfast consisted of a large slab of bacon, a fried egg, a sausage, and two mystery patties which I believe were sausage of some sort, despite looking like hockey pucks. We boarded the bus and traveled to Crough Patrick Mountain, a Christian holy site,

where every April people hike barefoot to the top to honor where the Devil tempted Saint Patrick on his lenten fast, and Saint Patrick resisted. At the foot of the mountain was the sea, riddled with around 350 islands. I was impressed, as with shoes on we struggled to make it up the first portion of it. As we hiked up, the sheep navigated the rugged terrain around us. We stopped at one point, and admired the 180 degree panaramic view of the sea. It was incredible (sorry, I know I use that word often, but nothing else captures it!). We learned more about Saint Patrick on the climb, and took pictures and stayed for a couple of minutes on the mountain.

We climbed back down to talk for a minute about the famine monument constructed at the foot of the mountain, which was a “coffin ship” because it would not be sea worthy and likely never make it to its destination. We further discussed “American wakes”, where families would hold funerals for those fleeing to America, beceause they would never be seen again. This is a strange thought for me, because I had a hard enough time leaving my family to come here, and I knew that in four months time I would be right back with them. I can’t imagine what they went through.


Afterwards, we did the Atlantic Costal Drive on the Aran Islands. There are no words for the
scenery, no possible descriptions. The pictures I have do not begin to do justice for the coast line, cliffs, narrow roads, and raw nature that I experienced there. We stood along the edge at a few stops, on one of the most blue and sunny days of the trip so far. The feeling of peace and serenity was overwhelming, listening to the waves crash on the cliffs and shoreline hundreds of feet below as the sheep wandered by. I wanted to stay forever.



When we left, we headed to the deserted famine village at the foot of the coast. We passed numerous famine houses, which people have simply built around or into their gardens so as not to disturb anything. We arrived at the foot of the a hill, littered with tiny stone buildings, and climbed to the edge of what looked like ancient ruins, standing near the center of the town. We all stood around as our group leader read a passage describing the area, as well as a couple of striking poems written about the struggle. With the sea in the background, a line of graves in the foreground, and a line of crumbled stone buildings in front of you, it was a remarkable moment, one that makes you appreciate everything you have. Picture below.

We left the town, and headed into a little coastal area for lunch. We ate at a local pub with a roaring fire, vegetable soup and sandwiches. On the way back, most people slept on the bus, but I won’t let

myself. I can sleep at home, experiences like these only come once in a lifetime. We arrived back at the hotel with some time to wander the town, which we took advantage of. Tonight's meal consisted of a vegetable soup appetizer followed by stuffed garlic chicken breast over mashed potatoes and a triple fudge chocolate cake dessert followed with tea. And yes, it was good enough for me to write all of that out! Everyone was tired from traveling all day, so we relaxed in my room.

I realized though, I would only be in Westport, Ireland once in my life, and left alone to walk around the city and enjoy some peace and quiet, which made me really excited for some reason. I ended up sitting on a bench down next to the river for a long time, enjoying looking at the buildings and watching the river flow and thinking about my life. I suddenly really missed my parents and grandparents, but then I realized my grandparents were right here with me, seeing everything that I saw. It was perfect. After a while, I went back to the room and crashed immediately, I was exhausted!