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MY TRIP TO IRELAND, NORTHERN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND

Day 4: How Many Tourists Does It Take to Spot a Tomb?

Travel on day 4 ranged from very narrow and winding roads to winding and very narrow roads. Those that weren't those two things were usually one or the other and often quite rough. "Passing Places", as they are called there, are necessary since the roads (despite their appearance in some of the pictures) are not quite wide enough for two oncoming vehicles to easily pass each other.

Our route took us in a Northern direction along the Atlantic Highway toward Achill Island. The scenery created by the high cliffs was very impressive, especially since we were often driving on the edge of it. Instead of guardrails, large rocks were placed every 5 feet or so on either side of the roadway. I'm not sure they would have stopped the van should it decide to head toward the edge. Luckily, though winding, the roads themselves were not very steep. I'd hate to possibly lose my brakes on some of those routes.

At right is a video clip as we negotiate the road running along the tops of the cliffs in the pictures below. It's just our luck that we would meet up with an oncoming vehicle at one of the more hazardous portions of the road. While there were plenty of similar spots, this one was the closest to the cliffs. We were at least a 100 feet above the water below. You may note that we tended to ride down the middle of the road when no cars were approaching because of that.

The sheep seemed to rule this territory as they were all over the roadside along our route. Sometimes we would actually have to drive around them when they were lounging in the road. They seemed to have a strange appetite for the grass at the edges of the road even though there was plenty of it all over the hills. Perhaps diesel fumes add a little spice to the meal.

The rare fence seemed to have little effect on where the roamed. Strangely enough, while they didn't flinch having a vehicle roll by inches from their noses, approaching them on foot would cause them to flee.

Below are some images from the area:
We continued on or path toward Sligo where we were in search some tombs. We were seeking the Carrowkeel Megalithic Tombs, to be exact. Along the way, the roads were interesting.

First, we ran into our first automatic road contruction signal. Instead of someone standing at each end of the works zone waving people through with flags, automated signals control the flow of traffic through the single lane.

Once we got closer to the tombs, the road got progressively more rough until it became two wheel ruts with grass between them. You can view some video of it by clicking the image to the left. We were concerned when we came upon a closed gate, however it was merely an attempt to contain the area sheep. The sign on it requested those passing through to please shut it behind them.

While a large sign indicated the road up the hillside was passable by car, we determined the van was still ill-equipped for the trip due to its high stance and under-powered engine. Kayt, Emery, Jonathan and myself chose to make the trip on foot while mom and dad chose to wait in the van. They figured the hike would be a bit too taxing and they were probably right.

We made our way up to the parking area at the top and were perplexed to find what used to be signs. The posts were all that remained. A path continued onward and we guessed that was the way. We approached an overlook, wondering why we weren't seeing any tombs. We scoped out the landscape, speculating if various structures or rock piles might be the tombs. We snapped pictures while we looked, taking advantage of the view despite the lack of success. We walked back to the parking area, and wondered what the empty signs might have said had they still been there. That's when something caught the corner of my eye.

I looked up the hillside and there was a small sign up there. Could that be the location of the tombs? We followed what appeared to be a sheep path and suddenly we were there. We had walked at least a mile out of our way and tramped through mud and wet clover only to find the tombs were on the hillside above the parking area.

Here are some phots from our excursion:

Following our trip to the tombs, we drove to Donegal and checked into the B & B. Once there, we walked into the center of town to get some dinner. We couldn't find a pub that served food at that time of night, so we settled for a small cafe.

Following dinner, we ended up at a hotal bar that provided entertainment via a one man band. He sang and played guitar to an electronic music bed. Most of the songs were old Irish folk songs.

End of Day 4