Follow Ireland Immigration to experience Ireland travel and life: Waves crash against the rocks at Mizen Head, the southernmost point of Ireland. The headland is connected to the coast by a suspension bridge, and it is home to a lighthouse famous throughout the country.
Irish roads are very narrow. On both sides of the road are hedgerows and slopes where wild garlic, rhododendrons, and fuchsias grow so vigorously. The roads are also incredibly rugged, and we often brake at the last minute to avoid oncoming traffic. Then, our car gently brushes against the iron decorations of buildings, causing the branches of hawthorn trees along the road to rustle. People greet each other in a friendly manner on the street. Roadside encounters are the best way for the Irish to show their hospitality; they are never stingy with their friendliness.
In Michel Deon's taxi, we greet passersby with gestures, and they respond with smiles on their faces. The car continues to move as slowly as a snail. We have smiles on our faces, waving our hands like a royal honor guard—this speed allows us to fully appreciate the surrounding scenery. Driving slowly, sudden rain showers fall irregularly at any time, forcing us to frequently open or close the car windows.
Wild Atlantic Way
For weeks, we have been seeing these road signs along the way: a blue sign with a white zigzag line, which is the logo chosen by Tourism Ireland for the 'Wild Atlantic Way.' This is a coastal road stretching 2,500 kilometers, connecting Kinsale in County Cork in southeastern Ireland with the town of Derry in northern Ireland. Walking along this route, you can hear the whispers of the waves. Unless you have plenty of time, it is difficult to complete this entire road. Therefore, Tourism Ireland decided to divide this highway into several segments of equal length.
The road between Kinsale and the Dingle Peninsula follows the coastline of Ireland. Along the way, we see black cliffs, gloomy skies, sunlight occasionally breaking through the clouds, ancient stone crosses, cemeteries built on hilltops, gray low walls, green grasslands, and well-preserved ruins. In this country, such ruins are countless. Timoleague Franciscan Abbey is one of them. This abbey was built in the 13th century and was burned down by Cromwell's soldiers in 1642. Only the walls of the abbey remain, and the cemetery inside is full of a solemn and romantic atmosphere. Not far from the abbey lies the Drombeg Stone Circle. The stone circle was built in the 2nd century BC: 17 standing stones form a circle with a diameter of 9 meters. On the winter solstice, some stones align with the sun. A few bouquets of flowers are placed in the center of the stone circle: who are they offered to?
Along the way, there is also Staigue Fort, a massive stone structure. It has a circumference of 30 meters and walls up to 4 meters thick. The building was constructed around the 3rd century AD. On Skellig Michael Island, there are also small hut-shaped houses where monks lived, somewhat like Mont Saint-Michel in France. In the 7th century AD, believers began to live on this island, but their whereabouts are now unknown. Gallarus Oratory was built in the 7th century AD; Kilmalkedar Church is a Romanesque church built in the 12th century. Various stones are casually piled up along the low walls of the church: today, they no longer guard sheep and cattle.
These ancient stones and sleeping buildings are witnesses to a past, a history; unfortunately, none of them were recorded in writing, so a large part has been forgotten. In this country that has been forcibly invaded by modernization, they bring a sense of solemnity, holiness, and antiquity. There are many foreigners who come to this region. They come here hoping to find a piece of authentic history and to find their roots. Americans make up the majority of the tourists. We see huge tour buses carrying American tourists whizzing along the narrow roads, and what they see and feel along the way must have awakened long-forgotten memories. In the evening, at the bar of an old pub in Dingle, we see them again. They wear wool flat caps and thick white sneakers on their feet. They are here to taste whiskey or Guinness, drinks that possess a strong character, which is exactly what the Irish are proud of.
However, in the coastal areas, this strong character is replaced by elegance and tenderness. The value of this road lies in the fact that it gradually leads travelers into this beautiful and solemn landscape. There is no intense culture shock, no rushed travel plans, and no illusions. Starting from one peninsula and heading to another, we keep moving forward, driving toward the furthest outpost in Europe. For foreign tourists, this history written by the Celts is a precious treasure worth sharing with the world.
Bantry Bay
On the way, let us stop for a moment at Bantry Bay. In 1796, the young General Hoche led a revolutionary army to Ireland, and this beach witnessed the disastrous defeat experienced by the insurgent army. On December 15 of that year, commissioned by the French Directory, the general from Versailles led 45 warships loaded with brave warriors from the port of Brest in France, hoping to liberate Ireland from English rule through this operation while simultaneously destabilizing the enemy nation of England. France and England had been at war since 1793. Bad weather was England's best ally. After passing the Raz, the French fleet was scattered by strong easterly winds. On December 21, only 15 warships arrived at Bantry Bay, where they were to wait for the arrival of the rest of the fleet. General Hoche had already returned to Brest by this time.
After entering this east-west bay, under the influence of strong easterly winds, these warships found it difficult to dock. On December 27, a strong storm appeared on the sea, the ships were blown out to the open sea, and the operation ended in failure. Not a single one of the brave French navy could set foot on Irish soil. Bantry House faces the bay. Standing in Bantry House, Richard White carefully observed the maneuvers of the French navy. Born into an Irish family, he had long been prepared for defense, ready to bravely fight the French army. A year later, to reward Richard's heroic actions, King George granted him the title of Baron. Today, the owner of this place, Sophie Shelswell-White, still inherits the title of Baron. In her garden, we found a cannon from the French fleet, which was discovered on a shipwreck. In the room, we can enjoy breakfast in bed and admire the Aubusson tapestries from the Palace of Versailles. These tapestries were bought by her ancestors from the French government and decorate the walls of the living room.
Island of Literature
On the map, two peninsulas look like two fingers of a palm, separating Bantry Bay and Dingle Bay. When driving on the two peninsulas, we feel as if we have arrived at the end of the world. But in fact, the end of the world is a little further away, on the Great Blasket Island, with no road to get there. Therefore, to reach this place thousands of kilometers from the coast, you need the weather to be favorable and the sea to be calm. But unfortunately, it is hard to have both. Usually, tourists can only stand on the beach, looking at the blurred outline of the island from afar, while imagining the people and things that have vanished on the island.
Today, thanks to written records, they still live in people's memories. Historically, Great Blasket Island did not have much worth writing about. 1911 was its most glorious time, when there were 22 households on the island, with 160 residents living there. But people have always been full of respect for this place, because it was on this tiny piece of land that many excellent literary works were born, shining brightly in the treasure house of Irish literature. The reason this rocky island has attracted the curious eyes of the world is that the islanders well-preserved the purity of the Gaelic language, even though the British government had long forbidden the Irish from using this language. At the end of the 19th century, two British Celtic language experts went to the island for field research and asked the local residents to record their daily lives in writing. Subsequently, the residents sent many books written in Gaelic to the two scholars: Thomas O'Crohan's 'The Islandman,' the autobiography of Peig Sayers, and Maurice O'Sullivan's 'Twenty Years A-Growing.' Admittedly, the quality of these works varies, but it is truly amazing that so many writers could be born on such a small island. For those who do not like literature, the only thing to see on this island is the Slea Head cliffs. Here, David Lean filmed the movie 'Ryan's Daughter.' For filming a stirring love story, this is the most ideal place. The black cliffs stand like city walls against the ocean, and the crashing waves either beat against the cliffs, stirring up white spray, or strike the rocks, leaving yellow mud and sand from the seabed. Flocks of cormorants and seagulls, like wild ducks in a swamp, play in this turbulent and desolate wilderness.
Under the blowing of the strong wind, the grass on the grassland also rises and falls like waves. From time to time, the green of the grass is covered by the white of the sheep. Flocks of sheep seem indifferent to the roaring wind, passing by peacefully. Sometimes, heavy rain will pour down. At first, seeing dark clouds drifting from afar, the distant horizon becomes darker, and the dark clouds gradually approach the coast, floating aimlessly above the waves like a flock of wild sheep. Then, the heavy rain finally arrives, violently attacking this grassland. The sheep continue to graze on the grass, and the heavy rain gradually moves away. Between two dark clouds, the sun clearly appears. When flying over the Mediterranean, Saint-Exupéry, the author of 'The Little Prince,' once described dark clouds as a big smiling face. But here, we feel that the sunlight shining through the clouds onto the rocks is like draping a layer of silk over them. Everything becomes gentle, bright, and calm. At one moment, we ourselves seem to have become part of the flock, living in a quiet space, and the roaring wind in the distance, the waves, and the rocks violently struck by the sea seem to have nothing to do with us. But on the skyline, new clouds are forming, the sky darkens again, and heavy rain is about to arrive. Only then do we come to our senses, hurrying back to the car to wait for the sudden rain to stop.