Life Is Full of Sweet Spots

“Legends

have always played

a powerful role

in the making of history.”

— Hannah Arendt

Killary Harbour is the most dramatic of Ireland’s three fjords. Glaciers carved out a u-shaped valley, known today as the drowned valley. Legend has it that the Devil created the pass by dragging Saint Roc over the mountains by chain. Smugglers used it to transport goods such as wine and tobacco. (1)

Originally, smugglers used the pass to transport goods such as wine and tobacco, landed by sea. Today, the rows of blue floats mark mussel farms, with the mollusks growing on hanging nets in the cold seawater. (2)

Wishing Trees, aka Fairy trees or May bushes, are hawthorn trees decorated with colorful strips of rags symbolizing requests to local saints or wee folk for protection, healing or good luck. (3)

As if to prepare ourselves for our next stop, we made a detour to Hazel Mountain Chocolate, home of the Burren Chocolatier. Too good to pass by! (4)

Literally the “rocky place,” the Burren is a barren 10-square-miles of limestone, littered with historic Iron Age stone structures. (5)

View of the Burren as seen from across the way at Hazel Mountain Chocolate. (6)

Poulnabrone is a classic example of a portal tomb with two tall portal stones flanking the entrance to a stonelined chamber, covered by a single large capstone. Excavations revealed at least 33 individuals were buried in the chamber along with such personal possessions as a decorated bone pendant, polished stone axe, quartz crystals and pottery fragments. (7)

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Sixth of a continuing series of Ireland travel words and images
Photos 1, 3 by Mary O’Connor • Photos 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 by Jan Logozzo • Next stop, the Cliffs of Moher

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