Sunday, August 25, 2013

The Cliffs of Moher and Galway, Ireland.

 The Cliffs of Moher on Ireland's rugged west coast are the most visited natural attraction in Ireland.  The cliffs rise as high as 702 feet (214 m) above the Atlantic.  The weather was very windy, with intermittent rain the day of our visit.
 O'Brien's Tower, built in 1835, is an example of an early tourist accommodation.  It looks like the ruins of an old castle, but it was built to provide an observation point and shelter for tourists who even back then were attracted to view the Cliffs of Moher.
 Near the Cliffs of Moher is a barren land called The Burren, with limestone rocks and fissures stretching to the sea.  One of Oliver Cromwell's generals surveyed the area and wrote, "There isn't a tree to hang a man, nor water to drown a man, nor soil to bury a man."  It appears that they valued natural resources for providing the means to kill people.
 St. Nicholas' Collegiat Church in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, is the largest medieval church in daily use in Ireland.  It dates to 1320.  A spotlight gently illuminated the altar, but the light was reflected by the gold cross, creating the beautiful effect above.
It was raining the day of our visit to Galway, creating lots of puddles in the street.  There were too many pedestrians blocking a conventional photo of the shops on the main street, but this angle into a puddle enabled a photo that did not include the crowds of people at street level.  On a rainy day with dreary skies, this is a way to make lemonade when the weather gives photographers lemons.

6 comments:

Siddhartha Joshi said...

Nice shots...last one is lovely!

glenda said...

Lovely shots of Ireland. The reflective photo is really creative.

Jack said...

It is a nice series, Dave and Julie. I have been to all of these places, but probably 35 years ago. It doesn't look like much has changed.

Sharon said...

I love that top photo. It looks like it might have been windy too.

Eleftheria said...

Beautiful shots!!!

Kate said...

A wonderful collection of photos. Seems appropriate today as we mourn the death of Seamus Heaney, a wonderful Irish poet.

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