Musical Pub Crawl

For those so inclined, there is a musical pub crawl...for listening and learning primarily, although patrons are encouraged to down a pint of the black stuff or other at the pubs visited. You start at Gogarty's (I suspect the whole thing is organized by Stephen Leech), then move off Fleet Street to Ha'penny Bridge, then across the river to Brannigan's, off  O'Connell. We wish we had done this pub crawl first, rather than last, but, in any case, whether at the beginning or the end, it helped make sense of much that we experienced and enjoyed in Ireland. And it was also the most amusing and entertaining thing we saw. Vicki's idea, of course.

Before the crawl, we split an enormous farm grill at Gogarty's
(not pictured...half  a dozen oysters)

At Gogarty's, but not for long since the place
is loaded with drunk stags and hens and
American college students on Saturday night;
this crawl requires attention and sobriety; and
is worth the sacrifice

At Ha'penny Bridge; the same two guys did all the performance
and commentary; wish I'd gotten their names...really outstanding

Here discussing/demonstrating traditional Irish instruments

At Brannigan's

After the crawl, we crawled back to Gogarty's for another
hour of Stephen Leech & Co before the midnight bus to
Clondalkin; a great end to our month+ in Ireland

Riverdance

After Fourknocks we made our way to Dublin (about 20 miles) and did an administrative day at Blanchardstown and then moved back to Camac Valley campground, from there to enjoy two nights of entertainment in the Hibernian capital. In view of my illness and days lost we had re-booked our sailing to Holyhead to allow ourselves a bit more time in the great city. Friday night Vicki had gotten tickets to Riverdance, now in it nth year of performance (they say Parnell loved it). We had both seen bits of Riverdance on TV years ago and had resolved this was something we had to do. There is a scale of Irish folk music...Cobblestone and its sessions at one end, and Riverdance at the other. Riverdance is sort of the Broadway version of Irish music and dance, complete with lavish lighting, sound-track, and effects. Our tastes are squarely in the middle of the scale, but we much enjoyed Riverdance. The dancing was certainly the best tap dancing I have ever seen...including Irish, Flamenco, African-American, eastern European...sort of a world tribute to tapping and stomping. The all-female musical group was outstanding, especially the extended solo number on the uilleann. The hyper-soprano was capable of shattering glasses in the theatre bar.... Needless to say, photography and videography are not permitted during the performance, but I did sneak a few at the end.

Warming up before the performance...a glass of
Jameson's helped

In the gorgeous old Gaiety Theatre

Lead dancers

Concluding applause; note megalithic art theatrical set

Fourknocks Tomb

Our last megalithic stop in Ireland was Fourknocks, a single mound and passage tomb about ten miles from Newgrange, with an apparent winter solstice orientation. When excavated, it yielded the ashes or bones of some 65, together with a variety of grave goods. Fourknocks' rock art is notable for having, allegedly, the only neolithic representation of a human face. Neither Vicki nor I saw the face, although I took many pix and keep staring at them in hopes of becoming enlightened...

Fourknocks

Getting into Fourknocks proved to be an adventure in itself;
fortunately, Ms. White was at the house

The Key

Damn! I left my Indiana Jones hat in Missoula!

"Gandalf, what's the Elvish word for friend?"

We're in; one of the things we learned from the glow-worms in
New Zealand is that it takes your eyes 7 minutes to adjust...

Panning around

More megalithic art

Lintels; the zig-zaggy stuff is said to be "Iberian"

More

This is the face stone; I don't get it; help me if
you can

Another pretty incredible place, and a great end to our megalithic
adventures in Ireland

Loughcrew Tombs, 2

Continuing our visit to the Loughcrew Tombs...

Now outside, looking at some of the other tombs...there are
25 in all, some complete, some just traces

Interesting to run your fingers over designs your ancient fellows labored over,
6,000 years ago; making these designs was a matter of stone on stone, sometimes
incising with flint, sometimes just pecking away with a stone hammer and stone
chisel

Just before we were there, a small group of interestingly dressed younger persons
visited the area, singing, performing rites, and leaving offerings...

Vicki seated on the Witch's Chair

Looking toward the middle hill, more tombs

Another special place

Loughcrew Tombs, 1

On a ridge of hills some miles west of Bru na Boinne, but still in County Meath, are the Loughcrew Tombs, another of Ireland's 3 or 4 great megalithic centers. The tombs appear to me about midway in age between Carrowmore and Bru na Boinne: smaller undertakings, still passage tombs, often with a dolmen surrounded by a ring, but interestingly carved, and therefore more like their eastern neighbors than those to the west. Cairn T on Carnbane Hill East, is the largest specimen. It's a bit of a trudge climbing up to it, but it is more than rewarding. There are few people willing to make this trip, and you can easily have the place to yourself. OPW staff are helpful but more than willing to stay in their hut out of the fierce wind.

Carin T and a small ring neighbor to the left

The nice OPW ladies will let you borrow a torch if you forgot yours

Corballed ceiling, just like at Newgrange