July 21, 2024

July 21, 2024

From Kinvarra, Ireland we checked out and drove east into the interior stopping at the Irish Workhouse Centre. We arrived in time to get a private tour of this facility. In the 19th century, the English were getting heat about the treatment of their Irish peasants. Instead of eliminating the feudal system that was keeping the Irish down, their answer was the building of 163 poorhouses. It might have been a good short term solution for poverty, but the implementation was abysmal and the incentives were perverse.

Conditions at the workhouse were more like living in a prison. All the families were broken up on arrival and lived separate lives. The dormitories were walled off from each other. Even the window heights were purposely high so inmates couldn’t see out to their family members. In theory, the residents were supposed to work but little thought was given to giving them jobs that would be productive and help the economy. It was essentially a planned failure. Possibly because some of the landlords were just looking at an excuse to clear out their landholdings.

After our tour, we drove north along the Shannon River to visit Clonmacnoise. This is probably the most famous monastic settlement of ancient Ireland.  Unlike the hermit settlements of Glendalough and Skellig Michael that we visited earlier, Clonmacnoise was founded in 544 AD at the crossroads of Irish commerce. Clonmacnoise sits at the intersection of the north-south water highway of the Shannon River and the major east-west crest trail. It was destined to be a center of learning and craftsmanship. The monk scribes who copied manuscripts while the rest of Europe was in the Dark Ages have the claim of saving the wisdom of Western Civilization.

The monastic settlement with its distinctive round tower sits beautifully on the banks of the Shannon River. After walking the site we visited the museum. This is the highlight of the visit. Clonmacnoise has probably the best collection of Celtic religious art, especially High Crosses. The crosses with their distinctive stone ring blend ancient Druid art forms (knots and swirls) with Christian Bible themes. The best examples have been brought inside and replaced with replicas in the field.

Leaving Clonmacnoise we stopped in Shannonbridge for lunch. This town has the oldest bridge over the Shannon still in use. We have lunch at a restaurant with a view of this bridge built in 1757. A fort was added by the English to protect this vital crossing during the Napoleonic Era.

Our last stop was a few miles west at the Battle of Aughrim Interpretative Site. Aimee groaned when I told her about this bonus visit. This pivotal 1691 battle was the culmination of an English civil war between Catholic James II and Protestant King William. Unfortunately the Irish supported the losing side again in this bloodiest battle ever fought in the British Isles. We went through the exhibits and then watched a video playing atop a battlefield diorama. The battle date of July 12 is a contentious public holiday in Northern Ireland. The Scotch Protestant soldiers (Billy's Boys) who later emigrated to rural America got the name Hillbillys.

We left Aughrim and drove an hour west on the Motorway to our next accommodation in Galway City. It is raining so we have a light dinner in their pub.