SUNDAY MAY 10, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN BURREN IN BLOOM, DAWN CHORUS WALK
My alarm rang at 4:00 am for the “Burren in Bloom” Dawn Chorus Walk with Gordon D’Arcy. We were to meet at the Spar and start our walk from there to Lough Rask. Breada and I were the first to arrive. Jim had coffee and tea for everyone set out on the picnic tables in front of the Spar, he also had scones for us. At about 5:30 Gordon introduced himself and told us a little about the birds in and around the Burren; then we started out. As we all walked down the road I was grateful that the sky was clear and the wind from the previous days had blown itself out. The air was very still and loud with birdsong. Gordon D’Arcy led us along the road to Lough Rask, stopping frequently to listen to a particular bird song and to relay information regarding the habits of the bird that was singing. Gordon pointed out the songs and calls of the Sparrow, Wren, Tit, Robin, and Cuckoo.
A woman named Dory, who is in her 80’s, owns the property surrounding Lough Rask. As we approached her house she came out to join us for the walk around the little lake. We stopped and waited for her to walk over to us – she came equipped with a walking stick, her wellies and her dog. Everyone seemed to know her and her them, as we walked she made comments about the beauty of the place. The sun rose while we were at Lough Rask and there was a beautiful mist hovering over the water. As we approached the misty lake, Gordon asked Jim Hyland to tell us the legend of Lough Rask. During our walk we all saw one of the four Grey Heron’s nesting at Lough Rask flying low overhead, Dory told us that at one time there were 17 Heron nests at Lough Rask.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE MIDWEST INSTITUTE STUDY-TRIP GROUP
After the Dawn Chorus Walk I had a cup of coffee at Meadowfield then walked over to meet Isaac and Tom. They were to be staying in a house that is owned by Mary Hawkes Greene’s mother-in-law. I have stayed in this house many times and have always found the setting beautiful and peaceful. I left Meadowfield around 8:00 am and arrived at the house before Isaac and Tom did. I took this opportunity to enjoy the beauty and the quietness of the place. I was not surprised to see that a turlough was in the field in front of the house, I could see the blue sky and green foliage reflected on the surface of the water. Soon Anna Downes drove up with Isaac and Tom. They moved their luggage from Anna’s car into the house. Before Anna drove off she briefed Isaac on all the necessities of the house, like using the stove, turning on the heat, and the keys to the house.
Anna had left us with fresh scones so Isaac made some tea and coffee and I listened to the report of their journey to the Burren while enjoying a scone and a cup of coffee. We spent the early part of the morning talking about the itinerary of this year’s study-trip and the dynamics of the student group. When we were certain that the time had come for the Tea Junction in Ballyvaughan to be open (around 11:00) the three of us walked into the village for a late breakfast. It was a lovely morning and I was glad that the weather was so fine for the group’s arrival. As we entered the Tea Junction, Jill welcomed us by declaring “I know that voice” referring to the voice of Tom Hughes. Isaac and Tom exchanged pleasantries with Jill while we found a table. We ordered our breakfast and when it arrived both Isaac and Tom commented on how they had missed the breakfast sausage and that it was the best sausage ever. I certainly agree with them about that.
Over breakfast I was told that I was to give the first lecture and presentation on ancient Ireland and its mythology for the first class, which was tomorrow. So, after we finished eating I walked back to Meadowfield and spent the afternoon preparing for the lecture and putting together a presentation for the students. I, also, spent part of the day organizing my stuff and doing some pre-packing for my flight home on Tuesday.
Isaac, Tom and I had arranged to meet at Logue’s Lodge for supper at 7:30 so I could meet the students. When I arrived at Logue’s about half of the students were there, Isaac introduced me to them. Shortly after three other students arrived, they introduced themselves to me. They told us that two of the students would not be coming down for this dinner get-together. We had a lovely time, the students all enjoyed their dinners, and Tom treated us all to cake for dessert. One of the students told us that they had been in Hyland’s earlier and heard that they were having traditional Irish music there this evening. So, of course, after we finished our cake and paid our bills we walked down the street to Hyland’s.
In Hyland’s we gathered around the fireplace in the bar, ordered drinks and waited for the musicians to arrive. Soon two young men entered, one with a mandolin and the other with a fiddle. They sat at a corner table near where we were sitting. They played Irish reels and jigs and each time they finished a set the students would make some sort of verbal recognition of appreciation. After a few sets the musicians started talking with the students asking where they were from. After hearing that they were from Kalamazoo the fiddler told us that he had been in Kalamazoo and had played at the Kratbrau. The students loved this.
Watching and listening to the young man play his fiddle made me recall that during the 2001 study-trip to the Burren I had it in my mind that I wanted to try to learn the Irish fiddle. My students got wind of that fact and they pooled their money and purchased an inexpensive fiddle that a Ballyvaughan music shop had for sale. I was taken-back by their thoughtfulness and generosity but mostly for their confidence that I could really learn to play. When arriving back to the U.S. I signed up for fiddle lessons, in a Kalamazoo music shop, and learned to play some nice (though simple) tunes. I did my fair share of providing a lot of squeaks and squawks while learning – my husband and daughter requesting that I only practice when I was home alone.
After receiving the fiddle from my students I visited the same Ballyvaughan music establishment and purchased 2 fiddle books, “The Irish Fiddle Book” by Matt Cranitch, Ossian Publications, Cork, Ireland 1996. and “English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tune” by Robin Williamson, Oak Publications, New York, 1976. Both of which are a great source of tunes and fiddle methods. In his book, Robin Williamson includes these thoughts about Irish music that I found insightful:
“(it is) all the anguish of the Celtic soul, continually at war with reality”
“The fact is that styles of music and culture have tended to be cyclical. These old tunes of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland just seem to get more and more magical to me. An old song tends to date itself through its language and mode of thought (and that can often be the charm of it), but the old tunes branch on and blossom, There is a spell on them to make the hearer tap his foot and smile and hop about. The best of them have a thread of sadness and wisdom woven through the patterning.”
“The music is staggeringly hones. It is the testimony of all the unknown players who loved and died by it. It’s an acorn that will grow another forest yet.
These words ring so true to me—when I think back to when I was around 12 years old and teaching myself the guitar, my inner soul was soothed by “I Gave My Love a Cherry”, “Aura Lee”, “A Poor Wayfarying Stranger” and “Greensleeves.” I preferred to play these songs over the popular songs of the day. Can it be that the roots of these songs spoke to some ancient part of my being and comforted it? I certainly found comfort and security playing these songs over and over again.
I have found that the music of Ireland tells Ireland’s story to me in a way that no book or storyteller can. From its most ancient songs to the songs that my new friend Daithi O’Dronai composes and plays there is an underlying thread that tugs at my soul. During my visits to Ireland I have purchased a guitar in Ennis, a mandolin in Dublin and a mandola in Galway. Breada keeps the guitar at Meadowfield for me so I have an instrument to play when I’m in the Burren. The mandolin and the mandola are kept at home in Kalamazoo with my other guitars and my lap harp. I see music as a powerful form of communication and it has always been a very large part of my life. Even though I was enjoying the music and didn’t want to leave it behind, I left Hylands at 11:00 because I felt I should review my lecture and presentation before tomorrow’s class. I walked home in the quiet darkness – the stars were burning brightly. I stopped and leaned up against the stonewall to look at them.
SATURDAY MAY 9, 2009: BALYVAUGHAN
I saw Joe and Rosalie off on their journey to County Mayo. I spent the morning in the studio and caught the coach into Galway in the afternoon, where I got Euros to pay Breada and bought some gifts for home.
FRIDAY MAY 8, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN
TOUR OF THE BURREN FOR THE NOVARA’S
Holy Well of the Holy Cross at Gleninagh
Again it was a very windy. Today was Joe and Rosalie’s last day on the Burren landscape for they were driving to County Mayo the next morning. I offered to take them on a little tour of some Burren sights that had not yet seen. We managed to visit Gleninagh and see the castle and the Holy Well, Corcomroe Abbey, An Rath, An Cathair Mohr, the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, and the Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb. I enjoyed the time I spent showing them these places, it is always fun to share things with people who are genuinely interested. The weather was a little weird – it happened to hail on us twice only to be followed by sunshine. Below is an except from my journal that recorded my first visit to the Holy Well of the Holy Cross at Gleninagh in 2000:
Near Gleninagh Castle, one of the many tower houses of the O’Lochlainn family , is the “Holy Well of the Holy Cross”. I hiked there on a very pleasant day from my cottage on Galway Bay. I stopped at the well and settled on a stone seat nearby and unpacked my lunch from my backpack. It was a glorious day and I was there all alone. I enjoyed the solitude while I ate and afterwards tossed some pieces of bread and poured water from my water bottle on the earth as a thank you offering and a gesture of respect for that ancient place.
I had been told that this well was known for the healing of warts. I had no warts but I felt I could use the blessing of holy waters. The entrance of the well was a stone arch, I knelt down to position myself at the entrance and leaned inside. There I saw a ledge that was a type of altar—on it I saw many half burned candles, a small statue of the Virgin Mary, a small portrait of Christ, and many dried wildflowers—offerings from past visitors. In the water of the well there were many coins. I reached down into the water of this holy well and touched the water and blessed myself with the sign of the cross. I sat there, I don’t know how long, thinking of the many people throughout the ages that have come to this well for it healing powers and to give thanks.
Rosalie and Joe Novara at Gleninagh
Joe Novara on the Gleninagh shoreline
After we left Gleninagh we passed through Ballyvaughan, past Muckinish Castle and Bell Harbor to Corcomroe Abbey. The Abbey of Corcomroe is an 11th century Cistercian Abbey. On a visit to Corcomroe in 2001 I had the good fortune to be guided by the Irish historian and lecturer Michael Mac Mahon. In his book, “On a Fertile Rock, The Cistercian Abbey of Corcomroe”, Kincora Books, Corofin, Co, Clare 2000, Mac Mahon writes about a battle fought near Corcomroe in 1268 between the O’Brien King and the O’Lochlainn King:
“Conor Na Siudaine O’Brien king of Thomond, was surprised by Conor Carrah O’Lochlainn and slain together with many of his followers. In deference to his close kinship with the abbey’s founder and to his own royal status Conor’s body was retrieved from the battlefield by the monks.
“O’Brien’s tomb occupies a specially designed arched recess in the left-hand side of the sanctuary. Lying above the tomb is an approximately life-size effigy of the dead king carved in limestone. The body is clothed in a pleated tunic extending below his knees. A scepter is held in the right hand and the left touches an object suspended around the neck. The effigy is of great interest as it is one of the very few contemporary representations of an Irish chieftain.”
Looking toward the alter of Corcomroe Abbey
Tomb of Conor O'Brien in Corcomroe Abbey
When we arrived at Corcomroe we were its only visitors. We walked through the abbey ruins thinking about what it may have looked like in the 11th century and about the monks who had worked and lived there. We walked around the grounds looking at grave stones and managed to find the well that the monks used for their water source. The sun was warm and we stood within the grounds of the Abbey lost in conversation inspired by our visit. Corcomroe Abbey is, indeed, an inspirational place it is mentioned in this portion of W.B. Yeats poem “The Dreaming of the Bones”:
“The little narrow trodden way that runs
From the white road to the abbey of Corcomroe
Is covered up; and all about the hills
Are like a circle of agate or of jade.
Somewhere among great rocks on the scarce grass
Birds cry, they cry their loneliness,
Even the sunshine can be lonely here,
Even hot noon is lonely.”
The late Irish poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue includes Corcomroe in is poem “The Burren Prayer” in his book “Conamara Blues” Doubleday, London 2000:
“Oremus
Maria de Petra Fertilis (Mary of the Fertile Rock)
May the praise of rain on stone
Recall the child lost in the heart’s catacomb.
May the light that turns the limestone white
Remind us that our solitude is bright.
May the arrival of gentians in their blue surprise
Bring glimpses of delight to our eyes.
May the wells that dream in the stone
Soothe the eternal that sleeps in our bone.
May the contemplative mind of the mountain
Assure us that nothing is lost or forgotten.
May the antiphon of ocean on stone
Guide the waves of loneliness home.
May the spirits who dwell in the ruin of Corcomroe
Lead our heart to the one who is beautiful to know.
Go maire na mairbh agus a mbrionglodi (May the departed and their dreams ever dwell)
I bhfoscadh chaoin dilis na Trinoide (In the kind and faithful shelter of the Trinity).”
We soon found that we were getting a little hungry so we stopped for lunch at Logue’s Lodge in Ballyvaughan and then drove on to the ringfort of An Rath and An Cathair Mohr. It was during our visits to these places that the sky opened up and hail fell, once at An Rath and again during our time at An Cathair Mohr (curious). During the last little hail storm we headed for the car and Joe drove us through the Burren’s limestone hills to visit the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb. This tomb is the most ancient structure in the Burren - the information below regarding this portal tomb is from “The Book of the Burren”, Feehan, John et al, Tir Eolas 1991:
“The megalithic or great stone tombs are the most visible testimony to extensive early prehistoric activity. Over seventy tombs occur in the Burren, over half the total of County Clare. A few Portal Tombs and Court Tombs may represent the earliest monuments from about 3800 B.C.E.
“Portal Tombs (like Poulnabrone) usually have two imposing portals or entrance stones flanking the front of a relatively small rectangular or sub-rectangular chamber. The capstone, which sometimes rest just on the end stone and on the portal stones, is often very large. Four such monuments occur in County Clare…one situated in the very heart of the Burren at Poulnabrone.
“This striking tomb was excavated by Dr. Ann Lynch of the Office of Public Works in 1986. The excavation found the disarticulated and fragmented remains of between 16 and 22 adults and 6 juveniles, including a new born baby. From her findings Dr. Lynch concluded: “The number of individuals interred at Poulnabrone can hardly represent a Neolithic community, so we must regard the tomb as a place for special dead.”
“Some of the human bones from Poulnabrone were submitted for radiocarbon dating and the results suggest that burials took place there between 3800 and 3100 B.C.E.”
- Poulnabrone Portal Tomb
The author Jean Markale is his book “The Epics of Celtic Ireland, Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic” Inner Traditions International, Vermont, 2000 tells us that:
“ it was the Tuatha Da Danann who constructed the Megaliths.”
According to Markale Tuatha Da Danann lived in Ireland during the second millennium B.C.E. and during the Bronze Age until the dawn of the first iron civilization. If Markale is correct it may be the Tuatha Da Danann who constructed Poulnabrone Portal Tomb. Could it be that I have rested my hands on a structure that was (possibly) built by the Tuatha Da Danann?
The ancient epics of Ireland tell us the race of the Tuatha Da Danann agreed to divide Ireland with the invading Sons of Mil – otherwise known as the Celts. The Tuatha Da Danann would rule the spiritual realm of Ireland while the Celt ruled the physical realm.
“The Tuatha Da Danann would have the underground realm of burial mounds and megaliths as well as supremacy over the remote islands” (Markale).
Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb
On our drive back from visiting the portal tomb we stopped in an area of the Burren named Gleninsheen to see the Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb. Wedge tombs like this one were being constructed on the Burren about 1000 years after the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb was built. As we looked over the limestone pavement around this tomb I recalled that it was here that a Burren farmer, Paddy Nolan, found the Gleninsheen Collar. This is a version of the famous story found in “The Book of the Bureen”, Feehan, John et al, Tir Eolas 1991”
“The most extraordinary piece of evidence for a late Bronze Age presence, c. 700 B.C.E., comes from the townland of Gleninsheen. This famous gold collar or gorget was found by accident in 1932 and its preservation is due in great measure to D.F. Gleeson who published the following account in 1934:
“On 17th January, 1932, when rabbit shooting at Gleninsheen, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, a young man named Patrick Nolan, who resides there, told me he had found a “queer looking thing” some time ago and asked if I would care to see it. He said his uncle was of the opinion that it was part of an ancient coffin mounting, and told him not to keep it in the house. He then took the gorget out from behind a wall on the rocky passage to the road from his house,
“Dr. Mahr, Keeper of Irish Antiquities came to Ennis and took charge of the gorget which is now in the Museum. He and I inspected the site were it was originally discovered, It was in a fissure near the base of one of the typical rock formations which abound in the Burren . . . it was apparently hidden there, as it was pushed as far as possible into a very narrow fissure, and a than flat stone flake was wedged in front of it. It was pure chance that Nolan looked in the fissure, as his dog had “set” a rabbit in the cavity between the rock and the adjoining one.”
Gleninsheen Collar, 700 B.C.E.
I have had the pleasure of seeing the Gleninsheen Collar in the Museum in Dublin but there is, also, a stunning replica of it in the Burren Display Center nearby in Kilfenora. The impressive exhibit in the Burren Display Center shows this collar being worn by a Bronze Age man of the Burren area.
We returned back to Meadowfield around 5:30 and met some Meadowfield B & B guests that were visiting Ireland from Boston. They were planning on staying overnight in Ballyvaughan then driving to Dingle the next day. After meeting them I walked to the Spar to buy something for my dinner. When I returned David, Breada’s nephew, was visiting. We sat in the sitting room and I told him of Isaac’s arrival on the upcoming Sunday, I explained that Isaac was involved in music and plays in a couple of bands. David suggested that he and Isaac plan on getting together for a session in his recording studio. I was a little jealous, because it sounded like fun and I would be back home by then.
The evening was spent doing laundry and sitting by the fire and hearing stories about early life up on the mountain.
THURSDAY MAY 7, 2009: BALLYVAUGHAN
I awoke again to a very windy day. I was up and in the kitchen drinking my first cup of coffee when Joe and Rosalie came for breakfast. I joined them at the table and we talked of things to see and do in the Burren with Breada. The conversation turned to the subject of John O’Donohue and his book Anam Cara. After breakfast I brought my DVD of the Anam Cara video down from the studio and Joe, Rosalie and I watched it. We spent some time discussing the content of the video with Joe asking where he could purchase this DVD. I told him I found it in Galway at Charlie Byrnes Bookstore – Joe planned on stopping in Galway to look for it when they passed through on the way to County Mayo. Around noon Joe and Rosalie went off for the day for a drive on the coastal road to visit Blackhead, Fanore, Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher. They planned to return to Ballyvaughan in time to drive to Kilfenora for the ceili at Vaughan’s Pub.
I spent the day working on artwork, reading and writing notes. When Joe and Rosalie came back from their day’s excursion they told Breada and I all about it. They had enjoyed themselves despite the day’s cool windy weather. Rosalie decided to rest a little and Joe and I went to the village to get something for dinner. Around 9:15 we left Ballyvaughan to drive to the ceili in Kilfenora. As we rode over the landscape of the Burren a beautiful full moon lit the sky while we drove through Glenisheen and Poulnabrone on our way to the ceili.
When we arrived at Vaughan’s Pub the first dance set was in progress. We each paid the 5-euro cover charge. I went to the bar and ordered a pint of Guinness and Joe ordered drinks for himself and Rosalie. Soon we found a place to sit so we could watch the dancing. The students and faculty visiting from Kentucky were, also, there. I found out from one of the faculty members that they had come to have dance lessons prior to the beginning of the ceili. The students made good use of the lessons for many of the female students were out on the floor.
I had an opportunity at the ceili to talk with one of the male Kentucky students who told me that he was writing poetry for his project for his class. He said that they were scheduled to fly out on the following Saturday and regretted having to leave. He said he just wasn’t ready. The Kentucky group had a four-week class, the first two weeks in the Burren and the second two weeks back at their school in Lexington.
The ceili went on to about 12:45, we left the Pub with the others but found that the road on the drive home to be empty. It was very dark on the drive home, soon after we returned home to Meadowfield a rainstorm came in from the sea. I fell asleep listening to the rain.
Tags: Ballyvaughan, Burren, Ceili, Corcomroe Abbey, Gleninagh, Gleninsheen Collar, Holy Well, Irish Music, Jean Markle, Joe Novara, John Feehan, John O'Donohue, Kilfenora, Midwest Institue, Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, Rosalie Novara, Tuatha Da Danann, Vaughan's Pub, W.B. Yeats, Wedge Tomb
