Inisheer, Ireland – Day 8

I woke up today and realized it was 8:30 a.m.! I got up and had Honey Pops for breakfast. The Honey Pops were delish. Then we hopped in the car, and we drove to Doolin. We got to the edge of Ireland, and when I got out of the car, the winds were fierce. Grrrr. We got some snacks and warm beverages at a food stand, and then we went on the ferry to Inisheer, the island where we had our adventures for the day.

When we got off the ferry, we took a horse and buggy tour. It was an hour and a half long, and our horse’s name was Sam. I sat next to Kate and the Mamafer. We stopped at a shipwreck. It was a giant wreck of a boat named The Plassey. The whole ship was about 100 feet long. It was super duper uberliciously rusted. I went inside the rusted hull, and my Mamafer took pictures of me. Exhibit A below.

In 1960, there was a big storm, and 11 crew members tried to keep the boat off the shore, but the wind swept it up onto the rocks and irreversibly damaged it.

After the tour, we walked to the sunken church, which was mostly underground, hence the name.  It was covered over with sand over hundreds of years, and when it was discovered, it had to be dug out. That’s how strong the winds are on the island! It was founded in the 10th century by Saint Caomhán, St. Kevin from Glendalough’s brother. We saw his grave a little above the church. Human remains were discovered near here that were from 1500 B.C.E.!

We stopped and got treats at the Seaweed Cafe. I got a caramel square, which was basically a cake/biscuit with caramel and chocolate on top, and I shared a milkshake with Addie. When we were finished, we hiked up to O’Brien’s Castle, which was built in the 15th century. I was so tired at that point that I just lay on the grass with Mondra and Addie Baddie.

On the way to the pier, we found a playground, and the moms let us play for 30 minutes. I made friends with two Irish boys and we talked about some of the differences between Ireland and the United States. They asked me if everyone in America has a gun. I told them no, not everyone.

Then we went to lunch at Tigh Ned. I had fish and chips. After lunch, we rented bikes. We struggled a bit at first, some more than others, especially because the brakes are opposite than in the U.S., so you brake with your left hand instead of your right. Once we started moving, we biked for about 30 minutes. We stopped at the seal colony, but they weren’t there. I did see a man with his children trying to get their crab trap out of the water, but they failed.

When we returned our bikes, Mama, Kate, and I went to the beach. The color of the water is very, very turquoise, closest to the sand. It’s the cleanest beach in Ireland. The sand was light light gray, and when it got wet, it became darker gray. When we climbed on the rocks, we saw beautiful pockets full of water. Two of them were beautiful heart shapes. Exhibit B below.

We took the ferry back to Doolin, and I sat next to V Money. When we got to shore, we got ice cream and shopped a little bit. When we got home, we had dinner, and now we are off to bed early.