Ireland ~ Travel Day To Clifden: Sligo-Creevykeel Tomb; Museum Of Country Life; Field Bar; Dinner & Tunes (Day 12) 02Aug23

We left Donegal for Clifden today ~ of course there were stops along the way. We 1st stopped at the Drummcliffe Monastery near where the Battle of Books occurred "a long time ago." The "high cross" was dated to 900ad from archeologists from the depiction of animals thereupon. It's old but the monastery of the ground was from the 1800s. Kala & I were caught in front of a fake fairy tree ~ whereupon rags were cast to offer favors to casters. John mentioned it's fake 'cause it's the wrong kind of tree and the cast items are not rags. The great Irish poet WB Yeats was buried here.

We hit another "oldie" along the way. The Creevykeel tomb was dated 5000bc and oriented with other tombs in Ireland, and the sun. I don't know if it remained as is from that time (I'm suspicious) or archaeologists recovered the site. It didn't have the roof enjoyed by pre-history humans of Ireland which we might've liked in the rain. Pretty cool.

Roll on down the road... John likely related relevant stuff but I tuned out listening to Reina del Cid for a bit... she writes keen Americana seemingly influenced by Irish music, as so much folk is. I disembarked again at the the "Museum Of Country Life" and associated house. The cantilevered stairway was great work in the house but the rest of the old stuff was meh ~ as was the history of the "special" families owning it. [When did owning "the land" become a thing? While real assets are modern wealth, it remains a smidge mysterious to me.] The grounds were keen with K2 posing with their counterpart St Brigid in her angry phase near the start of autumn. The hurling bats were from turn of century... centuries after native Americans began playing lacrosse...hmmm. The grounds were neet with a giant Yew tree and large red beech tree ~ Ireland has been "rid" of most trees from 1000s of years of humans existence here ~ cautionary tale as the genie cannot be put back in the bottle, despite attempts by Europeans. In those places on the planet that are pristine, we need to preserve, and because development is mostly all that "western' humans know, we need to duly comp those willing to forgo it... or we'll lose it all.

Let's catch a movie... The Field is a play by a fine Irish author John B Keane; it was made a famous US movie with Hurt & Harris on Irish soil in the town of Leenane in Connemara, Eire. We arrived in a bus of 16 Americans for pics and more. It was typical as we descended from the bus to a supposed cool Irish spot and took copious images which'll likely never be organized or even reviewed, some will. Whatever... I went the Gaynor to see the haps and noted celebration of "The Field," the movie, and a toasty real fire on the 2nd of August. I loved the vibe but less so our presence over-running the environs ~ strangely though, the locals promoted it. Brew was "ok."

We rolled past the mussel farms on the lough... they attach to the ropes hanging from the bouys. I enjoyed eating them multiple times: once in "Thai" red curry and once in white wine sauce. On the way into town we observed a big truck of peat (dried bog).

Town required searching for food among recommended sites. We hit Mannion's where I really enjoyed lamb shank and Gallway Hookers and Kala scored with Mussels, while K&K did less well with curry & chowder.

Ultimately we hit Ravi's too for tunes, pops, and views...