Great Famine and Ireland's First Marine Reserve...
What a diverse day.
An Irish blessing:
What a diverse day.
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| While the scenery of the lush countryside beckons us, the history of Ireland needs to be learned as well, and today we received a sad lesson in the town of Skibbereen. Skibbereen and its environs was one of the worst affected areas in all of Ireland. It became notorious as the center of some of the worst suffering endured by famine victims and thus a just location for an exhibition of this tragedy. The Great Irish Famine of the 1840s is now recognized as the most appalling disaster of the 19th century and we spent our morning learning as much about this devastation as we could. By 1850, one million people died and another one million emigrated. |
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| The nearby cemetery, at Abbystrowry, is where 8-10,000 famine victims were buried in a mass grave. It was a visit that summed up the loss felt by this community. |
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| A brief detour to the tiny coastal village of Baltimore for a look at the fishing boats and the gorgeous harbor. |
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| Lough Hyne, Ireland's first Marine Nature Reserve, is a salt-water lake fed by the sea through a narrow tidal channel. 'Discovered' in 1886 by marine biologists, it is home to a huge variety of plants and animals and therefore studied intensively. Steve and I just enjoyed being on its shore as the sun was out and it was warm. |
May you have the hindsight to know where you've been
the foresight to know where you're going
and the insight to know when you're going too far.
the foresight to know where you're going
and the insight to know when you're going too far.
4 comments:
Looks like a semi-cloudy and sunny day for you both in Ireland. Yes it was so devastating what happened to them and for you to be there and learning about the history of it is just amazing. I def had a very solemn feeling when I visited the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam and Hiroshima Bomb Memorial in Japan, really devastating things have happened in our history and we should learn as much as we can so we can stop it from happening again.
I really love that bike in front of that shop! Too cute! xoxo xandra
The countryside looks so beautiful and peaceful. How nice to soak up so much history and ebrace the culture! Truly a blessing!
I LOVE the harbor pics; the boats and nets have such beautiful colors.
You two are really getting around...and hitting some great spots!
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I'm adding Ireland to my list of places I want to go! I love the colors of the building in your last photo! It looks like you are having a beautiful time!
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