Here are some maps to give you an idea of where we went (our actual driving route isn't shown here; it was just easier to add destinations to Google maps rather than modifying or drawing out my own map. This really is lazy blogging and I do apologize!). Birr in County Offaly was our base and we went out and about to a variety of places, which you can see on the maps. We covered Clonmacnoise and Clara Bog in one day as they were in approximately the same direction, and spent a day each bopping around the Slieve Bloom mountains (in Offaly and Laois) and wandering around Birr Castle. We also visited Ireland's oldest pub, Morrissey's in Abbeyleix in County Laois.
And here are some photos!
Clonmacnoise
Along with its religious significance and importance as a pilgrimage site, Clonmacnoise was also a centre of excellence for education and craftsmanship, in addition to being a focal point for trade. It came under constant attack from both enemies within Ireland and without (including the Vikings and the English) but was reconstructed each time this happened, until it was finally destroyed by an English garrison in 1552. Its status had already been weakened at this point for a number of reasons, but this last attack left it in ruins and it was never rebuilt. The Office of Public Works is now responsible for taking care of the site and it really is a beautiful place to visit. It feels remote and tranquil, and I found it quite emotional; there weren't that many people about and it was a nice, soft day (some misty showers and spells of sunshine) and I truly got a sense of our Christian past and how devout and serious these monastic settlements were. I've only recently become aware of this and how ancient Christianity still permeates modern Irish life, despite our apparent increasing secularism. It's there in our placenames, our heritage sites, and our customs. The last census showed that 78.3% of the population self-identify as Catholic, a figure that may appear somewhat surprising considering all of the turmoil the Church has been through and our enthusiastic embracing of all things materialistic since the heady days of the Celtic Tiger. It's interesting and something I would like to explore a little further at some point...
The beautiful Offaly bog
Turf is peat and it has been traditionally used in Ireland as a source of fuel for many, many years, particularly in rural parts of the country. Going to the bog to cut/foot/turn/bring home the turf and turf fires (either open or in a range or stove) are ingrained in the Irish psyche as can be seen by this fascinating Irish-English list of terms related to all things turf. However, as the bog also serves as a unique ecosystem and is home to a diverse array of wildlife, there has been increasing conflict in recent times between conservationists and those who use turf for heat and cooking. As the procurement of turf for these purposes is not just limited to families processing the same piece of bogland for generations and there has been considerable mechanization for commercial exploitation, along with other human interference, bog cover in Ireland has been dramatically reduced over the years, resulting in concerted attempts to promote its preservation and to restrict stripping for fuel. While I absolutely appreciate the importance of taking care of this precious resource, I also sympathize with those engaged in subsistence extraction - I think there's a world of difference between full-on industrialization of turf-cutting for profit and gathering enough turf to keep your family warm over the winter, as is still the case in many rural areas. Education on the importance of maintaining and respecting our bogland is vital and projects such as the one in Clara Bog (mentioned below and photos above) are essential in this regard; we have to keep the bigger picture in mind, however, and consider how best to address the issue of stripping - it's not an easy fix and an all-out ban may be perhaps too harsh.
So! There are two types of bog, blanket and raised, with the former being most prevalent in mountainous regions and in the west of the country, and the latter found almost exclusively across the Midlands (I particularly like this site if you're interested in finding out more about Irish bogs and how they were formed, and this is an Irish Times article looking at the artistic and cultural legacy of the bog that's worth a read). As no trip to the Midlands would be complete without encountering the bog, we visited the Clara Bog Nature Reserve and Visitor Centre, which I would highly recommend. A 1km boardwalk has been constructed on the reserve, and - despite the windy weather - this made for a lovely walk. Again, we had the place almost to ourselves and I loved listening to the grasses whispering and moving, and watching the bog cotton do its thing...
Birr
It's an easy drive to Birr, through vivid-green countryside (both Anthony and I felt we were back driving through England at one point, with the well-organized, tree-bordered, rolling fields and the straight roads that are most definitely not a feature of the west of Ireland. There is an unmistakable English influence on the landscape and towns of the Midlands - at least from the areas we drove through - that isn't so apparent in the west, and there wasn't a dry stone wall in sight) and it provides excellent access to the surrounding area. The people are friendly and down-to-earth, and I have to give special mention to the super-tasty pizza at Cristiano's Pizza Parlour that's making me hungry right now as I think of it...
Birr Castle and gardens
Slieve Bloom
Morrissey's pub in Abbeyleix
And that was our Midlands holiday! If you're looking for a low-stress yet scenic alternative to the popular and heavily promoted Wild Atlantic Way or the capital Dublin and so on, I don't think you could do better than spend a few days in Offaly or Laois, particularly if you're into outdoorsy goings on. On a personal note, although I love the west of Ireland coastline, I prefer to avoid it in the summer as I feel that it's at its best at other times of the year. Its fragile and lonesome beauty is lost in bright light and sunshine and crowds and noise, and it sometimes makes me sad that excessive, unsustainable tourism in this part of the country could be destroying a way of life that has survived from ancient times. It struck me recently that one of the reasons the west of Ireland is such a magnet for tourists, the fact that it is still so traditional and represents the 'real' Ireland, may be due to its topography and historic poverty, particularly in Connaught. This province is regarded to be the most conservative in Ireland, and there is a strong adherence to the Catholic faith here. I wonder if this is due to historic reasons, and if it derives from the time of the Plantations by the English when the native Irish were said to have been banished to Connaught because it was so difficult to survive there? As I mentioned earlier, I am supremely ignorant of my own country's history so I would love to know more about this: our history has shaped our present and I am thoroughly ashamed to know so little about Ireland's past.
Anyways! The point I'm trying to make is that we should try to look beyond the advertising and the obvious and get to know the less-travelled roads of Ireland - I was so happy to see an entirely new part of Ireland (to me) and we had a fantastic time. Go and see it for yourselves!