Culture & Nature in Ireland & UK - Part 2

By Gloria Seow

Trip Participants: Gloria Seow & Timothy Pwee 

Trip Duration: 25 April to 18 May 2014

In Dublin, we visited the Book Of Kells exhibition at Trinity College. Then it was over to the Harry Potter-esque grand ancient library called The Long Room which holds thousands of rare and early books. It had an exhibition on “Emperor of the Irish” to mark the 1000^th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf that took place in 1014 between the High King of Ireland Brian Ború and Viking invaders. Highlights included the Book of Armagh (a famous 9^th century decorated manuscript) and medieval Irish treasures such as the Book of Leinster and the Brian Ború harp. The illuminated manuscripts in gold and vivid colours were really awe inspiring and beautiful. To me, they were quite reminiscent of the Islamic illuminated manuscripts. 

Dublin's Liffey River. The pink flags that line the riverbank were to welcome Giro d'Italia 2014, the second biggest bike race after the Tour de France. The race had starts in both Belfast and Dublin in May 2014. In fact, the whole countryside had pockets of pink in support of the racers, with many folks spray-painting their bikes all-pink and displaying these prominently. We even saw a herd of pink sheep! A touch of Irish humour there.

We took a Wild Rovers day tour to Belfast and the Giant's Causeway, crossing over to Northern Ireland (Ulster) which is part of the UK. There were subtle differences between the Irish and the UK sides - something about the road colour and the sign postings. Otherwise, there was no real border or passport control. In Belfast, I was quite taken aback at the charged political atmosphere in the city. Here, we broke up into several groups for the famous Black Taxi Tour. Our cab driver had lived through some of the violence and he shared with us the defining events that had shaped the area's history. He even showed us a real plastic bullet (it was huge - around 8 cm long!). Here, I photographed a row of wall murals highlighting various causes. There were many such grim murals scattered all over Belfast.
Here is a description of the current political situation in Belfast as taken from the Neutral Magazine website: Within the city there are two main types of murals: republican and loyalist. As many people know, Belfast is divided into protestant and catholic areas, with the former residing with the East and South, and the latter in the West and North. The strife between the two forms of Christianity began hundreds of years ago; however it reached its peak between the 1960s and 1980s, a period otherwise known as The Troubles. During this period the loyalists who were mostly Protestants fought the republicans who were mainly Catholic. It is the murals that depict these moments in history, and they take the observer on a journey through Belfast’s history and each side’s opinions on the country’s violent past. Each side had its own paramilitary organisations, the most famous being the IRA with its opposition being the UDA. The dispute was caused as members of the republican side wanted to become united with Ireland and the Loyalists wanted the country to remain part of the United Kingdom. In today’s society the same views are still shared however there is much less violence on the streets of Belfast. 

We visited this site commemorating the Clonard Martyrs. The Celtic cross is a common emblem which can be seen all across Ireland.

Here is our Black Taxi parked at the very long Peace Wall.

Tim and I signed the Peace Wall. Most appropriately, Tim used his Chinese name 'Guo An', translated as 'Secure (Peaceful) Country'. 

I climbed alone to the highest vantage point above the Giant's Causeway. Tim opted out due to his bad knees.

The main attraction was to see the Giant's Causeway up close. According to Wikipedia, it has 40,000 interlocking basalt columns formed during an ancient volcanic eruption. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although some have between four to eight sides. The tallest columns measure 12 m, while the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 m thick in places. This UNESCO World Heritage site is located in County Antrim on the northeastern coast of Northern Ireland. 

Picked my way across to the highest column nearest the sea. Was delighted to spot a male Common Eider (lifer) floating in the chilly seas. Up on the hillside, I saw a Meadow Pipit (lifer) as well as a female Northern Wheatear.

The next morning, we took a DART train to the seaside town of Howth, just half an hour outside Dublin. This was my first stab at seeing the Atlantic Puffin.

From the East Pier at the Howth Lighthouse, we saw many good lifers including the Common Guillemot (see photo), Razorbill, Great Black-backed Gull and Black Guillemot. 

Razorbill, Howth.

Great Black-backed Gull, Howth.

Jackdaw, Howth.

Black Guillemot, Howth.

Serendipitously, Tim spotted an inconspicuous sign on one of the many boats berthed in the Howth Harbour that said 'Boat for Charter'. Earlier, we had tried enquiring at the Lighthouse and some of the merchants for a boat or ferry ride, but nobody could help us. Our boatman took us out to the choppy waters around the uninhabited island of Ireland's Eye, a 20-minute ride from the Howth Harbour. We saw a basking pod of Grey Seals. The one-hour charter cost 60 Euros in total for the two of us.

There were many nesting birds on Ireland's Eye: Shags, Cormorants, Gulls, Guillemots, Gannets and Puffins. It was a classic sight, but unfortunately, the pitching boat made birdwatching very difficult. Luckily, I did not become sea sick.

More nesting seabirds. We only glimpsed one tiny Atlantic Puffin swimming, IDed from its prominent reddish bill. The boatman kept insisting that those faraway bobbing things were puffins but I had great difficulty making them out due to the rough waves and strong winds. Thankfully, we had much better views of the Atlantic Puffin later at the Cliffs of Moher.

Plenty of space on the chartered boat. Ireland's Eye is in the background. 

Enjoyed Hake (a type of fish - a Unique Dish) and fresh mussels for lunch in Howth. There were plenty of restaurants serving up great seafood. We also popped in to take a look at the Dorans fish market.

 

This Grey Seal delighted a huge crowd when it turned up just outside some restaurants by Howth's West Pier. The seals regularly come in to await hand-outs from fishermen unloading their catch.

A field of lovely Bluebells that we came across while trekking the coastal route above Howth. Killarney National Park also had such Bluebell-filled fields.

Bluebells up close.

Spent several hours walking the wind-swept meadows above Howth where we encountered some wild European Rabbits and a good number of garden birds including the Robin, Bullfinch, Long-tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Starling and Dunnock. Ireland is a wet place, and we were constantly drizzled or rained upon. The weather was rather dreary and tiresome at times, but I love Ireland best amongst all the European countries because of its amazing culture and vivacious people. Fell in love with Irish music, Irish humour, Irish pride, Celtic folklore, the many stories our tour guides fed us and the vast and beautiful countryside. Here, I am standing on the coastal walk above Howth with Ireland's Eye (island of birds and seals) in the background.   

The crashing Cliffs of Moher, somewhat obscured by rain and mist. We visited this geological attraction on another day tour.

O'Brien's Tower at the Cliffs of Moher. The weather was horrendous when we arrived, with gusty winds of around 80km/h and a steady drizzle. We had to lean into the wind, like the 3rd person from the left of this photo, to make any progress forward. It was actually half scary and half fun being in such extreme conditions (our strongest winds ever). 

Under the tough conditions of the Cliffs of Moher, I was still persistent in my quest for the Atlantic Puffin. Imagine my utter delight when I spotted them on this grassy verge. Tim was equally ecstatic - he couldn't believe our luck. We watched them with huge smiles for a long time as they leapt into the wind, swirled around with the other seabirds, landed with dangling red feet stuck out, tottered all over the ledge and jostled with each other. However, the gusty conditions meant that our binoculars and cameras kept getting tossed upwards and it was difficult trying to steady our hands. Still, seeing the Puffins made our day. In fact, we rated the Cliffs of Moher as the highlight of our entire trip due in part to the puffins and the novel experience of walking in very strong winds.

Close up views of my beloved Atlantic Puffins, Cliffs of Moher.

The Burren, a karst area by the sea that we stopped in for a short spell. Apparently, three quarters of Ireland's flower species can be spotted within its 250 sq km boundary. It was very wet then and we had to tread carefully over the slippery rocks. 

We were given two hours or so in Galway, West Ireland. According to Wikipedia, Galway is known as Ireland's Cultural Heart (Croí Cultúrtha na hÉireann) and is renowned for its vibrant lifestyle and numerous festivals, celebrations and events. It had lively shops and a healthy crowd. We chose to duck indoors into a warm cafe to dry ourselves up and for some hot tea with Fish Pie (another Unique Dish). When the rain eased off, we took a walk and were charmed by Galway's residential area, built like a mini-Venice alongside pretty canals.

We took a train from Dublin to Killarney National Park for a 4D/3N stay. After contemplating the options, we decided to rent bikes instead of leasing a car. It was not that much cheaper though, but the bikes allowed us to see huge tracts of the national park quickly instead of having to walk. At the bike shop, we came across the Killarney Wellie Walk, a successful attempt at the Guinness World Record for the most number of people walking in wellies. Apparently more than 3,000 participants, both kids and adults alike, had walked one kilometre in their wellies that day. 

We had huge tasty meals at Molly Darcys, a restaurant near our accommodation - Muckross Stables B&B. 

The ruins of Muckross Abbey with a tranquil cemetery full of Celtic crosses fronting it. Was quite interesting exploring the abbey. 

Greenfinch, Killarney National Park.

Torc Waterfall, Killarney National Park.

The view of the three Killarney Lakes from the stairway leading up from Torc Waterfall.

Cycling was actually very tiring as the heavy backpack weighed down on me, giving me a backache. It was also cold and drizzly, and we often had to stop for shelter when the rain got too heavy. 

A huge herd of native Red Deer, Killarney National Park.

Had a pleasant stay at Muckross Stables B&B. It had a huge pasture in front of the property and a mini zoo with animals such as Sheep, Rams, Kangaroo, Emu, Puppies, Mini Pony, Chickens etc. But its main business was providing Irish Cobs (horses) for riders. Here, we enjoyed many freshly-prepared breakfasts of Irish Cheeses, Clonakitty Sausages (another Unique Food), bacon, eggs, cereals, juices, toast and coffee. 

The Irish Cob is a pretty horse with a long flowing mane and even 'tresses' on its legs. It has long been favoured by the gypsies to pull their caravans, bred over the centuries for its even temperament. The owners at Muckross Stables B&B let their 10+ horses out daily to graze in their huge compound in the mornings and evenings.  

Was intrigued by the Black Sheep - black face and legs. Later on in Stonehenge, we encountered the White Sheep - white face and legs.

Wild European Rabbits live within and outside the Muckross Stables compound. Here, I spotted a dozing bunny early on the first morning. We saw European Rabbits readily throughout Europe. We only came across the European Hare once - in Leukerbad, Switzerland on a night walk. 

I am not sure if this is the native Fallow Deer or the introduced Sika Deer originally from Japan. We saw small herds (three to four individuals) of Sika and and/or Fallow Deer about three times.

Tim at Ross Castle, standing in front of a Hobbit-sized door.

The Blue Pool, Killarney NP. The park also has old copper mining shafts. 

We got lost and strayed into this magical and mesmerising land of white snowy flowers. I could just imagine fairies living here.

The dramatic lakes of Killarney NP.

Scenic lakeside vegetation, Killarney NP.

More scenic lakeside vegetation, Killarney NP.

The Lucky Shamrock! I finally spotted it on our last day at Killarney NP. Tim said that he had been seeing it all over the place, but didn't think that I would be interested. Duh. 

We walked for a short way up the 825 m high Mangerton Mountain (the roadway was just outside our B&B), and came across this sea of white tall lallang-like grass. 

At the Natural History Museum back in London, we focussed on the Dinosaurs. The big ones were grand, but I rather liked the Ophthalmosaurus icenius with its dolphin-like body. This specimen was found in Oxford Clay in Peterborough, England.

Details according to the NHM website:
Name: Ophthalmosaurus
Age(s): 165-150  million years ago
Period: Late Jurassic (Bathonian-Tithonian) 
Size: Up to 6 metres
Location(s) found: UK, USA (Wyoming), Argentina (Neuquen), Russia (Undoria), Norway
Notes: Ophthalmosaurus had large eyes, around 10 cm in diameter, suggesting that it hunted its prey, probably fish and squid, in low light levels. Studies calculate that this ichthyosaur could hold its breath for 20 minutes or more. It had a dolphin-like body shape and large front paddles. Ophthalmosaurus was also viviparous (gave birth to live young).

Met up with my youngest sister and her husband (Junie and Michael) for lunch at the Natural History Musuem. It was super fun catching up. They had been touring different parts of the UK and we had been keeping in touch via nightly WhatsApp prior to the meet-up. 

Was excited to see the complete skull of the Dugong. We had found a superb bone casing containing the ivory (tooth) of a young Dugong at one of Singapore's beaches three years ago on 26 March 2011. It was cool to finally examine up close how this bone casing fits into the skull of this marine mammal. More info of our find here.

Visited the Victoria and Albert Museum too. It had an eclectic collection that scored high on variety. I like stained glass, especially this sort with white faces. 

Another eclectic find at the V&A Musuem. A Nepalese piece I believe, carved out of ivory, depicting a dragon, an elephant, a lion and five warriors or monks. The elephant has the most striking eyes - they actually look rather crafty. 

After looking at reviews of the available musicals in London, we took a bet on The Book of Mormon. It was hilarious (as the billboard proclaims) and most entertaining. Highly recommended. You can watch snippets of it on YouTube. The opening number 'Hello' is particularly catchy and funny. 

Common Goldeneye, St James's Park. Not sure if these two birds are part of the captive wildfowl collection of which the Great White Pelican is the most popular. Likely, as both birds are tagged. But then again, there are many bird tagging programmes all over the world.

Hooded Merganser, St James's Park. Again, not sure if these birds are captive or really wild. Both are not tagged, but their wings might be clipped. 

Snow Goose, St James's Park. The three birds featured here (Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser and Snow Goose) are all lifers for me. I will only count the Hooded Merganser based on what the guide books and websites say, in terms of the probability of them being truly wild.

I like The Queen Victoria Memorial, a stately marble monument just outside Buckingham Palace. 

We bought an ambitious tour package that covered Oxford, Windsor Castle and Stonehenge in a single day. Surprisingly, there were 50+ people that signed up. We did an hour-long walking tour of Oxford University. This is Hertford Bridge, popularly called the Bridge of Sighs after the famous Venetian landmark. It connects two parts of Hertfort College, one of 35 colleges in Oxford.

The sheep in Stonehenge are all white.

The mysterious Stonehenge, a view of the Sarsen circle of sandstone blocks with its lintels, as well as two of five intact Trilithons forming the Horseshoe. We tried to book the inner circle tour but it was sold out.

Dinner at Signor Sassi, a famous Italian restaurant in Knightsbridge, London with Weng and Eileen. Felt quite bad when I learnt that they both came down all the way from Kent by train just to dine with us. An honour indeed. It was also an early celebration of Eileen's birthday.

Delicious Lobster Spaghetti at Signor Sassi, courtesy of Weng and Eileen.

On our last day in London, we spent an entire day at the unmatchable British Museum. I concentrated on the Egyptian collection (the place is so big that it will take a full week to see everything). Tim bought the Musuem's brochure highlighting the locations for its main exhibits such as the Rosetta Stone etc. We then dashed around trying to cover these must-sees.

Was pleased to catch some classic Maya exhibits. Have always been fascinated with the Ancient Civilisations, especially the Maya and the Inca. 

Lifer	No.	Birds	Latin Name	Sighting Locations
	1	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Lucerne Lake,  Lake Geneva Montreux, Hyde Park, St James's Park
	2	Snow Goose	Chen caerulescens	St James's Park (captive?)
L1	3	Greylag Goose	Anser anser	Hyde Park
	4	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Hyde Park
	5	Egyptian Goose	Alopochen aegyptiaca	St James's Park
	6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Rhine Falls, Lake Geneva Montreux, Hyde Park, Killarney
L2	7	Pochard	Aythya ferina	St James's Park
L3	8	Red-crested Pochard	Netta rufina	Lake Geneva
	9	Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula	Hyde Park, St James's Park
L4	10	Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Giant's Causeway (Ireland)
	11	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	St James's Park (captive?)
L5	12	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	St James's Park
	13	Great-crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus	Rhine Falls (Schauffhausen), Lake Geneva
L6	14	Northern Gannet	Morus bassanus	Howth
	15	White Pelican	Pelecanus onocrotalus	St James's Park (captive)
	16	Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	Howth
L7	17	European Shag	Phalacrocorax aristotelis	Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Howth
	18	Grey Heron	Ardea	Lake Geneva, Howth, Killarney
L8	19	Red Kite	Milvus milvus	Beatenberg
	20	Black Kite	Milvus migrans	Interlaken
	21	Harrier spp		Interlaken
	22	Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	Hyde Park
	23	Common Coot	Fulica atra	Lucerne Lake,  Lake Geneva Montreux
	24	Eurasian Oystercatcher	Haematopus ostralegus	Giant's Causeway (only Tim saw)
	25	Red-wattled Lapwing	Vanellus indicus	Dubai
L9	26	Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus	Lake Geneva
	27	Common Gull	Larus canus	London
	28	Herring Gull	Larus argentatus	Lake Geneva, Hyde Park, Howth
L10	29	Yellow-legged Gull	Larus michahellis	Lake Geneva (Montreux)
L11	30	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Howth
L12	31	Atlantic Puffin	Fratercula arctica	Howth, Giant's Causeway
L13	32	Black Guillemot	Cepphus grylle	Howth
L14	33	Common Guillemot	Uria aalge	Giant's Causeway (Ireland), Howth
L15	34	Razorbill	Alca torda	Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Howth, Giant's Causeway
	35	Feral Pigeon	Columba livia	Dubai & Europe
L16	36	Common Wood Pigeon	Columba palumbus	Geneva, Louvre, Hyde Park, Killarney NP
	37	Eurasian Collared Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Dubai streets
L17	38	Common Swift	Apus apus	Dubai Museum
L18	39	Skylark	Alauda arvensis	Galway
	40	Sand Martin	Riparia riparia	Killarney
	41	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Killarney
L19	42	Northern House Martin	Delichon urbica	Killarney
L20	43	Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis	Giant's Causeway (Ireland)
	44	Pied (White) Wagtail	Motacilla alba	Howth
	45	Grey Wagtail	Motacilla cinerea	Torc Waterfall
L21	46	Dunnock	Prunella modularis	Howth
	47	European Robin	Erithacus rubecula	Howth, Killarney NP, St Jame's Park
L22	48	Nightingale	Luscinia megarhynchos	Killarney
	49	Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe	Giant's Causeway (Ireland) - female
L23	50	Song Thrush	Turdus philomelos	Muckross Farms, Killarney
L24	51	Fieldfare	Turdus pilaris	Titisee (Germany)
	52	Common Blackbird	Turdus merula	Howth, Killarney NP
L25	53	Streaked Scrub Warbler	Scotocerca inquieta	Dubai (Jumeirah Beach area)
L26	54	Willow Warbler	Phylloscopus trochilus	Killarney
L27	55	Eurasian Blackcap	Sylvia atricapilla	Titisee (Germany)
	56	Great Tit	Parus major	Titisee (Germany), Killarney NP
	57	Eurasian Blue Tit	Parus caeruleus	Titisee (Germany)
	58	Marsh Tit	Poecile palustris	Titisee (Germany)
	59	Long-tailed Tit	Aegithalos caudatus	Howth
	60	Eurasian Nuthatch	Sitta europaea	Titisee (Germany)
	61	Eurasian Treecreeper	Certhia familiaris	Killarney
	62	Sooty-headed Bulbul (red vented)	Pycnonotus aurigaster	Bastakiya (Dubai)
L28	63	Magpie	Pica pica	Titisee, Hyde Park, Dublin, Killarney
L29	64	Eurasian Jackdaw	Corvus monedula	Lucerne, Geneva, Howth
L30	65	Alpine Chough	Pyrrhocorax graculus	Niederhorn, Leukerbad
L31	66	Rook	Corvus frugilegus	Louvre, Paris, Giant's Causeway, Howth, Killarney
L32	67	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix	Howth, Killarney
	68	Carrion Crow	Corvus corone	Geneva, Killarney
L33	69	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Geneva, Tower of London
	70	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Trinity College (Dublin), Howth, Killarney
	71	Asian Pied Starling	Sturnus contra	Dubai (Jumeirah Beach area)
	72	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Dubai (Bastakiya), All over Europe
L34	73	Pale Rock Sparrow	Petronia brachydactyla	Atlantis
L35	74	Common Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs	Killarney
L36	75	Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis	Howth
L37	76	European Greenfinch	Carduelis chloris	Beatenberg, Killarney NP
L38	77	Citril Finch	Carduelis citrinella	Lucerne
	78	Eurasian Bullfinch	Pyrrhula pyrrhula	Howth
Lifer	No.	Mammals	Latin Name	Sighting Locations
	1	European Rabbit	Oryctolagus cuniculus	Leukerbad, Howth, Killarney NP
L1	2	European (Brown) Hare	Lepus europaeus	Leukerbad
	3	Eastern Grey Squirrel	Sciurus carolinensis	Hyde Park
L2	4	Grey Seal	Halichoerus grypus	Howth, Ireland's Eye
L3	5	Red Deer	Cervus elaphus	Killarney NP
L4	6	Fallow Deer	Dama dama	Killarney NP
	7	Sika Deer	Cervus nippon	Killarney NP