Ireland Summer 2024

  Dunmore Cave is a limestone cave similar to Mammoth cave in the eastern United States.                                         Since Ireland is relatively rainy, there is a constant supply of water that seeps through the rocks to form stalactites and stalagmites in addition to other rock structures that look almost like curtains of rock.     The cave is accessible through a single entrance and I was able to tour 3 main caverns.     There is also an accompanying interpretive center; however rather than the geology, it concentrates on the lore and archeological finds from the cave.                  

                                         Glendalough contains the ruins of a monastery and a cemetery that is still being added to today.       It is surrounded by the Wicklow Mountains National Park which is full of breathtaking views of green including a variety of coniferous and deciduous trees and wild flowers of pink, purple, and yellow.     It is not a garden, however it is a pollinator conservation space like many of the other locations I visited on this trip.                          

                                           The Cliffs of Moher is a breathtaking view over the ocean.     There is an old coastal walk as well as a newer visitor center.     The visitor center contains a handful of interactive exhibits about the development of the rock in Ireland as a whole.     In addition, there are several sections that focus on the Cliffs of Moher area.     There is a touch screen for the flora and fauna, the rocks and how they developed, and one screen that exclusively addresses the wide variety of birds that nest in and around the cliffs.     I was fortunate enough to get a sunny day and was able to get some photos with great contrast and really vivid greens.                               While this area has been a tourist stop for a long time, it is left largely natural with the exception of barriers for visitor safety.     It was a busy site that was also wonderfully peaceful. It reminds me of the quiet morning calm along the California coastal mountains and cl

  Blarney Castle is one of the most visited places in Ireland.     It’s situated on roughly 60 acres of land.     The grounds around the garden are less manicured than the locations I visited near Dublin.     In addition, there is more of a feeling that you should spend an entire day here.     There are 2 cafes and multiple walks that could take anywhere from twenty minutes to sixty minutes.     While the most famous aspect is the Blarney Stone and the mystical properties it supposedly has, I was more interested in the Poison Garden and the Carnivorous Plant section.       These two areas are relatively near by the castle and situated right next to one another.     This was the first location where the carnivorous plants are outside.     Every other location has had them in glass or greenhouses.                                            The herbaceous border at Blarney was also a little unusual, since it was the first such space that was designated a pollinator space by any certificat

The Rock of Cashel is a place that lets you feel how old it is.    The ferns, mosses, and lichens that grow through the walls and rocks look as though they have always been there.      This is especially interesting because the cemetery around the castle is still currently being used.                                                                            It’s quite an intriguing contrast to have headstones that are from the last year just feet away from those that are so worn by time that you cannot read them.    While the Rock of Cashel is beautiful, it also doesn’t have any formal garden to speak of.    It has some internal sections that are maintained, but the majority of its grounds are being left to time and surrounded by picturesque fields of sheep and cows grazing. 

Malahide Castle was a location that I was most looking forward to on this trip.     The castle itself was inhabited by the same family for nearly 800 years and the gardens are part of a larger park covering 260 acres.     I have visited living butterfly exhibits in Los Angeles, but this Butterfly House is the only one in Ireland.       Despite the organized tour taking about 90 minutes, I spent almost 4 and a half hours at Malahide just exploring the grounds.       There is a Fairy Trail with adorable children’s tales and charming carvings and a 200 year old section of the garden that started out as a space for kitchen produce.     There is much less organization in the plants at Malahide than some of the other places I’ve visited so far.     However, there seems to be a theme of having spaces designated and cultivated for wildlife and pollinators.     This is the third place that has had at least a portion dedicated for this purpose.     I had a lot of fun frolicking through the Fairy