Spring continues to unfold ever so slowly here, not like the sudden and explosive springs in the northeast US. The earliest wild trees, the blackthorn, are starting to bloom and soon they'll be joined by the whitethorn to create a white lacework in the woods and hedgerows. Meanwhile lots of exotic plants are flowering in the gardens where we work and at our own cottage garden.
One Sunday we drove to the sea at Spanish Point. I told the story of how the rocky shoreline got its name in our 2005 blog, but it bears retelling. In 1588 the Spanish armada attempted to land on the coast of west Ireland. Spain was a Catholic country and they were coming to help the Irish rebel against the Protestant government. The ships were smashed to bits on the rugged coastline of the west Clare in a terrible storm. When the survivors swam to shore the English were waiting there to arrest them, but a few Spaniards escaped and were taken in and hidden by the Irish. Soon the Spanish men had babies with Irish women (I 'll bet the Irish women found the dark exotic sailors irresistible), and the line of "black Irish" was started.
These Spanish-Irish stand out with their dark hair, brown eyes and ability to tan in summer. My mom is a dark eyed brunette and as she is 100% Irish (her parent emigrated from Ireland in the 1930's) she was always told that she had the Spanish blood. My ancestors originally lived near Spanish Point before moving to Limerick after the Famine. My grandparents stayed at the Armada Hotel at Spanish Point for their honeymoon in the early '30's.
On another day off we walked around a giant triple ring fort called Mooghan Hill. Ringforts were circular enclosures of stone, usually surrounded by a ditch, that predate castles as fortified homesteads. They were built by the Celts starting around the 5th century BC and continued to be used even into the Middle Ages. Ancient ring forts dot the landscape, and typically they are a stone wall about 30-50 feet across and usually located on a hilltop or hillside with good views. Most ring forts (or fairy forts as they are also called) would have 2 or 3 small yurt-like buildings inside where the extended family and their animals lived. Often several ring forts will be located within sight of each other, like a little neighborhood. The stone wall was protection against predators as well as human raiders.
The ring fort at Mooghan is unusual. Three concentric stone walls enclose a large hill, with the largest circular wall at the base of the hill and the smallest at the top. This would have been more like a town with hundreds of inhabitants, including the tribal king of the fort and his family, traders and craftspeople. The top of the hill has a great 360 view and a viewing platform with circular map of the region. The hill is now covered with woods so it's not possible to see all the walls at once, but nice walking trails and interpretive signage help bring the ancient city to life.
We continued walking on the mid-Clare walking trail and encountered a castle in the woods. We crept around the base hoping to explore further but were stopped by voices inside - whether living or ghosts we didn't wait around to find out.
Our social life is picking up. We've had people over for dinner and have gone to other folks houses. Aiden, our landlord, had us over to his farm, which is wonderfully idyllic. We walked over through his fields and encountered his sheep and horses. Aiden lived in this house until he was 6, then his family moved to a house right on the main road to Ennis. For years the house was used as a cattle barn, but when Aiden was 20 he moved in and fixed it up. It's gorgeous inside - renovated in a traditional style and full of antiques. There's a lovely river that runs alongside one border, and Aiden keeps spotted Jacob sheep, a very ancient breed, in a pasture next to the river.
Our landlord Aiden and Bill by the Ballycorick Creek, which runs through Aiden's land.
Aiden's cottage
Spotted Jacob sheep
