We will be a topping at Connemara Celtic  Crystal, Kylemore Abbey, a sheeping farm and the national park. 

In Ireland they have national tidy-town  competitions….

Population of Ireland declined from 8 million down to 6.5 million during the potato famine. Partly because people forgot who the Irish were after the famine, it bred independence and pride. 

St. Bridget’s Cross holiday is a women’s holiday.  The cross signifies protection. 

We are told that speed cameras record how long it takes to get to next camera and averages it out…. not at the point passes by a camera. 

We stop by the Connemara Celtic Crystal….. the only “real” crystal crystal place left in Ireland. To be hired here, after gotten a degree in arts or graphics…each one serves an apprenticeship of 5+ 3 years.   Each tradesperson does 3 design requirements, not just one. They use only sandstone, no diamond grinders. They do 2 coats of glass for each. The 2nd is when colour is added.  

When walking out in in farms and nature, you have to be careful not to fall into a bog.  You may be found in a week or 10,000 years only your head and hair would be above ground but when found, any gold and silver you had with you, would be totally preserved, including your hair…. Lol!  Oh my…. every field is absolutely saturated. 

Next stop….Kylemore Abbey. It was built by Mitchell Henry, a former doctor and member of British parliament, starting in 1867. More to story in pictures. 

On the side of the road/lake.

We then stopped a sheep farm/mine. The farm is 6 generations. The farmer has a 2 year border collie plus another. 

Dogs have 7 times our hearing capability. “If you think your dog can’t hear you……”. The average length of working life for a dog is 

The dogs work on average, 12 years on a level farm but 8 on mountain. Amazing.  The sheep hear the whistle but dog relates to whistle and controls the sheep. 

Mountain sheep (the one with the horns) are the strongest, best. For some the horns have been breaded out. 

The eyes  have flat iris’ for panoramic vision

Red and green colour paint on the wool means belong to “this” farmer. 

In October the males breed. In winter they are brought in to check how many babies each ewe is carrying…. Colour of paint on the sides determine the number each sheep is bearing. 

In June they do the shearing cuz too hot. Price has dropped from 600 to 7 euro for the wool on the single sheep. 1 sheep’s wool before, could buy  3 acres of mountain land but now they get less than 10 cents each. Tours are what make a living for these farmers. (12.50 E each)

More pictures of the wet landscape

And a nice town of Clifden that we drove through….