Thursday, July 19, 2012

Sherkin Island

We arrived on Sherkin Island Thursday evening at about 6:00 pm. Most of the day had been overcast and spitting but by the time we got on the ferry the sun was out and the waters calm. That allowed the boat to take the direct route to Sherkin and drop our party of 13 off before it headed to Baltimore.

Patty and Michael Barry studying the map of the island at the ferry landing.

The old friary dominates the ferry landing on Sherkin Island. When Dom and I visited about four years ago it was possible to go inside the remains of the buildings. Now it is all closed up. This photo was taken from further up the road as we walked to our hotel.

We stayed at The Islander's Rest Hotel and Restaurant, a short walk up from the ferry. The rooms were lovely and it looks across the water to the town of Baltimore. The establishment has a private dock where boaters can tie up and make use of the facilities at The Islander's Rest.


The room Dom and I stayed in was huge and had a wonderful view across the channel to the Beacon on the mainland. We had dinner in a private dining room after which most of us were exhausted and ready for bed. Our day of hiking on Cape Clear had caught up with us.

 On Friday morning most of us were fairly cheerful at breakfast. By this time we were backing off on the full Irish breakfast (two eggs, two sausage, two black pudding, two bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast) and ordering a half Irish or just eggs and toast or sausage and toast. The herd did go through a lot of coffee in the mornings.

Some of us needed more coffee than others. Emily insisted that her snuffly nose was allergies but it seemed to morph into a head cold as the day went on. Thomas had been sick first, then Emily. Patty had it towards the end of the trip and Dom suffered from it just after we came home.

The walkers (who that day included everyone except my mother) headed off about 10:00 or so. It was difficult to get everyone moving in the same direction at the same time. Both days we walked the places we stayed provided the makings for lunch. Each of us assembled our own sandwiches plus fruit, chips and candy. There was bottled water as well. The idea was to meet and leave at 10 but things interfered--a last trip to the toilet, paying the bar bill, getting something extra for one's pack... Tick, tick, tick...

Eventually, we were off exploring Sherkin Island. Charlie mailed a postcard from the mail box at the crossroads.

Michael led us to this lovely cove on the west side of the island. There used to be a quarry here but now it is a quiet, sheltered spot. A local man keeps his sailboat well anchored and tied to shore on the left in the above picture.

Sherkin Island has its fair share of roofless stone structures. I liked the gate made from an old railing.

A better view of the remains of an old house and barn.

We walked up and around the cove.

On the far side the kids explored this tongue of rock that stuck out into the cove.

I remember being nearly as fearless when walking on sharp, stony outcroppings. Now I always think about how easy it would be to break a leg.

There were dozens of different plants in bloom on Sherkin Island. Many of them I am familiar with but some of them were new to me. Michael had a plant identification book so I was able to identify most of them. There was many a "wild Irish rose" growing along the lanes and trails.

This is a view back towards the mainland with a brand new house in the foreground. It still needs some landscaping around it.

Michael had a trail map that helped us orient ourselves to where we were on the island. It is only about three miles long but its shape is irregular so it seems bigger than it really is.

This is the road out to the place where my great grandfather grew up. It was sunny enough that the shade was welcome.

On the whole Sherkin Island seemed more serene and welcoming that Cape Clear. Nonetheless, there is a lot of gorse, heather and craggy rock on Sherkin.

The wind was brisk all day and if you click and enlarge the above picture you can see the whitecaps on the water in the distance. Every time I looked at the ocean I could not help thinking "next stop Boston."

This is probably one of the times when my dad was telling us what he knew about his grandparents' life in Ireland. It was really interesting to hear the old family stories.

Our guide, Michael, was fabulous. He was very patient with us and worked to make some of the walking accessible to my dad. It was nice that on both islands there was local taxi service. Jack walked with us in the morning on Sherkin and then the van came to collect him after lunch.

We hiked up to what is probably the high point on Sherkin Island. The wind was blowing hard up here and it was easy to understand the term "windswept."

Unfortunately, the trail disappeared in the gorse and heather so the herd turned back to go another way.

We headed further down the road to the the beach at Tra Ban (that means White Strand/Beach in Gaelic). The cliffs around the sand, covered in flowers, made a good windbreak and it was a nice warm spot to eat our lunch.

After finishing their sandwiches the kids and Charlie explored the beach.

Emily's allergies meant she was constantly looking for tissues. Paper napkins worked well too.

Michael and Dom in discussions.

We think this property is the old Sullivan home. Later, at the pub, we were told that the new house (not visible in this picture) behind this old structure was where my great great grandfather lived until his death in 1957.

Across the road by the beach was a curious herd of cattle. Check out the video at the end of this post for "the scaring of the cows!"

We walked back down the road past the church where my great grandfather probably worshiped. I peaked inside and it is quite plain and utilitarian.

There were lovely vistas of the sea all over the island.

Michael led us along the shore where there were several beaches with fine white sand. I think this one is called Cow Strand.

Between the sandy beaches were some stony coves.

This is Silver Strand. A strong wind was coming straight in at the shore creating nice waves. There were kids in wet suits bodyboarding.


 Walking down to the sand Michael pointed out a field full of purple orchids.

 The rock along the shore was carved away into all sorts of interesting shapes.

 Through this notch in the rocks you could look back at Tra Ban, the beach where we ate lunch.

 Some of the rocks held little tide pools. I always like touching the anemones to make the close up tight.

 Charlie's kids posing for him.

 On the way back toward the hotel we passed this cove where there was a man-made wall across the mouth. At one time it was probably used to trap fish behind it and make the easier to catch with a dip net or casting net.

 Back at The Islander's Rest we availed ourselves of the facilities including the pub before heading off for another short walk. There were a number of boats anchored out or tied to mooring buoys in the water below the old O'Driscoll castle.

We walked down to the castle ruins and Michael told us about the series of forts the O'Driscolls had in Southwest Cork. For hundreds of years they were the ruling clan in the area--part lord of the manor, part pirate marauder.

This photo shows the old castle wall in the right foreground. It was really thick and much higher. This gap may be where a gate was at one time.

 We walked out towards the north end of the island where there are more rocky coves and little beaches.

 Dom walking out to the water's edge.

Off in a slightly different direction was a pier where a vehicle transport could pull up and offload cars and trucks. Along the road leading to it were a number of abandoned cars. We saw a lot of "island" cars (total beaters) on both Cape Clear and Sherkin. Some things are the same on islands all over the world.

The anchorage looked well protected here. There were a number of small dinghies on the shore.

When we got back to the pub the kids were all lined up with Scott having one last coke before we caught the ferry back to Baltimore.

This is one last picture from Sherkin Island of the Beacon. It was taken from the ferry dock. As we waited we watched a group of pre-teen kids celebrating the end of the school year by jumping off the dock into the water. Brrrr!!!

Here is the video of the "scaring of the cows!"


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