This 8-day trip was my first after I had set up a web page, so you'll forgive me if I was a bit scan-happy and scanned in too many photos. Most of them are worth a look though, thanks to some beautiful weather and beautiful scenery. I travelled with my friends Rob, Nick, and Laura.

INIS OÍRR

Inis Oírr is the smallest of the three Aran Islands, a small chain off the western coast of Ireland. We visited by ferry for a day, and this became one of my most enjoyable trip days ever. No cars, no tacky overtouristed spots... just bicycles, wind, and Irish-speaking people.

We rented bikes for the day and covered most of the island. Here is a photo of all four of us - Rob, me, Laura, and Nick (l. to r.) - where we decided to have lunch in front of the wreck of the Plassy, a ship which sank and then washed up on the island in 1960. A steep uphill bikeride led to some spectacular views near the top of Inis Oírr. This photo shows a lot of the stone walls used throughout the island, most of which are erected without mortar. Some of the cottages are visible, as well as Inis Mor in the distance. More stone walls can be seen adjoining a 10th century structure in this photo.

After a long day with a lot of sun- and windburn, the last picture from the island is of the four of us waiting for the return ferry to arrive in the late afternoon. This photo is also known as the tar photo, since I was unknowingly ruining my jeans by sitting on a patch of tar at the time.

ANCIENT SITES

You can't drive very far anywhere in Ireland without coming across the remnants of some old structure. I found this fascinating and accordingly took far too many pictures of them!

First up is my favorite ruin, Ballycarberry Castle. It was in shambles, as you can see, yet had enough left intact to be safe to climb (despite the warning sign!) and interesting to explore. Here is a photo of the backside of the castle, with most of its different chambers exposed. This photo of me standing around the side of the castle shows the ground fortification pretty well.

Among the other ruins we visited was Carrigadrohid Castle, which was built right in the middle of the Lee River around 1450. There also was was Clonmacnoise, one of the most important monastic ruins in Ireland. Here's a photo of the abbey cemetery, Rob and I in front of ruins of a chapel, and an old disintegrating structure (which we weren't allowed to climb) nearby. North of Dublin is the Hill of Slane; an old tower (with little to keep you from falling off!) is where I got this great vantage point of a church ruin. The Hore Abbey, near the well-kept medieval town of Cashel, is rather extensive and was quite eerie in the late day sun. Lastly, here is a photo of some ruins on a hillside in Dunamase.

COUNTRYSIDE

Ireland also has immense beauty outside of its ancient structures. The Cliffs of Moher, on the western coast of the island, is the best example I witnessed. Here's a photo of me, trying not to get blown off the cliffs. Also, I have a picture of Rob at the same spot, with a somewhat better view of the cliffs. The nicest picture is taken from the top of the cliffs, looking back at where the above photos/ireland were taken.

Near Dublin are the quiet Wicklow Mountains, where this photo of a small lake near sunset was taken. Ladies' View, near Killarney, is one of the most spectacular vistas in the land. Not far away, this photo depicts a view of the Atlantic waters off the Ring of Kerry. Last but not least, from the top of Dunamase, this photo tries to capture the fields of grass waving in the wind.

Ireland's roads are legendary for their narrowness and unpredictability, and they proved to live up to much of the advanced billing. Near Slea Head, on the Dingle Peninsula is this road, which is one of the most difficult we encountered. Aside from these twists and turns and "loose chippings", there were the occasional larger impediments to travel. On more than one occasion, we had to stop when cows or sheep took over the road. Here are some cows taking over the N-70!

ET CETERA

Finally, I have a few photos/ireland which really don't belong anwhere above. First, here's a cemetery near Castleisland which we discovered on our first day. It's not nearly as old as it may look, but it was still quite interesting. Another photo I liked was this one, taken of the back of Dublin Castle, showing off the many different architectural styles which went into its creation. Lastly, there's a photo for which I almost was run over while trying to line up perfectly: intentional instructions for driving by a cemetery in Roscrea?