The Skellig Islands ( Na Scealaga)

Nearly three years ago we were in Ireland for my nephew Dustin's wedding to his Irish girl, Laura (from Omagh). We arrived only a day before the wedding (our biggest regret) and spent about ten days after the wedding weekend touring around Ireland. We didn't have any set-in-stone plans but wanted to get to Dingle and the Ring of Kerry.

For any of you who have been to Ireland, it is a tiny country, but roads other than the main highways are a bit tricky to navigate and so though the coasts are gorgeous, they are not simple to get to, from, or around.

We made it to Dingle late one afternoon after a day's driving around the Cliff's of Moher and then into County Kerry.

The islands off the coast opposite of the Dingle peninsula immediately struck me as something incredibly special. Stark, craggy, and lonely yet utterly enticing.

These are the Skellig Islands.

Check out a little history of them below.* One of the islands was inhabited by monks in the 6th century while the other is a sanctuary for puffins and gannets. I've been wanting to visit since I saw them.

This is a somewhat complicated prospect, however, which is why I've had to plan for so long.

Only a few ships (boats really) are allowed to go per day and are entirely dependent on decent weather to make the 12 km trek. It is a long trip out to the tippy-top of the ring of Kerry (the Skellig ring is actually even further west), particularly from Dublin or anywhere on the east coast. So you really need a couple of days to make the trip -- one to get near to the coast and the other to be sure to be there for the 10 a.m. departure from Portmagee.

Sheila knew that this trip was a priority for me but we couldn't really figure out how to do it. We considered having all four of us drive to Killarney and spend a couple of days while I trek out to the coast and hope a trip goes. It takes about 45 minutes to get to Skellig Michael from the port. You get a couple of hours on the island, then you get a ride around the Little Skellig to check out the bird colonies, and then back to port for a round trip of about five hours. That plus an hour or so to and from Killarney, and that's a long day. As our time winds down, the kids are less interested in long drives, less able to be bribed with "but there's a pool in the hotel!!" and Maggie's got a bit of work to do yet before her finals, so we are less willing to pull her out of school.

More intimidating than even the logistics, however, are the 700 steps to the monastery:

"The monks of St. Fionan's monastery led simple lives and lived in stone, beehive shaped huts. They would descend the 670 steps early every morning and fish for the morning's breakfast and would spend the rest of the day praying in the church, tending to their gardens and studying. The huts, which are round on the outside and rectangular on the inside, were carefully built so that no drop of rain ever entered between the stones."

We've also been concerned, as of late (thanks Dervla), about rumors that people have died hiking up the stairs (or, more specifically, falling off).

A bit of internet research (i.e. not critical thinking in any way) suggests that it will not be a problem.

Here's an article from RTE from 2009 about "safety to be highlighted at Skellig Islands."

This is all to say that Lynne and I are making the Westward Trek tomorrow. We are heading to Killarney and then to Portmagee on Wednesday morning. I spoke with the skipper tonight, offered him any Dublin delicacies he might be missing out on the coast, asked about the conditions, the dangers and, really, whether or not bathrooms are available. He assured me only that it was safe and that his boat has a "to let", but he could not assure me about the weather.

It is Ireland after all. We will call the morning of, and hope for the best.

Wish us luck. Sheila and the kids will be staying back. I will have her report updates here over the next day or so!



*Here are a few tidbits from Wikipedia and a bit of information that I've read over the past nearly three years regarding the history of these rocks in the middle of the Atlantic:

"Once known as the 'Skellocks', the Skellig islands are two small, steep, and rocky islands lying about 13 km west of Bolus Head on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. They are famous for their thriving gannet and puffin populations, and for an early Christian monastery" that thrived on Skellig Michael.

"The smaller island is "Little Skellig". It is closed to the public, and holds Ireland's largest and the world's second-largest Northern Gannet colony with almost 30,000 pairs. It is about 1.5 km eastnortheast of Great Skellig."

From the Skellig Experience Website: "On the spectacular Small Skelligs 23,000 pairs of gannet nest on every available ledge making it the second largest gannet colony in the world."

From a distance it looks like someone put sugar water all over it and then opened up a thousand feather pillows and let them stick all over the slopes of the island.

The larger island is called "Skellig Michael." "Skellig Michael was uninhabited prior to the foundation of its monastery. Folklore holds that Ir, son of Milesius, was buried on the island, and a text from the 8^th or 9^th century states that Duagh, King of West Munster fled to 'Scellecc' after a feud with the Kings of Cashel, although it is not known whether these events actually took place."

"The monastery's exact date of foundation is not known. The first definite reference to monastic activity on the island is a record of the death of 'Suibhini of Skelig' dating from the 8^th century, however Saint Fionan is claimed to have founded the monastery in the 6^th century.^"

"The site had been dedicated to Saint Michael by at least 1044 (when the death of "Aedh of Scelic-Mhichí" is recorded), however this dedication may have occurred as early as 950, around which time a new church was added to the monastery which was called Saint Michael's Church.^"

"The monastery remained continuously occupied until the 12^th or 13^th century.^[2][3] During this time, the climate around Skellig Michael became colder and more prone to storms, and this, along with changes to the structure of the Irish Church, prompted the community to abandon the island and move to the abbey in Ballinskelligs."

Grafton and the Viking Splash Tour

After a rocky start getting kids ready and launched, we headed "An Lar" or into the City Center.

We had two o'clock reservations for the Viking Splash Tour!

After watching the reservations remain open all week I had decided to book at the last minute to make sure we had the right timing (Maggie needed to study and she had plans to go to the mall with friends and we had considered going back to Enfield for more Flaegh action). Today though it had nearly complete booked up so we could only find three available seats where we wanted.

After donning our Viking caps and learning how to "roar" we headed out on our amphibious ex-WWII* craft to explore the city.

Here's a Youtube snippet of our guide telling us about the origin of the name "Dublin."

It was a fun tour around the city, pointing out all of the Viking landmarks. We only entered into the water for a bit around the Grand Canal and explored the area a bit. The highlight for me was the U2 studio.

We then headed down Grafton for a bit of shopping, sight-seeing and, of course, Murphy's Ice Cream.

Lynne loved the buskers.

Check out our little leprechauns below!

Another grand day in Dublin.


*Apparently these vehicles that can cover both street and sound were made in the U.S. for the D-Day at Normandy and can be purchased (in quite terrible condition) for a mere $40,000.
 

Powerscourt

As with all of our visitors, we maintain a heavy schedule to be sure to hit all of the sights. Lynne's visit has been no different.

On Saturday, despite the overcast sky and threat of showers, we headed down to Powerscourt Waterfall.

After doing a bit of cooking in preparation for a real American Steak Dinner for Dervla and her family and setting Maggie up for an afternoon of studying for her finals (only one week away!), Lynne, Sheila, Johnny and I headed down to the Wicklows for a picnic under a fantastic waterfall.

We stopped off at the famous Avoca to grab some sandwiches and headed in, making one stop at the Waterfall Farm Shop.

This is my alter-life. I'd love to live in a rural, gorgeous, quiet area with a load of animals and living healthily off the land.

Of course, I have zero farming skills.

And I love big cities.

Now you all have a glimpse into the strange dichotomy that is Lisa's personality.

Check out the Website for the Waterfall Farm Shop and their blog. The farm is located in the midst of an iconic glen in the Wicklows not far from the cute little town of Enniskerry and just off of the Wicklow Way. From their shop you can see green hills dotted with little white sheep. You can hear the bleating of their goats and the clucking of their chickens in the back yard.

Here is a little snippet from their blog:

"Waterfall Farm is nestled in one of the most beautiful parts of Wicklow, the Glencree Valley. This 170 acre farm is owned by young, full-time sheep farmer Michael Keegan and his wife Hannah. The fields have been farmed by members of the Keegan family for generations.

Come and visit the farm shop which is open Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm where you can buy some of the best quality foods – sourced directly from farmers and producers – in Ireland. Bring your children to see our farm animals beside the shop, or you can attend the farm courses that take place throughout the year.

Visiting Waterfall Farm is free. We believe that everyone should have the chance to experience life on a traditional, working, family-run Irish farm so please come with your family and friends to enjoy our farm and shop."

We stopped for some fresh eggs and to feed their animals for a bit.

Then we headed to the waterfall.

"Powerscourt Waterfall is Ireland's highest at 121m (398ft). It is set in one of Ireland's most beautiful parklands at the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. As you drive from the gatelodge towards the Waterfall you are surrounded by Beech, Oak, Larch and Pine trees some of which were planted over 200 years ago. Look out for the Giant Redwoods, which are native to Northern California where they may grow up to 80m high and live for 4,000 years so they are still youngsters!"

Of course we had to drag Johnny out of the house... And then had to drag him away from the waterfall because it was so much fun. We had our picnic, climbed around the rocks, explored the waterfall, played Frisbee, kicked the soccer ball and hadn't even gotten to the playground before it was time to head back for Oscar and his family for dinner.

 It must be a kid thing to initially NOT want to do something. To be skeptical. To resist.

There's a chess class at Johnny's school on Friday afternoons that Pearce and Oscar do and that I encouraged Johnny to join. Naturally, he didn't want to. He said he didn't know how and couldn't be talked into it.

The other day I bought a little chess set.

Guess what he's been doing nonstop.

I even just purchased the book "How to Beat Your Dad at Chess" to learn opening moves.

We ended the night with a real taste from home. Lynne accomplished a feat by getting steaks from Omaha through customs. I've been crabbing about the beef here since we arrived. I guess I'm just spoiled being from Nebraska. Anyway, it was a lovely reminder of all the good things at home and it was fun to share them (she brought five HUGE steaks that we cut in half and STILL didn't finish). We topped it off with Lynne's homemade cheesecake.

A lovely day in Ireland.

Walk 5: The Best of Dublin

The Irish Times Magazine ran a "best of Dublin" series this weekend.

The opening article, "On Capturing the Spirit of Dublin" by Daniel Grey is a nice introduction to the week's Magazine.

Here are my favorite lines from the article* (bold, mine):

"When did we get so discerning? Gourmet coffee has colonised the city. Bars that are cheeky enough to stock anything other than craft beers are being abandoned. Out-of-town avant-garde arts’ spaces have enough money to pay their rent. It’s all starting to look very European.
A recent trip to Copenhagen reiterated the effortlessness with which Scandos adopt and discard trends. The Dublin spin on cosmopolitanism is a Bambi-footed canter, the lope of a teenager just starting to grow into its new body.

The old foundation, though, is rock solid. That polychromatic blur Dublin turns into as you cycle through it; the spirit that seeps out of its Georgian brickwork and those phantom smells that linger on certain streets are the imprints of the millions of people who have called it home."

The Magazine offers a two-page spread: "Dublin mapped out: a perfect Saturday" which I will include as one of my "Nine Walks of Dublin" followed by a one page spread "... and the best way to spend your Sunday."

I will highlight my favorites of the two days; places we've seen and places we plan to see.

Start with a good "cuppa" at Alto Vetro tower's Art of Coffee on Grand Canal Quay. Then head to the Science Gallery on Pearse Street (or in the really far corner of Trinity College). They've got a great current (but small) exhibit on chance and risk. Head over to St. Stephen's Green to check out The Little Museum of Dublin. Note that we are coming up the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's visit and the Museum promises great tidbits on the event.** Stop by Hatch & Son's for a snack afterwards. End up at Against the Grain on Wexford Street.*** 

Here's the article's quote about Against the Grain: "Pack it up: You've got to work tomorrow. Okay, okay. One more pint. Do a lucky dip from Wexford Street's Against the grain selection. Then to bed with you."

Note our new favorite reference: the "lucky dip."

At some point on the Sunday list they recommend a bagel place. 

We haven't tried it and I will just to do a bit of research for my ex ante review: Avoid it if you are from anywhere on the East Coast in the U.S. or, really, anywhere in the U.S. Yes. I am a bagel snob. Dublin's just got other stuff to offer. Enjoy it while you are here. Get bagels at home. If home is here, learn to make them correctly (Irish friends, email me and I'll send you a good recipe).

*I'd love to be a travel writer and just came across my absolute favorite travel writing piece.  It was in the New York Times by Christopher Solomon titled "A Case for Getting Far, Far Away." I certainly am biased toward that sort of travel... The sort that is off the beaten path. But also his writing grabs me. A mix of Franzen and Wallace plus a touch of Bill Bryson to make you smile: "The air was wintry but the day was bright, and I rode with the windows down, not minding the cold and dust as Gõtterdämmerung clouds swept shadows across endless sage. A herd of antelope raced us, the old VW and me, through the grass — “their mouths open,” as Gretel Ehrlich wrote in “The Solace of Open Spaces,” “as if drinking in the space.” Then the road suddenly ended at a sea in the desert — Flaming Gorge Reservoir — where buttes floated like steamships, and those operatic clouds pushed offstage toward Wyoming. The desert light slanted down, the wind plucked at the water. Standing there — alone, not to be found for days if the car had broken down — I don’t think I’d ever been happier" 

**Here is a Youtube video of his speech at his ancestor's home in New Ross and Wexford.

***At some point I will post a "best of microbrews" for your perusal. Ireland has much more than Guinness to offer as of late.

The Irish Ceili in St Paul

Carol Ann just sent me an email about an Irish Ceili in St. Paul!


When people think of Irish dancing, they think of the stage show "Riverdance" or a line of short-skirted girls with big, curly hair, their arms held straight at their sides and their lower legs snapping like scissors.

But there is a different side to Irish dancing, a social tradition that has little to do with performance or competition.

At an Irish social dance, or "ceili" (pronounced KAY-lee), anyone can learn a jig or reel.
"When you say Irish dancing, people will say, 'Oh, like "Riverdance"? I can't do that,' " says Tom Juenemann, who plays accordion in the Twin Cities Ceili Band. "And that's true, they can't. Step-dancing is a highly stylized dance form that you have to really learn how to do and practice. It's more of a sport.

"In contrast, ceili dances are just about having fun," Juenemann says. "It's nice to be able to do the footwork -- the sevens and threes and skipping and hopping. But the primary goal of a ceili dance is to laugh."

People head to ceilis on St. Patrick's Day and also year-round for regularly scheduled dances at the Dubliner Pub on University Avenue and elsewhere. I recently took my husband and two children to a kid-friendly ceili at Celtic Junction in St. Paul.

As we walked up to the building, we heard music drifting through the walls, beckoning us into the dimly lit dance hall. The five-piece Twin Cities Ceili Band played on stage under the backdrop of a painted yellow St. Bridgid's cross.

We settled into chairs on the side of the room and watched 40 or so dancers moving through patterns in several long lines. A mother danced while nudging her preschooler in the right direction. An older man shuffled, barely lifting his feet. There were middle-aged couples and a handful of teenagers with some impressive high-stepping, synchronized footwork.

Above the accordion and fiddle, you could hear instructions.
"Forward! Forward! Back! Back! Do it again! Trade places! Pass

The five-piece Twin Cities Ceili Band plays traditional Irish jigs and reels for the monthly Celtic Junction ceili dances in St. Paul. (Pioneer Press: Sherri LaRose-Chiglo)

through!" The caller was Linda Doran, one of a handful of people in the Twin Cities who has memorized the steps and patterns of traditional Irish dances and teaches them at dances.
LEARNING THE STEPS
Our family has no Irish heritage and my husband dances only grudgingly, but he loves Celtic music and his foot already was tapping. I decided to hit the floor with my 7-year-old-daughter and left our 10-year-old son to listen to music with dad.
I think we danced to "The Siege of Ennis," but frankly, it's all a blur. Maybe it was "Siege of Carrick." Could have been the "Fairy Reel" for all I know.
I was listening to Doran's instructions with the intensity of a teenager trying to follow a driving

instructor's directions for merging onto the highway.

My daughter and I faced another couple in a line going down the dance floor. We skipped sideways. We all put our hands in the middle and danced in a circle. We hopped forward and then stepped sideways and separated from our partner to allow another couple to walk between us.
I would steer my confused daughter out of the way of incoming dancers and pull her back toward me for a spin. As we moved down the line, we danced opposite different people, a few almost as confused as we were, and many others who pointed us in the right direction.
We got the hang of it, and by the end of the dance my daughter was even trying to lift her knees in a little jig step like the teenagers.
"If you can move forwards, backwards and sideways, I can put you into a ceili and there will be no blood," Doran told me later. "I consider it a bonus if you know your right from your left. It does not require a high level of skill in terms of the steps.

"I think it's very family friendly," she added. "I've had kids as young as 3 move through patterns on their own."

Doran is a member of an adult Irish social dance group called Mooncoin, which does demonstrations at fairs and schools. Members of the group were helping run this particular ceili while the regular caller, Mike Whalen, was out of town.
"Oh, my goodness, it's fun," said Elizabeth Merrit, a Mooncoin member who had brought her young daughter,

Evan Lowe, 17, front middle, and Kelly Reiling, 13, back left, of the O Shea Irish Dancers show off their moves during Celtic Junction's monthly ceili dance. (Pioneer Press: Sherri LaRose-Chiglo)

Flora. "It's social and it's something active you can do with your friends."
ALL THINGS IRISH 

The dance at Celtic Junction grew out of a longtime monthly ceili dance held at Oddfellows Hall in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Organizers were looking for a more visible venue and found a natural home at Celtic Junction and enthusiastic hosts in Natalie O'Shea and Cormac O'se (he prefers the Gaelic spelling).

Four years ago, the O'Sheas purchased and remodeled an old mobile phone warehouse in an industrial area north of University to house their booming O'Shea Irish Dance School. A champion in the competitive dance circuit of his native Ireland and a performer with "Riverdance," Cormac O'Se was eager to promote more social side of Irish dancing even as he trained young competitors.
"We wanted to have a place where we could do quite a lot more than run a dance studio," said Natalie O'Shea, a Minnesota native who met Cormac while she was working as a "Riverdance" stagehand. "We founded Celtic Junction as space for dance, music, visual art and language."
The Center for Irish Music is a major tenant, teaching fiddle, accordion and other traditional Irish instruments to 130 students. The center also hosts Gaelic language classes, various clubs and O'Shea Irish Dance, which has 250 students.

Sometimes, the O'Shea students and their parents drop by the monthly ceili.
On the night I was there, Doran invited the teenagers to show off their moves. One boy, who looked about the age of my 10-year-old son, drew the biggest whoops as he flung himself down the hall at a diagonal, skimming the floor with his feet as people clapped in rhythm to the music.
"This type of event is great because you get to enjoy the students," said Elaine Black, who was standing next to me.

Black learned ceili dances as a child in Ireland but set them aside for 20 years after emigrating. She rediscover them in St. Paul as a member of Mooncoin.

"There is a tradition in Irish culture that at the end of the night, you bring out your 'party piece,' either a piece of poetry or a piece of music or a dance. That's what these dances are," Black said.

SOCIAL GATHERING
I caught up with some of the athletic teen dancers in the lobby, taking a break from dancing and lounging on sofas.

David Ochs, 15, is part of a eight-member O'Shea team that will dance a competitive version of ceili at the World Irish Dancing Championships at the end of the month in Boston.

The style of ceili they perform is synchronized down to the height of their jumps and angle of their knee lifts, nothing like the social dancing we had been doing in the dance hall.

"It has to be completely symmetrical in every way," said Ochs, who lives in Minnetonka and is at Celtic Junction almost daily, either dancing or taking fiddle lessons.

The social ceili is a welcome break from the intensity of training for competitions. "It's nice to get away from the synchronization and just get loose," he said.

I told the boys that my 13-year-old son had not wanted to come to the ceili and was glad to have gotten out of the family outing by landing a babysitting gig.

"Your son is missing out," said Liam Slatterly, 15, of Roseville, another competitive dancer. "Just tell him there are, like, 50 million girls here ..."
"... and, like, six boys," Ochs said.

I headed back to the dance floor and tried to coax my 10-year-old out onto the dance floor. But he preferred to lurk on the sidelines nursing a root beer. His father and I shuffled through a couple of dances and had a good time.

As we moved down the line, we danced a few patterns opposite two teenage O'Shea students, Kelly Reiling and Amy Green, both of Minneapolis. It was a joy to watch them move, but I wondered if they thought it was a drag to dance with clumsy people the age of their parents.
"No! It's just so fun to see other people having fun," said Green right after the dance. She seemed shocked, hurt even, that I would even think she held my two left feet against me. "No one should ever feel self-conscious!"

Maja Beckstrom can be reached at 651-228-5295.

THE SCOOP
What: Irish ceili at Celtic Junction
Where: 836 Prior Ave., St. Paul
Information: 651-528-7979 or thecelticjunction.com
When: 7 p.m., usually third Saturday of the month
Cost: $5 person, $20 family
Target audience: Anyone who can't sit still when they listen to Irish music
Crowd pleaser: Learning the Haymaker's Jig
Avoid: Feeling self-conscious
Tip: The evening often starts with the easier dances.
Special event: The March ceili at Celtic Junction will not be held on the third Saturday as usual, but instead on Sunday, March 17, to coincide with St. Patrick's Day. Twin Cities Ceili Band will play live music, and Paul McCluskey will provide instruction. 6 to 10 p.m.; $10, $5 children ages 6 through 12 and seniors 65 and older.

The Monster Céilí

Lynne told us about a "Monster Céilí" in Enfield tonight and we could not resist. We all packed into our little rented VW and headed west on the N4. The traffic was incredibly awful so we missed an hour of dancing before we even got there.

In my opinion, it is nearly impossible to really understand a different culture. Prior to heading out to Enfield for this event I asked several of our friends to describe to us the nature of a "Fleadh", a "Céilí" and why this particular event seemed to be elevated to such importance. 

Note that the very start of this kind of a conversation is difficult because you first have to start out trying to pronounce the word. As many words in Irish are spelled similarly, this is crucial to really getting your question across. As said in a prior post, I finally learned that the pronunciation of Céilí is "Kay-Lee". What a real Céilí is, I had no idea other than that it had to do with Irish dancing. 

What a "monster Céilí" is is anyone's guess.

Sheila and I had had some experience at a Céilí and had looked it up to find that it "is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing."

We also knew that there would be some degree of competition at this event as Sheila had emailed with one of the coordinators.

But there are a few different types of Irish dancing, and lots of Irish music.

This event, the people, the dancing and the music ended up being part of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann movement to promote Irish culture, movement and dance. " The organisation was founded in 1951 and has since been extremely successful in promoting Irish music and culture among the Irish people and the Irish diaspora."

When we got there, they were hosting a "set dancing" competition that included people of a wide age range, and groups of dancers from the region. I'm sure I won't be able to upload the videos I took from tonight but here is a Youtube video of another group of Irish set dancers. 

Here are a few of my photos. 

We were told that there would be a "session" after the dancing competition so we hung around until one or more kid complained a little too loudly and then we thought about heading out. 

It was not at all what I expected. I thought there was going to be a group of musicians getting together to play Irish music (as we had seen at the other location). Instead, there was a Céilí band and at least 50 couples out on the dance floor dancing set dances!

It was really really fun to see. Again, I am blown away by Irish culture. Here was yet another group of people together, a fairly wider range of ages, on a Friday night for the sole purpose of getting together, dancing, and listening to Irish music. Lynne was saying that other countries certainly promote their own cultural heritage but perhaps it is more touristy... This event and all of the others like this are decidedly NOT touristy... There were no tourists (other than us) there. Frankly, were tourists LOOKING for such an event, it would be hard to find let alone to understand. On the way home we were talking about this a bit -- this decidedly pro-culture movement that Ireland has created in its music, its language, its dance and sport. Maggie talked a little about how America is a melting pot of so many cultures. This is true but I wonder if we end up resorting to the least common denominator and end up not really promoting any culture really at all. 

You can see so many benefits of this purposeful promotion and protection of Irish culture. People of all ages get together for a specific purpose at a public event. They have common goals and these cover a large swath of people -- here an entire country. Even Johnny commented -- how do they ALL know the same dance?? They learn Irish not because it will get them somewhere economically (our kids, for example, learn Spanish to be able to speak to other people and to help them get a job some day) but because it protects their culture. It could help them economically -- you need to know Irish to be a teacher or to participate in politics -- but because only the Irish speak it, it won't necessarily help you around the world.* 

I continue to be blown away by this place and all that it has to offer. 



*I do recognize that learning any language helps with all languages as well as loads of other subjects. 

Walk 4: National Looped Walk - Howth

There are loads of walks in Ireland.

Initially I thought that gathering together 9 walks in the Dublin area would be difficult. Now I know that 9 is the very minimum to even begin to provide a visitor to the area even a glimpse of what there is to offer.

Today we took Lynne to Howth and showed her one of the country's "Looped Walks."

There are four looped walks in Howth, but the most stunning and possibly easiest is the Cliff Path. 

But you need to be careful.

"This loop is one of four which starts at the DART (train) Station in the heart of the village. You are taken along the harbour before climbing away from the village around the Nose of Howth and onto the clifftops. Take in the stunning views of Lambay Island and Ireland’s Eye, and be overwhelmed by the heady scent of coconut from the bright yellow gorse on the heath. The Baily Lighthouse – the last of Ireland’s lighthouses to become automated - comes into view before you ascend towards the car park at ‘The Summit’ and return to Howth Village along a path running parallel to your outward route"

We didn't do the whole walk today (I'd love to come back) but I highly recommend it.

We drove up to the clifftop summit that overlooked the Dublin Bay to the West and the Sea to the South and East.

The Gorse is in full bloom everywhere and it was all over the cliffs. But a "well known country saying" is "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion."

Lynne loved the Baily Lighthouse and we could see Dalkey and Dalkey Island in the distance. It was quite misty so you couldn't see Sugarloaf or even the Aviva sparkling across the bay, but the view was incredible none-the-less.

We headed to Howth (Binn Éadair, meaning "Éadar's peak") Harbour, watched the seals in the harbour and the terns flying around the bird sanctuary on Ireland's Eye (see immediately below),

and then had lunch at Beshoff's in Howth.

I'd been wanting to do that without kids for a while because it's really a fish-tapas bar and my kids hate fish. We tried a few small fish dishes ranging from salmon to little crab claws to mussels  Ironically, none of the fish we enjoyed today were caught in the Irish Sea.

It was a lovely day. The cloudy threat of rain was pushed away with the wind and we ended up with a sunny afternoon.