The Last of Dingle and Norah's Accordion

Norah going into the church

I do believe I could 'rest in peace' for all eternity if myself, and my family were in this here graveyard in Murreagh, County Kerry.

Norah said this was her house and kept inviting us in to meet her horses. Who knows.

These lines are "Ogham" text which was an ancient Irish script. This inscription meant something about "son of....someone.." I should have taken a picture of the plaque, I understand, that's not exactly a clear description.

Well, anyway, there was a hole in the top of it so Wayne decided to do this:

I loved how this wife (and family) brings so much to this grave. There are poems, flowers, tiny fishing boats, 3 cans of full Guinness, statues.... and on and on. He died in 2004 and they're still this active. The most you see on a grave in the U.S. would be a single bouquet of flowers, and more often, not even that.

They're not exaggerating

Recognize the cow?? These were our Kerry Dairy cow friends from a couple days before

This was the day Pake was in the hospital and Norah kept requesting to say prayers at this altar. She went up there three separate times.

One of the best Irish phrases there are. I love this one.

Really loved this café in Dingle. They had the menu and then a list of each of their food products with the local producer it came from.

This is the owner of a small music shop in Dingle. He's an incredible accordion player and Nana bought Norah a toddler-accordion as an early Christmas present. The store owner played it for a minute for us to show us what it can do.

"Let's ask the guy"

 Nana on the pink blanket

 Nana on the pink blanket

Nana, Wayne and Norah, in the surf with the most incredible beach-surroundings you ever saw. Sure, Hawaii and Australia rival some of this but there's something about being in the beauty of West Kerry WHILE swimming in the Atlantic (meaning it was that hot out) that tops a "real tropical place".

Oh how I wish this was my local farmer's market. I would absolutely love to live in Dingle. 

Dingle, Great Blasket Island and an Ambulance

 Found my cheese heaven, and I can't even have cheese. Well, today I did.

(lunch later that afternoon)

 Paris, in Dingle, Ireland

 We found the 'birdcage' super outlet in Dingle. If you need to attend a royal affair, they've got you covered. Nana pulls it off too.

 

Kids toy store and bookstore, all in Irish

They wanted 15 Euro for each sheep, Nana could make these in her sleep.

 

Oh, this store has been in Dingle since 1602... (What?!)

I'd live here.

Young Harp player

 Norah, Wayne and Pake at low tide

Norah loved squishing her feet down into the sand with Pake

Pretending to be dogs.

 On "The Blasket Princess" boat, out to the Great Blasket Island

Our little Blasket Princess, as she asked me to call her.

Our captain, Mick, who was a fisherman and was the only person approved by the government to live out on Great Blasket for a few years (after it's evacuation of it's 100 residents in 1953). He was allowed to live out there and fish. You'll see how desolate the village is and what it must have meant for this man to live out there, alone, with his dog. He was really great though - very sharp, very knowledgeable about sustainable fishing (and living). We had a great chat with him.

 Mick's house was the tiny one in the top/center with a small yellow door. I can't believe he lived out there! All of these buildings have been abandoned since 1953.

 We sat on this beach and had our picnic. It was heaven!!! We watched the 8 or 10 seals who were just off the shore (waiting to have a rest on the beach if it wasn't for all of us tourists taking up their warm sand).

Full of sheeps' wool

Wayne and his dad taking the harder route back up to the top.

 Yeah, that's right - Norah has a ponytail. It's more like a single pig tail with its tight curl. We'll take what we can get.

 Remnants of the old walls making up their 'roads' for livestock and walking.

I thought these two were some of the most adorable animals I had ever seen in my life (still do). The girl who was able to give some history about the island said they look this way from inbreeding. So, turns out, they weren't just quiet because they were sweet and docile.

Looking quite proud and superior because he's not inbred like these two jokers.

They're standing in that "road" I was mentioning above.

 This mama and baby were heartbreakers.

 But THIS baby sheep, took the cake. It's smaller than a puppy toy-poodle. I'm not kidding. This picture doesn't quite show that it's nearly a 1/4 mile away at this point. It must have been born in the last 24 hours. It was the cutest thing you ever saw, no question. :)

 Holy moly. Also unedited. This place was unreal.

 You can understand why the inhabitants of this island didn't want to leave until they absolutely had to. Now, don't get me wrong, the winters had to have been the roughest possible but clearly, Spring and Summer must have sustained them. We bought a book about the island (written by the oldest surviving inhabitant) and I'm nearly done with it. Interestingly, when they finally evacuated them all, (great poverty and an accidental death preceded that) - every single resident emigrated to Springfield Massachusetts and their children/grandchildren are still there. (and a few residents who are still alive)

 The houses being swallowed back into the landscape.

If you look closely, all the many small white birds are puffins, guarding their nests. One in front of each nest.

 Center/Top, you'll see two Red Irish Deer with their huge antlers!

 And there they are, center/right

And this was Pake's escort the next morning. It's a long story and I'll get to the rest of it tomorrow. The short of it: It was a kidney stone, he had a one hour ambulance ride with sirens & lights (to the nearest backwater Irish hospital), spent 12 hours in the hospital with the worst pain in his 57 years and then it stopped. Thank goodness!! It came on within a matter of minutes and we were more than a little scared when Richard Dykstra (who hasn't seen a doctor since 1997) said, "Call an ambulance!" It was a scary day but we're so thankful they sent him home and that it didn't mean surgery.