The problem of returning home

Once you get back home you must begin to put away everything you used on the tour -- so it will be ready for the next tour! And you have to get back to your regular work.

Thanks for following the tour with us.

Our next tour is the Egyptian Adventure Tour scheduled for January 14-25, 2011.

The Book of Kells and the Scottish Connection

This morning we visited the Trinity College Library to view the Book of Kells which dates to about A.D. 800.

Entrance to the Trinity College Library exhibition of the Book of Kells
and the Long Room. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Two volumes of the famous illuminated Gospels in Latin were on display in a special case. One showed the first words of Luke 4.

And Jesus,full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness. (Luke 4:1, ESV)

Two full pages were used for these words and the associated drawings. Another volume was open to John 7:31-40.

The Book of Kells is famous for its drawings showing the The Four Evangelists, that is, the four writers of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Souvenirs may be seen in shops throughout Ireland with these images imprinted on them. Here is a plate depicting John as an eagle.

John as an Eagle. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

In A.D. 597 Saint Columba went from Ireland to Iona, an island near the coast of Scotland, to teach Christianity. Some scholars suggest that Columba prepared the famous Book of Kells, an illuminated Gospels, at Iona. The information at the Trinity College Library display dates the Book of Kells to A.D. 800. I do not have the materials available to clarify this difference.

It is not certain that anything remains on the island of Iona from the time of Columba, but there are numerous medieval ruins. Here is a photo I made a couple of years ago of the ruins of the nunnery on the island.

Ruins of the nunnery on the Island of Iona. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Eventually the Book of Kells was brought to the Abbey of Kells, a monastery founded by Columba, about 40 miles north of Dublin.

We also visited Saint Patrick Cathedral and the Chester Beatty Library.

Dave and Marge left to return to London for their flight home. The rest of us plan to leave Dublin tomorrow about noon.

Dublin

This afternoon we arrived in Dublin for a two night stay before returning home. Everyone in the tour is doing well.

I haven't had time to work on any of the photos I made today. We visited several sites in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, associated with Thomas and Alexander Campbell around 1800.

More later.

Living in Ireland in 1790

Monday we visited the Ulster-American Folk Park in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This is a marvelous open-air museum with old houses, some of which have been moved from their original place to the Park for preservation. One of the houses belonged to Judge Thomas Mellon,  founder of the Pittsburgh banking dynasty. One of the houses that caught my attention was the house of a common (poor) family of about 1790. Alexander Campbell was born not very far from here in County Antrim in 1788. I have the impression that the Campbell's were better off. Thomas served as a Presbyterian pastor and operated his own academy.

The house has a thatched roof. Yes, that is smoke coming from the chimney.

House built in 1790. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Inside the house, peat was burning in the fireplace. Most of the smoke was going up the chimney. In addition to warming the single living-sleeping-dining room, the fire was used for cooking.

Peat fire burning in the fireplace. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Regardless of the size of the family, there was likely only one bed for the parents. Children slept on the floor.

Only one bed in the single-room house. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

United States President Woodrow Wilson's ancestral home was located in this region of Ireland. Wilson's grandfather left Ireland in 1807.

Last night we were in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Everyone in the group is doing well.

The Meeting of the Waters

Thomas Moore (1779-1852) is known as one of Ireland’s best writers. A little south of Dublin, in Wicklow County, the Avonmore and Avonberg rivers meet. Moore made this spot famous in his poem The Meeting of the Waters.

The meeting of the waters in the Vale of Avoca. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The Meeting of the Waters

There is not in the wide world a valley so sweet
As that vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet
Oh the last rays of feeling and life must depart
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart
Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart

Yet it was not that nature had shed o’er the scene
Her purest of crystal and brightest of green
‘Twas not her soft magic of streamlet or hill
Oh No ’twas something more exquisite still
Oh No ’twas something more exquisite still

‘Twas that friends, the belov’d of my bosom were near
Who made every scene of enchantment more dear
And who felt how the best charms of nature improve
When we see them reflected from looks that we love
When we see them reflected from looks that we love

Sweet vale of Avoca! How calm could I rest
In thy bosom of shade, with the friends I love best
Where the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease
And our hearts, like thy waters, be mingled in peace
And our hearts, like thy waters, be mingled in peace

Bust of Thomas Moore at the meeting of the waters. Photo: F. Jenkins.

How fortunate is any person to have a special place to recall as a place of peace. I have enjoyed several of these places through the years. First, there is home. My study, when my desk is clean and it’s raining outside, is another. I think also of the Sea of Galilee at sunrise, or sunset. Spiritually we find peace in Christ.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NAU)

North Ireland's answer to Dollar General

We noticed today that Londonderry has a POUNDWORLD. "yes! everything's £1." Well, that's still $1.60.

POUNDWORLD in Londonderry

We had a good day in North Ireland today. We will leave Londonderry tomorrow morning for Belfast, with lots to see on the way. There is much I could tell you, but I don't have time to prepare all of the photos and write about all of the things of interest as we go along.

Getting bogged down

The typical tour of the Emerald Isle goes around the coast. We started at Dublin in the Republic of Ireland and went south, then along the southern coast, then up the eastern coast. Last evening we arrived at Londonderry in Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom. We had rain most of the day.

We have seen many bogs as we have made the half circle around the island. The peatland or bog covers about 15% of the landscape of Ireland. There are raised bogs in the midlands of the country.

The peat is said to have been formed over a period of about 10,000 years. The natural growth of the centuries lies trapped in the earth. The photo below shows an area where turf cutters have taken out some of the peat.

A bog showing that turf has been cut. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The peat is cut into small "logs" about the size of those logs folks back in the USA buy to put on their fire. The peat burns and smells like wood. It is natural decayed matter.

Peat cut into small "logs" to be burned. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

During certain periods when much more peat was being taken from the bog, small ponies were used to pull the carts. These ponies almost became extinct, but a gentleman on the Ring of Kerry has tried to preserve them from extinction. The two you see below are at the Kerry Bog Village. The ponies are called Kerry Bog ponies.

Kerry Bog Ponies at the Kerry Bog Village. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

If I may leave a little message for today, don't get bogged down in the things of this life. You may get stuck there for a long time.

Street musician in Galway

Daye Edwards, one of our tour members, caught this cute photo of a little girl trying to understand the strange sound coming from the didgeridoo of a street musician in Galway, Ireland.

Little girl captivated by a didgeridoo.

Thanks for sharing with our readers.

The roads of Ireland

Many of the roads we have traveled are wide, like our Interstate Highways. I almost said "good and wide" but I realized that many of our Interstates are no longer good. (Now, there's a shovel ready job!) But some are narrow. They really were not intended originally for large tourist buses. I did not think these buses would make it without scraping. They made it, and we passed the one headed toward us. These professional drivers are good.

You know that the Irish think the left side of the road is the right side.

A road near the Cliffs of Moher. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

I don't know why they put the tourist attractions on the narrow roads. :-)

The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher rise about 650 feet above the Atlantic Ocean on the Western coast of Ireland. We arrived in the early afternoon and the light was against us, but the view was still spectacular. The wind along this coast can be terribly strong. Even so, not far away there is a world class links golf course. Our guide said the wind on the course can easily reach 80 miles an hour.

Cliffs of Moher on the Atlantic Ocean. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

As I walked up the hill to O'Brien's Tower once or twice I felt like our USA weather persons out in a hurricane. This tower was built as a viewing point for Victorian tourists.

O'Brien's Tower at the Cliffs of Moher. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Today we visited the region of Connemara in County Galway.

Everyone in our group is doing well.

Remembering 9/11

A few days ago we visited the Waterford Crystal Factory to see the various stages involved in the making special Waterford pieces. Later I may be able to post some more photos which you will find interesting.

Perhaps everyone remembers the large ball dropped in Times Square on New Years' Even, and special sports trophies made by Waterford. Another piece at the factory caught my attention. At this time I want to share this one special piece.

Waterford Crystal

The plaque below this poignant piece says, "This piece was made in remembrance of Fr. Mychal Judge, who was one of the 343 FDNY, 37 PAPD & 23 NYPD Officers who lost their lives on September 11th 2001 while trying to save others." The final line says,

This piece is dedicated to all the Rescue Workers.

The tragic events of 9/11 should never be forgotten by Americans or any other peace loving peoples. We remember all, whether rescue workers or not, who lost their lives on that day.

Emerald Ireland 2010 Group Photo

This morning as we began our tour of the Ring of Kerry, we stopped for a group photo overlooking the Killarney lakes.

Most of our tour members for this tour come from California, but we also have individuals from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. I know that when I post group photos some would like to be able to have a larger photo so they can identify their friends. Click on the photo for a larger image.

Emerald Ireland group at Killarney, Ireland.

A surprise at Blarney

When we pulled into the parking lot of the Blarney Woolen Mills, a local fair was underway. It provided some colorful photos.

One lady was selling Lamb Burgers. They looked good.

A man was selling corn on the cob.

Elizabeth could not resist the homemade fudge.

Across from the fudge tent someone was selling herbal tea as a weight loss potion.

Of course, vegetables are good for you.

The soap tent caught my attention. Not that I needed to bathe, but that they were selling Goats Milk Soap. I thought how this was something that could have been made in Bible times.

Fun is where you find it. I thought this was fun.

Killarney on Friday. It rain a lot last evening in Killarney. It is not raining this morning. We look forward to a great day on the Ring of Kerry.

County Wicklow in Ireland

There are so many photos that illustrate the serenity of Ireland. I have chosen a scene from Glendalough in County Wicklow, the home of one of my forebears, Matthew Lyon (1746-1822). Lyon came to American as a poor emigrant but rose to be a colonel in the American war of independence and a member of Congress.

Yesterday afternoon we stopped at Glendalough for a visit. The national park is the site of a monastery and religious community dating from as early as the 6th or 7th century A.D. This tower is thought to belong to the 11th or 12th century A.D.

This morning we visited the Waterford Factory store. At the moment we are in Blarney. I suspect that some of the group has been out kissing the Blarney Stone. Others are shopping and eating lunch. Tonight we are scheduled to be at Killarney.

Everyone seems to be in good health and cheerful today.

Safe arrival in Ireland

Just a note to let our friends know that everyone in the group arrived safely in Ireland with all the luggage they checked. We traveled to Glendalough in Wicklow County, then to Waterford for the night.

I was able to secure a SIM card for my AirCard and after some difficulty registered the account, I am now online.

If possible I will post a photo of something we saw today. If not, perhaps we can do that tomorrow.

Have banner, Will travel

Our banner is ready. Now we need to get to Ireland and find a nice location for the group photo.