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14 July 2016

This morning we awoke to a bright, sunny, gorgeous day.  We began the day at the Glencolmcille Folk Village.  Admission to the Folk Village, which consists of five houses depicting life in different time periods, was €10 (children seven and under are free).  The collection of houses was built by the community in the 1960s in an effort to attract some much needed tourism to the area and provide jobs for the local people.  The museum has grown and is one of the better villages of its type.  The houses are furnished primarily with donations from local people and I believe that they still offer tours in Irish which adds a couple of unique aspects to the museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The children were interested in taking quick looks in each building, but not really long enough for Sarah and me to digest everything.  Thankfully, the booklet that they give for the self-guided tour is a huge improvement over the one they used two years ago and is very informative.  Next time we visit, maybe we will wait for the guided tour (they begin at 11 AM).  I’m not sure if the kids would have done better or worse with a guide this time.  Even though I felt rushed, the children enjoyed the visit very much.  The children did however allow Sarah and I to see the film about Father McDyer this time which explains the origins of the Folk Village.  We found the film very interesting and informative.  What an impressive man he was!

The Folk Village also has a nice gift shop and a tea room that serves homemade food including wonderful soups and desserts, but for us it would be for another day.

From the Folk Village we headed to Tobar Colmcille (St. Colmcille‘s Well).  The well is the seventh station of the Turas in Glencolmcille.    Pilgrims (on the Turas) pick up three stone at the foot of the hill and carry them to the well.  All four of us made it to the well this time and we had each brought a stone from home as a representation of our transatlantic pilgrimage.  Once we reached the well, we all tossed our stones on the cairn and said our prayer of thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed down from the well after admiring the incredible views and began up the path to the Mortello Tower.  It was mere minutes before someone said that they were hungry.  So we stopped at a small outcropping and ate our picnic.  After everyone had their fill we continued on.  The children did very well and the sun reflecting off the glen, sea and cliffs was a magnificent site.  We made it a little short of half-way up and then turned around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone was pretty tired at this point.  It was bright, sunny and 20° so we headed to the Glen Bay beach across from the Folk Village.  The sun had a nice warmth as the children and I changed into our bathing suits.  This beach is a place where I spent a lot of time enjoying the peace and sea when I would attend Oideas Gael.  Liam immediately headed into the water with me right behind him.  He has really enjoyed playing in the waves.  For most of our time there Liam and I were the only two in the water.  The water was cold, but the sun kept us pretty warm.

As the day wore on, the sun went behind some clouds.  The weather was still nice, but it made a huge difference if you were wet!  Liam’s hands started to get really cold, so we returned to the car.  We all showered at the house to get rid of the sand and then had a snack and by the time we were finished most of the day was over so we called it a day.  We were all tired, but what a beautiful day!

Gaeilge Experience:  TV, The woman in the Folk Village shop waited on us in Irish

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