Our first stop today was in the peaceful town of Cong. We walked from there to the nearby Ashford Castle, through the spacious grounds back to Ireland's School of Falconry. There we met our expert, their beautiful owl, Dublin, and finally, the star of the show, Jabba the Harris Hawk. They have a great respect for the birds in their care. They take them out, weigh them to ensure they will most likely be hungry, then allow them to sit out in an open cage so they can wake up and enjoy some sunshine. They do tie a tracker to a leg so they know where the birds go, but otherwise they let the birds decide for themselves whether they will cooperate. They are given easy food for choosing to cooperate and take part in the experience. Jabba was a very
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good sport, even if she did not approve of selfies! We took a nice, long walk with Jabba, and everyone got a chance to wear the glove and summon her to us. Our expert carried the pieces of meat which were Jabba's reward! We then had our first group photo with Jabba before Ashford Castle. After this we were set free to walk back to Cong. We had enough time to briefly enjoy Cong Abbey, and head back to the bus.
Our next stop was Leenane, a small town at the head of Killary Fjord (Ireland's only fjord). We stepped into Hamilton's Bar for a hot bowl of soup and finger sandwiches. It was a bit cramped, so Mom and I ate quickly and walked out to the edge of the Fjord to enjoy the |
We stopped at a very special location along our drive today. This was the Doolough (Black Lake) Valley Famine Memorial. On March 30, 1849 there was a march which took place from Louisburgh through the Doo Lough Valley to Delphi House. The people attempted to petition their landlord, the Marquis of Dligo, for help as they were starving. They were told to report for inspection and to be given relief rations. This was denied, and they were forced to return to Louisburgh. This was a 12 mile hike each way in poor weather. It is said that there were 600 people, men, women and children, who made this hike, and 400+ of these people died along the way as they returned back home. Each year a walk is done in memory of those who died. This
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This evening, upon arriving in Westport we had an Irish Coffee demonstration along with a Whisky talk. When we arrived Pascal and the bar attendants were deeply immersed in the second semifinal Gaelic Football between Dingle and Kerry. They could be heard occasionally shouting, "Up! Up! Up!", which we were told us would be our version of "Go, go, go!". The game ended with Kerry being the winner and going onto the final game against Galway. Shortly into our demonstration Mark came into the room to join us, his head hung low as his team, Dublin, had lost. He reported that he had already downed a pint to help his nerves and he was ready for an Irish Coffee to top it off!
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