Across the River Shannon

After passing through the town of Dingle in County Kerry, we drove generally north toward the River Shannon.  Our eventual goal for the day was the town of Doolin in County Clare…but we had a fair distance to go before we got there.

I can’t understand why the color ‘green’ is almost synonymous with Ireland, can you!  Beautiful countryside…

This is a view of Tralee Bay from its southern shore.

I took this photo of Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill overlooking the bay.

…then they returned the favor!  As you can see from both photos, it was a bit windy that day.

We came across this Texaco Gas Station and ‘quick shop’ on the outskirts of the village of Blennerville along N86.  Although we didn’t remember seeing any Texaco locations, it turns out that there are a large number of them in Ireland. (https://texaco.ie/)

We had quite a bit of ground to cover on this particular day and while we didn’t need gas, we did need restrooms and a snack…

This was not your typical ‘quick shop’ like the ones that we usually come across in the USA.

It was really a well-stocked mini grocery store with fruit, bakery products, canned goods and more!

Even their take out or dine in prepared food items were appealing…and different than the hot dogs, pre-made sandwiches, etc. than we typically see in the USA.  This display of hot to go/eat in foods included fried chicken, chicken and mushroom slice, meat pies, potato wedges, BBQ Cajun chicken wings…and other items I didn’t identify.

In this photo we can see breakfast cereal and Weetabix, as well as a large cooler containing cheese, bacon, lunch meats, yogurt and other dairy products.  In the back there is a nice selection of wine and beer with bread and other baked goods at the left of the wine.

So of course, we decided to eat ‘healthy’, selecting an assortment of sweet bakery items paired with some quality coffee plus... There was a small dining area at the back of the store.

…a croissant and a great looking (and tasting) sweet pastry twist!

Of particular note was the fact that this busy gas station, ‘convenience stop’, mini-grocery and snack shop was spotless and extremely well maintained!

In the village of Blennerville (Irish Gaelic: Cathair Ui Mhorain, meaning the ‘seat/home of the Morans”), we were startled to see a windmill in the center of town… This windmill is called a tower mill and at about 70 feet in height, it’s the tallest of its type in Europe.  It was built in 1800 by Sir Rowland Blennerhassett.  It was used for grinding corn for local consumption as well as for export…

By the mid to late 1800s, with the advent of steam power and improvements in transportation it was abandoned and it fell into ruins.  However, by 1984 it had been completely restored and it’s now a tourist attraction.  The Blennerville Windmill is the only one of its types in existence in Ireland.

Note:    

·         Blennerville’s port was used through most of the 1800s as a gateway from County Kerry to North American by emigrants wishing to find a new beginning across the Atlantic Ocean.  One sailing ship, the Jeanie Johnson made 16 trips across the North Atlantic, transporting roughly 3,600 emigrants and she never lost even one passenger.  I wonder how many families in the USA and Canada can trace their family history back to this ship!

After stopping in Blennerville, we passed around Tralee (the largest town in County Kerry) and drove north on N69, eventually coming to the town of Listowel. (Population ca. 4,800) The town is one of Ireland’s 26 “Heritage Towns”.  FYI…that big yellow building is M.J. Carroll Ltd., ‘The Hardware House”.  The company has been in business for 110 years…

Listowel’s long history dates back to 1303.  Fortress to the Fitzmaurice family, the town developed around Listowel Castle which was built in the 1400s.  The town is sometimes referred to as the “Literary Capital of Ireland” and a number of well-known playwrights and authors have lived here.

As we drove through Listowel we had to take a picture of this fancy sign and bas-relief on the Central Hotel and the Maid of Erin Bar.  This piece of artistic sculpture was completed by a builder and plasterer sometime around 1910.  It was restored in 2011.

The building is actually occupied by a family operated business, “The Maid of Erin Café and Grill” accompanied by a bed and breakfast above the restaurant.  For more information, check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MaidOfErinCafeGrill/.  

As we neared the River Shannon, we came to the village of Tarbert.  That imposing stone building is the Tarbert-Bridewell Historical Jailhouse.  This former courthouse and prison was built in 1831.  It was used for trying local court cases and for holding prisoners awaiting transfer to the Kerry County Jail in Tralee.  The jail closed in 1874 but the courthouse was used until the 1950s.  The complex was reopened as a museum and visitor’s center in 1993. 

As we rolled along coast on the road out of Tarbert toward the river, we suddenly came to a stop.  The line of vehicles was waiting for the ferry across the River Shannon…

This old pier is located at one side of the ferry landing.  In the early 1800s Tarbert exported a lot of corn, butter and farm produce.  In 1837, 50,000 barrels of corn, 25,000 pigs where shipped out from Tarbert, along with about monthly shipments of 200 firkins of butter. (11,200 lbs. of butter!) 

Food trucks/trailers are a big business in the USA…and there was one at Tarbert’s ferry landing attempting to take advantage of all the cars waiting their turn to cross the river.

After a short wait, our ferry the “Shannon Breeze” arrived at the ‘new pier’ to discharge its load of vehicles and pick us up.  FYI…the new pier was built ca. 1858. 

The ferries cross the River Shannon year around on an hourly basis with an expanded schedule during the summer months.  The fare per car including passengers was 19E/$22.80 US.  This is the busiest ferry service in Ireland…

If that trailer offering snacks at the Tarbert ferry landing didn’t grab your attention, the ferry has its own snack shop!  The Shannon Breeze is 265 feet long and she has the capacity to carry up to 60 cars and 350 passengers.

This ferry service was started in 1969.  Six families based on both sides of the River Shannon invested and created the company.  The demand was there, that’s for sure.  For those headed north from County Kerry to County Clare and the attractions on the west coast of Ireland, the ferry cut driving time by an hour and a half and about 85 miles. 

Laurie took this photo of Bill and me up on the deck checking out the sights as we crossed the River Shannon. 

In 2010, a tunnel under the River Shannon on the western outskirts of Limerick was opened.  While it is much less expensive than the ferry (1.90E/$2.30 US), it just couldn’t be as much fun for a boat and ferry fan like me!

Humans and their means of conveyance weren’t the only passengers along for this 20 minute ride across the river.  This raven was quite content to hang out…perhaps hoping to grab a snack from one of the passengers…

Cruising along at about 11 knots, we had plenty of time to see the sights on the River Shannon.  At the left is the Tarbert Island Lighthouse.  It was built in the 1830s and it’s still operational today.  Its light guides vessels passing up and down the Shannon estuary.  The lighthouse is built on a tidal rock and it’s connected to the shore by a cast iron bridge.

That gas turbine power plant at the center of the photo is owned by Spanish power company Endesa.  I’m not sure if Endesa owns those wind turbines or not but wind power as a source of electricity is very important in Ireland.  In 2015, wind turbines generated 23% of Ireland’s average electricity demand, one of the largest electric grid penetration values in the world.  By 2017, the Republic of Ireland had 2,878 MegaWatts of installed wind power.  

Yes indeed… Shipping is alive and well on the Shannon estuary.  This is the Symphony Sun, registered in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.  She is a 402 foot long general cargo carrier.  At the time I wrote this post, she was in-route to Coruna in Estonia.

The relatively deep water and shelter from the Atlantic Ocean has led to the development of the estuary as an important center for industry as well as imports to exports from Ireland.  Large industries include major power generating plants, a bauxite refinery and deep water port facilities.

Along the way, we passed the Shannon Breeze’s older and slightly smaller sister vessel headed for the Tarbert pier.  The Shannon Dolphin is 236 feet long, can carry up to 52 cars and 350 passengers.  She’s a bit slower than the Shannon Breeze too…cruising along at only about 7 knots.

The short ferryboat ride ended as we neared the southern coast of County Clare near the village of Killimer. 

FYI…The River Shannon (Irish Gaelic: Abha na Sionainne), which is 224 miles long, is the longest river in Ireland.  It is named after Sionna, a Celtic goddess.  The Shannon has been an important waterway since before it was first mapped by Graeco-Egyptian geographer Ptolemy.  By way of reference, Ptolemy was born ca. 100 and died ca. 170!

Bill and I finally had to come down from the upper deck and get back in the car with the ladies as we approached the ferry landing on the north side of the Shannon estuary/River Shannon.  To learn more about this important and historical river, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Shannon.

Next stop, the famous Cliffs of Moher!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave