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Clochn an Aifir, Clochn na bhFmharach, The Giant’s Causeway

admin — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Do you love visiting the world’s most fantastic wonders? Are you fascinated by notable environmental landmarks? Do you have a passion for the most surreal destinations in Ireland? If so, read on for more information about one of Ireland’s greatest natural monuments – The Giant’s Causeway, or in Irish, Clochn an Aifir, Clochn na bhFmharach.

The Giant’s Causeway, located on the northeastern coast of Northern Ireland, is one of mother nature’s greatest displays of volcanic activity. It is made up of more than 40,000 basalt columns.Additional information can be found at http://theunwittingtraveller.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/the-giant25e225802599s-causeway-part-geology-25e225802593-part-mythology/. These columns create an eerie, out of this world appearance which has caused them to be immortalized in countless Irish legends.

A similar collection of basalt columns in Scotland is the reason for the landmark’s “Giant’s Causeway” name: the site in Ireland and the site in Scotland are all that is left of an enormous bridge which spanned the distance between them.

The Giant’s Causeway is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is uniquely bizarre. The site is relatively easy for tourists to access. Although it is an extremely popular destination for many eco-tourists, it still manages to remain somewhat deserted, as deserted as it was when it was first discovered hundreds of years ago.

Skellig Michael Otherwise Known As Great Skellig

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Soaring up from the Atlantic Ocean nine miles off the coast of Ireland, the rocky Skellig Islands, Skellig Michael and Small Skellig, are fascinating to visit for both history buffs and nature lovers. Skellig Michael, otherwise known as Great Skellig, is the site of an ancient Gaelic monastery, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. First occupied in the 7th century and surviving six centuries of both Atlantic gales and Viking raids, the monastery on Skellig Michael was only abandoned in the 13th century. The beehive-like stone < i>clochans which the monks inhabited and the church of St. Michael have survived in remarkable condition to this day. Visitors must climb the original stone staircase of over 600 steps to ascend to the monastery on the east side of the island.

Skellig Michael, otherwise known as Great Skellig, is also the site of a lighthouse built in 1826, which was only automated in 1987. In addition, an excursion to Skellig Michael will provide you with the unforgettable experience of seeing the over 25,000 gannets nesting on adjacent Little Skellig Island. Shearwaters, kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, and puffins also make their homes here, as well as choughs and peregrine falcons.

Br na Boinne Or Bend Of The Boyne

admin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Br na Boinne, or the Palace of the Boyne, is a World Heritage Site located on the eastern coast of Ireland, in the county of Meath. It is one of Europe’s most important sites from the Middle Stone Age (the 35,000s B.C.E.), and consists of a collection of stones, tombs, and henges. The site is of great interest to archeoastronomers (archeologists who study ancient methods of astronomy) because it shows how much the people who made these structures knew about how to predict events in the sky. The passage graves at Newgrange and Dowth are clearly aligned with the position of the sun at the winter solstice. (Incidentally, the former is called the “Bend of the Boyne;” many translate the site’s name thus, but it is not correct.) Archeologists are not in complete agreement as to the exact purposes of the stones, though it is almost certainly religious” there is some evidence that the inhabitants made sacrifices on the site. There are also the “passage graves” or chamber tombs at Townleyhall and Knowth (some of the kerbstones are either missing or damaged, though).

Tourists can enter at the Visitor’s Center and listen to the various interpretations of the structures.

Ireland: A Home To Three World Heritage Sites

admin — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The three World Heritage sites in Ireland are Skellig Michael, Bend of the Boyne and Giant’s Causeway.. In reference to Skellig Michael, George Bernard Shaw said it is “An incredible, impossible, mad place. I tell you the thing does not belong to any world that you and I have ever lived or worked in; it is part of our dream world.”

Skellig Michael located in County Kerry is the remains of a monastery believed to have been associated with 7th century Irish Christians. The structure is believed to have been built of stone with a wooden roof and to have been used as late as the 12th century. This breathtaking site situated on Ireland’s southwest coast is inhabited by what is believed to be the largest congregation of seabirds in the entire world.

Bend of the Boyne appears to be a megalithic burial ground dating to the late Stone Age. Evidence has been uncovered dating from 3300 to 2200 BC and indicating an extremely high level of regard for the dead.

Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway is a cluster of 40,000 hexagonal columns interlocked together and believed to have resulted from volcanic activity. One formation looks like a gigantic boot shoe.