Inishbofin

Wednesday 19 June 2014

Inishbofin, the anglicized version of the Irish Inis Bó Finne or in English Bofin Island was our destination today.  We (well Randy and I) were awake at 9:00 which gave us plenty of time to shower, eat breakfast (after we woke up the children), pack a snack, and get to the ferry to go to the island.  The ferry was also carrying furniture, computers, suitcases, and large bags of vegetables besides people.

our ferry

As we approached the island, we could see mist beyond it, smoky gray.  We saw what looked to be a white lighthouse, but without a top.  Also, stone ruins of several buildings surrounded by a stone wall.  Well, of course being Americans and being us, we wanted to explore the ruins.  However, there was no road nor public footpath that we could find that led to that part of the island.  The ground between was covered with crisscrossing stone walls and fences with no paths or stiles visible.  So instead we walked two of the loops around the island, finding a beautiful beach along the way.  The sand was very fine and "squished" when you walked on it--the kind of sand they use for fine glass like for telescopes (we encountered similar sand in Australia which was the sand used for the Hubble telescope).  The rest of the island had the ubiquitous sheep and stone walls (which are still charming).  Also, the stony green I find so beautiful.  And you know, I'm going to miss the sounds of sheep and cows accompanying me as I go about my life when I return to Minnesota.  Here are a selection of the pics:

this is from the ferry of a random island--loved the lines of
stone walls everywhere

on the ferry

The island covered in mist

Inishbofin--Bofin Island

The white tower

The ruins

Going by the ruins

Here is a church that Joshua wanted to look into--I love the
bright colors!

The nave of the church

A cemetary--note the small stones by the ruin--I believe they are terribly
old grave markers--newer ones with names and dates are nearby.

The beach!

Low tide--full of shells and tiny sand crabs

A village on the island--a bay is to our right

Isn't it beautiful?  THIS is Ireland!

The ever-present sheep and stone walls--these topped with fence and barbed wire

The children walking the path (actually a road)

The girls are VERY tired and need a rest!

When we finished our long walks, we still had an hour before our ferry so we looked for somewhere to sit and rest our poor, tired feet.  Anneliese noticed a community center up the hill so we looked for a road.  Not seeing an obvious choice, I followed a barely-discernible path leading in that direction.  The family followed and we crossed a stream, went through knee-high weeds, scrabbled up a hill and climbed over a fence to reach our objective! The community center had a gazebo which provided shade and a playground which drew Joshua to it (who had just 10 minutes before complained that he was too tired to go on!).  The girls went into the community center and found a gym and a basketball (they were also previously exhausted!).  Randy and I rested, though Randy did push Joshua and Shelby on the merry-go-round.

We returned to our cottage starved!  We had stopped for a snack of granola bars and fruit, but it was a 5:00 ferry and was almost 6:30 by time we arrived home.  So dinner, quiet time, and we have a competitive game of hearts planned for tonight.