Chasing Awe: A Journey Through Ireland’s Natural Wonders

We started getting hyped about the full solar eclipse last September. Six months of mounting hype and hope for an event that we knew in advance was only going to last about four minutes. Nope, I am not going to complain about it. But I was prepared to add it to the list of events that never met the expectations. That was not the case this time. For once, the omnipresent clouds parted just in time, and the people of NE Ohio got to see Awe Full, a show so primal and majestic that only nature could produce.

Equally inspiring were the reactions of our friends and neighbors. Hearing them express their wonder in whoops, shouts, applause, and fireworks was moving. It was like the circus came to our backyard for the afternoon. The large, universal event assumed a neighborhood, communal feel. Sharing that magic was magic in itself.

People often say that they go to Ireland for the pubs and the Irish people themselves. Believe that they go looking for some of that magic and awe too. It is just harder to talk about. Ireland is, after all, a stunning place.

So here we are, at the beginning of vacation season. What better time to attempt to list some of the places that I have been to and that I found awe-inspiring. Will this list be conclusive? Of course not. As soon as I hit send, I will give myself a Homer Simpson slap on the forehead for what I left out. But it is a good start for those looking to chase that awe, Indiana Jones style.

Antrim

Here goes. Starting at the top of the island, Antrim, N.I., is amazing. There are loads of sites there that are genuinely spectacular, like the atmospheric and menacing Dark Hedge, a lane of twisted oaks, and the moody coastline with its stony beaches and caves. But the site that is world heritage worthy is The Giant’s Causeway. It is an otherworldly amalgamation of stovepipe-shaped rocks. The variated hexagonal pillars stretch out into the Irish Sea, earning them the name causeway. Legend goes that folk hero Finn McCool built them as a bridge so he could walk to Scotland to hammer one of his enemies. This site is in the North and, therefore, managed by the English National Trust, so plan to visit during museum hours. I have to say, years ago, it was wide open and a little more amazing for it.

Ben Bulben

Driving down the west coast, you can’t miss another of Ireland’s iconic sights, Ben Bulben. I have been assured that it is just tall enough to qualify as a mountain. Its anthropomorphous electric green profile peers down on Sligo town. Its appearance can make the Ben seem more like a name than the word for mountain. Ben Bulben’s peak is unlike any other you would ever see. It is as flat as a 50s buzz cut. Yeats even wrote a poem about it. A climber who reaches the top has a unique experience. Instead of hanging on for your life, you can relax and have a nice level walk around while taking in panoramic views of town, mountain, and coast.

The Cliffs of Moher

Continuing the southern journey along the west coast, you come upon the picturesque postcard essential, the Cliffs of Moher. On approach, it almost looks like nothing unusual, until you get close to the edge. As you look down over the 700-foot precipice, the Cliffs look like primary evidence for how continents shift. Watching the Atlantic Ocean pound the shore as seabirds soar in and out is timeless. It is hard to imagine that anyone could come or go from this place. However, all this is on a good day. If the weather is less than great, the Cliffs are tricky. The wind is deceivingly strong. Our favorite view of the Cliffs was not from the top but from the bottom. The Aran Island ferry provides the opportunity to look up and really feel the majesty of the Cliffs.

The Burren

County Clare is also home to another world heritage spot, the Burren. It is a craggy and inhospitable place that does have a strange appeal. That moon-like place is now believed to be the first part of the island to be inhabited by early humans. The Burren is so unique that it is host to plants that only thrive there. It is a surreal-looking place, with a lingering, ethereal beauty. A traveler can get satiated quicker than they might expect amidst all this wonder. It is hard to take it all in, and sometimes, a traveler can lapse into tourist mode, mechanically looking, snapping a photo, and moving on. At those moments, the occasionally appalling Irish weather is a blessing. Nothing like sideways lashing rain to make a person contemplate where they had just been. Sometimes that bad weather gives a traveler time to rest and regroup, and prepare for more natural wonders.

The places that made my list did so because they are singular natural beauties. I came across a seanfhocal (a proverb) the other day. It said that to know someone or something well, you had to meet or experience it at least seven times. While I listed unique monuments, that is not all that there is to be experienced in Ireland. Throw a stone anywhere and there is something of historical or natural significance where it landed. Look around the countryside; there are small wonders to be found. Probably well after seven meetings of the area surrounding my husband’s family home, I found some surprising things. Just down the road, there stands a weather-beaten Celtic Cross that is at least two thousand years old. The local cows are so impressed that they use it for a side scratcher. Up the other direction and across a field is the coronation stone of King Daithi, centuries old as well. There is more, of course, but it was the seven times meeting that had been unlocked. A place that I thought that I knew well was new again.

The French word for now is maintenant. That word feels long and lacks the snap of something that should convey urgency. The Latin root of the word is main, which is hand. Teased out, it translates to the idea of time in your hand. That idea connected to the seven meetings for me. Holding time in your hand each time you experience a place, really seeing it, being present. A modern and tall order, so sometimes just try to look at things through a different lens. That is awe too. That idea feels like good travel advice for Ireland. It is tempting to try to pack it all in and see the country in three days. I would posit that it is better to have the seven meetings just about anywhere. If this is not a travel year, I think that this concept works for staycations too. We don’t always need to chase the awe. The seven meetings might be waiting and closer than you think.