Lough Gur, Co. Limerick, Ireland

Day 19

While we consumed another massive dose of early morning calories, the young mother who owned and operated the B&B related a sad tale concerning the poor quality of healthcare at the Limerick hospital. She went on to relate her experiences with a grossly negligent pediatrician who very nearly killed her newborn daughter. The tale was so frightening that I was almost reluctant to drive back up there, in fear I might run into the malefactor myself, but the lure of touring the Hunt
Museum soon overcame my initial reservation.

Carol and I were equally impressed with the breadth and scope of the collection. The Hunts had eclectic tastes ranging from Egyptian art, Greek statues, to Roman and Stone Age artifacts. The bronze statue of a horse, made by Leonardo himself, was alone worth the price of admission.

Afterward we decided to head back in the direction of our B&B in Bruff and stop in at the Lough Gur Visitor Center, located only about a mile or two from the Grange stone circle. We were both keen on continuing our investigations of this unique area. Lough means 'lake' and this lake is absolutely gorgeous. Above the shore we were able to walk around and among the ruins of a Bronze Age settlement. Most of the foundations were intact as were some of the walls. It was a very impressive site. We spent 2-3 hours hiking the trails and sitting under trees overlooking the lake to inhale the essence of man's ingenuity and the splendor of nature.

Reluctantly we took our leave, as we wanted to have a look at a nearby wedge tomb before it got dark. Lacking any proper place to park, few visitors make the effort to visit these ruins. However, those that enjoy climbing over, under, and around ancient tombs at a leisurely pace undisturbed by other tourists will be handsomely rewarded.

At this tomb, yet another marvel of stone works, it occurred to me that future generations will undoubtedly discover many more artifacts using as yet uninvented technology. Considering that the Lough Gur area had been continuously inhabited for well over 2000 years, there must be plenty more burial sites undiscovered. Over that length of time, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people must have lived, died and been buried; but where are they? Wedge tombs contain the remains of only a handful of people. Gotta be somewhere.

Meanwhile, back at our B&B, it was time to switch gears. Turing on the TV we watched Ghana fall apart against Uruguay in the World Cup semi-finals. We were both rooting for Ghana as they were the team that eliminated the USA. Once the match was over we were greeted by a cacophonous roar outside our window. It seems that Bruff celebrates the summer with a wild parade wherein participants stage floats depicting whatever summer means to them individually. Very entertaining. We had a grand view from our second story window.