August 15 - Sliabh Liag

We docked at a small port called Killybegs off the bay of Donegal today and my tour took me to another set of cliffs, Sliabh Liag.  I had absolutely no idea how to pronounce that so I asked Michael the driver before I boarded the bus.  Sliabh Liag is “Sleeve League.”  How “bh” came to be pronounced “V” is a mystery to me.

It’s worth writing just a little about Killybegs, the town where we docked.  It is mainly a deep-sea fishing port and in the harbor next to us were many multimillion-dollar commercial fishing trawlers, all sitting idle.  Robin, our guide, told us that the fleet may only fish for 4 to 6 weeks under EU rules (Ireland is still part of the European Union unlike the UK).  I suspect the restriction and limitation is because the EU doesn’t want over-fishing to occur.  It was unclear to me what our guide thought about that because he did mention several times and emphasized that they were very expensive vessels that also cost a great deal of money to maintain even when sitting at the docks.  Hopefully they make enough money worth their catches during the short fishing season.  On our way out of town we passed processing plants where the fish are sent after being off-loaded to be cleaned and flash frozen for shipment round the world.

The fishing fleet sitting idle at Killybegs

The countryside here which is further north than yesterday is considerably rockier than down in Galway.  There were essentially no farms because of the rocky terrain so most of the land is devoted to sheep or cows.  Also because of the terrain there is a different breed of sheep here.  These are better able to graze where there is less lush grass.  A consequence of that is that the ewes of the breed raised here generally have only one lamb per year whereas the breed further south may have two or three per year.  I know nothing about raising livestock but I found that interesting.

I liked this wreck of a boat along an inlet we passed. It won't be going to sea any time soon.

After a short bus ride we arrived at the visitor center and jumping off place for viewing today’s cliffs.  (One of my friends onboard who heard I was going to see more cliffs today said “Oh, you must be a cliffhanger!”  Ha! Ha!)

We got into some very small vans and drove up a winding, steep road to the summit of Sliabh Liag.  As we wound around we passed a bunch of people who are crazy in my opinion hiking or bike-riding up and down.  It looked very daunting to me and my fellow passengers.  

The cliffs of Sliabh Liag are the highest in Ireland with the highest point being 690 meters above sea level or about 1970 feet.  Unlike the cliffs of Moher which are nearly vertical these are more at an angle and do have a little vegetation in patches of the rocks.  Once again from the viewing platform we could see the waves crashing at the foot of the cliffs and there were even a few tiny sandy beaches where the rocks had been ground into what looked like fine white sand. While on the platform an Irishman whose family is from these parts played his guitar and serenaded us with a traditional Irish folk song he’d written. If I can figure out how to upload the little video I recorded I’ll put it here, but I always have trouble with that.

One of three man-made cairns on the road to the top og the cliffs

These are different views of Sliabh Liag

I can't upload the video but here's our Irish troubador.

After our stay at the top of the cliffs we rode down to the visitor center where we had what must be the standard afternoon fare, a scone and tea. Yesterday’s in Lisdoonvarna was better, but since I’d missed breakfast and lunch and was feeling a little peckish, it still hit the spot.  

We sailed not long after I got back to the ship and our course took us out past Sliabh Liag.  I went up to the Observation Bar which has a great view through floor to ceiling windows to see the cliffs from the sea.  Everybody else had the same idea and the place was packed but a friend and I found a place to sit with a lovely couple from Chicago.  I can see that if one came to Ireland the guide was absolutely right that the best thing to do would be to take a boat trip off the coast to better grasp the majesty of the cliffs.

These are the cliffs from offshore. I'm sure they are much more dramatic from a small boat up close.

This was our last stop in Ireland and now we’re off to Scotland.  The Executive Chef, who happens to be Scottish, in anticipation of the next few days offered a main course of Haggis, neeps and tatties.  You can look up what haggis is; neeps and tatties are mashed turnips and potatoes.  The dish is cooked with and served with a delicious sauce generously flavored with whiskey.  I’d never tried haggis, which gets an undeserved reputation in my opinion, until a few cruises ago and now I can say I am always pleased when it’s on the menu.  If you haven’t tried it and you have the chance, you really should.

Before I close this entry I should say that the food has been wonderful on this cruise as it was when I was here earlier in the year. Everything that I’ve had has been very good and there have been lots of choices. Seabourn is making a real effort to introduce lots of local things so in most ports the chef is buying local fresh fish, cheeses, meats and cold cuts and sausages.  We’re in no danger of going hungry! 

So for now , slán and oíche mhaith!