the cycle of life


Dublin Airport


Shannon Airport


Dingle peninsula


Kerry


Clockwise from right: Ogham stone in Kilmalkedar Churchyard - the markings are an ancient form of writing; Looking out at the Three Sisters from the Dingle Peninsula; Black Valley in the morning light.


Forty minutes later, somewhat wet and out-of-breath, we


were rewarded for our courage and effort. Ladies View is perched well above the town and overlooks the Lakes of Killarney. The panorama opened as we arrived. Sunlit valleys against a dark sky have a magical quality; strange lakes add to the effect. We stood and watched with other tourists. Nobody spoke as it slowly formed in the east. Faint at first


and then, as the clouds shifted, a fully formed rainbow framed the scene. There were gasps of delight and a scramble for cameras. But the moment passed quickly. Now, as if bonded forever by the experience, everyone began to talk. There was an English man living in Zimbabwe, a group of French speaking Canadians and two couples from the States traveling together. We all shook hands as we left. Up the hill, and I mean really up the hill, we got to Moll’s Gap. This is the top of the pass where three roads meet. There


is a very nice shop and a small restaurant where we had tea and scones. The weather had much improved and we sat outside smiling quietly at the arriving motor cyclists. “You needed an engine,” we didn’t say. We were reassured to see directions for the Black Valley


among the choices on offer from the road signs. “Just go a bit down there and it’s off to the right,” we were also advised by the woman in the shop. And sure enough down the road the sign indicated right. Yikes! It was a tiny, narrow, meandering, steep, then very steep, dropping road. The good news was there was no problem with visibility. We could see far below where we would fall if we left the road. Although there have been many design improvements to


the bicycle over the years, the basic brake mechanism hasn’t advanced all that much. We still rely on squeezing rubber blocks against the side of the wheel to slow down or stop.


“The last place in Ireland to be connected to the electricity grid was the Black Valley. It is certainly one of the remotest places in the country.”


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