County Clare and the Cliffs of Moher

It's a beautiful sunny morning as we head across Ireland from the town of Limerick to the iconic Cliffs of Moher. But on our way we pass thru County Clare and learn about the tragic mid-1800's, a time which the Irish refer to as The Great Hunger (in the US we usually refer to it as the Potato Famine). The famine was set in place by a series of events which resulted in the average Irish citizen owning too little land to support his family. So the farmers had to rent a subsequent piece of property so they could raise enough food to support their family. Potatoes had been introduced into Ireland several centuries earlier and were a crop that flourished in very little space, so farmers planted all of their land with potatoes. Most Irish families lived on a sustenance diet of potatoes and milk. This was sometimes supplemented by berries and other foods which could be foraged from the surrounding countryside, or occasionally some herring, but little meat was available. A blight then infested the potato crops in 1844. Above ground, the plants looked healthy but when the potatoes were dug up, they were rotten and inedible. Most farmers survived the first year but by the second and third years, all resources were gone. Hunger and disease spread throughout the country. In 1841, Ireland had about 8 million people; in 1851, 2 million had either died or immigrated. The population continued to decline to around 4 million by the turn of the century.

Evidence of this terrible time is still visible in the Irish countryside. "Hunger cottages" can be seen -- these are the ruins of family cottages which were just deserted when all family members left or died. We visited a memorial to those lost during the famine. It pictures a young boy, extremely thin, knocking at the door of a poor house, and a letter which an official wrote to those in charge, pleading for mercy for the child. It was so moving. One member of our group told the story of her Irish ancestors who managed to get passage to America, but when they were preparing to board the ship they were told they could take only 10 of their 11 children. So another family who was there offered to take the smallest child with them to Australia. So the family gave up one child, knowing they would never see her again, to save the lives of the others. I can't imagine having to make a life-and-death decision like that. We heard a song from one of the Irish bands here, and the words have haunted me since I heard it, but even more so today, seeing and hearing all of this. The song tells the story of the first person through Ellis Island when it opened -- a young Irish girl who was only 15.

On the first day of January 1892 They opened Ellis Island and they let the people through And the first to cross the threshold of that isle of hope and tears Was Annie Moore from Ireland who was all of 15 years

Isle of hope, isle of tears Isle of freedom, isle of fears But it’s not the isle you left behind That isle of hunger, isle of pain Isle you’ll never see again But the isle of home is always on your mind

So the Irish were forced to leave this beautiful land to save their lives and that of their families. And when they arrived in our country, they faced terrible discrimination. They could only live in certain neighborhoods, only work at certain risky, undesirable occupations, which is the origin of the stereotypes of Irish cops and coal-miners. This often found them living in the neighborhoods with Jewish neighbors, who were excellent butchers. So the Irish bought their meat from the local butchers, who of course did not process pork. So their traditional food of Bacon and Cabbage was modified to be Corned Beef and cabbage (corned beef being the closest thing to a cured, salty meat) and thus was born the traditional dish of Irish-Americans, corned beef and cabbage, which I ate every New Years Day and St. Patrick's Day when I was growing up. It was indeed a tragic time in Ireland's history, from which they have never recovered. Ireland is the only country in the world whose population today is less than it was in 1840.

After passing through County Cork, we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. We were fortunate that the sunny weather allowed us a beautiful view of the cliffs. Rising 700 feet from the ocean, these cliffs are hope to many birds which nest on crevices and ledges there. Jim and I hiked up to the right-most peak where a look-out tower is being restored, but was closed to the public. The views were spectacular.

On the way back, we visited the town of Galway and stopped there for lunch. We found a little pub and ordered lunch. The locals were friendly and chatty, lots of laughter -- a pleasant break from the dire mood of the morning.