Monday, April 30, 2012

Ireland: Last night I slept in a haunted hostel and didn’t even know it

After telling friends and family I was staying in Galloway and not Galway, I realised I’d better stop sleeping on the bus and start listening to our tour guides.

The first thing they said to us was, “anyone notice anything weird last night? Anything strange happen to anyone? Well the hostel we stayed in last night is HAUNTED!”

‘Ohhh myyy gooodddd!!!!’ was my reaction. Thank heavens we didn’t know, or we wouldn’t have slept a wink.

Apparently the man who used to own the hostel enjoyed throwing large parties. And when his debt became too heavy to handle, he hung himself in the building.

Luckily we were too tired from the day before and slept through the entire night. But two sisters on our tour did experience some supernatural activity.

Opting for a private dorm, it was just the two of them in the room. One couldn’t sleep, and had her blanket covering her head for some darkness. She swore she heard her sister pacing around the room. She wondered, what is she doing? Impatient with the footsteps she withdrew the blanket expecting to see her sister walking. But her sister was fast asleep in bed across the room. Holy shit balls!! Ghost!


The Evil Ranga's castle

We spent the morning sightseeing, where we came across an old ruined castle. Legend says that the woman who owned this castle was essentially, an evil ranga. When her husband died fighting an opposing clan, the woman concocted a plan to marry a new soldier to keep the castle from being stormed and inhabited by the enemy. When she ‘got bored’ with her new husband, he would ‘mysteriously’ fall from the roof of the castle, or ‘accidentally’ cut himself shaving. She went through 25 husbands before anyone realised what was happening.

On New Year’s Day, the people of the town tried to storm the castle. Not wanting anyone else to take control, she burnt it down instead. Consequently, as this woman had red hair, it is said that on New Year’s Day it is bad luck to speak to people with red hair. Sorry Livi!


Lucky it's not New Year's Day

Next stop was the Poulnabrone dolmen rocks in County Clare, said to be older than the pyramids.


How did it get here? Was it aliens?


As if it is older than Pride Rock

We visited a fairy fort, where our Irish guides were so superstitious they wouldn’t let us go inside the fort, but led us right the way around. The fairies can grant wishes, but they can also be cheeky if you don’t respect them. Our guides have had buses break down after people have damaged or desecrated the fairy fort. You don’t mess with that shit.


Walking around the fort making wishes
 
Next up were the Cliffs of Moher, or the Cliffs of Insanity from the Princess Bride film. Their sheer vertical drop was intense.


You drive me crazy

The cliffs are the most visited natural attraction in Ireland, ranging eight kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean, at a height of 214m at the highest point.


What is the meaning of life? I don't understand boys. What am I going to wear tomorrow?


Have you ever? Ever felt like this? Where strange things happen, are you going round the twist?

We learned about the mystical Gireeps – giraffes crossed with sheep. Turns out the tour guides were joking about this, and we were all fooled for days. They were actually alpacas. Stu-pid.

That night was a group dinner in Galway (not Galloway) before heading out for some live music at the Quay. Not Trad music, thank god.

Instead of drinking the usual disgusting Guinness, we drank baby Guinness shots instead. A shot of Kahlua with some Baileys on top; much more my style. And they were delicious.


Baby Guinness shots!


Classic before shot


Classic after shot. Ooohh, feel the burn

We hung out with our tour guides and bus driver, before turning in after a big day of sightseeing. The ghosts, fairies and evil red heads really took it out of us.

Nikki the friendly ghost

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