Dunbeg Fort, Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

Dunbeg Fort dates back to the Iron Age, i.e. back to 500 B.C. The fortifications were built probably to resist invaders or at least to provide shelter for locals. This particular fort is the "promontory style" meaning it is built on the edge of the sea. The back of the fort is not protected by a wall but by cliffs dropping down into the sea.

Unfenced cliffs

More unfenced cliffs

View from the front wall of the fort

The front of the fort is protected by an outer wall as well as four lines of embankments and five fosses (ditches).

Embankments and fosses

First entrance with J and L ready to guard it!

The first entrance through the outer wall is flanked on the inside by two guard chambers which we discovered are large enough to stand inside, though the entrance hole is tight.

Looks more like the entrance to an oven, if you ask me

L with plenty of room to spare

A large clochan or stone hut (referred to as beehive huts because of their shape) stood inside the outer wall. It is quite spacious inside but the roof had caved in long ago, leaving only the wall around the edge.

Stone hut without a roof

The family seeks shelter

The path from the embankments through the outer wall and into the clochan is covered with large stones because a souterrain or underground tunnel connects them all. Large stones cover the underground path now.

Exit from the inner clochan

Exit through the main wall (L's guard room is to the right)

A water drain runs off to the east of the enclosure. People aren't sure if it was used back in the day, but it does make some nice waterfalls currently.

Waterfalls!

The fort had two major periods of use. Archeological finds from the 8th and 9th centuries indicate the area was used for cooking over fires with many animal bones in the debris. The second period, from the 10th and 11th centuries, shows most of the activity inside the beehive. The excavations did not reveal definitely what the locals used the site for. No weapons were found, so it seems not to be a military fort. It could have been defensive, or ritualistic, or even regal. Perhaps future archeology will tell. Archeologists better hurry, because a great deal of the site has already fallen into the sea!

When we visited, our first stop was the visitor center where we watched a brief video on the history of the fort. The video claims that one reason locals think that it has survived the millennia is that the fairy folk were protecting it. Or at least, if locals messed with the forts, the fairies would curse them with bad luck. The ticket lady asked L if she had ever seen any fairies and L said yes. Later, as we were walking down the path to the fort, we asked her when she had seen fairies. L said, "You know, like we took to get to Ireland." Oh...ferries! Whoops!

Visitor center

Path down to the fort

L reads about ferries or fairies

J and L began their own conservation project, putting small stones into the wall to help reinforce the longstanding structures. They worked together nicely. Even nicer, they didn't take any stones out.

Learning to build our own fort back home

Rock of Cashel, Part II, Ireland

Continuing from Friday's post on the Rock of Cashel...

Back outside, we saw a copy of the Cross of St. Patrick. On the front was the figure of Jesus crucified, facing out over the countryside. On the back is a monk preaching with his arms upraised. The arms of the cross have fallen off and the weather has worn it down quite a bit, so little is visible today. A copy stands outside and the original in the museum on site.

Copy of the Cross of St. Patrick front side

Copy of the Cross of St. Patrick back side

The original Cross of St. Patrick sheltered from the elements

We then looked at the remains of the bishop's residence, which was built onto the cathedral, providing easy access for him and his guests. It has fallen into disrepair quite literally, as large chunks of the structure have fallen down during various storms.

Bishop's Residence on left, cathedral on right

What they call an "open floor plan"

The door from the bishop's residence into the church

The cathedral of St. Patrick is wondrously large and spacious but was also a victim of the Protestant Reformation. Cromwell's armies sacked the Rock in 1647 and about one hundred years later a Protestant bishop removed the roof to build his own cathedral.

Tower connecting the residence and the cathedral

Cathedral under repair

Nave and sanctuary (and a different tower outside!)

Walking around the buildings, we could see various views, including a nearby Cistercian Abbey (also in ruins), the town of Cashel, and not really visible in the distance is the Devil's Bite. Legend has it that the Devil was chasing an enemy and he bit off a large chunk of stone. When he came to Cashel, he spit it out and that stone now makes the Rock of Cashel.

Hore Abbey, Cashel

Town of Cashel

No, the Devil's Bite isn't really visible

The church also has a graveyard which is still in use. About 100 years ago, the government agency in charge of the site wanted to prevent any further burials. Some families protested and they all finally came to an agreement. The families, i.e. the parents and their children, were put into a register and had permission to be buried at the Rock of Cashel. Grandchildren were out of luck. January of 2013 was the most recent interment. The guide said that he thinks only two or three people are still left on the register who haven't been buried.

Cemetery

Family vault on the edge of the cemetery

Cemetery with the cathedral and the round tower

The round tower in the last picture is interesting. It is a common feature near medieval and ancient monasteries in Ireland. The tower was built for the monk's defense. If Vikings or Saxons were raiding, the monks would flee to the tower which was only accessible by a door several feet off the ground. They'd use a ladder to ascend and would then pull the ladder in. Food and other essentials were stored inside so they could live for a while. Sometimes the plan wouldn't work if the raiders were able to burn the tower. Usually it was safe enough.

Our last stop was the undercroft museum where the original St. Patrick Cross is kept. In addition, other artifacts from here and other monasteries are kept, including sacred vessels and some nice carvings.

Sacred vessels

Luke and Mark represented as a cow and a lion

Matthew and John represented as a man and an eagle

The Walking Dead Ep. 403, Isolation

The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 3: Isolation

TV rating

TV-MA

ZPAA rating

Teens and up

Offensive content

A moderate amount of zombie kills for this show, including the typical half-decapitations by sword-wielding characters and blood spurts from arrow-shot zombies; some humans coughing up blood, including one splatter on someone's face.

Synopsis & Review

Tyreese is on the war path after his flu-infected girlfriend and another person were killed and their bodies burned. He and Rick have word and then trade blows with no very positive results for either man. As more people get sick from the flu, the group decides to isolate both the sick and the most vulnerable (children and surprisingly not the elderly). Daryl, Michonne, and maybe Tyreese will make a run for antibiotics while Rick and Hershel try to maintain things at the prison.

Tyreese is naturally angry at the killing of innocent humans. I suppose I could have said "their only crime was being sick," but even that ironic phrase doesn't do justice to the injustice done. Being sick makes someone a potential danger, a possible threat, not an actual menace. So an interesting issue that arises in this episode is the nature of sacrifice.

Someone has sacrificed Tyreese's girlfriend for the greater good of the prison community. As it turns out, that sacrifice was a vain and empty one since a bunch of other people have come down with the same illness and are just as much a threat to the well-being of the survivors. The killer is willing to sacrifice others for his or her own well-being, masking it with the well-being of the other "well" people in the prison.

Contrast that "sacrifice" with Hershel's actual sacrifice in this episode. He seems relatively well but goes to ease the suffering of the sick, partially to give them time for Daryl to return with antibiotics, partially because he is a decent person who recognizes his obligation to help the suffering, no matter the cost to himself. He is willing to sacrifice his own well-being for the good of others.

But as we all know by now, the zombie virus has infected everyone. Anyone who dies will turn to a zombie, they do not need to be bitten in order to turn into the walking dead. Just dying is enough to change. Everyone will turn whether their deaths are foreseen or not. The real, human reaction is to deal with what comes (as in the conversation between Maggie and her sister Beth about what their father is doing) as it comes.

Sacrificing others for the greater good is nowhere near the good of sacrificing yourself for others. Not only is it morally dubious to sacrifice someone else's life for a greater good, it is morally deficient. Whether the characters in this series will see it that way or not will be seen in future episodes, especially considering the final revelation of the episode.

Movie Reviews: Recent Shakespeareances

Here's a couple of Shakespeare movies we happened to see recently.

The Merchant of Venice (2004) directed by Michael Radford


The movie begins with some information about the treatment of Jews in Elizabethan-era Venice. They live in a walled-off ghetto. They have to wear red hats when they go outside the ghetto. They can't get regular jobs so they wind up being money lenders, only charging interest on loans is considered usury so they have to be crafty in how they are paid back. With this information, I expected a much more sympathetic portrayal of the main villain, Shylock. Al Pacino plays Shylock. Viewers might expect a larger-than-life, scenery-chewing performance. Pacino's performance is nicely toned-down, only exploding occasionally for effect. It was probably the best thing about the movie. Seeing Pacino in this role is what drew me to to the film.

The plot is faithful, at least as I remember it from reading the play in high school. Basino has fallen in love with Portia but doesn't have enough money to impress her (or so he thinks). He borrows money from Shylock on his older friend Antonio's credit. Shylock loans 3000 ducats for three months. If Antonio forfeits, Shylock may take a pound of flesh from Antonio's body. Antonio is pretty sure his ships that have gone trading (he is the merchant from the title) will be back long before three months with the money to pay back.

Basino goes off to woo Portia. Portia is an orphan and her wealthy father left specific instructions on who should be her husband. The successful suitor has to chose from three caskets which one has her image in it. The caskets are gold, silver, and lead. Some other suitors fail but Basino wins by guessing it's in the lead casket. There's a marriage and much rejoicing.

Meanwhile, Antonio's ships all fail to return and Shylock is ready to get his revenge (what he calls justice) by legally killing Antonio. Antonio had been both dismissive and abusive of Shylock for years because of his Jewish faith, so Shylock demands recompense. A big court scene finishes that story-line where Shylock argues for justice over mercy and virtually the rest of the cast argue for mercy, even when Basino returns with 6000 of Portia's ducats as repayment. Things end poorly for Shylock.

The production values are quite high and the setting seems like authentic 1600s Venice. Overall the performances are good and Pacino does stand out for his atypical performance. The movie definitely gave a more sympathetic portrayal of Shylock without revising the ending. I do have a few reservations about it (see the advisory below).

Parental Advisory--in addition to the religious tensions in the film, there's an awful lot of topless women. None of the major characters are topless but often there are topless (presumably) prostitutes in the back of street scenes for no apparent reason. One scene is set in a brothel with some heavy petting going on and more topless women. Also the movie suggests that there is some homosexual attraction or relationship between Basino and Antonio, though the most graphic it gets is a kiss on the mouth between the two. I don't remember anything about that in high school and it seems an odd interpretation since they didn't do anything with it (e.g. they could have portrayed Antonio as a hypocrite for despising the Jew Shylock while he also is part of an unpopular minority). This movie is best for older teens.

Love's Labour's Lost (2000) directed by Kenneth Branagh

I have not read this play or seen a production aside from this movie, but it definitely follows the wacky antics in plays like Much Ado About Nothing. The King of Navarre and three friends swear a public oath to study philosophy and other esoteric subjects while foreswearing women for three years. Naturally they do this just before the French princess comes to visit with three of her lady friends who all have had past associations with the King's three friends. A lot of comedy ensues as the men try to stay with their vows but also woo their women in secret.

The twist here is the setting is a 1930s musical. In fact, the story is set in the 1930s, so World War II is looming on the horizon for all the characters. And what I presume is the role of the chorus is taken over cleverly by short black-and-white newsreels filling in the back story (much like the TV reporter at the beginning of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet). The songs are classic jazz-era tunes from Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, the Gershwins, etc. The singing and dancing are good but not stellar (except for a fabulous "I Get a Kick Out of You" by Timothy Spall's Don Armado). The cast gives fine performances, hitting the right blend of serious and silly and sensual.

The story is pretty light but very enjoyable and fits really well with a classic Hollywood musical treatment.

Parental advisory: There is one sensual dance scene with no nudity but a lot of touching. Otherwise the romantic intrigues are fairly benign.

Rock of Cashel Part I, Ireland

Here's a special All Saints' Day treat--a major religious center in Ireland. This monastery will cover today's holy day and this Sunday, two posts. Yes, it's that big!

One of the most amazing sites in Ireland is the Rock of Cashel. Originally the seat of the southern kings of Ireland in the 4th and 5th centuries, they gave it over to the church (according to legend, given to St. Patrick) to become a holy place. A monastery was built there, including a cathedral and a bishop's residence. It remained a religious center until Cromwell's forces sacked it in 1647. It fell into ruin, especially after Protestant archbishop Price took the roof out to build his own church. It is now run by the local civil authorities and is a popular site for tourists.

Rock of Cashel

We walked up from the nearby parking lot and were impressed.

Road leading up to the Rock

The first part of the Rock we saw was the home of the canons of the cathedral. The canons were eight men chosen to sing the Divine Office in the cathedral. They lived in a fairly nice home next to the cathedral with a fair size kitchen and an immense dining hall.

Kitchen

Dining hall fireplace

"The Seale of the Colledge of St. Patrikes Cashell"

Wall decor, including the Madonna and child

Amazing roof

This room also held some models, though they were not of the Rock of Cashel itself, but of standard support buildings that monasteries would have.

Sample period buildings--beehive-shape house, stone building, cottage

From here, our tour guide took us to Cormac Mac Carthaig chapel which was currently under restoration. The roof is made of stone and the rain has been seeping through for about a thousand years. They want to fix the damage and provide some waterproofing.

Ceiling of Cormac's Chapel

The sanctuary in the chapel is small and was ornate. Time  and human efforts have made it less spectacular.

Cromac's chapel sanctuary

Faces on the ceiling

The original frescoes were painted over with white wash (a mixture of limestone and water) that made everything white. Efforts to reveal the frescoes are ongoing.

Interior fresco

Exterior fresco

The sanctuary also has an ancient sarcophagus. It is not so ancient to predate the Christian era, but does have a rather interestingly intertwined pair of figures on it. The snakes or dragons curve back and forth and make a figure eight on its side, or the symbol for infinity, indicating the immortality of the person whose mortal remains were put inside. They don't know whose tomb it was.

Our guide points out the figures on the sarcophagus

Tomorrow will be part two of our visit!