My Now Sufficient Knowledge of the Shingles of Ireland...

A break from our regularly scheduled program of fall start up, because I am taking a break from my regularly scheduled program of fall start up by sitting by my big window sipping coffee and letting God do all the work today. He's better at it anyway.


Day 5 and 6 in Killarney

I don't think I am a very good sightseer. I tend to enjoy the in-between a ton more than the destination. The sights that catch my eye are definitely not what people go to Ireland or any other destination to see.

Whilst traversing the countryside, I was riveted by the shingles. You know those little pieces of various materials attached to the roof that keep the inhabitants dry. I imagine a travel poster alongside the Ring of Kerry and Giant Causeway posters with the enticing slogan, "Come to Ireland, our shingles are a sight to see."

I asked questions either in my head or out loud to Daran. Not just, "Oh, that's different?" but questions like, "How long does that last?"
"Why is there moss growing in between the shingles?"
"How much does that cost?"
"Do they have to clean them?"
"If you clean your shingles and your duplex neighbor does not, do you harbor resentment toward them?" These questions plague me until I look it up and find the answer.

The last one may be a difficult one to look up, but the others are quite knowable.

The shingles in Ireland are either slate or clay. That's it. Those are your options, which really helps with decision fatigue I imagine.

They last 75-200 years, hence a great investment, but here's the kicker, you have to clean them a lot - some say three times a year, and you can't walk on them because they will either break or you will surely fall to your death or disabled future-so its best to pay the professionals their due which starts at about 350 euro ($350 today because the exchange rate is dead even.)

As to the last question about neighbors harboring resentment, I'm not sure, but I imagine some do since they happen to be human.

So what if your neighbor is going through hard times and simply can't afford it, or your neighbor has a propensity for drinking too many pints of Guinness and keeps running out of roof cleaning funds, or your neighbor just likes their roof a little more mossy than your roof, or they just simply don't care as much as you do. Do you adult up and walk next door and have a conversation? or do you passive aggressively collect all the business cards from the local roof cleaners and tape one to their door every day?

Anywho these questions plagued my mind as we traversed the countryside of the Ring of Kerry which is quite a sight to see. So I could bore you with what I thought of the landscapes and such, but I much prefer to entrance you with my now sufficient knowledge of the shingles of Ireland.


More details for those that care:

Other than the absolutely terrifying driving that occurs on the Ring of Kerry, it was by far my favorite drive of the trip. It is simply stunning. In the Gap of Dunloe, which can only be traversed with small vehicles, horse and carts, bikes, or your feet, we encountered some tourists that had rented bikes to enjoy the experience. The only downside to this is not being able to ride said bikes because of the gusts of winds that would surely fell them.

All of our bathrooms had heated floors and heated towel racks which I believe should be incorporated here in America or at least in my home.

Yes, we bought an electric tea kettle when we got home because we realized how foolish we were not to own one after our exposure to them at our tea stations in our rooms. I also developed a love for chamomile tea which I obviously don't pronounce correctly.

Since I fell in love with tea, I ordered it at every meal. One night I requested "hot"tea. At the look of confusion on my server's face, I explained that you can have it cold in the States. The look of confusion only slightly changed.

So toilets don't have tanks or rather the tank is in the wall, I believe. I struggle to imagine how difficult this is for Irish plumbers, but I'm sure they have in figured out by now.

I'm not certain why hair dryers aren't allowed in bathrooms in Ireland. There is an electric outlet in there but it only fits electric shavers and not hair dryers. I feel like deaths by hairdryer in the US have seen a sharp decline over the last few decades and it is safe to use them in a bathroom, but maybe that is not the case in Ireland.

I learned why a bathroom in a castle is called a garderobe, and I think I kind of want to unlearn it, but I'll enlighten you anyway. A garderobe has a stone bench like seat that has a hole in it. The hole is above a pit in the ground below, sometimes 3-4 stories above. In the evenings, you place your garments in the garderobe so that overnight the fumes that meander through the open hole "refresh" your garments by killing the vermin that resides in them. Therefore, you can put on your "fresh" garments in the morning that are now vermin free. Unlike the heated towels and floors, I'll pass on this one.