Ireland has a particularly strong traditional link with donkeys. From the start of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, donkeys played a key role in rural lives, especially in the west of the country. Jim Smyth wrote an academic review of the history of donkeys in Ireland in 2014, titled The Strange History of the Irish Donkey. He details the main roles played by donkeys in Irish life, including clearing rocky fields, moving turf from bogs, ploughing, transport of people and goods, grinding corn, and finally, for recreation and as family pets.
The Aran Islands are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland, and are considered one of Ireland’s hidden treasures. Their cliffs, savage and wild, are most appreciated by people who like stunning views. Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) are stocky, short-winged and short-tailed birds, with black upper parts and white underparts, that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil.
About the Giant's Causeway, an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, I wrote here. The sheep is so important for the Irish, that can be say it is an unofficial symbol of Ireland. The sheep were often mentioned in the Brehon Laws (ancient native Irish law), as well as Irish literature. Nevertheless, most of these sheep however are not native to Ireland with only a small number of native sheep bred in Galway. Most are Scottish Black-Faced Mountain sheep, which are white sheep with black faces.
The Cliffs of Moher are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, and run for about 14 kms. They reach their maximum height of 214 m just north of O'Brien's Tower, a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs, built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien. From the cliffs, and from atop the tower, visitors can see the Aran Islands, the Maumturks and Twelve Pins mountain ranges to the north, and Loop Head to the south. The cliffs rank among the most visited tourist sites in Ireland, with around 1.5 million visits per annum.
About the stamp
On May 3, 2018, An Post issued two stamps for Europa Stamps 2018, with the theme Bridges.
• Mizen Head Footbridge (1 EUR)
• Boyne Viaduct (1.5 EUR)
The 1.50 EUR value was also issued in a "variable value definitives self-adhesive set" of 4 stamps. This one is on the postcard.
References
Donkeys are a traditional part of Irish rural life, by Pete Wedderburn - Independent website
5 Reasons why the cliffs on the Aran Islands are drawing more and more people to visit - Ireland Glamping website
Cliffs of Moher - Wikipedia
Senders: Maria și Adrian Ilie; Anca și Marius Vasilescu.
Sent from Dublin (Leinster / Ireland), on 04.11.2019
Photo: Liam Blake
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