MICHAEL: Hello and welcome to Ireland with Michael.

I'm Michael Londra and, in this show, I get to tell you everything I love about my home country the best way I know how, through music.

We're in for a treat as we take the road less traveled on the Loop Head Peninsula, where you'll understand why they say it's easy to get to but hard to leave.

In the village of Carrigaholt, we learn how seaweed is a complement to locally distilled gin.

And then in our journey, which is decidedly unrushed, we look for some none-too-shy residents, who live off the coast.

♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: Ireland with Michael is made possible by- ♪ ANNOUNCER: The music, the folklore, and the hospitality.

It's all in Ireland.

ANNOUNCER: Since 1932, CIE Tours has welcomed travelers to discover Ireland's rolling green landscapes, cherished traditions, and Irish hospitality, creating memories that last a lifetime.

CIE Tours, where every journey becomes a story.

♪ MICHAEL: Today, we're in Carrigaholt, a village of just 26 people.

So, not only does everyone know everyone, when you come here, they'll instantly know you're new to town.

Yet, before you even ask a local directions, they'll likely tell you the path to walk to their favorite otherwise hidden spots.

♪ First of all, tell me about the Carrigaholt name.

Where does that come from?

Ireland with Michael's resident historian, Davy Holden, has the background on the town's rather unusual name.

DAVY: So, the original name of this area would have been Carraig an Chabhaltaigh.

So, that would have meant Rock of the Fleet.

So, the story goes that vessels that came into this area would have anchored their ships around a rock that was here in the bay.

And that's one of the most interesting things about names of places in Ireland.

It's the Irish name that's super important, you know.

A lot of places have been translated into English, but the vast majority have been Anglicized to English.

♪ MICHAEL: Village life, I take it, is quiet.

EMILY: True.

MICHAEL: As the daughter of Irish parents, Emily Ryan grew up in New York but spent summers in Carrigaholt.

Now she's back with her family.

I'd love for you to describe for me just how small Carrigaholt is.

EMILY: Well, Carrigaholt is two streets... MICHAEL: Yeah.

EMILY: Four pubs... (Michael Laughs) EMILY: A post office, a school, and a church.

What else does a girl need?

MICHAEL: This is true.

EMILY: And we're able to walk right down the middle of main street right now because everyone's in Mass.

MICHAEL: Except us two heathens.

EMILY: Except us, so true.

♪ MICHAEL: Emily, so, tell me the story of how you ended up in Carrigaholt.

EMILY: This New York, Long Island girl.

So, my parents, father from Sligo, mother from Cork, wanted to bring my sister and I back, to start spending summers in Ireland and see our heritage and see our roots.

And so, through an Irish tourism program called Rent an Irish Cottage... MICHAEL: I remember it.

EMILY: They rented an Irish cottage.

They called us about, I'd say, a week before we were set to leave, and they said, oops, we overbooked.

We double booked you, and we have one cottage for those two weeks you're planning on going in one place in the whole country, and it's called Carrigaholt.

And my parents said, okay, let's- we're- we're- we're going anyway.

And that's how we found Carrigaholt.

And it changed our lives, really, forever.

♪ MICHAEL: The story has evolved over the years.

You not only come here on vacation, but now you really are part of the community.

So, your background back in the States is in alcohol.

EMILY: It is.

MICHAEL: And you took a notion a year or two ago to maybe combine your work in alcohol and your love for Ireland.

So, let's talk about West Clare spirits.

EMILY: Absolutely.

So, actually, in each of our spirits, we have something very specific that's going to really root it in Carrigaholt and root it in the Loop Head.

So our gin, from the Kilkee Cliff Walk, we have clover.

We have elderflower.

We have dillisk seaweed from the... I know.

MICHAEL: So, vodka, my favorite drink in the world.

Tell me what's unique about this.

EMILY: So, people think of vodka, neutral grain spirit.

But if you hold that up, you can see there's a little bit of cloudiness in it... MICHAEL: Yeah, it's cloudy.

EMILY: Which people would be kind of- turn their nose up at that.

MICHAEL: Yeah.

EMILY: So, what we do is we do distill it five times, so it's exceptionally smooth.

But what we have done to really root it in the Wild Atlantic is that we add a couple of drops of Atlantic seawater.

So, it's sterilized and it's filtered, and so there's a little bit of salinity to it.

MICHAEL: Okay, let's get on with the sippage.

EMILY: All right, this is the moment we've been waiting for.

MICHAEL: So, this is your vodka.

EMILY: This is our vodka.

So, when you are doing, like, multi-tasting, you always want to start kind of with your lightest spirit.

Right?

MICHAEL: Yes.

EMILY: So we're gonna- MICHAEL: It's hilarious that you think neat vodka is the lightest.

EMILY: Well, again, this is gonna be very different from anything you've ever tasted.

MICHAEL: I'm excited.

EMILY: There you go, sir.

And I'll pour one for myself.

MICHAEL: Of course.

EMILY: [laughs] As we spill it.

Okay.

MICHAEL: Sláinte.

EMILY: Sláinte to you.

♪ MICHAEL: There's the salt right there.

Oh!

EMILY: It's like standing on the edge of a cliff.

MICHAEL: I look forward to a- a vodka martini with this.

EMILY: Absolutely.

Little citrus.

MICHAEL: And on to the gin.

EMILY: So, she's a complicated one, right?

Just lots of layers.

So it's not going to be kind of like your traditional London dry gin.

MICHAEL: Yes.

EMILY: So this is not your grandmother's gin, this is your modern-day botanical gin.

So you'll get, again, a lot of the floral, you'll get some salinity because all of those different botanicals are foraged from the cliff and then as well from the dillisk seaweed.

So, sláinte.

MICHAEL: Sláinte.

♪ It really does change its profile in three seconds from that initial- EMILY: From the nose to the finish.

♪ MICHAEL: Well done.

That's- that's- EMILY: Cheers.

Thank you.

MICHAEL: Spectacular.

♪ MICHAEL: So, Emily, the great thing about Carrigaholt is that you've got two elements going on.

The influences of the land and the water.

EMILY: Absolutely.

We are surrounded by water.

So, we have the Shannon River.

We're right at the estuary at the mouth of the Shannon.

And then you have the Atlantic Ocean.

So we have a phenomenal fishing and shellfish industry here, as well.

And then, look at, right- literally at our feet are some of the ingredients that we use in our gin.

So, right here is some of the sea kelp that we use.

And look at how fresh.

Smell that.

MICHAEL: That's the ocean right there.

EMILY: It's the Wild Atlantic right in your hand.

(sniffs) ♪ MICHAEL: Carrigaholt is a tiny coastal village and there are accommodations to match.

Quaint Airbnbs where you'll feel like you're living like a local.

James, we're right on the water.

However, right behind me is a gorgeous little house that you salvaged over the past few years.

It has a great history.

Tell me about its history.

What was it?

JAMES: This block that we're standing in, this would have been all Blake's.

Blake's were local traders to the area.

So, where we're standing now would have been the former post office and Blake's would have leased it out to Mary Ginnane, who was the postmistress for the area.

It also had the local telephone switch system.

MICHAEL: All right, so you had to go through this to connect to the outside world, I suppose?

JAMES: They did.

And, as far as I know, Morrisseys Bar just across the road, that was- on the switchboard, that was Carrigaholt number one.

MICHAEL: Well, the pub does have the priority, I suppose.

So, listen, you decided to- to convert it into a place where people can come and stay.

So, you have a website?

JAMES: We do.

Blake's Accommodation Carrigaholt.

MICHAEL: Do you have people from all over the world wanting to stay in a post office?

JAMES: We do.

We have a really diverse amount of people who've stayed, and we have a guest book, and, you know, they leave comments from all around the world.

MICHAEL: Why do you think they come to Carrigaholt?

JAMES: I think it's unspoiled.

It's- it's a very unique place.

It's very panoramic, views of the water.

And it's- it's- you know, it's the real, the hidden Ireland.

Everyone will talk to you.

People are safe down here and it's just a really easy-going place.

♪ MICHAEL: Despite this community being so small, you are less than a one-minute walk to the four pubs here.

Those spots are happening, points of laughter and gossip.

It's where folks gather to share stories, and some of those stories are even true.

(singing in Irish) MICHAEL: Shauna Mullin is known for telling those stories through songs and is recognized for her ability to convey the essence of a song even when it's sung in Irish.

(singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) MICHAEL: Shauna, we have been friends for a while now, and by a while, I actually think I met you about 20 years ago.

SHAUNA: I would say that is- I was trying to think on the way out in the car, and I think you're about right.

MICHAEL: Now you might be wondering about my sling.

Well, I wouldn't worry, it's not my drinking arm.

We've known each other for a long time, but we come from different worlds.

I come from the southeast of Ireland, you come from the northwest.

SHAUNA: Yeah.

So, I grew up in Ballyshannon, which is right on the border of Northern Ireland.

And so, I think, in my mother's house, they all sang.

So that was just their life.

People came to ceilidh to the house, which meant they just dropped in whenever they wanted.

And everyone had a story, everyone had a song.

(singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) MICHAEL: I want to talk about family traditions and obviously passing those songs down.

Super important and done in a very fluent way.

So you don't realize you're learning all this.

SHAUNA: Totally casual.

MICHAEL: Yeah.

SHAUNA: Everyone just sings.

So, nobody ever taught me how to sing.

You just learned by listening.

And at every- even now, at every family function, there is just always a massive sit-around, where they're all singing.

There could be twenty people all singing the exact same version of a song.

So, they breathe the same, they ornament the same.

It's amazing.

So, in terms of that, in terms of learning how to sing, I was never taught how to sing.

I just sang.

(singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) (singing in Irish) ♪ MICHAEL: Here on the hill overlooking the Shannon Estuary sits a castle.

A five-story residence that was also a defensive position for the McMahon tribe.

♪ Davy, we're standing at a very unique Irish Fortress.

Tell me all about Carrigaholt Castle.

DAVY: So, the most interesting thing about this castle is this is not a Norman castle.

So, once you travel around Ireland, you're going to see Norman castles built all over the place.

Castles, cathedrals, tower houses.

They arrived at the end of the 12th century and, for the next couple of centuries, they built them all over the place.

But this is actually an original Gaelic Irish chieftain's castle.

MICHAEL: So, this is an Irish castle.

What's the difference between the Irish castle and a Norman castle?

DAVY: I suppose the Irish castles would have been built by those people that were here pre-1169.

The Normans first arrived in 1169.

And you'll see castles especially all over the southeast of Ireland, around Kilkenny or that area.

MICHAEL: Wexford.

DAVY: Absolutely, yeah.

Waterford, all those areas in the southeast, that's where they would have built them, I suppose, from the start.

Your castles, your cathedrals, your tower houses.

Heavily involved down there.

MICHAEL: So, the likelihood is, the further west you go, the more Irish the buildings would be.

DAVY: Absolutely.

MICHAEL: Who owned the castle?

What were they like?

Who were they?

DAVY: It was the McMahon family.

They built it in the 1480s, so this is almost 550 years old.

That family was the last Gaelic family that ruled this area.

Now, this did change hands at the turn of the 17th century.

So, in 1598, a battle took place here between the McMahons and the Earl of Thomond.

So, the 4th Earl of Thomond, his name was Donogh O'Brien, he took over this castle.

It changed hands, he awarded it to his brother, who was Daniel O'Brien.

And one of the most interesting things about this castle is there was an inscription found on the upper floor and it was DB 1603.

Daniel O'Brien, 1603.

MICHAEL: There always seems to be a battle when it comes to- to- to places like this.

Was it normal for- for Irish tribes to try to take over castles and- and kingdoms within the island of Ireland?

DAVY: Absolutely, yeah.

Especially back in those times, you know.

It was a bit of a wild land here when it came to power and castles and whatnot.

Everyone was trying to take everyone's homes, I suppose, essentially.

♪ MICHAEL: It's unlikely when you think of Ireland, that dolphins come to mind.

Yet, here in the Shannon Estuary, there is the only known resident population of bottlenose dolphins.

They're a year-round pod that enjoy the waters in part because of the same food Irish fishermen are after, abundant schools of salmon.

♪ (seagulls crying) MICHAEL: Mary Kate, I can tell from your accent that you are not from around these parts.

Indeed you are from my county, your county, Wexford.

MARY: That's it, yeah.

MICHAEL: A world away from Carrigaholt.

How did you end up here?

MARY: Well, it's a long story, but I- I had always wanted to study marine biology and zoology.

So, to do that, the best place was Cork, UCC.

My supervisor asked if I'd be willing to work for her and I said sure, but I'd need to be paid.

Luckily, the- Geoff and Susanne, who ran the Dolphinwatch before me, they happened to be looking for crew at the time.

MICHAEL: And you've gone from that to now owning your own business, dolphinwatch.ie.

MARY: That's it, yeah.

MICHAEL: So, let's talk about the estuary here, because you are obviously an expert in- in marine life here.

Tell me, who lives in the estuary?

MARY: Oh, we have a huge range of wildlife, from birds to mammals.

We have seals, we have gannets, guillemots, which would be a cousin of the puffin, as well as razorbills, another cousin of the puffin.

Fulmars, kittiwakes, I could list the birds for days.

MICHAEL: Wow.

MARY: My favorite are the storm petrels.

They're tiny little birds and they- you see them flitting around, and generally you would see them just before a storm.

And then we also have the mammals.

We have the likes of the harbor seals, common seals, and then we have our marine mammals, our dolphins.

So, the main dolphins that we have here are our bottlenose.

And then we have some common dolphins, as well, occasionally.

MICHAEL: So, are you able to track these dolphins in the estuary?

MARY: We're not able to track them per se, but we have been watching them for a long time and we kind of have an idea where they're going to be depending on the time of the tide.

They don't really care if it's light or dark out.

MICHAEL: Oh.

MARY: So we can follow them, we can follow their movements and we kind of know- if they prefer Kilbaha, they might be there for one year.

Another year, they might prefer Kilcredaun.

Another year, they might prefer somewhere else.

MICHAEL: Do- are they attracted to the boat, or do they kind of want to get away from it?

MARY: I think they're attracted to the sound of my voice over the PA system, to be honest with you.

(laughs) MICHAEL: Oh, okay.

MARY: But they- they wouldn't be deterred by the boat.

This boat is quite quiet... MICHAEL: Yes.

MARY: Which- we did that deliberately to- with their- with them in mind.

We also will turn off an engine if we can, just to keep it even quieter, because we have two engines.

And then we also stay to the side, and we let them come to us, and, nine times out of ten, they do.

MICHAEL: So, if I want a day on your lovely boat here, what do I experience?

It's not just a quick run out and look for a dolphin and straight back in, is it?

MARY: No, not at all.

Our motto is it's not just dolphins.

So, we will head out from the castle up here in Carrigaholt.

Usually we like to head west, where we'll have a look for some dolphins.

If we find them or other wildlife, then we'll head in, we'll have a look at some geology, some cliff faces, even some goats occasionally, some wild goats.

And then we have a nice cup of tea and then we come back home.

MICHAEL: To book it you just go to dolphinwatch.ie?

MARY: That's it, yeah.

MICHAEL: I love that Wexford accent.

MARY: [laughs] I'll have to keep it somewhere.

♪ MICHAEL: The Loop Lighthouse has a history beyond guiding ships in storms to safe harbor.

There's another role served here.

This is a popular spot for marriage proposals.

It's believed the lighthouse is also a guide to a lifetime of happiness.

♪ (birds calling) Davy, tell me a little bit more about Loop Head Lighthouse.

DAVY: So, the origins of this lighthouse date back to the year 1670.

However, if we were to go back a few hundred years in time, and if we were standing here today, it wouldn't look anything like that today.

It- it wouldn't have been a tower like it is today.

So, the traditional original Irish lighthouse would have quite literally been a house.

So, if we were back here in 1670 or throughout the 1700s, there would have been a stone cottage here.

The lightkeeper and the family would have lived in the stone cottage.

Inside the cottage would have been a stone stairway up to the roof, and there was a platform on the roof with an open coal-burning fire in a brazier.

That was the original lighthouse that would have been here back then.

MICHAEL: So the poor lighthouse keeper had to run up with the coal every day to keep that blaze going.

DAVY: Absolutely, yeah.

And at the turn of the 19th century, I suppose they decided maybe having an open fire on the roof of the house wasn't the best idea.

So they built the first tower like structure here in 1802.

But this tower here behind us, that dates back to 1854.

MICHAEL: So, is there a lighthouse keeper to this day inside now?

DAVY: Not in the way that there used to be.

So, up until 1971, it would have been manned fulltime, but then it was electrified and, by 1991, it was fully automated.

♪ MICHAEL: About the time Loop Head Lighthouse was being built, the jig was gaining popularity, mostly because of interest by Queen Elizabeth I. Here's Éabha McGinley giving us a fine example of one.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ MICHAEL: Thanks for joining me in the Loop.

I'm Michael Londra and I hope to see you next time on Ireland with Michael.

But for now, cheers.

Sláinte.

ANNOUNCER: Want to continue your travels to Ireland?

Your choice of the Ireland with Michael DVD, Seasons 1 and 2 or Seasons 3 and 4, with bonus concert footage is available for $30.

Ireland with Michael, a musical journey CD with songs from Michael and his guest artists, is available for $20.

The Ireland with Michael companion travel book, featuring places to visit as seen in all seasons, is also available for $30.

This offer is made by Wexford House.

Shipping and handling is not included.

MICHAEL: To learn more about everything you've seen in this episode, go to IrelandWithMichael.com.

ANNOUNCER: Ireland with Michael was made possible by- ♪ ANNOUNCER: The music, the folklore, and the hospitality.

It's all in Ireland.

ANNOUNCER: Since 1932, CIE Tours has welcomed travelers to discover Ireland's rolling green landscapes, cherished traditions, and Irish hospitality, creating memories that last a lifetime.

CIE Tours, where every journey becomes a story.

MICHAEL: Okay, put your hands up in the air!

Come on, let's get a-wavin'!

♪ In my heart, its rightful queen ♪ ♪ Ever loving ♪ Ever tender That's it!

♪ Ever true ♪ Like the Sun, your smile has shone ♪ Go on, Wexford!

♪ Gladdening all it glowed upon ♪ ♪ ♪