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[Ryan Dostie is a most interesting person. I met her on Facebook and found one commonality after another: military veteran (Iraq in her case), lover of languages, blogger, living in Connecticut, and more. Here are excerpts of my own choosing (lightly edited, with Ryan’s blessing and input) from her excellent and expansive blog of an impressive adventure. The photo is hers.—TF]

Inis Oirr (Inisheer), Inis Meain (Inishmaan), and Inis Mor (Inishmore) are the last outpost of the Gaelic language, almost the only place left in Ireland where people have clung to their original language, making English a second tongue. There is something so deliciously defiant in this stance—a grasp to its roots and history that should be wildly applauded.

Inishmore, the largest island, is a bit too big to make it around on foot, so I rented a bike. I thought, "How fun to ride the island coast on a bike!" How not fun to realize much of the island is hills.

At times I find there are far too few words in the English language. Or it may be that my vocabulary is far too limited. But “breathtaking” has been much used, “amazing” is too trivial, and “beautiful” too mundane. This hilltop simply is. The ground is black stone that suddenly ends, dropping unexpectedly into sheer cliffs. Not a line, not a chain, not even a warning; there is land and then there is none. The waves smash against the smooth rock face, shaking the foundation on which I stand and filling the air with a distinct crrraaaack, like rumbling thunder. White foam-covered craggy stones and cliffs so worn in places by the unforgiving sea, domed like a bowl, washed clean by the powerful waves.

They put the famous Cliffs of Moher to shame. These are the cliffs everyone should see, but of course then the cliffs might lose their magic. There is nothing like standing at the very tip of the world, watching the white and blue waves beat the rocks, in pure solitude—the last woman on earth. No, this piece of earth isn't for everyone—it will be our secret. Only the stoutest and most determined may enter.

I follow the crescent shape of the cliffs, climbing over stone walls that are over 4,000 years old. When I saw all those areas carefully sectioned off with stone (a warning, I assumed, to early people), I thought the mythical Fir Bolg (if you indulge my imagination) were very concerned with what's mine and what’s yours. But as it turns out, it was a method for tilling the earth. The stones were removed and, at times, used to build up flat land for agriculture. It gets the rocks out of the way for planting. The earth here is naturally rocky. At times, the smooth black rocks jut upward, looking like long-forgotten tombstones.

The going isn't easy. Not all of that rocky surface is firmly attached to the ground, and some stones rock and sway when you step on them. But eventually I get close (close enough, thank you) to Dun Bubhchathair, possibly the oldest of the ancient Aran forts. Then I make the treacherous return trip to my bike, not realizing how far I have come and at times having to cross too-high walls and daring too-far drops.

After having come up so far, the bike ride down is a bit of an adventure too. I decide to just grab the brakes and HOLD ON as I go wildly bouncing over the rocks. It is fun, but I leave the rest of the day trip to the comfortable seat of a horse-drawn carriage.

[Ryan Dostie, who’s from New Haven, is enrolled in a Classical Greek course in, of all places, Cork, Ireland. She speaks Japanese, Farsi, Dari, and French. Of military dut

y, she writes: “I was five years active Army and switched over to National Guard (someone just slap me) so that I can go to college full-time.” She wants to become a professor of history, with an interest in women’s role in ancient cultures, military history, and ancient religions and their effects on Christianity.

There’s more of considerable interest in her Facebook profile, and I encourage you to contact her there. Here’s a link to Ryan’s extensive blog on her recent travels in England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, and Ireland: http://ryandostie.blogspot.com/ Enjoy it all. Thanks, Ryan!—TF]