Rose Brooks

Episode 413 – The Cliffs of Moher

Itinerary: Following the coast, we drive through many pretty villages until we reach the Cliffs of Moher, which rise 700 feet above sea level and display a magnificent, lush landscape. We continue through the beautiful countryside to Galway, a quaint old town of narrow streets and stone houses. Dinner this evening will be at a local restaurant.

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High 21°C/Low 11°C

It was another ridiculously gorgeous day, and another VERY long bus ride to get us from Killarney to Galway.

Our route took us through County Limerick, so naturally I couldn’t resist:

A group of seniors on tour
All wished that their bodies were newer
But on Ireland’s green isle
Fuelled by Guinness and smiles 
They all found that their troubles were fewer

We’ve seen every part of the isle
In Senior Discovery style
Learning legends and lore
Sipping whiskey and more
And making new friends all the while

Mid-morning we stopped in the beautiful town of Adare, where the highlights of our brief walk around town were the Trinitarian Monastery, Adare Park, and the many thatched roof cottages.

Unfortunately, we did not detour to Tipperary – apparently it would have been a long way!

By noon we’d reached the Cliffs of Moher, almost 14 km/8.7 miles of 155m/500ft high cliffs on the rugged West Clare coast, overlooking the North Atlantic. While I’m sure it would be a wonderfully moody atmosphere in the typical Irish rain, or during a winter storm, today it was simply breathtaking in the sunshine.

Top: fearless cows grazing at the top of the cliffs. Centre right: O’Brien’s Tower, built at Hag’s Head by the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) as a lookout post

Leaving the cliff area, we drove through some completely unexpected landscape. Whereas most of Ireland is lush and green, the Burren is a large area of layered limestone hills. Seeing all that grey stone suddenly explains the exterior appearance of all of Ireland’s imposing stone castles.

Then it was back to bright green and brilliant blue as we drove through Muckinish West.

Dinner tonight was at Paddy Burke‘s Pub and Oyster House in Clarinbridge, County Galway.

The food was plentiful and delicious, and the service friendly, but what Ted will likely remember most is drinking a Galway Hooker, the locally brewed lager named after the local type of fishing boat.

Top: Baked Goats Cheese Tartlet with red onion puree. Bottom left: Roast Beef served with mash potato, gravy, and vegetables. Bottom right: Grilled Salmon served with mash potato, vegetables and a white wine lemon and thyme sauce.

Our hotel tonight is the maldronhotelsandyroadgalway.

We leave early tomorrow headed for Westport, County Mayo, having spent very little time at all in Galway, except as a lodging point.

7 comments

  1. OMG Loved the mountains Loved the old outpost – contrast peace and isolation / melancholy Loved the thatched roofs!!! So many! Loved the poetry – who knew !!! Love you Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  2. Ok, first of all… another fabulous day.. weather wise and sights wise! Love the limericks! Too funny!!! And I got the long way to Tipperary joke too! Enjoying reliving the similar trip we took in 2015 through your eyes. We did a Trafalgar tour and loved every minute of it. Enjoy the rest of your trip! Cheers ( or Slainte) from Lynne and John

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