The next day, I took a ferry across the River Shannon to County Clare to see the Cliffs of Moher, which was a must see for me. The cliffs are one of the most popular tourist sites in Ireland so be prepared for tons of people if you are going during peak season (which I did not). My friend got engaged there, which I think is really romantic (it makes for a great story). It was a gloomy day when I went, but the views were still amazing. Pictures do not do the place justice. I did hike both sides of the trail in order to get different views of the cliffs. O’Brien’s Tower is on one side, which was built by Sir Cornelius O’Brien in 1835. From there you can look out and see the Aran Islands. The Cliffs of Moher have also been in some famous films. It is the perfect place to hide a horcrux (for the Harry potter fans), and it was featured in the Princess Bride (one of my favorite movies). The Cliffs of Moher are a spectacular site, and I highly recommend visiting… You will some time there just to take it all in…
The area that the cliffs are in is called the Burren region, made up of karst landscape (short version: made up of the dissolution of rock and there are underground drainage systems). The area is part of a national park. We stopped to look at some of the amazing rock formations that look like they came out of Game of Thrones. It feels like you are in another world when you visit this part of Ireland…so beautiful!
Since I went out of season it was pretty chilly, so it was nice to stop at an Irish pub, McGann’s, and have some hearty Irish stew. I sat near a fireplace, and also enjoyed an Irish coffee, which was delicious. I recommend not eating at the cliffs, but try a local pub instead.
After that, it was straight to Galway. Galway Cathedral was the first stop on the walking tour of the charming city. It was built over the old jail in the 1960s since the Irish crime rate drastically dropped after the British left. This was the youngest cathedral on the whole tour, so I loved the bright colors; very different compared to the medieval churches we previously visited. First time I saw pink used in a church…I highly approve.
After walking across the River Corrib, we stopped at an older church, St. Nicholas, which was founded in 1320. I really like that they sectioned off a part of the church for Orthodox followers to use, even though it is part of the Church of Ireland. Nice to see that different perspectives can coexist in the same space.
Near the church, I stumbled upon a great market with many things like local art and jewelry, so check out it out when you are in Galway. Lynch’s castle is also worth a look, which is another medieval house built in the Irish Gothic style, and the term “lynching” comes from the family lore. Legend has it that in 1493, Mayor James Lynch Fitzstephen hung his own son from the window for killing a Spanish visitor. Another place with an interesting story is the King’s Head, a 17th century pub, named after the man that executed King Charles I. Since no one wanted the job, and when a man was finally found, he received the property as a payment for his services.
Later that evening, I went back to town to check out the live music at Taaffes. Did you know Guinness tastes better in Ireland? I learned this important fact during this trip. Also, the high point of the evening was hearing Galway Girl in Galway. Side note, I love the pub culture in Ireland…how everyone knows the lyrics to the songs…the singing and dancing…It was the perfect way to end an amazing day! Galway is such a great city!
The next day it was off to the countryside see sheepdog trials, a demonstration to show how a border collie herds sheep at the direction of the shepherd. He uses a whistle and different verbal commands, and the collie herds the sheep in response to them. I also learned the origin of the term “black sheep.” Since their wool was useless, black sheep were kept apart from the other sheep so they would not breed. Both the Irish and Scottish tours had sheepdog trials since it’s a popular thing to see, but I enjoyed the Irish farm more since it was much quainter (maybe because he owned his farm versus being a tenant). It was a much nicer farm in Ireland.
I enjoyed the stop in Donegal since I love castles, and couldn’t resist visiting the one there. You can take a self guided tour of the interior and exterior. Donegal Castle was repaired in the 1990s after being abandoned for a couple of centuries. The castle was the in the O’Donnell clan before that; one of the wings was done in the Jacobite style as expansions were made. I had lunch across the street from the castle at a pub that looked like a castle…I’m sure you can sense a theme here. Afterwards, I got treated to Irish coffee again at the Irish House Shop where I got to see a demonstration on the loom. You can buy handmade items there. The place sells beautiful capes and Irish jewelry.
It was was my lucky day since I was plied with Irish coffee, and still no rain on my Irish tour (this would drastically change in Scotland). Thank you for reading, and you can be notified on new posts by liking the Wayfaring Gals Facebook page, and/or following Wayfaring Gal on Instagram. As always, comments and feedback are appreciated!