The Cliffs of Moher

Wednesday October 9 was cool (high 12C) with spotty showers.  It would rain for about 5 minutes and then the sun would come out for a while, and then it would rain again.  However, we were lucky to have mainly sun and only a few short downpours.

We had booked a tour to the Cliffs of Moher, with stops along the way, with Galway Tour Company.  We caught a 10:00 a.m. bus at the Coach Station.  Our driver and guide, who had a history background, was Patrick Joseph, who told everyone to call him P.J.

From Galway to the the Cliffs of Moher on a map

After  about a 10 minute drive outside of Galway, we were in the countryside.  Lots of animals, very nice houses and lots of short stone walls.

Countryside just outside of Galway

P.J. explained that we would be travelling mostly in a landscape called The Burren, which is a unique limestone landscape covering 320 square kilometres.  The Burren is home to over 70% of Ireland's native flora.  Most of the Burren is designated a special area of Conservation to protect this extremely unusual habitat.  En route to the Cliffs, we also drove through part of the Burren National Park which is located in the southeastern corner of the Burren and is approximately 15 square kilometres in size.  "Burren" comes from an Irish word "Boíreann" meaning a rocky place.

Our first stop was the Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara.  It was a 16th century Castle, once the home of King Guaire.

As we left the bus, there was a short downpour, but it cleared as we made our way to the castle.

Dunguaire Castle from the road

Climbing up- the rain had just stopped

Castle in the sun now

The travellers

Beside the castle-- the landscape is amazing

P.J. also pointed out the many stone walls that dotted the countryside.  The older ones are just stones, while the new ones have cement in between the rocks.  P.J. told us that the area once was covered with oak and other trees, but that after Oliver Cromwell invaded Ireland in 1649, the forests were cut down over the next 100 years and the timber sent to England.   

A number of the older stone walls were built during the period of the Famine (1847-1851) and were called "Penny Walls" as the locals would only get a penny a day for their work.  The "Penny Walls" were more haphazard as they were not built by stonemasons.  P.J. noted that Ireland lost 1/2 of its population during the Famine years (starvation and emigration) and in his view it had never recovered.

Our next stop was the Poulinarbrone Dolem (see below), the Burren's most iconic landmark.  It was constructed by Neolithic farmers approximately 6000 years ago, making it older than the Egyptian pyramids. P.J. told us that excavations in 1985 found approximately 11- 29 bodies in the tomb.  Both the Neolitic and Celtic people used it as a burial spot.  Neolithic people used to expose corpses and then bury the bones, while the Celts burned the bodies and placed the ashes in urns.  One of buried bodies had a pollen sample that was dated in 2010 using modern technology and was found to be 6000 years old.

Rain has really worn the stone away.  P.J. had recently been to the site with some visiting scientists who wondered why a roof was not placed over it, to preserve this incredible piece of history.  P.J. called the folks that oversee the park, but was told it was illegal to dig holes in the limestone rock.  A bit of a conundrum.

Poulinabrone Dolmen

Another angle

Amazing structure

Ailín on the limestone surface--- in the summer the flowers grow between the stones

Passing another castle ruin

Our next stop was the ancient fishing village of Doolin, which dates back to neolithic times.  As the sun was still shining, P.J. drove us down to the Doolin Pier, where one boards the ferries to the Aran Islands.  Due to the windy conditions, there were no boats going to the Islands on today.  However, the views and incredible waves from the Pier were worth checking out.  One can also see the Cliffs of Moher, our destination for the afternoon.

Entering Doolin

The Doolin Pier-- waves and the Cliffs of Moher in the background

One could see why the ferries were grounded

Wind and water

We then went back into town for lunch at Gus O'Connor's Pub.  The Pub dates back to 1832.  Ailín had a lovely fish chowder and I had a red pepper/tomato soup and bread.

Gus O'Connor's Pub

Lots of rooms-- the bar is shown here

There were a number of posters of past Lisdoonvarna Folk Festivals.  The 1979 poster had a number of familiar names from the past.

July 1979 Folk Festival Poster

After about a 45 minute stop, we headed to the Cliffs of Moher.  Standing 214 metres high and 8km long, the Cliffs boast one of the most amazing views in Ireland.  There was a brief shower just after we arrived during which we were sprayed by the ocean water.  It then cleared for our walk on the cliffs.  It is a spectacular coastline and the Atlantic Edge (as they call it) was breathtaking. We had
1 1/2 hours to walk along the Cliffs and check out the Visitor's Centre.

First views in the rain

Clearing-view of O'Brien Tower

Walking on the Cliffs- the rainbow after the rain shower

The hikers-- narrow pathways

One large rock in the water known as "The Stack"

After our walk, we stopped at the Visitor Centre which had a film on "The Atlantic Edge" and a number of displays.  The whole area is a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Signage at the Visitor Centre

We then headed back to Galway, taking the coastal route.  We made one more stop to walk near the ocean.  We could see all three of the Aran Islands in the distance.   We were very lucky as we had more sun than rain during our tour.

Unique landscape and ocean- Aran Islands in the distance

Portrait mode in noir with the wind

The ride back was beautiful.  I was able to take some photos of castles, houses and the wonderful stone walls that dot the landscape.

Another Castle in very good shape

Light on the small villages and lots of green

We got back to Galway just after 6:00 p.m.  We had a rest and then headed out to dinner.  We decided to return to Tartare Café and Wine Bar, just over the bridge.  We did not feel like a huge meal and Tartate featured small plates of in-season west Ireland produce with mostly organic and natural wines.

Tartare Café and Wine Bar--- Neon sign claim "We Are All Born Mad"

Amazing crab with a chervil mayonnaise and home made potato crisps

Pork Belly and gorgeous mushrooms (we had already eaten most of this dish when I remembered to take a pic)

Beetroot tartare, dillisk, and blackcurrant

We were tired after our journey, but we very happy that we had visited the Cliffs of Moher and the countryside.  We were able to get a real flavour of rural Ireland only a short distance from Galway.