We met our guide at the Tourist Information Center in Limerick. It was an intimate tour of six of us and the guide. We started in Limerick with a quick photo op of King John's Castle. The castle overlooks the River Shannon. We then drove past the home of Munster Rugby's stadium; Thomond Park.
Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining and proceeded to tell us the history of Daniel O'Connell. He was known as The Liberator or Emancipator. He was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century. He campaigned for Catholic Emancipation - the right for Catholics to sit in the Westminster Parliament, denied for over 100 years - and repeal of the Act of of Union which combined Ireland and Great Britain. Our guide Mike drove us to view the O'Connell monument located in Ennis in County Clare.
We drove through scenic, winding and extremely narrow roads on our way to the Burren. Participating in this tour was the right thing to do; we just couldn't imagine navigating the roads the way Mike could. On the way to the Burren driving through Corofin village we stopped to snap a picture of cows laying smack-dab in front of the old abandoned Lemaneagh Castle. The major part of the structure dates from the the 1630s and is thought to have been built on the foundation of an earlier hall.
The Burren means "great rock". Burren is rich with historical and archaeological sites. There are more than 90 megalithic tombs in the area including Poulnabrone Dolmen. It's also one of the best known of all Irish dolmens. The name Poulnabrone literally means 'The hole of the sorrows'. The thin capstone sits on two 6 ft. high portal stones to create a chamber in a 30 ft. low cairn. The eastern portal stone was replaced in 1985following a discovery that it was unfortunately cracked; excavations during the repair showed that this site dated back to about 2500 BC. Uncremated remains were found in the chamber, its portico, and in the grykes (crevices in the limestone floor). In particular, there were the main body bones of one newborn baby, six juveniles, and 16-22 adults. Only one of the adults lived beyond 40 years, and the majority were under 30 when they died.
From there we drove through the village of Lisdoonvarna. Lisdoonvarna hosts an annual Matchmakers Festival and draws singles from all over the world. Each year, during the month of September, this small village on the western coast of Ireland offers a quest for the romance holy grail to hordes of lonely souls - the capturing of an Irish heart. Here's the bar where such debauchery occurs.
Our next photo stopportunity was overlooking the Doolin costal village overlooking Galway Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Doolin is very popular with tourists due to it's close proximity to the spectacular Cliffs of Moher. It has a number of local pubs which play traditional music regularly. The Harbour in Doolin is the departing point for boat trips to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher.
Overlooking the bay.
Next off to the Cliffs of Moher; the highest cliffs in Europe! The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's top Visitor attractions.
No joke!
After lunch and taking in these breathtaking views of the cliffs, we then traveled to and stopped off at St. Brigid's Well (This well is reputedly a 'healing well', one of many in Ireland) and O'Brien's Monument; dedicated to a landlord who was held in great love and esteem by his tenantry. Driving through Liscannor Mike pointed out that the founder of the submarine, John Phillip Holland was born there. Then over past through Lahinch; a seaside resort home of world famous Lahinch Golf Club and amazingly; surfing!
Photo stopportunity. An Gorta Mor Memorial was erected to the memory of the victims of the great potato crop failures of 1845 to 1851 known as the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor) and dedicated on August 20 1995; the 150th anniversary of that tragedy.
We wrapped up the day with a stopportunity at Bunratty Castle; it means the "bottom" or "end" of the "Ratty" river as well as to the original Durty Nelly's where everyone but me had a quick pint of beer.
Tonight we're off to eat at Dolan's Pub in Limerick. Tomorrow we're off to Cork, Waterford and Wexford (home of my Great Grandfather x5 on my Mom's side) then to Dublin where will be staying for the remainder of our stay.
Cheers! Pin It Now!
1 comment:
Glad to hear about your adventures! Great photos!
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