June 6
We departed early from Absolute Limerick hotel – this was a very nice place to stay. The windows opened and there was AC.
It was rainy and foggy as we drove to the Cliffs of Moher through pastoral landscapes and through many small towns and villages. We arrived at the Cliffs at 9:30 before it got crowded.
Once again the sun gods were favourable. As we started the steep walk up to the viewpoints over the cliffs, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was so windy – Laurie and I had to hang on to each other to walk up the steep incline. It was worth the effort for spectacular views with walking trails. We could clearly see the three Aran Islands across Galway Bay. The Cliffs of Moher are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland and reach a height of 214 meters above the sea at their highest. Many years ago, Bill and I were in Galway for a business meeting and our driver took us to these cliffs on our departure day but it was so foggy we could not see anything. Mohar was a fortress that stood at one of the promontories.
Our tour continued along the wild west coast of Ireland with a quick photo stop at The Burren, hugh limestone pavements with deep cracks between stones, caused by glacier movements. We continued our drive along the country roads where we saw many stone walls, houses with thatched roofs, dairy farms and a few castles. We learned about the difficult life that was faced by the Irish during English rule, about the great famine and the difficulties in farming on the west coast. A million people died of starvation during the Great Famine and another 1.5 million left Ireland for North America.
We headed for Galway for lunch and free time to walk around. The town was quite lively on a Saturday. Lea and I had lunch at Taaffes Bar – more Guiness, a beetroot salad and grilled sandwiches. We were lucky to find a table right away as it was crowded. I hit the famous Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop and a quick stroll through the Galway City Museum. Most museums in Ireland have been free to enter.
Today was a lot of driving but the scenery was so worth the hours on the bus. We ended at Sligo Park Hotel for a dinner in. In the end, we didn’t use the hotel pool or visit any sites in Sligo as the hotel was a little far from the town. I liked the hotel as my room opened up to a garden and was quite cool at night.
June 7
Sunday was another day of driving to see beautiful nature sights. We all enjoyed a stop at Atlantic Sheepdogs to see a demonstation on how they train their border collie dogs to corral sheep using whistles and verbal signals. This is a family run business that has been raising sheep for generations. The presentation was entertaining and educational. I didn’t pickukp the sheep to pet but other guests were enamored. Sheeps are rarely raised for their wool because the demand for wool has dropped. Instead most of his sheep are raised for their meat.
Our drive was along the Wild Atlantic Way, about 115 km each way. Our destination was County Donegal and in particular the Slieve League Cliffs. Again, the sun appeared as we arrived to explore and take a short hike and some amazing photos.
On the return drive to Sligo, we had an hour to explore the town of Donegal and have a drink in the Abbey Hotel. We decided to stay in for the evening and have dinner in the hotel bar followed by some excellent trad music. The number of musicians was either 10 or 11 by the time we left.
