Cliffs of Moher & Dromoland Castle

Nick and I walked around Killarney after dinner.

This morning we left our hotel in Killarney and headed toward Limerick.  We actually rode on a ferry which was interesting considering there was about 8 cars, 2 tour buses and a semi on it!  The ferry ride lasted about 20 minutes.  As we were driving through County Limerick, I looked it up in my guide book and it had no mentions.  We’ve all heard of Limerick, but I guess it isn’t really a tourist destination.

After traveling an hour or so, we got into County Clare.  Much of the county is on the coast and many people rent vacation homes there. (They don’t look like the ocean side vacation homes of Florida.)  One little town had a monument of Charlie Chaplin because he and his family loved to vacation there.

Our tour guide, Tom, called this this the Divorce Castle.  He added, "she got the other half!"  He was always quick with a joke.  On the serious side, we saw castle ruins every day, often several times a day.

Around 11:30, we made it to the Cliffs of Moher.  A Lord O’Brian owned the land for some time and built the tower (you’ll see it in my pictures) so visitors could enjoy the breathtaking views.  I really can’t find words to describe the cliffs, but I hope the pictures do them justice.  We had lunch in a café there and looked around in the shops.  They built these into the hills as to not take away from the natural scenery.

View from atop the tower

Tower

Our trip was basically over after that.  We were the only family who chose the option to stay in Dromoland Castle.  Our tour guide didn’t recommend that we go with the rest of the group to their dinner at the Bunratty Castle.  That was an additional fee and we had already paid extra to stay in the castle.  We met our transport and said our good-byes to the group.

The Dromoland Castle was also built by the O’Brian family.  It was built in the 16^th century and can be traced back to Irish Gaelic royalty.  The grounds were beautiful and our room was very nice.  We didn’t really know what to expect, but it was kind of nice to be on our own and be able to relax for the evening.  Our transport will be ready to pick us up tomorrow at 8:30 am and we’ll be flying out of Shannon Airport which isn’t too far away.  We fly to JFK, with a layover there and we will be getting home tomorrow night.

Nick, Lucas and I strolled on the grounds.

I can’t imagine that there could be a more beautiful country in the world.  The people have been very kind and welcoming, and every town we visited had lots of interesting things to see and do.  According to my guide book, there is so much to see and do in Ireland, you could spend months there.  Who knows?  Maybe I can come again someday!  If you are ever thinking about taking a trip overseas I would definitely recommend Ireland.  I also would recommend Brendan tours. It was well organized and the tour guide was friendly, witty, with always a wealth of information.  I felt the expense was well worth everything we did.

After I get home and have a few days to unwind, I’m sure I’ll have a blog that will wrap up my thoughts and feelings about the trip. 

Pray for safe travels!

xoxoPJ