May the Road Rise to Meet You

The Emerald Isle has always intrigued me--legends of selkies and mermaids, the lilting brogue spoken only there, and the beauty of the wild coast are all reasons I wanted to visit.  Ireland was everything I thought it would be and so much more!   After waking up at the crack of dawn, we boarded our quick flight and flew into Shannon airport, which is an hour from the west coast in County Clare.  We were soon in our rental car ready to explore (after I lost my cell phone and tried to retrace my steps to find it.  I did not find it--thought that was a sign the trip was off to a bad start but quickly forgot about my silly phone!)  The beauty of the Irish countryside and coast was astounding.  Besides Tuscany, it is the prettiest place I have been.  Words will never do it justice. 

Upon entering Doolin, the cute little coastal town we stayed in the first night, we were directed by our GPS to drive down a VERY narrow and VERY scary road that was suppposed to be two lane.  You can see part of it in this photo but can't fully grasp how scary it was unless you were sitting beside me as my knuckles turned white.

 

 

The drive was worth it though--the views as you come to the highest point overlooking the coast were simply amazing: 

 

 

We found our hotel and unloaded the car, then set out to find lunch. After that, we went straight to the

Cliffs of Moher--hands-down the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen! The cliffs rise up to 700 feet above the sea and are truly magical. 

O'Brien's Tower

 

On the way back to the hotel, we happened to turn the "wrong" way and ended up at the Doolin Pier.  It was so amazingly beautiful out there--just as  I pictured the coast of Ireland.  And the kids got to see a dolphin in the wild for the first time.  The locals called him Rusty and said he stays near the pier.  We snapped some pics and hurried back to the car as the waves were starting to crash over the rocks and come really close to us.  After getting back, we dined at the pub, Fitzpatrick's, which is attached to the hotel.  The food and atmosphere were great.  Drew tried the local beer, Dooliner, and loved it. 

 

Despite a forecast of rain, the next day was absolutely beautiful!  We checked out of our hotel and ventured out to the Doolin Pier again.  I could have sat there all day and just observed the awe-inspiring natural beauty:

Some random guy in a cool shot

 

Next, we drove about 15 minutes to St Brigid's Holy Well, where we left flowers and said a prayer for my grandma, who passed away at the end of March.  It was the perfect place to honor her, as she was a devout Catholic and this place is a destination for many of that faith and is said to have healing waters.  More than anything though, it's a place of remembrance and memorial--there were tons of mass cards and funeral announcements and letters to deceased loved ones posted. 

 

The road took us along the coast as we headed towards our B & B near the airport.  The coastal drive was so scenic and we stopped along the way to take a few pics:

Spanish Point

 

 

 

As we headed to the B&B, we decided to stop in Ennis for lunch and just happened to find an incredible place called The Cloister.  I think my favorite thing about traveling and Europe are the serendipitous moments and finds.  The restaurant here is attached to an old friary.  After lunch, we took a quick tour of the old grounds.

 

 

When we got to our B&B in Bunratty, we were blown away by the views and the location.  Only 10 minutes from the airport, but you feel like you are millions of miles away.  You can see the Shannon River from the front of the property.

Our view from our room was so nice!

 

With not much time left in the day, we set out to find a place for dinner. We went into the small town of Bunratty and got a glimpse of the castle there.  Dinner was nothing to rave about. Overall, though, we liked the food in Ireland much more than the food here in the UK.  The next morning we got up and headed about 40 minutes south to Adare, the "prettiest village in Ireland."  It was quite quaint.

 

 

Famous for its thatched roofs

 

After walking around town for a while, we bought some picnic food and headed to Cratloe Park, which has a wonderful wooden playground and a nature trail that leads to a lake. The picnic was nice, and the kids were happy to do something besides sightsee!

 

We ended the day by going to a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle--truly an experience we won't forget. Our hostess at the B&B suggested we splurge and take part in it, and we were so glad we did.  The food and entertainment were exceptional.  Before dinner, we wandered the folk park that's behind the castle:

 

 

 

And then we went to dine like royalty at the castle:

 

 

 

 

The trip was wonderful, too short, and full of great memories.  It comes in a close second to Italy.  No one wanted to leave and we already want to go back.  Ireland is full of breathtaking scenery and incredibly friendly people. 

 

One last shot from the B&B:

 

 

 

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

                                                   ~Irish Blessing