Road Trip West Coast of Ireland

Our first day in Dublin was spent within walking distance of our hotel.  Day two in Ireland would cover many more kilometers. Early in the morning of our second day in Ireland, we headed to the lobby of our hotel to meet our driver from Rose Travel, Paul. Paul was our driver for the full day.  Before leaving home, we arranged a private group tour for just the six of us, my son and I and my brother and his family.  We were not interested in attempting to drive in Ireland but we wanted to see some sights that were far outside of Dublin. Hiring a minivan and tour driver was the perfect solution.  We did not have to attempt to drive on the left side of the road, we did not have to study the map for directions, and best of all, we did not have to contend with a bus full of other tourists. We could look out the windows at the passing sights while riding comfortably in the air-conditioned minivan,  we could decide where we wanted to go, when we wanted to go, and how long we stayed at each destination.  As we had requested, our first stop would be the famous Cliffs of Moher.  Along the way Paul told us interesting tidbits about Ireland, Irish food, and Irish history, he was full of good information which he shared with us readily. His lively conversation and jovial manner kept us laughing and also helped pass the time as it is a three-hour drive from Dublin to County Clare on the West Coast of Ireland.

Before arriving at the cliffs, we stopped at the seaside resort town of Lahinch. Lahinch is home to the Lahinch golf club, we caught a glimpse of the challenging course on our drive to the shore area. For our first stop we took a look at the rocky coastline then we headed in to town and visited the gift shops to buy souvenirs for friends back home.  At lunchtime, we chose an inn for a quick meal.

I decided to follow our driver Paul’s recommendation and try a traditional Irish meal of Bacon and Cabbage.  It was called bacon but the meat was more like what I know as ham. The cabbage was also much greener than the cooked cabbage I normally see.  I found it interesting that most meals we had in Ireland were served with both mashed potatoes and boiled potatoes.  It is not just a legend, potatoes ARE popular in Ireland!

Back into the van and we continued on to the Cliffs of Moher.  This is a very popular tourist site.  There were parking lots jammed full of tour buses and private cars. Some quick research revealed that an average of 1.5 million people visit the cliffs each year.

At the cliffs, I climbed O’Brien’s tower to get a better view.

 

There is a walkway along the cliffs’ edge.  We walked south until the end of the official visitor area then continued a bit further along the cliffs.  The view looking back towards O’Brien’s Tower revealed a rocky formation in the water that was not visible from the main viewing area near the tower.  Look closely at the photo below, you can see the tiny people lined up along the path at the cliff’s edge. At the highest point, the cliffs are an impressive 214 meters (702 feet) tall.

After spending a couple of hours at the cliffs and visitor center, we were ready to move on. A quick phone call to Paul and he was there to pick us up. Our next stop was the Burren National Park. This area was very rocky and formed long, long ago by glaciers. Limestone covers most of the ground yet grasses, ferns and small plants are able to grow in the cracks and crevices.

 

We had requested a stop at a castle as part of our tour. At the edge of Galway Bay, in County Galway,  near Kinvara, we came to Dunguaire Castle. We were able to walk around the outside but the castle was closed for a private event so we were not able to go inside.

 

We were disappointed that the castle was not open for viewing inside but, as a nice bonus, near where we parked for the castle, we saw traditional Irish homes with authentic thatched roofs and whitewashed walls. As I mentioned in my Exploring Ireland Day 1 post, I had pictured quaint cottages and green grass hills when I thought of Ireland.  These homes, and others like them in the area, are exactly what I thought Ireland would look like.

My favorite part of our entire trip to Ireland was visiting Clonmacnoise Monastery.  The monastery is located in County Offlay near the Shannon River. We were the only people on the grounds.  The weather was perfect.  We enjoyed walking around and exploring the peaceful ruins and taking photos.

The Monastery was founded in 545 A.D.  The grounds include ruins of several churches (temples), towers, crosses and gravesites.

The arched doorway pictured in the photo below is called the whispering arch.  It was said that the monks would hear confessions here.  The monk and the person confessing would each stand on one side of the arch facing the corner. The confessor would whisper their sins and only the monk could hear what was being confessed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A long day of driving to the West coast and back tired us out. Back at our hotel, twelve hours after we departed, we decided dinner at the on-property  restaurant would be the most relaxing option.  Room service for the kids while the adults enjoyed a nice dinner at The Cogburn Brasserie at the Conrad Dublin.

A tasty chopped salad with tomatoes, avocado, bacon, chicken, red onion, blue cheese and honey mustard dressing alongside a rustic sourdough bread loaf with handmade butter was the perfect meal to end the very busy day.

This is the same restaurant where we enjoyed a full Irish buffet breakfast each morning.  This was included with our room rate and was an excellent start to each day.

The food was plentiful and the variety was extensive: eggs, sausages, bacon, smoked meats, baked goods, juices, coffees, cappuccinos, fruit, yougurt, cereals… it seemed the choices were endless.

At the end of the day, we collapsed into our beds.  We had travelled about 545 km (339 miles) and spent many hours in the car. In hindsight, it might have been better to do the trip over two days, staying overnight somewhere on the West Coast.  However, I was happy to get back to our hotel at the end of the day.  When I travel, I like to get to a luxurious hotel, unpack once, and use that location as a “home base” for all my exploring in an area.  We stayed at the same hotel, Conrad Dublin, for our entire stay in Ireland and I was very happy with the accommodations. We had more exploring to do in Dublin so we were able to wake up the next morning and get right to it without needing to spend another day driving across the country.

Do you like to stay at several hotels during a vacation or do you like to pick one hotel and set up a home base?

 

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