A VERY tardy final report from Ireland:
Storm Amy arrives during the night. The stone castle is solid and has no issues with this kind of storm. However, some of the roads are flooding, the ferry is cancelled, the Kilkee Cliffs and Cliffs of Moher are all closed. Since that is our planned path to Galway, we need to course correct. We opt to stay inland, driving through Limmerick directly to Galway. Below are the google maps showing our planned route next to the route we actually took. Due to the traffic caused by the storm, the drive still takes us over 4 hours. Even though the drive is mostly on main highways, I’m exhausted since the wind is blowing so hard, it’s a challenge to keep the car on the road. We are glad to arrive in Galway safe and sound. The only casualty we see is a sad umbrella.
Parking is a challenge. I find the parking garage, but the bar won’t go up. Then I realize I’m attempting to enter through the exit – no wonder the bar won’t raise to let me in! We are greeted by the lovely Jules at the Galway House Hotel. She ensures we get a nicer room due to all of the cancellations, which is the upside of the storm. The River Corrib is raging but the clouds clear for a beautiful moon.
We decide to spend our first day exploring the Latin Quarter of Galway. The Quay street area is lively, full of shops and tourists. We meet the talented Irene at the Weekend Market. She tells us stories about her Irish family and love of her homeland while fitting us for claddagh rings she designed, with a stone of Connemara marble. Later we find Charlie Byrne’s bookstore. Surely he’s a relative. It’s much smaller than Portland’s beloved Powells City of Books, but has the same feel and smell. Don’t you love a good bookstore?
Our next day we enjoy another road trip, this time it’s the Connemara Loop, shown below. We stop at the Ashford castle in Cong and, to my surprise and longing, there is a beautiful golf course I wish I could play! Instead we have a coffee and bask in the beauty of the grounds.
We drive further, enjoying so many stops with beautiful views it’s difficult to describe. Later we stop in the adorable town of Westport. We have another coffee and explore a few shops. It’s definitely worth a longer visit.
Back on the road we drive toward Leenane, along the route the Connemara farmers walked in the 1840s during the Great Irish Potato Famine. In 1849 six hundred starving people from the Connemara area walked for miles seeking food from the Delphi Lodge only to be turned away. Many died on the return trek, some say more than 200, in what is called the Doolough Tragedy. It’s a heartbreaking story set in a land of conflicting insight, both harsh conditions and devastating beauty.
Further driving reveals a stark contrast: yet another beautiful castle in a bucolic setting. This is Kylemore Abbey, set in the wild beauty of Connemara National Park. We walk the grounds a bit, then head back to Galway for one more night. We find an authentic Irish restaurant, recommended by hotel staff. A block off the touristy Quay street, Finnegan’s Corner serves up a delicious Irish beef stew at a reasonable price. We highly recommend it!
If weather had permitted, we certainly wanted to visit the Aran Islands and see the Cliffs of Moher and the Kilkenny Cliffs as well. That will have to be a future trip. Let me know if you’ve visited these cliffs and whether you preferred viewing them from the water or from land.
The next day we leave Galway, driving two hours to the small town of Trim where we spend our last night in Ireland. We choose Trim for its proximity to the Dublin airport, but there are some interesting sights nearby. Trim is another cute Irish town with an ancient castle and apparently the film Braveheart was filmed here.
We decide to drive to the Hill of Tara and explore the ancient ceremonial grounds. The roads WAZE chose for us were excellent, quintessential country roads of ireland. Some of it was barely more than a paved path, although nothing like the cow pasture we encountered in Kerry!
While walking around the Hill of Tara, we encounter a young man who tells us a bit about the Mound of Hostages and points out the Neolithic carvings inside the passage. Apparently he has been a tour guide at the Hill of Tara, but was laid off after summer and the tourist season ends. He spends a few minutes sharing his love of the ancient sacred site and we are most grateful. Afterward we visit a Fairy Tree he told us about and feel ever more Irish Luck. We didn’t get his name, but Melanie tells me that’s okay. It seems more magical that way.
In all, an excellent two week Mother-Daughter trip. However, I have been remiss in not including any of my musings, which I rather enjoyed compiling on my previous travels. Thank you all for traveling along and sending your thoughts and comments, it was almost like having you with us!
What a great trip!
I was at the Cliffs of Moher – made a special trip from Dublin – in 2005. It was highly recommended by a tennis friend who was working in Dublin at the time. Well, we got there, and it was so foggy that we could barely see our way in to the parking lot. The attendant said “No charge – you can’t see anything.” He was right! We did a few other things between the cliffs and Dublin, but never saw the famous fantastic view. Nest time . . . .
George Kanellis
We were there in the 90’s but only on land which is incredibly beautiful. Also missed Aran Islands – you’ll have to do that for me.
Looks like you were at a shop called Thomas Dillon’s. Probably many times removed but they and the Byrnes’ were cousins and came to America together in the 1870’s. Dad and a couple of the Dillon boys were very close and we saw them and their families often growing up. As far as I know they ‘re still in the Ptld area.
Your pictures and commentary are spot on from what I remember. Brought back special memories. Thank you for taking us along☘️☘️