The Cliffs of Moher

The cliffs are 320 MILLION years old.

Ancient rivers laid down sediments on the sea bed to form the rocks of the Cliffs of Moher – sandstone, siltstone and shale.

The Cliffs of Moher are 702 feet  high and span across eight miles  along the Wild Atlantic Way. The highest point and the best views are at Knockarden, near O’Brien’s Tower, which was built by Cornelius O’Brien in 1835.

They are not the highest cliffs in Ireland but the Cliffs of Moher are the steepest, due to the type of rocks.

And perhpas most interesting for modern times readers, the cliffs were the site of a few sets from Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets.

Spectacular!

Sheen Falls and the Burren

We lucky ducks got to stay at this former country estate converted into a lovely hotel near the Bay of Kenmare. The views from the hotel were spectacular. It was a real special respite.

Along the way we stopped at The Burren, which is a striated landscape of limestone. We trekked down the rocks to the oceans edge. The terrain was rough. I am always amazed that vegetation finds a way to set roots among such a rocky outcropping.

Connemara

Arriving at the Connemara golf course, we discovered a Golf Digest tournament.  We should have had our heads examined (but feared what they might find there) so instead, we participated. Susan did well. She was invited for the second round...in September. For me, the wind did well.

Afterward, on our drive through the town of Connemara, the Millar's shop was spotted. Photo op it was and so we stopped. We also discovered Connemara marble and managed to drop a few bucks on jewelry. YEAH!

Ballynahinch Castle

It was really very fun to stay in an old (by someone's definition) castle. The accommodations were truly nice. We had a room with a view of the Owenmore River. This place really made us feel like we were in Oregon. We walked the grounds and got views of the buildings from many different angles.

Dinner was served nightly at the restaurant in the hotel but we always started with cocktails in the Castle Pub and then after dinner we participated in the Irish sing along there as well. Lots of fun here!

A Man's Home is His Castle

A small castle :) for the monks to be comfortable while fishing in the winter and an unusual way to fish, juxtaposed against a large castle that makes Downton Abbey look tiny. The large caste was originally built in the 1200's but added to, remodeled, reconstructed and is now a 5 star hotel. The most visitors who stay, come from California. Go figure!

Ballymagibbon Cairn

Our very fun driver, Brendan, found many stops along the way that were interesting. This was on of them.

To get here required climbing a wall or at least through a narrow opening in the wall and trudging across a field while dodging cow and sheep dung, then climbing under another fence. Oh my! For me all this was done in Birkenstocks. probably not the best shoe choice but who knew.

Once we arrived, we found this mini Stonehenge of large flat stones sitting in an upright and circular pattern. Then there was the huge rock pile that one could climb if you had proper shoes or were so inclined. They describe it as undisturbed (fool me) and not knowing what was beneath all the stone. I do hope we were not trampling on someone's burial site.

Donegal Golf club and Duncliffe Monastery

One of the nice things about this trip was a chance to play some really tough golf followed by some site seeing. We were really lucky having Brendan as our tour guide. He found interesting things to see and do all along the way.

 Donegal Golf Club was yet one more tough one for me but the weather proved to be favorable. It is ranked 20th in Ireland's Top 100 Courses. Fool me, they are all ranked first. The course architect was Eddie Hackett. I wonder if he is a relative of mine. That is a family name.

Next up was the Duncliffe Monastery. All that remains of this are three stone crosses and a tower. Adjacent to the land is the 19th century church, St Columba. The church grave yard is the burial site of William Butler Yeats, the well know Irish poet.