Ireland

We woke up to very welcome glimpses of sunny skies and a rainbow overlooking the multi-hued bay from our room in Castlegregory. After a hearty breakfast, and an amiable conversation about unions and politics back home with our gracious hosts, we hit the road.

I had discovered an app outlining many points of interest along the Wild Atlantic Way. We decided to select some spots before heading back to our Limerick Hotel.

We drove by the 1800 Blennerville Windmill, just outside of the town of Tralee, which reminded us of sites in Holland. Although the visitor center was closed, we did get a look at the windmill that still grinds grain today.

We stopped next at the Ardfert Cathedral ruins dating back from the 12th century. Like many of our visits to church ruins, I find the adjacent cemeteries to be fascinating due to evidence of ancient gravesites mixed with markers of those who have passed in more recent times.

For our next stop, we decided to check out the Bromore Cliff outside the village of Ballybunion.
The site is now privately owned and required an honor system donation of 5€. The walk along the freshly mown grass path divided by a wire fence revealed spectacular 60 meter cliffs and waterfalls. The wind was quite strong giving Wyoming's wind a "Hold my beer" competition. At times, I could barely maintain my footing or hold onto my phone to take photos. There were several informational signs along the way. One pointed out that the waterfalls had nearly a reverse flow on windy days. Sure enough, I was able to catch photos and videos of the spray of the waterfall being blown back up the cliff. In the center of the walk was a small structure identified as a WWII lookout space. I imagined how lonely that task might be.

As we made our way back to the car, a truck drove up, and it became apparent that this elderly farmer checked to see if we had paid admission. After ostensibly seeing that we did, he asked if we wanted a receipt and he offered a nearly toothless grin and he wanted to make sure that we had enjoyed our visit.

Given that the sunny weather seemed to be holding steady and exceeding expectations of the forecast we decided to alter our destination and head toward the famed Cliffs of Moher. To get there, we opted to take the Tarbert-Kilrush Ferry across the Shannon River. It was a fun experience, and it reminded me of the small ferry that my parents would take us on across the Connecticut River when I was quite young. The wind remained quite blustery and the waves of the river crashed over the ferry platform several times.

Kilrush is home to the Victorian Vandeleur walled gardens. We decided to explore the gardens and get a light lunch. We enjoyed the walk in the garden and getting a bit lost in the shrubbery maze. I immediately started singing "English Country Garden" that I pulled from some long lost brain cell of my youth. Jim C had never heard of it, and I played a clip of it for him.
We enjoyed our lunch and watched children's shrieks of excitement at the ice cream stand.

Our last stop of the day was the Cliffs of Moher. I had often seen photos of this site, and I do have to admit that it was one of my favorite vistas of the whole trip. The views really are breathtaking, and we were pleasantly surprised that the wind wasn't bad and the sun remained.

It took us about an hour to return to Limerick. We enjoyed a great meal at a local Asian fusion restaurant, and we joined a local online acquaintance for several pints of Guinness at Gleeson's White House, the oldest pub in Limerick. We had a great conversation with him, sharing favorite music artists and life stories. As the locals say, it was a "grand" way to cap an eventful day.Read more