Cliffs of Insanity

Holidays are too short. There I said it. We are heading for our last stop in Ireland - Doolin. I have heard we have saved the best for last. We take the route over Conner’s Pass - it is as breathtaking as it is terrifying. No guard rails, single lane at times - Laurie drives like a pro and we make it up and over the pass with ease.

The rest of the drive is relatively flat, we drive past towns like Tralee and Limerick before getting to Doolin and the Stone Cutters Inn - recommended by our friends. It is a bit tacky on the outside but good food and a quaint atmosphere inside. We find out that the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna is on for the month of September in Doolin. Doolin is the setting for the movie The Matchmaker with Janeane Garofalo.

We head to our B&B the Sea View House. It is a charming place with four bedrooms to let. After getting settled we put on our hiking gear and head for the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are a staggering 240 metres (788 feet) straight above the ocean and made of sandstone and siltstone. The cliffs are actually the Cliffs of Insanity in the classic Princess Bride - inconceivable! It is also featured in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Ryans Daughter, Leap Year and many Moher.

It is a 6km walk up to and along the cliffs edge to a visitor centre that most people drive to. The path is wide when it needs to be, it is a bit muddy, an electric fence (to keep the cows herded) forms our left hand side. The entire walk to the visitor centre is breathtaking every time you thing you have reached the top another rise awaits you. It is packed at the visitor centre and we don’t linger at the top for too long. The journey is as enjoyable as the destination.

Back at our B&B we find out that there is a house party with Irish legend Christy Barry. We manage to snag the last couple of tickets and drive to the Barry house. Christy’s wife Shiela welcomes us and gives us a seat in her living room while the other 20 or so guests arrive. Settled in with a glass of wine we listen to Christy and another local musician play traditional music and regale the gathering with stories that trace Irish traditional music from the times it was banned by the Catholic Church until modern times. Shiela serves smoked salmon and various cheeses. It is great fun and an enjoyable 90 minutes which flys by.

We leave there and head to Fitz’s for a night cap and a bit of food - Laurie’s love of smoked salmon isn’t as strong and she’s still a bit peckish. A traditional Irish trio is playing there and we catch a few songs while we dine on pub food.Read more