Blogs from County Clare, Ireland, Europe - page 3

Again, today, chartered a driver for six of us to go to the Cliffs of Mohrer (https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/) which, we learned while there, ARE the Cliffs of Insanity (if you don't get that reference, woe to you). Also, in Harry Potter, the horcrux in the cave was filmed at the Cliffs. Ireland's most famous natural site, they are tremendous! It was not the clearest day but we certainly could get up the hill and see the cliffs and a good ways out to sea. The ranger said the winds were 35-40 miles per hour and that was about average--it was hard to walk at several points. There's a nice visitor's center with a short film, dedicated to the wildlife around the Cliffs. Mike and I walked up to the right, to O'Brien's Tower (of course, Susan headed ... read more

I knew we were going to go on an excursion, but to be honest I wasn't too excited about it. I was tired and didn't actually feel like doing anything that day. But, of course how could I miss it? So, the bus picked us up at 9:30am with Finn, Kevin, and the munchins Owen, Aisling, and Roisin. I didn't know what to expect because I wasn't even really sure where we were going. We pulled up to this old looking castle and I realized we were at Bunratty Castle. We went inside and it was beautiful. A tour guide gave us a quick description of the history of the castle and then we were free to roam around. A few of us decided to go climb up to the top. The staircase was so tiny. ... read more

Cromwell's surveyor in the 1640s described this 130 square kilometres as 'a savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor a tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury.' There aren't a lot of trees, there is a lot of exposed rock but also plenty of grass and low shrubs, much rainfall, flowers, birds and plenty of cattle. If it is interesting and different landscapes you are looking for, then this part of Ireland could very well do the job. We had allocated a week to this part of Ireland and that was a good thing. At first glance you see a wasteland. Acres of exposed limestone with what looks to be a few tufts of grass here and there. A closer look is warranted. This is prime beef country. They feed ... read more

We got a late start to our travels today, we are getting our fair share of much needed sleep on this trip. We spent our day at Bunratty castle and Folk Park, touring this restored castle and grounds. The castle is filled with historic artifacts and beautiful tapestries. They had a special Christmas event going on which was very festive and wonderful to see. Heading back home tomorrow, we have a full day of travel ahead of us. Matt and I loved our visit to Ireland, the scenery, kind people, food, and historical sights helped us learn about this amazing country.... read more

The county town of Clare is Ennis and there I had my best coffee and cake in Ireland after driving from Killalloe. In the centre of town is a very large statue of Daniel O’Connell and in the museum De Valera features prominently. Both were famous Clare MPs. Half an hour later I was in Corofin at the Clare Genealogical Society in pursuit of the original Mrs Brown—Dar’s wife Bridget Downes. This woman was Pop William’s grandmother and he knew her well. She was also Cate Cook’s mother and Pop William spent a lot of time with the Cooks and Dar and Bridget. On the wedding certificate Bridget’s parents are listed as John Downes and Margaret Downes. Bridget’s sister Catherine (“Aunty Rush”) married Daniel (Rush) in Ballarat a few months before Bridget and William. On that ... read more