Mark1965

We made our way to Midleton to tour the Jameson Irish Whiskey distillery. This was on Geoff’s must do list and I am glad we did this; very interesting place and another surprising highlight of the trip. We got a wee bit turned around in Cork City trying to get to Midleton, but we made it finally and Geoff did a terrific job navigating the city of confusing signs and his frustrated navigator! Irish whiskey has been distilled in this location for several hundred years. We learned about the distillery process (with many comments about how superior it was to scotch and American methods). At the end of the tour Geoff volunteered to participate in a whiskey taste test and earned a certificate…he was quite proud. We decided to stay the night closer to Dublin, as ... read more

Now that the bike trip is over, the remainder of our visit would be by car. We stayed in Galway for two days. Thi region is know as the Connemara and it is absolutely beautiful. Lots of trees, open pastures, mountains and rivers dot the landscape. Our plan was to head to the national park to clime Diamondhead, a mountain peak that gives a spectacular view of the valley to the bay of Galway. On the way, we stopped and lunched on cheese and bread we bought at the Galway market that morning, sitting by a mountain stream. We then stopped at Kylemore Abbey near Clifden, an 18th century castle run by benedictine nuns. Absolutely spectacular and the gardens were just blooming. Then we climbed Diamond Hill (but only the second 'blue' path...too late to climb ... read more

Ballyvaughn (Baile Ui Bheachain) is a small harbor village located on the south shores of Galway Bay, in the northwest corner of the Burren. The village is surrounded by megalithic tombs such as Poulnabrone dolmen, celtic ring forts such as Caherconnell Stone Fort, medieval churches and castles. The road out of Ballyvaughn led to Corofin, and we had a very pleasant FLAT ride for about 3km. Then the climb into the Burren began. This climb was about 4.5 miles, but either I was getting stronger (finally) or else the excitement to finally see the Poulnabrone dolmen propelled me forward. Halfway up the climb, we stopped to rest and soak up the scenery of the valley behind us. I noticed a break in the rock wall that lined the road and decided to explore. Beyond the break, ... read more

Doolin is a small fishing village on the west coast of Ireland, often referred to as the capital of Irish traditional music. There are also numerous archaeological sites, many dating to the Iron Age and earlier. The name Doolin comes from “Dubh Linn” or black lake, which is also by coincidence the old Irish name for Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. It is said that the black lake was located on the site of what is today O’Connors Farmhouse B&B and Campsite (we confused the B&B with the Pub…very embarrassing). During the early parts of the 20th century Doolin was a ‘Gaeltacht’ or Irish speaking area, where in fact many of the people only spoke Irish. We awoke to a cloudy but pleasant morning, ate, packed up our gear (and believe me I lightened the ... read more

Ennis is the capital of County Clare, situated on the bend of the river Fergus. Ennis owes its origin to the O’Briens of Thomond who moved from Limerick and settled in Clonroad between 1208 and 1216. Donnchadh Cairbreach O Brien invited the Franciscans to establish a settlement within his domain in 1240. The Friary dates to the 14th century and at one stage had 350 friars and 600 pupils. It was considered the finest educational institution in Ireland for the clergy and upper classes. In 1615 the Friary became a parish church and the last of the old friars died in 1617. Some returned in 1628 but the Friary was destroyed by Cromwell’s forces in 1651 (there is a recurring theme of destruction due to Cromwell throughout the entire region). Ennis became a thriving market town ... read more