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Published: April 3rd 2009
Today we woke refresh and all ran thru the shower in an effort to get on the road for our cliffs adventures. Joe the hippie who ran the hostel told us over a special path to take in order to get spectacular views of the cliffs. So we packed the car and headed directly to the cliffs which were only a few miles away. We pulled off the main road and climbed thru several fields and over some barbed wire and we were rewarded with the most spectacular views of the cliffs. Tara and I spent a good amount of time on our stomachs hanging over the edge of the clliffs in order to get the perfect shot from several angles. It was amazing! After our first perch on hag's head, we climbed up the side of the cliffs toward the actual tourist spot to get the normal view of the cliffs. We all feel like this was a great adventure and we were all glad we spent the time tracking thru the fields/mud/cliffs. We spent a little while in the gift shop at the cliffs and then walked the road back to our car. Once we were at the car,
we headed south thru Liscannor, Lehinch, and towards Kilkee. The drive was about an hour, but before I knew it we were in Kilkee and everything became familar. I took the Coast Road for the dramatic views and unspoiled land. Tara and Jessica loved it and we made several stops along the way to take snaps. As we were winding our way towards the village of Cross, we saw a new born foal... and we had to make a stop. We spent several minutes encouraging the new baby to get to her feet. She was adorable. Once we were back on the road, I decided that we should take the road by Teresa O'Gorman's house so that the girls could get the view of both the atlantic and the shannon. The girls were amazed that I could make my way on these country roads and knew them like the back of my hand. We made our way to the village which contains a pub, a church, and a tiny store. I reminded the girls not to blink or they would have missed the whole village. We then made a stop at the cemetary to see the graves of my family.
We all enjoyed seeing the familar names. Our next stop was the Bridges of Ross.... we were greeted by the farmer's dog. We wandered around the bridges area and took lots of pictures. Then Lady Jessica informed us her eyeballs were starting to turn yellow and I knew just the place to go. We headed directly to the Lighthouse inn. Once inside I bought some soft drinks and we took turns using the facilities. The girls were chatting with the bartender while I was in the toilet and when I came back out the bartender immediately knew who I was related to in this small village. We asked about when the last ferry was from Tarbert and to the girls surprise the bartender turned to another patron in the bar and before we knew it he was on his mobile making a call to figure out the ferry schedule for us. Patrick called another Patrick and quickly found out that last ferry was at 9pm. This is Irish hospitatlity at it's best. We said our goodbyes and headed for my favorite spot in the world... I saved spot till last. Tara asked if she could drive on the back country
roads and I thought this was a great opportunity for me to get the view from the passenger's side. Tara almost put us into a stone wall within the first few minutes, but after that little scare she was great. At the loophead lighthouse, we got out and walked around the entire penninsula. I feel a special connection to my grandmother at this location and she did not disappoint today. She arranged some very unusal sun spots not only over the ocean but also over her cliffs....like a spotlight from Heaven. I fought back the tears and showed the girls around with lots of pride. Tara took over as pilot off the next section of the driving. On the way to my grandmother's house, we stopped abd talked to a local who was standing by the side of the road. James was a very cute bachelor in his seventies. He was very cute and we all had a good time talking to him. (Amy/Eileen-- this is the same lad we saw sitting in the hedgerow last summer) We wizzed by my grandmother's house and then we were off to Kilrush to get the ferry to County Kerry. The ferry ride
was about 20 minutes and before we knew it we were pulling into Tralee and our hostel for the night. We quickly got a tour and the key and headed out for Pizza. We were all starving and the dinner tasted delicious. After dinner we headed straight for Bally's Corner Pub which was recommended by our hostel attendant. The pub was very cute and filled with locals...which we enjoyed. Jessica was accidently baptised by a local with spit and Tara's ear was bent by a local Kerryman who was a bit bitter. Maurice is a troubled soul who was very bitter and notorious in this pub. Apparently none of the locals will talk to him because of his negativity but Tara felt bad and after about an hour, we took a snap and headed home. Our tiny hostel room was a little comical and we could not help from giggling for about an hour before we all fell asleep.
POSTSCRIPT: Tara wants all of the her friends to know that you can see her photos when she's gets home... she is being a lazy shit and not proofing any photos while on vacatio.
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Kristin
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Thanks Emily!
Thanks Emily for keeping us updated on your trip. The pictures are beautiful and thanks for picking up the slack for Tara. Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay and can't wait to hear and see more!