Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher

On the road again, and another spectacular day. We continued to enjoy the wonderful scenery that Connemara had on show, and dreamed about what it would be like to live in such a magical place... then we reminded ourselves that this was certainly not the norm in these parts - we didn't have to experience the dark, cold, rainy times that must surely make this area depressing and forlorn. Stark hills slowly gave way to rolling green hills as we passed from County Galway to County Clare.

View from the top

Jolene mentioned, at the beginning of the drive, that we would pass through a place called the corkscrew. The road ascends, as the name would suggest, like a corkscrew in a series of hairpin turns up the 198m hill. I admit I had some trepidation, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and we were rewarded by a fantastic view at the top. Other than that, the drive was quite uneventful and we made it to the village of Doolin at around 5. 

The hostel we were staying in was a 300 year old cottage that has been restored. It looks quite idyllic on the bank of the gurgling river Aille. To add to the tableau there was a donkey munching on grass in a neighbouring field. We dropped off our things and walked through the village to stretch our legs. 15 minutes later, including a stop at the tourist office and the local gift shop, we were done. This is a very small town, its only claim to fame being its proximity to the Cliffs of Moher (that's pronounced mo-HERR; not MO-er). By providence or luck, our stroll ended in front of the pub. Well, it was pint-time! 

Jolene decided that this was the place where she would try her Guiness - as you may have heard, Guiness allegedly tastes different in Ireland. I had a sip of someone else's while we were in Letterfrack, and this night had a sip of Jo's. Admittedly, its been close to 30 years since last I tried it in England, and well...it wasn't as repulsive as I remember it. 

We sat outside enjoying the late afternoon sun discussing what the plan of action would be the next day. Choices included: Driving to and walking along the cliffs (of course); going to one of the Aran Islands; forgoing both and driving the ring of Kerry before heading to Cork.

We began chatting with an English fella who was also outside to see what he had done and what his opinion was. He had both walked the cliffs and seen them from the ferry and said that although nice from the top, the view from the water was far more impressive. The hitch - the ferry left from Inis Oirr (one of the Aran islands) at 2pm. He assured us it was not to be missed, so the choice became a ferry boat to Inis Oirr and then a ferry ride to the cliffs or a day of driving - scenic perhaps - but driving nonetheless. The ferry won. We would take the 9:00 ferry to the island, have a look around and then take the 2pm ferry to see the cliffs.


At the docks the next morning we saw a dolphin hanging around the bay, swimming in leisurely circles...although a little bit overcast, the day was starting well! 45 minutes later we were on Inis Oirr. This is the closest island to the main land and there are 2 others: Inis Mealin and Inis Mor. This group of islands has remains of Bronze and Iron age forts, and was later settled by the Irish during the 17th century when Catholic Irish were told to go "to hell or Connacht" (which is Western Ireland - where only rocks and moss grow). As a result the folks that still live here speak Irish Gaelic first and English second.Jolene and I rented some bicycles* and rode around the island. 
 
We visited the graveyard on top of a hill, which has both new and ancient graves. There was also the remains of a 10th century church. From our perch on the hill we looked out into the wide expanse of the Atlantic. We rode on to a 15th century fort and castle. Our high position showed us the stone walls that crisscross the entire island; stone, wind, and sea. What a hard life those first settlers must have had.


We saw the light house (which is privately owned so we couldn't get too close) and then to the other side of the island to see where the fisherman plied their trade. We stopped there for a quick lunch that we had packed, which we shared with an old sea dog. 






At 2 we were back on the ferry to see the Cliffs of Moher. 

That English fella was right.

As we approached the mainland we could see the massive 200m wall rising from the sea. The closer we got the louder the birds got. The cliffs were teeming with sea birds (they estimate 30 000) which includes the Atlantic puffin. Occasionally we would see one of these sea birds "flying" under the water to catch some fish - fantastic!
We could also see the ant-sized people wandering at the top and marvelled at the size of these cliffs.







* I've rented bicycles a few times in my travels - they're always painful.