Ireland With Children - The Gaeltacht Day 8

An updated version of this site can be found here

8 July 2014

Making the most of their last moments

Fionnuala (2) had trouble sleeping again and ended up in our bed.  Liam for the second morning in a row saw the clock strike 6!  Thanks to Liam though, our morning was relaxed and not rushed.  At 9 o'clock we were off.  Leaving behind the Gaeltacht.

A georgeous final morning in Teileann

We made a brief stop at the Supervalu in Killybegs for some picnic items and arrived at Drumcliffe at 10:45 for an early lunch.  At 11 AM it was almost empty and made for a nice place to eat lunch.  We bought tea and postcards and used the bathrooms before we set off again.  This is the best all purpose stop in the Northwest (a nice sight, food and restrooms with no admission fee).

A near empty carpark at Drumcliffe

Picnic tables at Drumcliffe

The children celebrated our arrival in Quin with dancing!

We made a stop for diesel later but were able to make good time today.  The traffic was light the whole way making for easy, stress free driving.  Fionnuala got her nap in and slept all the way through our picnic.  We arrived at Quin Abbey a little after 2 PM.
It really is a magnificent structure.  The cloister here is intact and incredible.  I've never seen a complete cloister (roof and all) before.  The Abbey was built in the 1400s and includes the tower from a castle that was previously on the grounds.  It was used on and off until the 1820s.
The only downside was we got yelled at for Liam being too loud and running.  We were surprised as this is a ruin and we were the only ones there aside from the caretaker and the man mowing the grass.  It still was beautiful, but less enjoyable with the employee scowling at us during our visit.  Thankfully, the children were not bothered at all.

Quin Abbey, Co. Clare

Irish grave marker that reads: "Connor McCluin born in Quin in 1893 died for Ireland on Oct 22 1920 in Dublin Castle.  May the light of heaven shine on his soul."  (If he was in Dublin Castle in 1920 it means he died as part of the revolution)

Quin Abbey Cloisters

The square courtyard surrounded by the cloister

The entrance to Bunratty Castle

From here we headed to Bunratty Castle.  The kids loved it and were really enjoying the Folk Village when it started raining and we were getting hungry.  Admission was  €30 for the family.  Bunratty is perhaps the best example of a furnished Towerhouse Castle in Ireland.   Built in 1425 and renovated in 1955, they have done a great job finishing it and the building is all complete allowing a visitor to wander into each room and see it as it would have been used.  As has been said by many, the only downside to this place is the HUGE volume of tour coaches that stop here as well as it being a popular first or last stop for visitors using Shannon Airport.  The castle is hard to miss as you drive on the N20 between Shannon and Limerick.  Even with all the visitors, it would be a shame to miss.  We gave the Medieval Banquet a miss since the children are so young, but will probably go when the children are older.  While cheesy and touristy, it is still a nice evening.

The Great Hall, Bunratty Castle

The main guard, Bunratty Castle

Bunratty Castle

Bunratty Folk Park

From the castle we headed to our B&B outside of Ennis for the night, Lakeside Country Lodge.  It is a big wonderful house on a lake with a view of a Newhall House (built in 1765) and Killone Abbey.  We checked in, unloaded everything and then went to eat.  Our landlady suggested the Poet's Corner in the Old Ground Hotel.  It was perfect!  They were very accommodating of the children and the food and service were very good too.

The family room at Lakeside Country Lodge, Ennis

After our meal we walked up to Ennis Friary, but it was closed (I didn't realize it was paid entry).  It does look interesting, maybe next time we are here.  On the way to and from the Friary we passed the Queen's Hotel which was mentioned in James Joyce's Classic Ulysses.  We returned to our parking garage and headed back to the house.

The view from the Lodge, Newhall House on the left, Killone Abbey on the right

The kids enjoyed  some time in the back yard and garden.  Then it was time for bed.  A good ending to a great trip!

The next morning it was off to Shannon Airport.  Lakeside Country Lodge is a 10 minute drive to the center of Ennis and about 20 minutes to the Avis Car Rental at Shannon.  The location is perfect for a night before departure.

We arrived three hours before departure and everything went pretty smoothly, we even had about an hour to spare at the gate.  As a wonderful bookend to our trip,  a family of three adults and four children sat in the chairs next to us.  They instantly caught Liam's attention as he discerned the sounds of some Connemara Irish coming from their mouths.  It was great to see the children using Irish not just with the adults, but also among themselves.  It was an encouraging sight to see and made me think that maybe on our next visit we'll head to Connemara. 

Honeymoon In Ireland - Dysert O'Dea, The Burren and Galway

An updated version of this site can be found here

3 July, 2008

The meal last night was good and a real bargain.  We got a very nice (and extremely quiet) room, a nice two course meal and breakfast for  €50 each.  Breakfast was very good!  The girl and woman running the place were very eager to please.  This place was a welcome evening of relaxation that was greatly needed.  They also provided us with a nice local map and two postcards of the place.


After we left Keane's we headed to Dysert O'Dea.  We elected to try the less traveled route by taking the first road to Corofin from Ennistymon (R470?).  It looked like a great idea as "An Dísert" was signposted, then again, then one more time.  I was feeling quite proud that we had found a back way.  Sarah was doing well driving on a bothairín - well, bothairín is a generous description - and then it happened.  A crossroad with no signs!  We went to the right.  It made sense, we were headed north, our destination was to the east, but the track just kept going and going.  We finally turned around, went to Corofin and got on the R476.  There were HUGE signs for it the whole way.

Castle O'Dea at Dysert O'Dea

The site was great (€4 per person).  Dysert O'Dea is a great one stop tourist attraction.  There is a tower house style castle that is in good condition.  Inside the castle is a tea room and an exhibition of the Irish War for Independence and Civil War.  Also on the grounds is the remains of an abbey with a very unique High Cross and round tower.  St. Tola's cross, shows the Crucifixion and Daniel in the lion's den as well as a likeness believed to be St. Tola himself.  This used to be a very busy pilgrimage site until a previous land owner tired of the traffic and glued what was, until then, a removable head of Christ permanently into the cross. 

We went in the castle first.  It's nice for roaming around and we even got to go on the roof.

St. Tola's High Cross at Dysert O'Dea

After that, we went to the High Cross and decided to go to town for some food.  We picked up some really good cheese and apples at the Spar in Corofin.  The woman at Dysert O'Dea showed us a road into The Burren, where she thought we would get a nicer view than the main road.


It was a right turn immediately after Kilfenora.  If that name sounds familiar, it might be because Father Ted was filmed here.  I believe Carron was signposted, so was the Burren Way.  It was a small, but well maintained road.  After not too long we saw a wedge tomb (Parknabinnia)and stopped.  We decided to sit on the wall there and eat our lunch.


 

Parknabinnia Wedge Tomb in The Burren

Parknabinnia Wedge Tomb Close-up

Carron Church, The Burren

It was a beautiful day and just as the woman at Dysert O'Dea had said, no walls to spoil the views on the drive.  We stopped at an old ruined church named Carron Church and looked around.  

Next, we headed up the road and stumbled across Caherconnell Stone Fort.  It was very well presented and cost €5 to get in.  They did a great job, but the fort itself was not in as good shape as a lot of others (like the Staigue Fort).  Sarah and I had been feeling a bit disappointed by the Burren - we expected more dominant stone cover as we accidentally went zooming past the car park for the Poulnabronne Dolmen.  Poulnabronne is considered one of Ireland' s "must sees" and frankly is an iconic site.  We saw it from the car - people everywhere - and decided to carry on.  From here the views of the Burren  became the stunning views we had hoped for and we got them all the way to Galway.

                      Here's a video of the Burren not long after we had passed Poulnabronne

SIDENOTE:  I had hoped that we might get to visit Kilmihil and maybe take a peek at Kiltumper.  I have read most of Niall Williams' books including the whole series about he and his wife moving from Manhattan to rural Clare and thought it might be nice to see the village, but it didn't fit well into our schedule.

Ard Eoinin, Spiddal

We are staying in Spiddal (another Gaeltacht) at Ard Eoinin B&B.  It's really lovely!  However, as I sit here I have been listening to the women next door have a phone conversation.  We ate at Boluisce restaurant for supper,  You could hear the conversations around us happening in Irish - it was nice.  Our meals were superb!  2 entrees, 1 starter, 2 beers, 1 coffee for €52.  We also stopped by the ATM at the Texaco to stock up on money for our trip to the Islands tomorrow and took a walk around the village.

Flowers outside Ard Eoinin

Inside Boluisce

The seaside in Spiddal

The seaview during our walk

What a wonderful day.  I think not running this morning helped refresh us a little bit.  All in all a great day.  The B&B is nice and a good price (€32.50 per person).  The breakfast was very good too, and Kevin (the owner) who had already been very nice, really perked up when we told him we were leaving in Irish!

Our bed at Ard Eoinin

Our bathroom at Ard Eoinin

Day 6 Ireland Itinerary
Dysert O'Dea (about 1:15 from Keane's Oyster Bar)
The Burren ( about 15 minutes from Dysert O'Dea)
Spiddal (about 2 hours drive with no stopping from Dysert O'Dea) 

Honeymoon In Ireland - The Dingle Peninsula to The Cliffs Of Moher

An updated version of the is site can be found here

2 July, 2008

Coill An Róis

We started off with our morning run.  Jimmy had said he would go with us, but we didn't see him and struck out on our own.  About 3/4 of a mile down the road we saw Jimmy on his way back home!  He'd gotten up at 6 and was afraid he'd go back to sleep if he didn't go right away.

Coill An Róis means "Forest of The Roses"
and here they are

We returned from a nice run to AMAZING showers.  He really has done something great with his house.  The shower was much better than ours at home.  The whole place was wonderful.  When we reached the breakfast room, Jimmy was waiting.  We had a nice talk about last night, the morning and life in general.  He then presented us with homemade bread, muffins and scones with tea as we ate our cereal.  We thought it was delicious until he brought out the rest of our breakfast.  Sarah had gotten a fruit plate which had 8-10 different types of fruit sliced and arranged - 2 of which were from his garden.  He also raises chickens, so he has fresh eggs!  He made me scrambled eggs with salmon.  This is hands down our favorite place so far!  Before we left we talked to Jimmy for another half hour or so.  He spends the winters as a chef in New York and then returns to run the B&B (thus the great food).  He also had his niece and nephew from America staying with him so they could practice using Irish (he is a native speaker).

Our bed at Coill An Róis

Our room at Coill An Róis

The horse out our window at Coill An Róis

Then we made straight for Tarbert.  The ferry was easy.  The ferry leaves on the half hour, each hour.  They had public toilets at the pier and it cost €17 for the car.  We had picked up some bread, cheese and fruit earlier, so we ate our lunch in the car while we waited to load.  The trip across the Shannon takes about 20 minutes.  The weather was amazing, so we skipped the Loop Head and went right for the Cliffs of Moher (seen in the film the Princess Bride as the Cliffs of Insanity).

The ferry at Talbert

The view of the Shannon from the ferry

Cliffs of Moher with O'Brien's Tower

The cliffs are dramatically different from my last visit (1999).  There is a huge parking lot across the road from the cliffs now.  It costs €8 to park.  I was a bit upset thinking that I was about to have to pay a second fee for the Cliffs, but you don't.  The other time I had visited I loved that the path from the road to the Cliffs was lined with buskers and people selling all kinds of items.  That's all gone now.  The path is larger and nice, but I missed the excitement of the old way.

When we reached the end of of the path, I thought to myself, "This sucks."  But, Sarah had never been here so I didn't want to spoil her visit by saying anything negative.  They have erected earth and stone ridges and built permanent paved walkways around the cliffs, but you are so far away that the awe and wonder I had my original visit were replaced with a feeling of being cheated.  We decided to head up the path the path to left (to the south - away from O'Brien's Tower).  Our reward: A sign telling us that we could not proceed.  

Is this sign actually an invitation?

However, we  (and many others) did.  We went right past the dreadful EU presentation of the cliffs onto the cliffs as there were meant to be.  Maybe, what adds the element of wonder is the feeling of danger.  Anyway, it made the cliffs striking and wondrous, not tame.

The clifftop path beyond the sign

The path and cliffs south of the sign

Keane's Oyster Bar

We left the Cliffs and retired to our lodging (Keane's Oyster Bar).  It's 3 miles out of Kilkee on the Kilrush side.  I found an Internet special for a two course meal and B&B for €50 and the website looked nice, so we booked it.  Our room is huge!  It has one double bed and two singles, a sitting area with a table, couch, chair and a TV, a food area with a refrigerator, counter top, cabinet, kettle, toaster and they gave us milk and jam.  The building itself has the accommodation on one side, a small shop, a pub and a restaurant.  I can't wait to see what the meal is like - the room is amazing!

Our room at Keane's Oyster Bar

Day 5 Ireland Itinerary

Coill an Róis, Dingle Peninsula
Tarbert (Ferry), Co. Kerry - (1 1/2 hours from Coill an Róis)
Killimer, Co. Clare - (crossing from Talbert takes about 20 minutes)
Cliffs of Moher (near Doolin), Co. Clare - about 1:15 drive from Killimer
Keane's Oyster Bar, near Kilkee, Co. Clare - about 1:10 drive from Cliffs of Moher