Ireland

Having spent everyday driving, we opted to spend the morning in Ennis taking in some of the local attractions since this was our last full day before moving on to Tralee on Sunday. Feeling energized after breakfast we set out on a walk around the town. In the heart of Ennis is incredible ruins of a 13th century Franciscan Friary. Founded by the O'Briens, it has numerous 15/16th century sculptures carved in the local hard limestone. In its glory days it was a flourishing community with 375 friars and 600 students. Much of Ennis actually grew up around the Friary which is the case with most towns in Ireland. The friary has been altered over time to suit the needs of whoever called the shots. The main bell tower now sports the four spires associated with Protestant church style. The admission fee and tour are less than a couple of Euros and is well worth it.

After the tour of the friary, we opted to split up for the rest of the morning so we could do some shopping (a tin whistle and music CDs for Jen and I) and have a leisurely morning. Jen and I walked around town and got some great pictures of the newer Franciscan Friary just to the west of the older ruins. It is located right next to the Poor Clare Monastery and has some great architecture. While walking around, we had a nice conversation with an older Irish gentleman who seemed very eager to talk about the Aran Islands and how we were liking Ennis and County Clare. I think the conversation might have been an excuse for him to put off the lawn work he was doing. Right across the street at the Poor Clare Monastery, there was a nun also doing yard work. We noticed she was also listening to an iPod which made us smile (the scene could have been a century-old based on her habit/clothing and her gardening tools had it not been for the tell-tale white earbuds).

Ennis also has a great open-air market where you can get anything from crepes and pastries to cordless drills. One vendor had an incredible selection of stuffed olives and grape leaves as well as other delights. We picked up a small bag of garlic stuffed green olives to go with our gourmet cheese from the Ailwee Caves and decided to call that lunch. Anne, Roger, Dave, and Stephanie decided to go for a drive to a nearby ring fort while Jen and I opted to stay in Ennis and relax (driving in Ireland takes a lot out of you the first few days). We had lunch in the garden at the Old Ground Hotel while we journaled our thoughts and wrote out postcards. We also watched as the cathedral next door was made ready for a wedding that afternoon. We walked around Ennis a bit more and got some great photos of St. Columba's church on the other side of the river.

By dinner time, the rest of the crew had returned from their day trip with stories and photos. While we were out earlier, we scouted a good pub (Cruise's) to have our last dinner in Ennis. The pub had some great food and started their music early which added to the ambiance. Many of the musicians we recognized from the night before at the Poet's Corner. I guess the all do a circuit of the Pubs and will get together for the Irish version of a jam session. We had dessert from a local "fast-food" restaurant (hot muffin with ice-cream...how could you pass that up?) which we ate while sitting at the steps of the O'Connell monument. I guess we stuck out as tourists as a car of teenagers shouted out "Welcome to Ireland". We are not sure if they were sincere or just having fun...either way we had a good laugh.

While walking back to the hotel, we saw the most amazing thing that made us all think of home: a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro complete with South Carolina plates. We chatted with the driver who had it parked at the end of O'Connell street while his wife/girlfriend was in a nearby shop. He commented that he does not drive it often as it only averages 12 MPG. The car was absolutely beautiful though and every head turned as it drove down O'Connell street.

We had a few pints in the hotel pub while listening to some local music that evening. It was a nice way to wrap up our stay in Ennis at the Old Ground Hotel. I highly recommend this place if you plan on a visit to Ireland.

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The next morning, after a very good night of sleeping prompted by our long day out on Inis Mor, we had our traditional Irish breakfast and loaded up the van for a drive out on The Burren. The Burren is an expanse of land located in County Clare which varies widely in terrain and appearance. From a wind washed wasteland of limestone to lush and rich pastures and forests, there are many sites and attractions to fill a day.

Driving in Ireland is getting easier every time we go out. At this point, I am getting more comfortable recognizing road signs and navigating the narrow roads. I even announce to my patient passengers that I even feel comfortable to start using my rearview mirrors. The weather for the drive was definitely overcast, but the rain held off, so we were all happy with that.

Our first stop for the day was Saint Brigid's Well outside of Liscannor. The well, one of many dedicated to Saint Brigid (and perhaps the goddess Brigid even before that) in Ireland, draws many people who leave offering and tokens in hope of blessings and cures. An old graveyard is located just behind it and a monument to Cornelius O'Brien is located right beside it. The tall gray column of the monument is a good landmark for locating the well.

The next stop on our whirlwind tour was the Cliffs of Moher. A very beautiful natural site which was popularized as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the movie The Princess Bride. The Cliffs tower 650 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular stop for many tour buses. When reading up on things to do and see in this region on the country, the Cliffs were popular for thrill-seekers who could crawl out to the edge and look over. I think this policy has changed recently as the Cliffs are becoming more commercialized. Barriers now prevent anyone from getting too close to the edge and injuring themselves (either accidentally or intentionally, the Cliffs are apparently a popular spot to off yourself as someone had done just weeks before). Despite the commercialization of this natural area, the Cliffs are still a breathtaking spot to take in the scenery and listen to the sounds of the ocean, seagulls, and puffins.

Feeling a bit hungry, we stopped for lunch at the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna. The tavern had some of the best pub food we had on the trip. We learned what a Bap was (an open-faced sandwich, usually hot, on a toasted bun), and the walls were decorated with an eclectic mixture of postcards and old product advertisements. Jen and I want to send them a postcard from Delta, OH. Perhaps they might hand it up and we can see it then next time we are there.

Continuing on, we headed down N-67 towards Newtown Castle. The 16th-century castle is now the location of the Burren College of Art but is still open to the public. The narrow winding staircase leads to different floors with various art exhibits. The Castle is located less than a kilometer from the R-480 intersection that leads to the Ailwee Caves.

The Ailwee Caves are a series of tunnels into the limestone terrain of the Burren and feature many natural formations like stalactites and other calcium formations. Definitely worth a look if you are in the area, they do have some very pretty formations. I would not say they are the best caverns I have seen (I still prefer the Ohio Caverns), it was a nice diversion and we were able to pick up some very nice gourmet cheese at a dairy shop located on the site (yes, I know, I don't know what gourmet cheese has to do with caverns, but this is Ireland so I don't question).

We wrapped up the day with a drive down R-480 back through Corrofin where we proceeded on to Ennis. The R-480 is a winding narrow road (what are the chances of that in Ireland) that carves through the more desolate section of the Burren. While beautiful in a wasteland-esq style, I could not imagine trying to live in that region. While we passed many ruins of churches and old castles, we wanted to see the Poulnabrone Dolman which was unfortunately closed to access while they were constructing a parking lot. I guess it is a very popular site and the narrow roads of the R-480 do not allow for you to just stop and see many of the sites without creating a minor traffic jam or accident.

Once back in Ennis, we had American style pizza for dinner (I know, kind of lame, but we wanted something cheap and it came recommended). That night we all went down to the pub for a few pints and dessert. The live music was exceptional and it was a great end to a wonderful day of sightseeing.

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We woke a little early on Thursday (both out of choice and our brains still not processing local time correctly) to get a good start on the road to Rossaveel where we could catch a ferry to Inis Mor. Our travel package included breakfast at every location we were staying, so we headed to the main restaurant in the Old Ground hotel to load up on good food. The traditional Irish breakfast, which you can get at almost any hotel and B&B, usually consists of enough meat to provide you with a lot of energy for the day and clog your arteries at the same time. You will usually get bacon (rasher style, which resembles ham, only with a bit of spice/zest), sausage, mushrooms, eggs, and black & white pudding (not to be confused with chocolate and vanilla) which is a cooked sausage with other things like barley. Very tasty all around, and they also will usually have a very nice continental selection if meat is not your thing.

Feeling much better and more alert then Wednesday, we loaded up the van and headed on our way to Rossaveel to make the 10:30 AM ferry to Inis Mor. Rossaveel is about two hours from Ennis, which will vary if you get stuck behind a tour bus or tractor. Most Ireland roads are rural and very difficult to pass other vehicles on. This is a combination of the narrow width, multiple blind corners and turns, and unrealistic speed limits. The first delay of the day came when I miss-navigated a roundabout and headed on N18 the wrong way. Since it was under construction, a turn around could not be found for 15 kilometers which we lost about 20 minutes. Not a big deal, if we missed the 10:30 AM ferry, we could always catch the 1:00 PM. I blame this in part to still trying to convince my sub-conscious that it was, in fact, alright to drive on the left side of the road while still trying to decipher road signs.

Finally being pointed in the correct direction, we headed towards Galway where we would try to connect from N18 to the R336 which would take us to Rossaveel. This is where delay number two happened. If you will recall from my previous post, Ireland is not rich with road signs. The end result is that we found ourselves lost in a planned housing subdivision in Galway trying to find some road we could identify on our woefully inadequate street map. of the city. By chance again, we found a street sign pointing to the correct direction for R336 and we were once again back on the road. That little distraction would however prevent us from making the 10:30 AM ferry in Rossaveel. Resigned to the fact we had some time to kill, we decided to take a more leisurely drive down R336, stopping at some small towns along the way.

An Spidéal was a quaint little Irish town that had a fresh produce stand where we loaded up on lunch items and snacks for our trip to Inis Mor. We took an opportunity to stroll around the grounds of the Cill Éinde Church and out to the harbor of Galway Bay.

We pressed on and eventually came to Rossaveel. Being a bit early for the 1:00 PM sailing, we purchased our tickets and decided to drive around the peninsula through little towns like Costelloe and Carroroe. The ferry departed promptly for a forty-minute trek across Galway Bay the North Sound to Inis Mor and the town of Kilronan. The weather for ride over was spectacular. We had planned for rain but we're very pleased to be given sunny skies and mild temperatures. I had a conversation with a service station attendant earlier that day who said it had rained all winter but the past few weeks were just like that day. I took advantage of the crossing to go below and write out some postcards and enjoy being on the water again.

Once we arrived at Inis Mor, we opted to rent bikes to trek around the island. For those not feeling up to a bike ride, there are no shortages of buses, taxis and horse-drawn carriages to cart you around the island on impromptu tours to the major attractions. Just about anything on the island on wheels functions as a taxi. We stopped at the Aran Sweater Market first, I had my eye on purchasing a genuine Aran Islands sweater. The selection was overwhelming and the prices very reasonable for hand-knit items. I settled on a charcoal gray cardigan which will come in very handy next autumn and winter. After shopping, we stopped at the local grocery store for some additional lunch/picnic foods and continued our bike ride.

As a brief aside, I've been working out every morning since January on a recumbent exercise bike trying to lose weight and get in shape for all of the walking and activities we would be doing in Ireland. I should have prepared a bit more. The roads on Inis Mor are ridiculously steep and the island seems to just keep going uphill. Our goal was to cycle to Dun Aonghasa, a stone fort on a cliff wall on the south side of the island. After getting about halfway there, we figured there was no way we could get to the fort, have a picnic and make the 5:00 PM sailing which is the final sailing for the day. We were all opposed to being trapped on Inis Mor for the night, so we turned about and headed back to Kilronan to find a pub and have a pint (always a good idea on Ireland).

On the way, we did see some stunning views and ruins of churches and homes. We also passed a pony who seemed to be waiting for someone to come by and pet him. We obliged and took a bit of a breather before continuing on. On the return trip, we stopped at Joe Watty's for a pint of Smithwicks and some snacks. We also met the pub's local dog who was suitably named "Guinness". We also found the post office so we could send out postcards from the Aran Islands. Having a bit more energy from our uphill bike ride, we returned to the port a few minutes before the ferry started boarding. Anne and Roger, who are both in better shape then all of the rest of us combined, did make it to Dun Aonghasa and got some very nice pictures of the fort and cliff wall. They did admit they pushed themselves very hard to get there and back in time, so I don't feel too bad about not getting there.

The return trip to Ennis saw us lost briefly in Galway once again, but not nearly as bad as the morning drive out. We stopped in Gort (Klaatu barada nikto! If you have seen The Day The Earth Stood Still then ignore that reference) hoping to find a pub or restaurant only to see they roll the town up at 5:30 PM, so it was back to Ennis. Once safely back in the hotel, we found a Sicilian Restaurant in Ennis and ate some gourmet Italian style food with an Irish twist. Everyone was pretty dead tired at this point and turned in for the evening. Dave and I wanted to hear a little of the music being played in the hotel's pub that night, so we opted to have a seat and a pint for a while and take in the ambiance of a traditional Irish pub. Seating in the pub was somewhat limited due to the large crowd, so we sat with an older couple, John and Margaret, from Ireland and chatted the evening away. They were also on holiday, staying one night in Ennis before heading up to Connemara. The Irish love to chat, and if you are a foreigner, they want to know what you plan to see and will offer suggestions and insights into their country. This very moment in time was the Ireland I was looking for, the music was perfect, the company was very warm and friendly, it was the perfect end to the day.

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After a year of planning and anticipating we finally began our travel to Ireland. We picked up Dave & Stephanie and proceeded to Detroit Metro Airport on Tuesday the 17th. Our flight departed on time to Chicago where we rendezvoused with Anne and Roger who were connecting from Baltimore. The flight from Chicago to Dublin is approximately eight hours with a few hours layover before a short hop to the Shannon airport. My plan was to get as much sleep on the plane as possible so I would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when we arrived at Shannon the next day at 10:00 AM. That plan worked in some capacity, but the excitement of our first European trip was preventing me from getting any meaningful sleep (having the food cart on the plane slammed into my elbow and being bumped persistently because I was in an aisle seat didn't help either). Our trans-Atlantic flight went pretty well, although we were delayed leaving Chicago by two hours due to luggage sorting issues and backups in general when we missed our take-off window. We were also delayed in Dublin while they cleaned the plane and had us fill out customs forms.

Once in Shannon, we acquired our rental cars, a minivan and a sedan, which I opted to upgrade to an automatic transmission. It's been over 15 years since I have driven a manual transmission, and while it's a lot like riding a bike (from what I've been told), I did not want to re-learn driving a manual transmission on a minivan with everything located on what would be the passenger side of the vehicle while also trying to remind myself to drive on the left side of the road all on only a few hours of sleep. I'm fairly certain I would have burned through a whole clutch by the end of the trip, photos to come will show why.

My idea of a minivan and Europe's idea of a minivan was the first culture shock of the day. Keeping in mind all vehicles in Europe are smaller and more efficient then what we see in America, the minivan is no exception. We rented an Opel Zafira which was about as big as my Kia Spectra, but manages to fit six people. Since we had luggage we also rented a second car which was a Ford Focus. It was a fun little van to drive and in my search for an image the first one to come up in Google was this one which made Jen and I laugh hysterically. Truth be told, there are many car makes and models which are very popular in Ireland which would never see the light of day in America, where bigger and less efficient seem to be status quo.

After saying a few prayers to miscellaneous deities, we engaged the transmission (once I figured out how to use an auto-stick transmission and disengage the emergency brake) and proceeded to Ennis. If you have never driven a car in the UK or Ireland, then I will try to relate my experience with the first few moments:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once that was over, we managed to exit the Airport and find our route to Ennis. Fortunately, we were able to drive the N18, one of Ireland's handful of multi-lane motorways, for a good portion of the drive. This allowed me to get accustomed to the controls of the van and convince my jet-lagged subconscious that it was, in fact, alright to drive on the left side of the road. Thus completing culture shock number two for the day.

The next shock was not far behind. This came in the form of Ireland's roadways. There are many things we take for granted in America, some of them being street signs, sane speed limits, lanes a few feet wider than the car your driving, intersections with stoplights, and consistent speed limit and route signs. Ireland, I have recently learned, likes to preserve the integrity of its old-world charm and scenery and does not necessarily feel obligated to put up things like street signs in a consistent manner. They might be on the side of a building (if one exists on the corner of an intersection) or a fence or curb in no consistent style or font or language (some in Gaelic or English or both). Most rural routes are 100 Km/h which is about 60 miles/h. While that might not sound terribly fast, some photos I will post in the coming days will show that is near impossible to attain that speed. That's not to say that people won't try though. That may explain the staggering number of accidents that occur in the country every year, but I digress. Ireland also uses the system of round-a-bouts to connect roads instead of intersections. This definitely took some getting used to, but I see the advantage of them.

We traveled through a few small towns before reaching Ennis in County Clare. We could only assume it was Ennis since there was no grand sign welcoming visitors to Ennis, at least not one that was obvious. This brought about the first adventure of the day. Anne and Roger were following us in the sedan and we got separated at a traffic light coming around a sharp corner on the outskirts of Ennis. There was absolutely no place for me to pull over until they could catch back up, so we proceeded to try to find the hotel knowing they would be fine on their own. Ennis is a wonderfully charming and old town, meaning the roads a very narrow, usually one-way, and missing any kind of signs or indicators. We drove from one end of the town to the other with no success in finding O'Connell Street. We finally asked a few people walking where we could find our hotel. In a very thick accent, which my jet-lagged brain was having trouble comprehending, they pointed us in a general direction. We knew the hotel was across the street from the cathedral which was plainly visible from almost every point in town, but finding a road that led to it was proving to be a challenge. By chance, we made a few turns and wound up at the beginning of O'Connell Street. Please refer to some photos which show just how narrow this road is. Thankfully, it is only one-way as it's usually very crowded, especially during the lunch hours when we arrived. We managed to find some hotel parking after the lunch crowd vacated it's restaurants and got checked into our rooms. As we were parking the car, we met up with Anne and Roger who had also found the hotel despite being separated from us earlier, which probably worked to their advantage anyhow.

The Old Ground Hotel is a wonderful old ivy-covered building with grand rooms and lounge areas. After the long flight and shock of learning to drive in Ireland, it was pleasant to finally relax a bit and focus on more important things like food. After freshening up a bit, we strolled down O'Connell street checking out the menus of the many pubs and restaurants. We decided on Brogan's Tavern which was a short walk from the hotel. We had a pretty good pub grub style lunch (hot sandwiches and chips which we know as fries).

Feeling refreshed, we wandered around Ennis a bit more. The tourist information center in Ennis has a great gift shop and is also attached to the Clare Museum. The museum has many artifacts and cultural information regarding the heritage of the area. The museum is free and worth a look. Don't forget to check out the Bog Butter exhibit. The museum gave us some inspiration and ideas of places to visit while we were in that region, and we also were able to get sailing times for the Aran Islands which we also wanted to see. Ennis also has a very nice river walk area just east of the town center, with many sculptures and a variety of waterfowl which make it their home.

Jet lag and sleep deprivation finally got the better of us, as well as many of the shops closing by 5:30 PM, so we headed back for the hotel to rest a bit before dinner. The Old Ground hotel has a great little pub called the Poet's Corner which has a very nice menu selection. Dinner for myself was a pint of Guinness (it's Ireland, what do you expect) some seafood chowder and poached salmon.

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