Day 1: Cong, Connemara, Galway
On Sunday morning I met up with fellow tourists at the Molly Malone statue in Dublin, a popular pickup spot for bus tours, and boarded a Paddywagon headed for the West Coast. This was the part of my trip that I was most excited for: a four-day tour of the West Coast, from Galway all the way through the Ring of Kerry and back to Dublin again.
We departed Dublin at 8 AM Sunday morning and began the two and a half hour trek across the country. One of the great things about traveling in Ireland is that the country is small enough that you can easily get from one side to the other in a short period of time. Thus you really have no excuse to not see all the top sights across the country during the trip!
According to our guide, Ireland didn’t become a popular tourist destination until the 1990’s, largely due to the fact that the road system was not very effective. The country received a grant to help build new roads and expand the roads that already existed in the towns. That’s right, the roads in Ireland have been expanded from their original width! Ireland is known for its narrow roads, especially on the coasts, and yes they are two-lanes. However if you find yourself head-to-head with a tour bus on an Irish road…be prepared to back up and pull off.
Our first stop on the trip was in the small town of Cong, most famous for being the filming location of the John Wayne film The Quiet Man. This is really the small town's only claim to fame, but even if you aren't a fan of the film, the quaint town is a perfect depiction of what you picture Ireland to be. The roads are full of colorful houses built side-by-side, that make you feel as though you have been transported back in time.
We only spent about 45 minutes here since it was starting to rain, but I was able to walk around the ruins of an old abbey and see many of the filming sites from the movie. My parents love the Quiet Man so I had seen it several times and it was fun to see the town come to life in Cong.
We continued our drive toward Galway by driving through the Connemara Mountains. Unfortunately due to the rain we weren't able to see too many mountains, but the rolling hills were beautiful enough. The one thing I love about the Irish countryside is the way the land is divided into squares. Farmers mark off their land by creating rocks walls, or even planting trees around their property. But when viewed from a distance, a perfect green patchwork is created in the fields and it is truly beautiful to see.
Our bus rolled into Galway on a rainy afternoon...thankfully it was the only day throughout my entire vacation that I had a full day of rain. We had a free day in the city so I used my time to explore the Galway City Museum, the Spanish Arch, and to gather souvenirs on Shop Street. If you have a limited time to spend in Galway, Shop Street is the only place you need to be. There are dozens of restaurants, pubs, and shops on this cobblestone road, with the Spanish Arch and Galway City Museum perched at the end of the street.
A local’s note about shopping in Galway: The Aran Sweater is one of Ireland’s most famous products. Originally made for fisherman, each sweater has a unique design and is made by hand. The sweater was originally created on the Aran Islands, hence the name, which lie just off the coast of Galway. Thus you will find the best price on Aran Sweaters in Galway!
Did you know that Galway has a heavy Spanish presence? In the 16th century many Spanish ships, sent to invade England, were wrecked on the west coast of Ireland. The crew that survived made landfall in Galway, and started new lives in the Irish city. There is still a heavy Spanish presence in the city today.
I ducked in and out of various shops and pubs to stay out of the rain. One local ice cream shop caught my eye, as it had a huge line despite the cold and rainy day. Murphy’s Ice Cream, I later found out, is considered to be the best ice cream in Ireland. Originally founded in Dingle, the ice cream is made using the milk of Kerry cows and offers a wide range of unique flavors. It is recommended to combine flavors to make iconic Irish combinations such as: Dingle Gin and Elderflower, Irish Coffee and Brown Bread, or Dingle Sea Salt and Chocolate. No matter what combination you choose I promise you will not be disappointed.
I met up with the rest of my tour group at Murty Rabbits Restaurant, where we met our new tour guide, Rouiri. I chatted with new friends over delicious beer and lamb stew, which Rouiri claims is the best in all of Ireland (and it was amazing). After dinner a few of us spent the night in the town at a local brewery (Galway Bay Brewing) and a popular bar (Quays).
Day 2- Burren Coastal Road, Cliffs of Moher
I woke up on Monday, extremely excited for what the day had in store. Today was the day we would be headed to the Cliffs of Moher.
The Cliffs of Moher were formed over 300,000 years ago and their shape today is due to erosion throughout the years. At its highest point the cliffs stand over 700 feet tall, and stretch five miles long. Local wildlife thrives in this section of the County Clare coastline…keep your eyes open for puffins! The Cliffs of Moher is one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing in 1.6 million people every year, second only to The Guinness Storehouse.
There are multiple walking paths that extend in both directions on top of the Cliffs of Moher, one farther back protected by a fence, and a second path closer to the edge. It is safe to walk this path, but once you hop the fence to get to the cliff’s edge path, you are walking at your own risk. Over 50 people have died at the Cliffs of Moher, mostly tourists, so please be careful if you choose to walk this path.
The best place to view the entirety of the Cliffs is at O’Brien’s Tower. Then I recommend walking down the left path on top of the cliffs themselves. There is a great picture spot not too far down where you have a great view of both sides. After you have taken your walk on the top, hop on a boat tour to see a different angle of these iconic cliffs. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins and puffins if you opt for the boat tour!
Obviously pictures of the Cliffs do not do it justice. They are massive and it just takes your breath away to see them in person. What shocked me the most, besides the height, was how green the cliffs were the entire way down to the ocean! You expect them to only have grass on top, but moss scales the entire 700 feet of rock creating something you can truly only see in Ireland.
My tour buddy and I found ourselves saying “Wow, so beautiful,” so often at the Cliffs we joked that we could have made a drinking game out of it. This was the highlight of my day by far, and I only wish I had more time to spend enjoying that view.
I had Cliffs on the brain for the rest of my day, but we made several other stops along the coast that were quite beautiful. To get from Galway to Country Clare you must travel the Burren Coastal Road, a winding road that starts along the water and heads up into the mountains so you are looking over the ocean.
The town of Burren is known for it’s unique scenery: hills made up of millions of limestone rocks, thus turning Ireland’s famous green landscape gray. These limestone rocks almost completely covered Ireland 350 million years ago. Due to the heat emitted from these limestone rocks, the Burren has a warmer climate than the rest of Ireland. Thus many farmers will actually drive their livestock uphill during the winter months, since the heat from the rocks causes vegetation to grow for the animals to eat. We only drove through part of the Burren on the way to the Cliffs of Moher, but you can learn much more about its formation at the Burren National Park.
We made a few other stops along the way in Kerry, which many locals refer to as “God’s Kingdom,” due to the spectacular views of the ocean and Ireland’s rolling hills. Rouiri told us a small house in Kerry sells extremely quickly and often for over a million dollars. Why?
“Because you aren’t paying for the house, you are paying for the view.”
To be continued...
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