Our Ireland Adventure Day 8

The Cliffs Of Moher and the Old Ground Hotel

 

Today we bid adieu to the Cillcearn House. Our stay here made us feel very welcome and relaxed. We will miss our host Tom and his witty advice.

We had just one event on our agenda – a one hour cruise to The Cliffs Of Moher. Although we feared that we might arrive a tad late, when we got there we discovered our boat was delayed about fifteen minutes so we arrived in plenty of time.

We met the owner of one of the cruise business and he bought us a cup of tea and a scone as he discussed his last visited to the San Diego County area. He definitely knew his way around our town. His "lady" was born and raised in "Hell A" therefore he had visited Southern California frequently.

The cruise itself presented rough waters but the view was well worth it. Paul reminded me and a fellow passenger to keep our backs off the seat to avoid illness. I listened and am glad I did. Sadly, the other lady didn’t and suffered from sea sickness.

The Cliffs Of Moher rise to a height of over 700 feet. Our cruise set out from Doolin Pier and followed the cliffs as they climb to their magnificent height. I was awed by the epic cliffs as I learned that they have Ireland’s largest mainland nesting bird colony. The Great Sea Stack (Branaunmore) also plays host to thousands of seabirds as well.

The hour went by too quickly and we were off to our next stop at the Old Ground Hotel in Ennis.

Built in the early part of the 18th Century as a private dwelling and a hotel since 1895 the Old Ground Hotel has a long tradition and connection to the people of County Clare. Indeed the Old Ground has played its part in the Republics tumultuous beginnings and the now Town Hall once incorporated a jail.

I cannot say enough positive things about this establishment. The food was excellent and served quickly and always with a smile. The room was luxurious. The tile floor in the bathroom was heated!!!!! I loved it.

The hotel offered plenty of parking and is located in the middle of town right next to the Ennis Cathedral. The soft bells of the church rang sweetly on the hour.

Today is also the first day of our trip that we experienced any rain and it was a light rain at that. Paul and I have been very lucky travelers . . . . . knock on wood.

We spent the night walking down the narrow streets of Ennis. Unfortunately, it was after six and most of the shops had closed.

 

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Our Ireland Adventure Day 7

Ring of Kerry Tour

 

Although Paul and I are really not tour people, Sonja had scheduled us for a tour called the “Ring of Kerry” with the Wild Kerry Daytours. They picked us up and dropped us off directly from the Cillcearn House which was very convenient. However those vans were pretty dirty and very smoky.

The Wild Kerry Day Tour’s bus was a bit better. The Iveragh Peninsula which contains Ireland’s most spectacular mountain road – the Ring of Kerry – is situated in the south west corner of Ireland. Our driver, John, was very friendly and talked for almost the entire six-hour tour about history, geography, culture, stories and folklore. John even sang to us.

Our tour went in an counter-clockwise direction along the banks of the River Laune to Killorglin, via Glenbeigh, Kells, Caherciveen, the southern shores of Dingle Bay, Waterville, along the coast via Coomakista Pass, Derrynane, on to Sneem, up the mountain road to Molls Gap, and finished up at Ladies’View.

It filled our day and we did enjoy the tour. Unfortunately, a screaming toddler and two non-stop talking young ladies directly behind us reminded us why we are not keen on guided bus tour.

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Our Ireland Adventure Day 6

We left the Ardfield Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast around nine-ish and headed towards the Old Midleton Distillery area in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland. The Jameson Experience, Midleton,  is an Irish whiskey tourist attraction which opened in 1992. We had a great time, but the tour was not as fun as the Jameson Tour in Dublin. Nevertheless, unbelievably, I learned even more about the Irish Whiskey. 

Our GPS Coordinates took us close to our next Bed and Breakfast, Cillcearn House on Ballycasheen Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry. It was easy to figure out where it was though. Our host Tom, should be an Ireland national treasure. He could not be friendlier nor more informative. He even took the time to teach us how to use our AT&T cell phone in Ireland!!!

Our room was spacious and well-kept. Most importantly, the internet worked in our room and was very fast. Yeah I was able to catch up on my work a bit.

After setting in, we drove into town for dinner. We happened on the Family owned and run Cronins Restaurant. Again the food and service exceeded our expectations. They made Paul a hamburger minus the meat that was scrumptious. My Turkey and Ham dinner special was also very tasty. Everything was extremely reasonably priced.

We bought some groceries at Glesson's Spar and called it a day. 

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Our Ireland Adventure Day 5

Happy Birthday Opa. Unfortunately, we did not get a good night’s sleep. We found out that the heat was turned off at night consequently, our cold room and hard beds made it a jagged night. Nevertheless after a hearty breakfast and great conversation with fellow “bed and breakfasters” we were off to explore the County Cork.

Today was a day of long narrow steps. We started with the Blarney Castle. What a gorgeous old homestead. We walked up the steps to the top of the castle and kissed the Blarney stone. Not as easy as it sounds. You have to lay down and bend over backwards to reach the illusive stone. Not to be left behind, both Paul and I succeeded; now we both will be endowed with the gift of the gab.

We also visited the ground’s poison garden which included a marijuana plant. Then we explored the castle caves. Blarney is a very nice national treasure to view and learn about. 

Then we were off to the Bells of Shandon. Driving a car down those impossibly tapered streets was a challenge. St. Anne’s houses the 18th Century Bells and is a beautiful little church. After climbing up the steps you can pick a song and ring the bells yourself. Not as easy as it sounds (again), you have to give quite a tug on the ropes. I played George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun.” 

We headed towards Kinsale for our lunch at Fishy Fishy. Everywhere we eat, the cooks take special care to accommodate Paul’s “no meat” diet. They made him a huge salad with a side order of “chips.” I had Fish and Chips. Everything was yummy.

Our shopping turned successful when I found the perfect Aran sweater coat at “Kinsale Woollen Mills.” So much to choose from and the sales assistants were very helpful. 

It was still a bit early to return to the B&B, so off to Fort Charles we drove. I am so glad we did. The estate was fantastic and the weather mild. I think that the sun even peered out for a second or two. Again flooded with history, this relic is the perfect spot for urban hiking. All in all, Paul and I trekked over five miles and worked up quite the appetite.

We eat at Viaduct Inn, a family restaurant. Again the service was enthusiastic and food very good. Tonight is our last night at Ardfield Farmhouse and we would give it four out of five stars. The lack of the final star due mostly to the sparseness of internet availability. So if the internet is not important to you and you can stay under your covers at night, you will probably find Ardfield Farmhouse to be a five star. The farmhouse is centrally located and close to almost everything you might want to see. 

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