The West is the best: Cliffs of Moher, Galaway, and Burren National Park

I’m back in Ireland, waiting for Odyssey, the boat that has been delayed for 2 1/2 months.

I love Ireland, I do. The first time I was here was in 2001, I think. I came and spent a month traveling around with a couple of friends, taking Bus Eireann where we wanted to go and sleeping in hostels or cheap rooms (pre Airbnbs, but same idea).

My friend wanted to know if it was better now, and I had to disappoint her by saying no. It’s still good, but at a lot of the places we went to 23 years ago, we were the only or some of a few tourists, but now there are hundreds of people roaming around.

Entrance to Trinity College – I stayed here in student housing for 3 nights because it’s cheaper than a hotel but still pricey. This option is only available in the summer when many students are not here.

Children of Lir in the Garden of Remembrance -met bus across the street.

There are a lot of castle ruins along the roads.

Called the kissing wall because the big busses don’t always make the turn sharply enough. Some of these roads were not made for large coach busses.

I grabbed a tour bus to take me to the west coast of Ireland, which is a favorite of most people. They say here that the West is the best. It is also wetter. So even though I left Dublin with sunny skies, I was hoping the weather would still be okay when we got to the Atlantic route.

Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher now have a visitor center (2007) and paved walking paths. It costs 10 euros to visit if the tickets are bought in advance and 12 euros if bought on site.

The Cliffs are perhaps the most iconic symbol of Ireland.

The pathways have also been moved back from the cliffs a bit with large rock slabs to keep people back. People die falling from these cliffs, by accident and on purpose. Even today, with the extra guards, people climb over for that great shot and well….

One thing I remember from 2001 was our guide telling us about a gentleman who had on a baseball cap and a gust came up and knocked the hat off. The man instinctively chased the hat off the cliffs. So he suggested that perhaps we shouldn’t have hats on that could get blown off.

Burren National Park

Shortly after leaving the Cliffs, the bus entered the Burren National Park. It is a rocky land that somewhat resembles the moon, according to astronauts. Burren – National Parks of Ireland

Galaway

The Latin Quarter in Galaway is by far the most touristy spot in the city. It is filled with pubs, restaurants and shops. This is also where the old merchant homes and Galaway Cathedral are located.

The Lynch family was one of 6 main merchant families and very wealthy. They had a castle in the city and another summer castle across the lake.

The Galaway Cathedral is tucked away behind the main street. It costs 5 euro to enter, and if you’re pressed for time, it’s not worth it. Like several of the churches and cathedrals in Ireland, you enter into a shop portion of the building. Move through the shops to the actual church. It is a basic building with a few things to see, but overall, it’s not really that impressive.

Main street jammed with shops and restaraunts.

Galaway is also home to many festivals and events on the weekends. When I was there, the horse racing was just starting, so it was crowded with people either watching the races in pubs or going to head to the track to watch them live.

Cute little pub that was establishe dby an animal lover.

Inside there are a bunch of little privacy booths

Galaway is the home of the claddach ring, but there are two different stores that claim to be the first makers of the ring.

The Kings Head has their own Red Ale that is pretty tasty. It was established in 1649 and originally was the mayor’s home. It was seized and awarded to the man who executed King Charles I.

Our History – thekingshead

Because this was a day trip, I was only in Galaway for two hours. It definitely is a place where a day or two would be better to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy a bit more of the place.

Chasing Summer –