The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher

When I planned my trip to Ireland the must-see-thing I had to do was go to the Cliffs of Moher. I was not only told they were beautiful, but that they were unlike any other natural landscape you will ever see in your life. Being a little bit of a skeptic myself I booked a tour to see the Cliffs of Moher. And I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did I enjoy the tour (I didn’t think I was a tour person. I don’t really like strangers and I definitely don’t like being in THAT crowd of tourists) and the Cliffs of Moher really were what everyone said they were.

First stop on the tour is the little fishing village of Kinvara. This is the Dunguaire Castle. It is not actually a castle, but a watch tower. The tour guide informed us that almost every "castle" in Ireland is not a castle, but a watch tower. They were to help watch to protect Ireland from intruders. 

This is on of the classic little Irish cottages with the thatched roofs. The apex of the roof was very intricate in design. Each craftsman that works on the roofs actually has their own design, so when you look at the roofs you will know which craftsmen worked and rebuilt the roof. To keep the roof functioning the entire roof needs to be replaced every 5-7 years. This is why more and more home are moving away from the thatched roofs. 

Also, we stopped in a little pub and got Irish Coffees pick me ups. TO-GO!!! Yes, alcohol is regularly seen out on the streets. There is not law against open containers in the streets in Ireland. They really embrace the alcohol here. 

The weather seemed to be getting a little dreary. All our tour guide kept saying was if you keep smiling the sun will come out. And this was the 1st sign that he was right. 

We then traveled into the Burren . The Burren literally translates into "the rocky place" this is very appropriate for the area. It is home to 75% of Ireland's native flora. It is also has several ancient monuments. 

This is looking out from the Ballyalban Fairy Fort. A fairy fort is a mound in the shape of a ring with a basin. It has "fairy trees" growing on the ring mound. These are places that are said to be protected by fairies and if you try to cut a tree down or even trim some bushes death will befall on you. Also, these are the places said to have Leprechaun gold buried in it. I however did not see any Leprechauns.

This is the 5,800 year old Poulnabrone Dolmen. This is a portal tomb that has been sealed with lime stone. The piece of limestone on top weighs about 9,000lbs. In the late 90's the site was excavated and 22 adults and 6 children had been buried in the tomb. Personal items were buried with them. 

Right outside the pub we stopped at to have lunch was a great back drop for a little photo shoot. I loved Ireland because it totally made me feel at home. The air felt and smelt fresh and slightly damp. It made me feel as if I was back in Oregon. 

The lovely little pub that we stopped at for lunch. I had the best stew I have ever had in my life. It was so delicious I wish I could have some right now. I didn't find any better anywhere in Dublin.

The day that I went on my tour really was a perfect day. The weather was lovely and although the wind out on the Moher took my hair’s natural volume to a whole other level it was perfect and not as cold or miserable as I assumed. The cliffs are 200 meters (656 ft) high and 8 kilometers (5 miles) long.

It was only a huge struggle to try to take pictures here without all of my hair ending up in my face. 

You can see O'Brien's Tower on the cliff here. It marks the highest point of the Cliffs of Moher. It was build in 1852 by a local landlord Sir Cornellius O'Brien. There are 2 stories surrounding the tower. 1. He built it as an observation tower for the Victorian Tourist that visited the Moher. The other story is that he built it to empress the women that he was dating. 

An absolutely gorgeous Sunset.

On this trip I realized how lovely the Irish people really are. I mean I had noticed it the other day and a half that I had already spent in Dublin, but the attitude of Gary, the guide, was truly terrific. And I feel like the Irish have such a positive outlook on life. I mean living in Spain I hear a lot about the Crisis and everyone has someone to blame. But in Ireland they talk only positively. They say things like “once we are back up on our feet again…” or “When the country has more money for drinking we will…” I think it’s a nice attitude. I feel like a lot of people and countries can learn from the Irish. They work hard and play hard also. Oh and I find it unfair to call them all drunks, although they do love to do that, or that they have hot tempers. I saw a perfect example of the “hot tempered Irish man” the night after I got back to Dublin from the Cliffs. A slightly tipsy Irishman was swaggering down the street singing when he bumped into the building and he took this opportunity to punch the building in revenge. He had a scowl on his face, but a few steps later he took up his song again. That is pretty much spot on Irish right there. I really saw myself in the Irish people I guess…