heading west

We woke up this morning three hours behind schedule. Our alarm clock, Bennett, slept in. We did not mind because we could use the extra sleep. After gathering ourselves we decided to spend the day heading toward the Cliffs of Moher. We made quite a few stops along the way. First we went to Dunguaire Castle which is a 16th-century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. 

The name derives from the Dun of King Guaire, the legendary king of Connacht. We coudln't get into the castle but it was impressive from the outside nevertheless. We wandered around for a bit and took a few picture before heading to Poulnabrone dolmen.

Poulnabrone dolmen, meaning "hole of the quern stones," is a portal tomb in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland, dating back to the Neolithic period, probably between 4200 BCE and 2900 BCE. We learned that it's the most photographed monument in all of Ireland. The top slab of the monument is 5,000kg and noone knows exactly how humans back then were able to lift it up. The recent excavations of the monument unearthed human remains that are 3,000 years old. The monument looks very futuristic. It's also in the middle of nowhere.

The limestone that you see is part of an ancient sea bottom. Many years ago the water receded and the sea dried up into a region of Ireland called The Burren.

Next up on our travels was the Caherconnell Fort. It is an ancient and exceptionally well-preserved Celtic stone ringfort in The Burren of County Clare, Ireland. It was just 20 minutes down the road from the monument. There are many forts in Ireland because people usually lived in small groups of three to four households surrounded by these stone walls for protection from intruders and the weather. This fort was larger than any others we have seen.

Heading to The Burren Perfumery next was the plan. We had a hard time finding the place though and almost gave up. We were intimidated by the very winding and narrow roads. We thought we were lost several times. When we did find it, I was happy we didn't give up. 

The Burren Perfumery is small, quaint and adorable. They had many different oils, soaps and perfumes on sales. The best part of the experience was learning about how the perfumes there are made. We learned that it takes weeks. They blend a couple of oils at a time for a couple of weeks before adding another ingredient and so on. The oils they use at The Burren Perfumery are from the local flora. There are surprisingly many orchids that flourish in the area and they are abundantly used at the perfumery. So happy we could drop in.

The Cliffs of Moher are the next stop. We have been anticipating this stop all day. And, they did not disappoint. The Cliffs are beautiful and breathtaking. The Cliffs of Moher rise 120 metres (390 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 metres (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower. It's truly remarkable how they just drop off.

Across from the Cliffs is O'Brien's Tower. It is a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien to impress female visitors.

I just had to have a picture of the water from the Cliffs edge.

We left the Cliffs and headed toward Limerick.  We are staying there for the night before heading to Killarney tomorrow.  Too bad we wont be able to enjoy exploring Limerick as it will be dark when we get there.  I do feel we have done enough for today.  Time for some fancy dinner and Guiness.

Bennett impressed us all at how well he did in the highchair.  He enjoyed his rice cakes and water. 

We crashed right after dinner.  I cannot wait to do some more exploring tomorrow.