Wednesday three of us took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher with Paddywagon Tours. Leaving before sunrise, we walked to the bus stop through heavy snow, which followed us throughout the eastern half of Ireland. This made the first half of the bus ride relatively unimpressive, although we did pass the field where the battle from Bravehart was filmed.
The tour's first stop was the Treaty Stone in Limerick, the site on the banks of the River Shannon where the Battle of the Boyne was formally ended. The 17th century treaty, signed by the English protestant King William of Orange and the English Catholic James II granted religious freedom to Irish Catholics- though this wouldn't last long. Thus, the Treaty Stone is perhaps the beginning of the long running religious feud that gripped Ireland for centuries. Limerick is also home to the Ryan family. I was within 20 miles of my ancestor's hometown that they left in the 1820s.
The next stop was Castle Bunratty, one of Ireland's most imposing medieval fortresses. Today, the castle hosts expensive medieval theme dinners, and boasts the largest concentration of gift shops per capita in all of Ireland. But still a very cool sight.
At this point, the sun was just starting to break through the clouds. Because of the cold, the fog was also starting to dissipate. As we drove closer to the coast, the skies were growing bluer and visibility was rapidly increasing. Perfect conditions to see something like the Cliffs of Moher. Clearly, our guide was very excited. Almost never is the weather perfect at the Cliffs of Moher.
But it was when we were there. The Cliffs were the most beautiful thing I saw in all of Ireland. Rising 300 yards out of the Atlantic Ocean, it really feels like the world ends at the cliffs. There are a few mountain covered islands in the distance, so the view is beautiful on a clear day. I especially enjoyed the signs that illustrated a guy falling off the cliffs. Like an instruction manual for the uncoordinated. More visually striking was the small fortress Napoloeon commissioned atop the cliffs in the early 1800s. The hour and a half I spent at the Cliffs was definitely the most peaceful hour of spring break, if not one of the most relaxing hours of my entire life.
Following the Cliffs, our driver took the gigantic bus down a very narrow road. He dismissed the "no busses" sign since the picture on the sign was "of a double decker bus." But the view was very rewarding- saw a beautiful castle that today is used as a summer home for a German family. Also visited Doolin, a very, very small village at the base of the Cliffs noted for its traditional music and tasty pub food- so a great place to grab lunch.
Later in the afternoon, we visited The Burren for a brief hike- home of several hundred square kilometers of limestone and surreal stone formations. Cows freely grazed over this lunar landscape- a novel sight even for someone from Wisconsin!
The next stop was the ruins of a 12th century monastery, where we saw several Celtic crosses and a beautiful rainbow over the ruined Cathedral. Though there was no leprechaun waiting for us, it was a perfect way to end a day of sightseeing on the western coast of Ireland. When I go to heaven, I imagine it being very similar to what I saw on this tour.
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