Trip to Northern Ireland and the North of Ireland — Part 3

After leaving Galway we headed to our next destination: a hotel on the grounds of Drumoland Castle.

Above is Drumoland Castle, which now is also a posh hotel.

We checked in to our hotel (not the posh Castle hotel) after going through the castle grounds instead of just taking the exit off the highway and entering the hotel area (thanks Google Maps) to the Drumoland Inn. Just imagine a small car (Nissan Micro) on a golf cart road. Well, we thought that is what happened, but as it turned out, it was a real road, thank God.

Our actual hotel:

I will say that the pub attached to the hotel had some great chef-inspired food.

After getting our bearings and recovering from the embarrassment of having to call the hotel to open a back gate so we could get to the hotel grounds, we headed to Ennis. Ennis, Texas, is very Czech, but Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, is not. It’s a quaint town with a few churches, lots of butcher shops, and lots of restaurants. All in all, a great town for some Americans to walk around and get a taste of the local culture.

We parked by the beautiful church, visited an angel-themed store that was soon to be shuttered, said a prayer to Padre Pio (he of stigmata fame), walked around town enjoying the art and a second church, and then payed tribute to the butchers of Ennis at the roundabout.

We circled the town and so when we finished eating at a pub that seemed to be miles away, it really was just around the block from the church and the bookstore! The church was beautiful at night.

The next day we visited the Cliffs of Moher. Arriving at the car park and walking across the roadway to see the cliffs, we noticed white blobs in the grass (foam from the ocean). Be careful at the Cliffs of Moher. Obey all signs. One of my cousin’s husband’s parents have a house near here and tragedies happen on the Wild Atlantic Way. Liscannor is the small village near the cliffs.

The Cliffs:

Pictures can never, ever do justice to seeing with your own eyes. The Cliffs again and then looking in the opposite direction:

The visitors center is situated in the hillside.

Back at the Micro, this rather large, scary-beaked bird was waiting.

Next on the agenda was Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. This place was not crowded as it was the dead of winter. But it was nice to see it all at a leisurely pace with little crowds.

The castle grounds consist of an old-time village complete with cottages and animals. The castle truly was a fortress.

The Gorts gave lots of money to restore Bunratty Castle. We went up and down the stairs and into the rooms of every one of the four towers. The stairs were steep and could be treacherous. Glad it was NOT summertime with lots of kids going up and down the stairs!

The Great Room as well as a Medieval era room. No castle is complete without an equestrian statue on the wall!

Looking out from Bunratty Castle, we could see Dirtie Nellie’s next door:

One of the nicer cottages in the village (a more wealthier family lived in this cottage than most of the others we toured):

Lots of beautiful flora in the village such as the interesting trees:

Bye Bunratty! Stay strong. Hello faint rainbow!

Interesting to be going down the motorway and come upon Barack Obama Plaza. Of course we stopped and checked it all out. The town is Moneygall and President Obama’s maternal great great great grandparents were from here. He had visited Moneygall when he was President and a local wealthy man developed this gas station/restaurant/gift shop to honor him and his visit to the area and his ancestors.

The last leg of our wonderful and cheap trip to Ireland, booked through Travelzoo, was approximately a half day in Dublin.

We chose to visit Trinity College and see the Book of Kells and the Long Room in the Old Library. We also visited the Temple Bar. Enjoy the following pictures from the college and from Dublin.

The campus of Trinity College was beautiful. We were intrigued by the gnarly trees.

The Book of Kells was our first stop in the College. Unbelievable artistry from so long ago. Don’t miss this if you find yourself in Dublin.

One of the pages blown up so you could see the detail.

Next was The Long Library:

The Duke of Wellington was there.

The architecture of the Chemistry building was done in the style of a Venetian palazza.

Later, we found ourselves back at the bus stop and our trip was over. This was the best people-watching bus stop ever.