Dublin Day 3- Tour to Cliffs of Moher

Today was fantastic. Tiring, but fantastic. We got up at 5:45 pm and just got back (it's 9:30 pm). We had incredibly good weather, really unusual for Ireland, especially at this time of year. I might not be able to finish this post tonight because the internet cafe where we are closes in 15 minutes, but I'll finish it tomorrow if I don't now.

We got to see the sunrise this morning over the river, and that was really beautiful. One perk of getting up early... We got to the bus with no problems, but it left a little late because they were waiting for people who didn't know to change their clocks forward one hour last night.

The first leg of the journey was just a shuttle bus to Galway, so we basically just drove straight across the country, which took about 2 and 1/2 hours. The scenery was pretty, basically what you would think of when you think of Irish countryside.

We got to Galway a little after 10, and left for the actual tour at 10:30. We traveled through a lot of really cute little villages, seeing sights along the way. The guide was really good; he talked the whole time about everything we were passing and the places we stopped.

When we entered into County Clare we went into the Burren, a mountain range. They were really strange mountains, all covered in grey rock. They call it a "lunar landscape". A lot of ancient civilizations lived there so there were ancient, ancient burial mounds and stuff everywhere.

We passed by Galway Bay, which was really beautiful. It was low tide, and when we went past it on our way back tonight it was high tide, so we got to see it in two different ways.

Galway Bay:

Galway Bay:

As we drove through the villages, we were sometimes stopped by animals, like sheep and cows, wandering around the roads.

Sheep causing a traffic jam:

We made a stop at a fairy ring. These are ancient rings of trees that form a sort of raised grove, and they're considered very sacred and there's a lot of mythology associated with them. We were allowed to walk along the raised edge of the circle, but not go into it.

Fairy ring:

Next we stopped at two portal tombs, one from 2,500 BC and one from 4000 BC I think. They've found a lot of bodies and artifacts and stuff in that area, it was pretty cool, and the scenery was incredible.

Portal tomb:

Our next stop was at Kilfenora to see some famous celtic high crosses, which were pretty neat.

Famous Celtic high cross:

Then we drove through Lisdoonvarna, the sight of a huge matchmaking festival every September. I guess it's a pretty big deal...

Famous matchmaking bar in Lisdoonvarna:

Finally we got to the Cliffs of Moher. Let me preface this by saying that I've really wanted to go to the Cliffs of Moher for about 4 years, and I was not dissapointed. What an incredible sight. It was so awesome. You can walk along the edge of the cliff for about 2 miles and the views from every angle are incredible. We spent 2 hours there, and got lunch there as well. Awesome. I was so thankful for good weather!

The Cliffs of Moher:

Emily and I at the Cliffs of Moher:

Me:

Guy fiddling on the cliffs:

Another video of the cliffs:

We turned around then to go back to Galway, and we took the coastal road back. It was just incredibly beautiful, I can't describe it. Really, really beautiful. We were along the coast for most of the ride back to Galway and it was gorgeous.

Stop at the ocean:

Galway Bay at high tide:

When we got to Galway we had 45 minutes until our shuttle bus left for Dublin, so we got a good dinner then got on the bus.

Galway:

The driver showed the movie P.S. I Love You on the ride back. A pretty good movie, but it was especially cool because part of it was filmed in the Wicklow Mountains, which is where we're going tomorrow! I think the weather might be bad, but I'm excited. We're going through the Wicklow Mountains to Kilkenny and Glendalough, where many movies, like Braveheart, have been filmed. Should be pretty awesome. It leaves at 8 and should get back around 5, so we're going to try to go to evensong at St. Patrick's Cathedral after we get back. Right now we're going to find a pub with some live music. Last night we found a place, but it was more of a show than folk music, so we're going to try again. Ok this place is closing so I have to go.

Update: We found a pub with live music, and here's a video from it: