Weekend with Dave and Sarah
Joined by our longtime friends Dave and Sarah from Liverpool, we trekked out to show them some of Ireland’s west coast. Both Dave and Sarah had been to Ireland before but they stayed primarily in the Dublin and Cork areas. We picked them up at the Ireland West Airport in Knock (again, made famous by Tony Orlando and Dawn and the Virgin Mary) with only one problem, we were extremely early. Seems that while we were sleeping all nestled in our bed, there was this thing called “Daylight Savings Time” that started, just set the clocks back 1 hour, not a big deal. So without thinking there would be a time change, we got up and headed out for the 2.5hr drive. Should make it in plenty of time and we certainly did.
So here’s another tip for all you Roaming fans, check to see if you’re in a country that participates in annual time changes. This time it was in our favor so no big deal. Had it been springtime and the clocks were set ahead an hour, we may have found Dave and Sarah walking along the road to Cleggan.
Cong
With only a weekend visit we had to pack in a lot of sightseeing of a fairly large area. We started with Cong, no not Viet or King, this Cong is known for the filming of that incredible movie, “The Quiet Man” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. If you haven’t seen this movie, don’t. If you have, try to forget it. Probably one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen and brother I’ve seen some stinkers.
Pretty much a small town with either Quiet Man or John Wayne in the name of every store or pub. There is a sculpture in the town center of John and Maureen commemorating this move which stands just in front of the ruins of Cong Abbey that dates back to the 7th century. This is why we came here, the abbey. Originally built in the 7th century the abbey was destroyed by fire in the early 12th century. In 1135, Turlough O’Conor, the High King of Ireland, re-founded the abbey and his son began rebuilding it. Little nepotism don’t you think! But in 1203 the Norman knight, William de Burgo decided to attack the village and destroy the abbey. Bill wasn’t a pleasant man and suffered bouts of insanity, this being one of them. So there are some walls, doorways and cloisters that survive today along with a cemetery but much of the abbey is rubble. Got pictures with John and the abbey so now it’s time to move on.
Kylemore Abbey
Our drive to Kylemore Abbey took us along the north shore of Lough Corrib. They tell me that this is a beautiful drive with vistas of one of Ireland’s most picturesque lakes. If you’re driving it looks a lot like any other hair-raising, tight turned, dangerous road in Ireland, but for the passengers, a real treat.
There’s also some beautiful countryside which is typical Ireland.
Pushing on we arrive at Kylemore Abbey. This abbey is a little different than most in that it was built by Mitchell Henry in 1860 for his wife Margaret. Mitchell was a member of Parliament in the House of Commons and represented Galway County. Originally located on 15,000 acres, this “labor of love” that was Mitchell’s gift to his wife, became the home for the Benedictine Community of Nuns in 1920. On the grounds, Mitchell built a mausoleum, a gothic church, a large Victorian garden and an oak plantation of more than 30,000 trees. Margaret passed away shortly after their journey to Egypt around 1847 and Mitchell returned to England. Mitchell died in England in 1910 and was almost penniless but he was allowed to be interned at Kylemore with his beloved wife. Today there are numerous attractions and walks that make this a must see stop for anyone in western Ireland. Cost to tour the abbey is around 8-10EU.
On the road again and off to Cleggan. The drive ends at our pad and takes about 20mins. Unload the car, get the drinks and sit down to enjoy some catching up and good company.
Cliffs of Mohr, and more
Next day we rise early, have a hearty breakfast and hit the road before traffic. Wait, that was a dream, we get up around 8am, shoot the breeze for a while, eat a hearty breakfast and hit the road around 1030am. Now that’s more like a holiday! The drive to the Cliffs of Mohr takes about 2.5hrs from Cleggan and I’m told, goes through some of the most beautiful countryside in Ireland. Again, all looks the same to me, Sheep Dodging Level 2 and 3 all the way!
The Cliffs of Mohr were built as a tourist attraction back in the early 18th century after a rich Irishman named Chuck returned from a visit to the Cliffs of Dover. Hold on, let me check that because the brochure we got in the visitor’s center doesn’t agree. I’ll get back to this later.
The Cliffs of Mohr are probably the most photographed seascape in all of Ireland. Rising over 700ft and stretching more than 5 miles down the Atlantic, these cliffs are very dramatic and picturesque. Some of the world’s best travel websites have even used pictures of these cliffs as part of their home page. The cliffs are also home to a variety of wild life including Peregrine falcons, wild goats and Puffins. Sorry, Puffins are only there during the “on” season, April and July so no pictures. The site has a visitor’s center that shows short movies of the cliffs, has toilet facilities and a snack bar. Cost is 6EU for adults and children under 16 are free but there is no babysitting service so don’t just drop off the young ones by the cliffs.
Not a Puffin
Once the bird leaves
OK, double checked on the building of the cliffs and apparently my information was wrong. It was the viewing tower that was built for tourism by Cornelius O’Brien in 1835, not the cliffs. But just up the coast from the cliffs is a surfing wave that is said to be the best in Ireland and was invented by a woman named Aileen. Not sure about the cost or their hours so call before going.
Galway The Sequel………..
We finished up in Mohr and headed back down to the town of Galway. One of our favorite towns in Ireland, Galway is a university town with tons of shops and pubs and a lively flair. This also means they have lots of traffic, just what I need to top off many hours going through the Irish countryside.
We make our way to the parking garage located in a shopping center next to the pedestrian area. Park the car and walk up to the exit and read a paper sign taped to the door that says the shops and parking garage will close at 6pm tonight (Monday was a bank holiday), it’s 5pm when we drove into the garage. Perhaps that young man handing us our ticket might have said something about the early closure, then again wasn’t his problem. So Dave and I head back to the car to find another parking area while Collette and Sarah hike to the pub. We will meet at The Quays (pronounced “keys”), same place we wrote about in an earlier Galway post. Found an open lot parking that was free due to the holiday and then strolled back to the Quays.
Dinner and drinks were very good as usual and once again, the ambience is worth the visit alone. There are lots of street performers and musicians that line the pedestrian area and some are quite good. You can see everything from solo artists that sing or play an instrument to puppeteers and dancers, all for a donation. Got to see this area when you’re in Galway.
End of a wonderful day with good friends so back to the house in Cleggan.