Cliffs of Moher and The Burren

On Monday 30 April we took another motor coach guided tour, this time with Galway Tour Company (GTC).  This was the full day adventure that seemed to never quit giving.

We had to meet the tour company in Galway which is about 45 minutes from our timeshare cottage.  Fortunately, Toots got us there without incident.  A large motor coach arrived at the scheduled time to pick up us and take us, along with other passengers acquired along the way, to the main Galway City Bus Terminal in centre city.

There GTC as well as a couple others, plus the Eirebus Company operated.  Inside, people were congregated by which tour company and specific tour they were signed up for.  For the Cliffs of Moher (pronounced Moe-Her), GTC had received a number of late and last minute reservations as evidenced by the need to hustle to bring in another tour coach.  With two filled large coaches at a capacity of 53 each, there were still 14 of us still waiting for a bus assignment.  This would turn out to be a blessing and perhaps a curse.  Could it be the fairies were already at work?

Once the hustle and bustle ended, our remaining group of 14 was called upon by an affable man who as it turned out would be our driver and guide for the day.  We thoroughly enjoyed our day with Declan, who himself seemed more fairy than human.  He totally had “the look” and his voice caricatures allowed him to play both roles throughout the tour.  But what caught me almost immediately was his quick and most charming wit.

Our tour went out in a much smaller bus that was more a cross between van and motor coach.  Declan called it “The Toaster” because of the boxy rectangular design.  While the bus would hold approximately 24 passengers, it was nice to have a little more space and fewer people to have to wait for at each of the stops along the way.  This became especially evident as we crossed paths with the two other GTC groups who were seemingly always waiting for people and in spite of leaving well before we did, returned to Galway after us.  Well, they would have returned after us had we not broken down on the last big hill coming into the Galway Bay area . . . but that is best told later.

While we were scheduled to depart the Galway City Bus Terminal at 10:00a, it was nearly an hour later when we finally pulled out of the city.  What with all of the logistics including getting another tour vehicle and driver, plus needing to stop for diesel before leaving the city, we found ourselves immediately behind schedule.  The good news was that Declan was nimble enough to change up the itinerary just enough to have us avoiding the other tour coaches along the way.  Somehow, we even arrived for lunch before the first two GTC groups.

This tour was very educational thanks to Declan’s storytelling and broad breath of knowledge.  He was seemingly informed on everything “Ireland” including her history, geology, botany and sociology.  A great deal of time was spent providing us with background information on the various sites we visited, sometimes spanning more than 10,000 years!  Yes, Ireland is a very old land with history of inhabitation dating back to the Druids.

There were a number of quick photo stops along the way, all of which included an interesting account or story of what we were going to see or experience.  If I were to tell about each, this blog entry would take hours to write and probably even longer for you to read!  Instead, I will list the various stops here, saving the main attractions (The Cliffs and The Burren) for a more detailed description.

The Dunguarie Castle was our first stop.  It was built in the 16^th century, adjacent to the original castle by the same family some 900 years earlier.  While they do charge an admission fee to enter, you can visit the outer grounds and take photos.

The Corcomroe Abbey, a Cistercian abbey ruin sitting on the rocky hillside, out the outskirts of The Burren.

We stopped in Kilfenora to see a couple of 11^th century high crosses.  Because they were carved into limestone which is easily eroded by the wind and rain, these high crosses are under a protective greenhouse type shelter to help preserve them.  Given the time and elements they have survived to this point, they were in remarkably good condition.

O’Connor’s Pub of Doolin was our lunch stop and seemingly had all of the tourist trade coming through their doors.  We were fortunate that when we arrived, they were only at about half capacity.  Had we been on one of the larger tour buses, which arrived shortly after we did, I’m not sure that there would have been enough sitting area for everyone to dine.

The Burren was as “moon like” as I had read about in all of the tour literature about Ireland.  Geologists say that two distinctly different land masses came together in prehistoric times to form the island of Ireland.  This region is starkly different than those rich with lush green vegetation and pastoral farms.  For those willing to stop and get out, however, they will be treated to a botanist’s dream given the number of beautiful flowers that grow wild here.

With seeds brought to the Irish coast of the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf Stream, flowers including orchids, may be found coming up from the fissures in the limestone surface.  Our visit was a bit early in the spring to see a large assortment of flowers, but there were plenty to see.

The Burren is also the location of some ancient burial grounds dating back more than 5,800 years . . . older than the Egyptian Pyramids.   Poulnabrone Dolmen is the largest archeological find in the area, and is believed to be the burial grounds containing some 30 individuals.  Findings of gold and gems have also been found in this area, the largest of which is marked by a small monument near the road traversing The Burren.  Visitors interested in seeing the items recovered from this site may do so at the National Museum in Dublin.

While driving through the 300 square mile area, we did make a couple of stops to get out for photos and to stretch.  Throughout the afternoon, we had some light rain showers, so some of the stops were not so convenient . . . especially given the nature of the surface to be walked on.

After lunch, our featured destination . . . on to The Cliffs of Moher!  Today the area is marked by two large parking lots (one for cars and another for motor coaches) and the visitor center which has been built into the hillside of a farmer who refused to sell his land for the development. Many Irish feel that this development in the name of tourism has really hurt and detracted from the area.  I can see their point, but do feel that great effort was taken to protect the natural beauty of the area while at the same time providing guests with an educational and safe means to view the cliffs.

Before the “tourist” attraction known as the Cliffs of Moher was created, visitors could walk right up to the edge overlooking the five mile stretch of rocks rising from the Atlantic Ocean some 700+ feet.  Today, there is a protected walkway along much of the cliff’s edge, although thrill seekers can get a more up close visit by climbing further up either hillside beyond the foot path and railings.  Also on this site is O’Brien’s Tower which was built in 1835, not for protection, but they say to further attract tourists to this area.  I find it a challenge to believe this, but that is what Foder’s Ireland tour book reports, so it must be true, right?

After about 90 minutes at the Cliffs, we were back aboard our “toaster” and heading along the coastal route back to Galway.  We did stop again at The Burren to see wildflowers as well as the oceanfront where the Atlantic meets the smooth limestone surface.

We did make one last scenic stop, which would be where the angry fairies may have taken their revenge on Declan for taking us to one of their storied forts earlier in the tour.  Fairy forts are revered and considered part of Irish legend.  The little men with green hats and orange beards were believed in before Christianity came to Ireland.   Christians believed they were more pagan than anything, and to believe in the fairies was tantamount to devil worship; after all, they did live below the surface of the ground.  A lot of conflict arose between those with differing belief systems; although some of the ancient archeological artifacts do have carvings depicting both coexisting in Ireland.

 

Fairy forts are underground with tunnels that can be heard echoing if you stomp on the surface ground.  With an elevated ring of earth lined with protective trees for seclusion, today it is against Irish law to destroy or otherwise disturb these landmark dwellings.  Declan took us to one such fort which was very interesting.  He said that to enter a fairy fort without invitation by the fairies was a sure way to give cause for retaliation.  He told a couple of stories of folklore involving the fairies, which instilled belief by many in our tour group; others were still skeptical.

After taking photos of Galway Bay from that last scenic stop, we all boarded the bus.  Ready to go . . . the bus wasn’t.  Apparently from what Declan could diagnose, when setting the parking brake the brake canister did not refill with air, hence making it impossible to release the brake or to drive any further.  As we sat atop the hillside, both of the other GTC motor coaches passed us.  Fortunately, Declan was able to honk and chase down the second one that had roughly 10 or 12 vacant seats.

We boarded that bus, with some couples cozying up, girlfriends on their men’s lap for the remaining 45 uncomfortable minutes.  Because this tour group had yet to stop at the Dunguarie Castle, we made that stop.  Unfortunate for them, the site was closed with the gates locked so all they got to see was the castle from the outer yard.  This stop was an added 30 minutes, making our return to Galway even further delayed.

Because the bus we were riding on was actually a Dublin Tour Company vehicle and as such would be returning to Dublin City that evening, we had to meet up near Galway to a relief bus that would take all of the Galway originating guests back to their pick-up points around the city.  We were expected to return to Galway between 6:00 and 6:30p but it was closer to 8:00p when we finally arrived back at our car.

WHEW what a day!  About 30 minutes later we got back to our cottage, where we fixed sandwiches for supper.  We knew this would be a late meal, but not this late.  It was good that sandwiches were on the planned menu for the evening.