June 17/12 To Doolin: stops at Killarney Golf Course, Ballybunion Course, Kilkee, Cliffs of Moher

 Today we were heading to our B and B at Doolin, a small town on the west coast.  As we left Killarney we stopped at the Golf Course which is also a fishing club.  Wow!  What a gorgeous morning as you can see from the views.  We weren't golfing, just looking and dreaming.  John and I may have to come back to Ireland just to hit the links!  

By the way, there are some pictures included in the blog that Ken and Ann took; I have to give credit where it's due.   You can click on a picture to enlarge it and click outside of it to return.  

The drive was scenic and more open than some roads we had been on.  You could see the endless stone fences, green fields and sometimes the rugged coastline along the way.  

Below is Ballybunion,  a famous golf course that John wanted to look at.  You can see John looking wistfully at the scenery! Golf is quite economical in Ireland as well so who knows, maybe we will come back some day. 

Wish I was playing!  

The main tourist routes of the West of Ireland's Shannon Region are linked via the Killimer-Tarbert car ferry. This was a pleasant, 20 minute journey across the Shannon Estuary.   The ferry terminal provides a staging point for the many attractions of Clare, Kerry and adjoining counties.  

 The town of Kilkee is one of those very attractive destinations and we decided to have lunch here.  

This quaint hotel caught our attention but isn't where we ate. 

We walked the main street which was beautiful. It was Sunday and many places were closed.  

This is the beach at Kilkee.  I was surprised at how many white sand beaches there are in the UK.  Gorgeous! 

 Now the landscape was becoming more open and rocky with fewer trees.  It reminded me a bit of the Orkney.  The Cliffs of Moher was our next stop; a spectacular coast with high and steep rocky cliffs and an excellent Discovery Centre.  

The impressive discovery centre at The Cliffs of Moher is worth a look.  Ancient geological time lines  are explained and a holographic type of movie display showcases the unique bird life of this area.  

You can't help but ask...who is more dangerous?

This is a memorial to those who have died by falling off the cliffs.  It serves as a warning of course but many don't heed it.    It is not recommended that you go beyond this wall but you can see that many people do.  We followed suit but stayed well back from the edge. 

O'Brien's Tower

"The cliffs are a designated UNESCO Geo Park. They are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs you can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs are named after  a ruined  fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower." 

That sounded like a brochure because I paraphrased from a brochure.  I couldn't have said it better myself!  We did not see all that is mentioned there at the time but in hindsight and after travelling more I know what they are talking about.  

No fear Wally

A carved rendition of the cliffs and O'Brien's Tower

Once we left this amazing site we drove on toward  Doolin, the small town housing our next B and B; Twin Peaks.  Each day it was with great anticipation that we looked for our accommodation.  These were all booked by "Exploring Ireland" so we had not researched them ourselves.  We were never disappointed!  

Twin Peaks, built with a B and B in mind by Sinead's father.  

A beautiful rendition of the Cliffs of Moher grace the large entrance hall of the B and B.  

This charming old fellow got up to sing a solo with no accompaniment.  

Sinead directed us to Gus O'Conner's Pub for dinner. We were treated to entertainment as well, a local band and then some brave souls who just got up to sing.   It was a very short walk from Twin Peaks to O'Conner's.  Sinead grew up there since it was run by her Grandfather at one time.  Sinead and her husband moved back to Doolin from Galway when her father passed to take over the running of Twin Peaks.  Doolin is a very small town and not ideal for such a young couple. But they feel compelled to stay. They go to Galway to get a "city fix" whenever they can.