Next city on our British Isles whirlwind tour was Galway, Irealnd. Galway was also the home of our third, and final, bus tour. So. Here we go!
Our first stop was Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara. It was a pretty nice, picturesque stop, with just enough time to run up to the castle and peak inside. Climbing up to the ramparts cost extra, though.
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We parked next to some cute little mostly-authentic Irish cottages.
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On our way to the next stop, we passed some great views:
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Next up was Corcomroe Abbey. There’s a cemetery outside, and most of the church itself is in ruins, as you can see from the lack of roof. The one section with a roof is the chapel, and our tour guide’s brother actually built it! According to our guide, his brother is very protective of that roof, so Roof Builder Man, if you;re following the Corcomroe Abbey roof, don’t worry. As of September 2014, it’s totally fine, and very pretty.
Can you find me? (I had to run around the back and partially climb up the wall to get this shot. That grin is actually my gritting my teeth as I do one very long pull-up.)
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…some more gorgeousness…
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Our guide took us to an pre-Roman European ring fort that happened to be along our route. We were actually supposed to stop at a different location with all the other tour buses, but because of the amount of rain we’d had recently, it would have been totally flooded. The fort, for defensive reasons, was on top of a hill, and thus perfectly dry.
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Our next official stop was at Poulnabrone Dolmen, a neolithic portal tomb. Now, that top piece is pretty dang heavy. How do you think people got it up there without modern technology?
Think about it, and I’ll tell you the answer two pictures from now!
Have you thought of a good way of lifting that stone on top of the others? Well actually, the original builders didn’t lift it at all! They actually erected the side stones, and then build a huge earthen ramp — a small hill, if you were, right behind the side stones, and simply pushed the top stone up the ramp and into place!
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Stop number five was Leamaneh Castle. It’s been around for a while, and has been owned by a descendent of Brian Boru (probably the most famous king of Ireland), Henry VIII, and “Red Mary” who may or may not have frightened Oliver Cromwell into leaving her and the surrounding area alone by marrying one of his soldiers and then throwing the new husband off the roof.
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We passed through the town of Lisdoonvarna, famous for it’s annual matchmaking festival. Young people come from all over the country–and sometimes from other countries as well–to find their perfect match. However, the man who runs the festival also happens to own a pub in town where many of the events are held. So basically the whole festival funds his pub. Not a bad business strategy, if I do say so myself.
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Lunch. Finally. We stopped in Doolin and got Irish lamb stew, which, according to our tour guide, is pretty much the only dish Irish people eat Irish sheep in. The rest of the sheep get exported.
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And then the main attraction: The Cliffs of Moher.
Be careful! According to these signs, people do some pretty stupid stuff. First of all, don’t climb over the wall. Or the cliffs. Or, you know, just don’t climb things.
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Second, don’t run off the edge of the cliffs. Or, possibly, balance on one foot right on the edge. You may cause a small avalanche and possibly fall to your death.
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On one side of the cliffs is tiny O’Brien’s Tower. Cornelius O’Brien was a descendent of Brian Boru who was an early believer in the economic power of tourism. He built the tower for select visitors to stay in; it later became a popular viewing platform. Unfortunately, there is now an extra fee to go up to the top.
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If you walk along the right side of the cliffs for a while, you reach a farm. You don’t actually have to stop there, though. You just can’t sue the farmer if you die of cliff or cow.
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On our way back to Galway we passed another castle. There are a lot of castles in Ireland, ok? They’re just everywhere.
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Last stop was at these beautiful rocky cliffs. Some people had trouble walking on them, but the view was worth it.
From Melting Pot to Hot Pot 