August 25- Sept 5, 2008. 

 

   When we realized that we had enough airline miles to pay for a trip to Europe, and contemplated where we would like to go, Ireland was high on the list. Marilyn, with her strong Irish ancestry, had had an interest in Ireland since grade school, and Mike, as always, was up for any new cultural adventure. So, after much planning, we were off on another bicycle tour, this time to the Emerald Isle.

 

As our plane dropped through the blanket of clouds into Shannon, we had our first look at Ireland. As anticipated, the green landscape, divided by stone walls and dotted with sheep, was also shrouded in misty rain. We had also anticipated that the airline could lose our luggage, so it was no surprise when we found ourselves standing at the baggage claim carousel, watching it go around...and around... until we were the only passengers left, the carousel empty, and... still, no bicycles. We had managed to fit everything we needed for this bicycle tour into our carry-on back packs. But our Bike Friday folding bikes, "Candy" and "Sugar" had not arrived with us.

 

No problem though. We were optimistic we might see the sun at some point in our trip, and that the bicycles would arrive the next morning. To make the most of our first day in Ireland, we rented a tiny Nissan Micra and risked our lives driving on the left.  A round-a-bout miscalculation put us in Limerick, but we were finally able to get turned back around, and stay on the left side of the road.

 

There once was a Yankee named Mike Came to Ireland but not his wee bike So he rented a car But didn't go far "Tis the screams when I drive I don't like."

 

 

   The car allowed us to visit Bunratty Castle, and then Ennis, where we found an upscale restaurant to celebrate Ireland over a traditional meal of brown bread and seafood chowder. When the owner heard that we had never had a Guinness, he personally delivered us each a pint with the thickest foamy heads we were to experience on our whole trip. He proudly exclaimed, "Now this is how Guinness is supposed to be served", and we smiled contentedly back at him, mustaches of foam on our upper lips. Later, back at home, we compared bottled Guinness to that drawn from tap in an Irish pub and they are not the same. One different aspect is that nitrous oxide is used, in addition to carbon dioxide, in the carbonation process. To tap a perfect pint, Irish bartenders use a two-part pour in order to enhance the foam. The overall process takes about two minutes. From our first perfectly poured pints, Guinness continued to play an important role in our experience, perfect accompaniment to our traditional Irish meals and music sessions in the pubs.

Bunratty Castle - a well restored look at Medieval Ireland.

 

Ennis

  The next day we were at the Shannon airport early to reunite with our bikes. Their delay had put us behind schedule, so in order to make it to the B&B in Doolin where we had reservations that evening, we paid for a taxi to give us a lift to Ennis. The taxi allowed us to bypass some heavy traffic and gave us a head start toward Doolin. Our folding Bike Fridays proved convenient on more than one occasion by the end of our trip, not only packing into standard suitcases, but fitting into taxis, buses, and a subcompact car. When the taxi driver dropped us off on the side of the road, our bicycle adventure began. Despite the misty rain, it was good to be bicycling the actual "Road to Lisdoonvarna" (the title of a well known traditional Irish jig and a town along the route) where the traffic was light and countryside scenic. 

 

        On "The Road to Lisdoonvarna"

 

Corofin

 

Doolin

McDermott's Pub, Doolin, where we repeated the Guinness experience and warmed up with Irish stew. We stayed late into the evening here, listening to live traditional music with the other enthusiastic patrons. This was one of the highlights of our trip.

          Our Doolin B&B, Nellie Dee's, and the first of many traditional Irish breakfasts

 

	Remains of an old church in Doolin
	No more Cliffs of Moher - photo taken just before total white out.

   The next morning we headed south of Doolin approximately 6 miles to visit the famous Cliffs of Moher. These spectacular sea cliffs rise over 700 vertical feet above the crashing waves of the Atlantic below. This meant 700 feet of elevation gain for us to reach the popular overlook and visitor center, a wet ride in misty rain. Our arrival coincided with that of a number of packed tour buses as well as a solid fog bank which totally obscured our view. We hung out for over an hour at the snack bar and "Gifts of Moher" shops, spent time talking to other bicycle tourists, and avoided spending money on the Interpretive Center. But the fog was stubborn and would not lift. Finally we gave up and sailed back dowhill toward Doolin again, and this is when the sun returned. This rare sun break allowed us the photo at the top of this page - Doonagore Castle, overlooking Doolin, the Aran Islands, and the Atlantic beyond. We would have missed this view if we had not gone to the Cliffs, so our side trip to the Cliffs, even though they were socked in by fog, was worth it. For the remainder of the trip, we would find the Irish weather to be this fickle, changing from gorgeous sun break to dark cloud shadow in the seconds it took to get a camera out of a bag.

 

Between Doolin and Ballyvaughan

  Passing through Doolin one more time, we headed north toward Ballyvaughan. The coastal road took us across the western edge of a rocky landscape known as the Burren,. Misty rain and wind did not detract from its unique beauty. Stony remnants of ancient structures and walls sheltered late blooming wildflowers. Huge tourist buses squeezed by us on the narrow, shoulderless road, occasionally stopping to disgorge tourists who stepped out on what little room there was to stretch their legs, snap a few photos, and get back in the buses. We had no reservations for the evening and just rode as far as we wanted for the day, taking in the scenery. Ireland has so many B&Bs in every small town, that it was no problem to find accommodations when we arrived in Ballyvaughan. We threw our panniers in our B&B room and headed to the local pub for another Guinness and seafood dinner as a hint of sunset played over the quay outside our window.

 

"Stony seaboard, far and foreign, stony hills poured over space, stony outcrop of the Burren, stones in every fertile place"

 

 

Our B&B in Ballyvaughan with the view from the room.