Picture Perfect

 Packed up and left Bunratty by 8.30am this morning to relocate to Rossaveel, a rural location around 30kms west of Galway.

En route we stopped to view the Cliffs of Moher -it was spectacular as were the views across the flatlands as we neared Moher.

The set-up is second to none; an extensive parking lot where you pay for both your parking and access to viewing areas for the cliffs, well defined pathways to the cliffs and the cliff walks, mobility vehicles for those that couldn’t walk out to the cliffs but most impressively the usual merchandising shops, cafe and restaurant were all built into the hill so as not to detract from the environment.

In the distance, 20.5kms away were the Aran Islands, and there were a couple of ferries which appeared to be out of Doolin heading to and from the islands.

A large rock, The Stack, was also an impressive sight just off the cliff particularly when caught in the sunlight.

We spent a couple of hours there as we ambled across the cliff tops stopping every so often to admire what was on show. It is a popular tourist spot- when we arrived there were no more than 5 buses in the bus park but when we left there must have been 30 of them - but because of the available space it didn’t seem crowded.

Spectacular as it was I would imagine that it would be even more spectacular in the afternoon once the sun has come across and the cliffs are no longer in the shadows.

Aran Islands 20.5kms away

The Stack

Some of the cliffs

The tower at the start of the walkway

The Cliffs in the shadows 

The buses as we left

The cafes, restaurant etc. built into the hill

A view of the environment both approaching and leaving the Cliffs which are on the Wild Atlantic Way

We left what for us has been one of the trip’s highlights and drove to Doolin for lunch and found a cafe (not an easy feat) which provided nice plates but at a cost

Open smoked salmon sandwich 

Open ham sandwich

Doolin scenes

The NZD$ cost of those two plates was approximately $90

It was then onto Rossveel and our accommodation but that is when the fun, said euphemistically, began as neither the GPS nor Google maps could find the accommodation using the only address/reference we had - the EIRcode - and we went around in ever increasing frustrating circles but ultimately we did find the location.

After unpacking we then went looking for a pub for a meal but that too was a frustration as the pub at Carraroe, 5ks away, did not have a kitchen and told us the closest (other than the local Chinese restaurant) would be in Spidall some 19kms away. We had seen another couple of pubs in the general Rossaveel area but they too couldn’t feed us as at one the kitchen had closed and the other didn’t have one - an Irish pub without food was a big surprise- so we continued on to Spidall and had a meal at the only restaurant in the town! An extra 50kms driven on top of what we had already driven for the day put a slight dampening on an otherwise excellent day.

The temperatures are starting to drop and we are expecting far cooler days for the rest of the trip

Medieval Frivolity

 After speaking with family back home we then walked into the village to visit the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. As we walked down the hill we got that feeling that one gets sometimes- we might be overdoing this as after we have walked around the approx. 30 acres park we have to walk back up this bloody hill.

The park is a living reconstruction of the homes and environment of Ireland over a century ago. Rural farmhouses, a village street complete with shops and Bunratty House with its gardens recreated as they would have appeared at the time.

The significant building however is the Bunratty Castle built circa 1425 and which was the stronghold of the Earls of Thomond. It consists of a central block of three floors with four towers, one on each corner, each tower having 6 stories.

After the 600 years of its existence it remains in very good condition 

We have seen and clambered through numerous castles however this one would be one of the nicest that we have visited 

The castle with a pub as a neighbour

Bunratty village which is across the road from the castle 

Looking down on the village from one of the towers 

After completing a tour of the park we started back to the apartment and surprised ourselves that what we dreaded didn’t actually kill us as we did the hill walk only about 7 minutes slower than the time it took to go down.

Relaxed in the sunny and hot lounge watching some of the hurling final before early evening driving back to the Castle to enjoy a “medieval banquet” in the Great Hall it being a generous Christmas gift (thanks Jodi) 

There were around 130 folk at the banquet which began with gathering in the Grand Hall where we were all greeted by the MC offered a glass of mead and a couple were called out to be the Royal hosts for the evening.

We all then moved down the 35 stairs to the banquet hall where the meal was served - first course parsnip and vegetable soup, second course spare ribs, third course chicken and vegetables and finally a desert dish - all eaten with a dagger and your fingers.

During and after the meal the serving staff performed various musical items accompanied by clapping and table slapping by the guests

A different but enjoyable night out shared at our table amongst others with an Irish couple on an anniversary celebration and also an Australian couple on a lengthy holiday.

Congratulations also to Ryan Fox on the most significant win of his career

Home away from home

 The registration plate in Ireland gives some information regarding the vehicle.

The pattern is XXX-XX-XXXXX where the first 3 are numbers that signify when the car was registered with the 3rd of those numbers being either a 1 or 2.

The next 2 are letters, may only be 1 letter, which signify which county or main area the car was registered in and the last 5 are numbers telling you where in the sequence of car registrations the car was registered.

Our vehicle bears plate 261-D-28607 so it can be interpreted as the 28607th vehicle registered in Dublin in the first half of 2026. If it was 262 it would be in the 2nd half of 2026.

Since arriving in Ireland we have:

• Not drawn any cash from an ATM everything being paid off the card
• Not paid any surcharge for using a card
• Not had any service fee added to a restaurant purchase unlike in London

Today we drove the short distance from Bunratty to Limerick, it being the 2nd largest city we have visited, Dublin being the largest.

In reality it was not much more than a bustling commercial environment with a Cathedral and a Castle on the banks of the Shannon river - a slight undersell perhaps as there was also a few museums, a thriving market area and some engaging folk especially the waiter at the restaurant we chose for lunch

Mid afternoon we returned to Bunratty and spent some time in the village which attracts large numbers because of the proximity of Bunratty Castle. In the area of the Castle there are 3 restaurants, 3 or 4 food carts and 2 retail shops selling quite high quality souvenirs, clothing and products from the Bunratty Woollen mills.

The temperature has been down a few degrees today which has made it slightly more bearable or some would say less than warm if in the wind on the shaded side of the streets.

Our accommodation is about 1.6kms from the village on an elevated area (not called Hill Rd for nothing), is framed as “Home away from home” and provides all that we want or need.

The view from the rear of the property 

Frustration

 Packed up in Killarney this morning so we could move to Bunratty but a few frustrations were placed in front of us.

First the reception at our Killarney apartment wasn’t staffed until 9am, then about 5kms out of Killarney we were caught in a traffic jam and travelled about 800m in around 30 minutes, the jam being caused by one lane of the 2 lane highway being closed due to an event which required 3 fire engines to be in attendance and en route there were a couple more minor traffic delays.

We stopped at Castleisland mid morning and as we walked up the street noticed a few plaques memorialising a local sportswriter, Con Houlihan, who had a way of describing things

another I saw read, “if a man who will misuse an apostrophe he is capable of anything”

We then moved onto Adare, a very busy village as traffic crawls through it en route to Limerick and places beyond. One can only imagine the chaos that will ensure in September next year when the Ryder Cup will be held at the Adare Manor Golf Course which is no more than 400m out of the village

The village also is home to the only Trinitarian monastery known in Ireland, it being constructed in the 12th century.

There are also a row of 1820 thatched cottages along the main road, originally built to house workers on the Dunraven estate

After a reasonably good look through the village we moved onto our accommodation for the next two days in another large rural residence which provides plenty of room and a nice view out over the River Shannon

In our driving around Kerry yesterday and to Bunratty today we have been in Counties Kerry and Limerick and there are flags flying from a lot of houses in both Counties supporting the players who are in the hurling final (Limerick) on Sunday and Gaelic football final (Kerry) next Sunday

Wild it wasn’t: Spectacular it was!

 Outside our apartment is a large mural on the side of the building depicting Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty a local who was responsible for saving the lives in Rome of over 6500 allied POWs and civilians in the 2nd World War

We left around 8am to drive the Ring of Kerry arriving first at the Torc waterfall which is located in the Killarney National Park - as buses are mandated to go in the counter clockwise direction so that two buses don’t meet each other on one of the very narrow roads, private vehicles tend to go clockwise (as we did) so that your view is not the rear of a bus slowly wending its way

If you intend to get around the Ring in a day you can’t spend too much time at each sight or for that matter stop at each recommended sight so we moved on promptly to the Ladies View which was slightly uninspiring given we had just driven on a winding road alongside a lake which was stunning but there was nowhere to stop to take a photo 

Further on after climbing up several hundred metres there was the Moll’s Gap -again slightly uninspiring and that opinion was held by one of the sheep high on the hill overlooking the Gap who had turned his/her back on it!

From there it was downhill to a delightful village, Kenmare, where we stopped both for morning tea in a quaint roadside cafe and a walk to stretch our legs

On we went to our next stop in Sneem, a village which sits on the estuary of the River Sneem. Standing on the bridge entering the town the rocky floor of the river below is interesting 

As we moved further southwest we travelled along the coast road with “grand” (a term heard frequently here) views of the mouth of the Kenmare River as it joined the North Atlantic Ocean and stopped at a viewpoint near Castlecove

and again at Farraniaragh

Then it was on to Waterville for a lunch stop and again good views of the coast and Charlie Chaplin 

The Ring of Kerry then cuts inland though you can continue on the coast road on what is called the Wild Atlantic Way which loops around the Skellig area - as we only had one chance at doing so we took the loop to more spectacular views particularly the Kerry Cliffs where the viewpoint is accessed through private land

Now driving northeast we rejoined the Ring of Kerry just before Cahersiveen - from here to Killorglin the Wild Atlantic Way and The Ring of Kerry are one and the same.

We stopped at Cahersiveen for afternoon tea and witnessed an interesting encounter between a woman and a religious gent whose attire indicated he was a Greek or Russian Orthodox priest. It was obvious she didn’t know him but she insisted she treated him to a drink in the cafe; he reluctantly chose a bottled of water. As by now they were inside the cafe she further insisted that he blessed both herself and the lady running the cafe; he did so without hesitation. She then got her phone out, rang her sister, handed him the phone and asked that he speaks to and blesses her sister; he had no hesitation in taking the phone and did so. Then her friend came into the cafe and sat at a table near where he and her were standing talking and she told her friend to stand and get blessed; no problem there either. The religious gent then took his leave.

What was obvious throughout the interaction was that each person’s faith was immaterial, it was the fact that a “man of God” was in her presence and she was going get as many brownies points for herself and others as she could, all done with great respect.

We had one more stop before heading back to Killarney, Rossbeigh Beach, a 2km detour off the route. The parking area was very full so it is obviously a beach well frequented but while we would swim there on a very hot day to cool off if necessary the rocks and pebble shore is not what we are used to.

We then returned to Killarney arriving back almost 9 hours and 212 kms after we left this morning.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day with some quite stunning Irish inland and coastal views - well worth making the effort!