Barren but Beautiful

 I omitted to mention in yesterday’s blog that on the way to Rossaveel we drove in the area of The Burren which is a globally unique 530 square kilometre limestone landscape with extraordinary biodiversity, glaciokarst terrain and rich archaeological history. Despite its barren appearance it supports over 70% of Ireland’s native flora, where Artic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants grow side by side.

Looks like all greenery has been shaved off the landscape

There are three islands in the heart of the Bay of Galway a 40 minute ferry trip from Rossaveel, Inis Mor, Inis Marin and Inis Oirr, which make up the Aran Islands. The islands date back more than 350 million years and while they are renowned for their well-preserved Christian and Celtic monuments, and over 4800 kilometres of dry stone walls they are equally renowned for being the home of the woollen Aran sweater or perhaps more accurately the ancient Celtic stitch patterns (9 in all) that are used to knit an Aran sweater.

Our sole purpose in staying in Rossaveel was to take the ferry from there to the islands, in fact to Inis Mor the largest of the three so having purchased the tickets before leaving NZ we arrived at 10.00 at the wharf for the 10.30 ferry. We showed our tickets and without delay were ushered on to the ferry which was full and which left the wharf immediately at around 10.05.

We can only presume that those arriving later for their booked 10.30 sailing were taken to the island by another vessel - by late morning we had seen 3 ferries each with I guess 250-300 folk onboard arrive at the island and disgorge the passengers however given the size of the island (15 kms in length and 5 kms in width) it didn’t feel crowded as there were hop on hop off vans, jaunting carts and about 3 bicycle hire places which soon dispersed the people all over the island.

We went to the tourist information office and got advice of some walks and then set off from Kilronan, where the ferries arrive, along the foreshore and around the/a lake before returning to Kilronan. What struck us were the numerous rock walls running in all directions and the barrenness of the landscape  (reminded of travelling along the Desert Rd) which created a beautiful environment to look at.

At Kilronan there were cafes, restaurants and retail shops selling among other items Aran sweaters of all size, colour and design. We had lunch at one of the pubs, walked the shops and then started walking a different route than in the morning all the time admiring the beauty around us.

As the ferry we were booked on was scheduled to depart at 4.00pm we got ourselves back to the pier at 3.30ish and left the tranquility of Inis Mor bang on 4pm in a full ferry.

Back to our accommodation, checked locations for a reasonable meal “locally”, and found one 30kms away so it was back in the car and to Bearna for a very acceptable pub meal in a nice environment.

A very enjoyable day in a barren but beautiful environment.

Glamping 

An example of the rock walls

Ferries waiting to take the tourists home

A jaunting cart

Looking inland

Looking back to Kilronan

Geese on the lake

Some folk playing in the water at Kilronan 

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