Ireland-Day 6

After a quick trip to the Ballybunion Golf Course to pick up ball markers that we were collecting on this trip we headed to Tarbert where we would catch the ferry to cross the Shannon River.  We had quite a busy day planned and wanted to get an early start.

The skies were blue and the water was calm when we crossed the Shannon River, the longest river in Ireland. 

 

 Ken snapped this photo near the coastal town of Kilkee.  He didn't see the seagulls until we were looking at the picture later.  One of my favorite photos of the trip.

 

 We stopped at two golf courses on this day.  I believe this was the Lahinch Course and the one Ken would like to play some day.  Golfers will appreciate those bunkers.

 

The breathtaking Cliffs of Moher.  The cliffs rise approximately 690 ft. out of the sea and extend 5 miles down the coast.  Hannah said this was the best weather they had ever had while at the cliffs.  We had blue skies all day, but the wind was blowing and of course, I was cold. 

 

 

 

These ruins were in a small church located in Kilfenora. 

 

 The church was small, but the carvings in it were well preserved and beautiful.

 

 We were starting to see more thatch roofed buildings on this side of Ireland.  I was fascinated with them and particularly liked this one with its bright yellow trim and door.

 The Burren, meaning Rocky Land in Gaelic, was our next stop.  In the 1600's it was described by a surveyer as "a savage land, yielding neither water to drown a man, nor tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury".  Huge limestone pavements make up the area, with grass and plants growing between them. 

 Poulnabrone Portal Tomb.
 

This tomb dates back 5,000 years.  The remains of 16 people were found when the site was excated in the 1980's.  The mystery is how the capstone was moved and lifted on top of the tomb.  It weighs over 5 tons.

 



We passed this shell of a manor house on our way to a perfume factory.  There were no signs around it or anything to tell us what it was.  I looked it up when we returned home and discovered it was the ruins of a 17th century mansion named Leamaneagh Castle. 

 

Hannah knew of a perfume factory in the area so we set out to find it and we did....eventually.  It was certainly off the beaten path, but it was a fun drive finding it.  I am still mad at myself for not buying something there.  I'm just going to have to make another trip.

Our home for this night was Laurels in the town of Gort.  It was run by an English woman who loved waiting on us and was an exceptional hostess.  She offered us fresh scones when we arrived, gave us a pitcher of ice water before bedtime and really opened her home to us.  Breakfast was an amazing feast of freshly baked cakes, scones, bread and fruit and she was willing to cook us anything else we wanted.