Ireland - Inisheer and The Cliffs of Moher

The Aran Islands sit off the west coast of Ireland between Galway and Doolin.  With only a population of 1200 split between the three islands, they are an official Gaeltacht - a traditional Irish speaking area, though English is also spoken here. Known for Aran sweaters, these rugged islands are considered one of the last outposts of traditional Irish culture.







Inisheer

On our road trip around Ireland we arrived in Doolin, on Ireland's Atlantic Wild Way, to take a 15 minute ferry ride to the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inisheer (Inis Oirr in Irish). With some 260 permanent year round residents, this small island boasts a castle, a shipwreck, bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants and bars. Getting around the island can be done on foot, on bicycle and on a guided pony & trap tour. We chose the bicycle option - which would lead to one of our most interesting stories from the trip.

First, we needed some lunch. We chose Tigh Ned which was just a few hundreds yard walk from the ferry dock. It was a picture perfect blue sky day so outdoor eating at a picnic table would be perfect also. To Mr. UR's delight, lobster was on the menu! So lobster for lunch on a patio on an Irish island it was! Doesn't get much better than that!




Now it was time to explore the island. We got on our rented bicycles and started around the island. Inisheer is a very rocky island, it's basically an extension of the even rockier Burren on the mainland,  and it actually has a very mild climate and long growing season. The windswept - very few trees - and rocky terrain make for a haunting beauty. 








I was struggling from the start with my bike - I was having trouble changing gears and even nipped one of the stone walls - but just as I thought I was getting better, well....I hit a concrete garage. We're still not sure what happened but we were turning a corner and I was just about to joke that I was ready for The Tour de France and the next thing I knew there was a wall in front of me. I might have passed out for a moment, maybe a mini stroke? I do know I hadn't had much water and was wearing a flannel lined windbreaker so I could've just been overheated. The lady whose garage it was came out and got me a chair to rest on and my traveling companions got some water in me. I managed to get back on the bike and ride it to return it but a little worse for the wear - a hole in my lip, scraped nose and chin with some extremely stiff knees. Oh well, every trip needs a good story, right?

Before the fall!

A bit worse for the wear after running into a concrete wall


Needless to say the rest of our island visit was meekly sitting outside at a pub. Bike riding just wasn't in the cards for me that day. I guess I'll  have to go back and redo Inisheer someday!





The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's most popular attractions - and with good reason. These towering sea cliffs, at some 700 feet, run for around 9 miles and have been featured in several movies - The Princess Bride, Harry Potter and Leap Year. They receive 1.5 million visitors per year who can start their experience at the Visitor Center and then continue on with a guided tour, a walk along the cliffs or a boat ride to see them from the water.




Can you spot the people in this photo?

Our ferry boat ticket was a twofer - it included the ferry to Inisheer and a tour along the cliffs by boat at sea level. Our guide told us the history of the cliffs and showed us where the famous sea cave from Harry Potter is located. Stunning scenery!







Doolin

We stayed in the quintessential Irish town of Doolin which is so small that it's walkable. Doolin is known for not only being on the edge of the cliffs but also for the traditional Irish music you can hear.So one of our goals for our stay there was to hit a pub for some Irish music (also known as Trad music)We walked to a lively restaurant for our dinner and then found a small space in the pub to listen to the music. 






Here's a brief snippet of some of the music we heard:




Despite my bicycle wreck, it was still one of my favorite days I spent in Ireland!

How about you? Have you been to the Aran Islands? or the Cliffs of Moher?


Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!

Comments

  1. I am thinking about going to Ireland. Not less after reading this post :)

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    1. I truly enjoyed Ireland and would go back without hesitation. The Irish people are great - friendly and fun. And the scenery is stunning! I hope you make it there someday. Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  2. What a fantastic place for a bike ride! It's good to have good friends to help you with your 'incident' and I'm glad you were able to continue with them.
    These are some amazing scenes, I wish I could visit there one day.

    Thanks for being part of 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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    Replies
    1. It's such a little piece of Irish paradise! Thanks for hanging out with me here at The Unpaved Road, Betty!

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