....we headed off to the Gallarus Oratory, which we could not find. We did find the Kilmalkedar Church ruin dating back to the 12th century. The site itself was likely founded in the 600s.
Then we moved on to find the Carrigafoyle Castle, an example of the tower-houses built in the 14th-15th century. However, it only took a 3 day siege to level surrounding walls and take the tower. The wind blows hard all the time around here - there is no way you could keep such a place warm. And the heating bills!
Cody was determined to follow the steps. It took a while to get him to move on.
The bank holiday means a whole bunch of folks are out for the weekend, plus this area is generally much more touristy anyway. We had a lot of company on some narrow roads, including a fair number of buses. Our rental had excellent acceleration, and given the opportunity, Vicki would leave newbie drivers in the Burren dust.
We were very glad to reach Doolin. And then to find this view out the window of our room. Those be the northern edge of the Cliffs of Moher. Plans are for us to see them from the water as well.
Into Lisdoonvarna for dinner. They get a lot from the nearby Burren Smokehouse, so we had smoked local salmon (about 4 different ways), mackerel, and trout. They also brew a Burren golden ale, red ale, and stout, so those had to be tried as well.
There was live traditional music at O'Connors pub in Doolin, so I walked to town and snagged a seat close to the group playing. Loved it. The place was packed and about 80 degrees, but the music was fun.
The fiddler on the left was apparently sitting in with the 4 regulars, and she wasn't quite up to the talents of the fiddler on the right. When she got in over her head, she often chose to just get up and dance.
Here is a short video so you can hear a little - and see the woman dance:
Here's my 180 view (Ok, maybe 160 degree view).
Walked back by the light of a nearly full moon. Nice.
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