COUNTY CLARE:
A FAIRY RING ON THE BURREN AND THE SOULFUL CLIFFS OF MOHER
(Chapter 3 of Melissa5 Trip Report, July 2006)

We love the mystery and music of County Clare, and the majesty of the Cliffs of Moher. We discovered our own fairy ring on the Burren.

We spent 3 comfty nights at the Drumcreehy House on the coast road outside Ballyvaughan, County Clare. We did miss being able to walk into town (like we did in Dingle.) But Ballyvaughan is centrally located between the sites we planned to drive to.

County Clare awed us with these treasured experiences:

--The stark beauty and mystery of the Burren

-- The towering Cliffs of Moher

--The Dunguaire Castle medieval banquet in nearby Kinvara (County Galway)

--Trad music in pubs and set dancing

--Getting stuck in a cow-jam (instead of a traffic jam)

More details on those very memorable moments follow.


THE BURREN:

Walking on the Burren is like discovering a new planet. Flowers and grasses growing in such a cracked, barren place seem like tiny miracles.

We parked and climbed up a small embankent above the road to find our very own private, silent Burren. Far below was the silent sea, too far away to hear.

We explored one of the "Giant's Footballs" which lie where they have been tossed by giants along the miles of bleak limestone planet. They are great boulders which have been there so long flowers are growing on them.

I found a mysterious ring meticulously built long ago stone by stone. I stood in the middle of this rocky circle and found myself traveling back in time, in a fairy ring. In this protected circle, grasses and flowers flourished, and hidden fairies worked magic.

We loved the mystery of wondering who built this circle, and why. Hubby the biologist says the rocks are marked with age and look like they have been there a long time, and look like they have been meticulously placed, deliberately constructed for a purpose, therefore not just a prank by youngsters.

Celtic people lived on the Burren long ago, and have left various ruins, some of them more famous. In another spot you can see the Poulnabrone Dolmen, an ancient tomb on the Burren, which is well-marked, but the Dolmen is so surrounded by tourists and tour buses that all the magic was gone.

We preferred our own private miles of the Burren, and I am sure that the shy fairies had all taken refuge in our "fairy ring".

From my journal:
"The Burren in July: walk out on the rocky limestone planet. The sea lies gleaming below. Giant's footballs lie scattered about, flowers growing in their crevices. In all the cracks of the planet, small plants and red, yellow, pink and purple flowers find root. Grasses spring up here and there. If you stand in the middle of a fairy ring you travel back in time...an ancient legend according to Melissa5."

You won't see all these wonders from your car. Park and get out and walk away from the other tourists to your own private Burren.

While biologist hubby was hunting for tiny orchids, I was hunting for fairies and mysteries. My young adult daughters were fascinated by the Burren.

Where is Nanny, my beloved Irish grandmother, the storyteller? Did she once walk here with her brothers? Did she meet fairies?


THE CLIFFS OF MOHER:

The Cliffs of Moher get 17,000 visitors a year, according to the sign there!

Upon arriving we were greeted by the ugly sight of a new visitor's center being constructed, ripping a hole in the hillside... a giant ugly crane, a lot of concrete stairs and a wall between you and the sea. This turned me off. But don't despair! THERE IS MAGIC AHEAD.

All visitors must walk up a hill and then follow along a wall to your left. (Until the construction is completed.) At the beginning of the wall there was an employee who instructs visitors to stay on the path. It seems to be his job to keep people from climbing the wall and trying to get over to the tower, which was once accessible. This is the only employee along the whole Cliffs of Moher walk. If you walk far enough, beyond most of the crowd, beyond the end of the wall, it is majestic. However I advise against taking small children beyond the wall...unless you have one that can fly!


We spent an hour and a half on the Cliffs of Moher between 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm in July. Lighter crowds at this time. If you walk 30 to 45 minutes past the visitor's center along the Cliffs, you can sit with the lucky few who find peace.

The towering cliffs are majestic. Ospreys fly below you, and far below the ocean sprays against the sheer cliff. Gorgeous. Dizzying height. It is a warm day with gentle breezes in July.

The Cliffs of Moher are among the highlights of our trip to Ireland for the whole family. My older artistic daughter, 20, said she coud sit there contentedly forever.
We returned to the visitor's center just in time to use the toilets before they closed at 8:00 pm (in July.) Whew! We noticed some folks had brought a picnic dinner to enjoy along the Cliffs around 8:00 pm when there are fewer visitors.

I wish I had known in advance how much the construction is ruining the atmosphere of the start of the Cliffs of Moher walk. Then I wouldn't have felt such initial disappointment. I am including these details to reassure you that if you keep walking BEYOND all that construction, you will find the peace and beauty you are seeking. We did.


DUNGUAIRE CASTLE MEDIEVAL BANQUET

What fun! The girls and I thought the medieval banquet was fantastic. Hubby was a good sport.

Each of us was greeted with a cup of mead for "my lady" and "my lord" by a lovely Irish "cailin" in a medieval gown. We loved being lords and ladies. In a castle room we waited with other guests for the festivities to begin. The mead lossened everyone's tongue and we met guests from Ireland, England, and New Jersey. After 2 glasses of mead and a glass of wine, I was feeling quite merry! My daughters and I brought home mead as a souveneir. Michele, do you have a recipe for mead to share with us?!

Three talented young Irish singers/actors/actresses entertained us with stories, poems, songs, and comical skits about Irish writers, saints, and sinners. These were talented and friendly young folks with a delightful sense of humor.

Food was decent for a banquet serving 50-55 people. We enjoyed chicken with mushroom sauce, potatoes, vegies, potato-leek soup, apple pie, wine, juice, coffee, tea. Dunguaire banquet in the castle is very atmospheric and more intimate than the larger group which Bunratty castle holds (that is what I hear. I never tried the Bunratty banquet.) My daughters and I highly recommend this fun experience!

Come early and take a short walk behind the Dunguaire castle...it's a lovely area.


STUCK IN A COW-JAM

To our udder delight we were stuck in a cow-jam on our second full day in County Clare! It was one of the highlights of our trip.

It is so startling to be transported in just 10 hours from America to Ireland, that I kept wondering for days when I would really KNOW FOR SURE I was in Ireland. I knew for sure I was in Ireland when I was sitting in a car surrounded by gigantic milk cows bigger than our car!

We came to a stop on a narrow road behind some cars. We left a big space between us and the car in front of us. Into this space lumbered the herd of gigantic near-sighted milk cows. They headed straight for our car, and we wondered if we would be trampled by them...it was like we were in a Jurasic Park movie.

The plump and gentle ladies headed straight for our car and then lumbered past on either side of our car. Their faces, nose and mouth, were all wet and dripping with cow slobber, and as they brushed past our car, they actually rocked the car. Curious about us, they were about to poke their wet faces in our car. The girls and I squeeled and closed our windows. Hubby was snapping photos.

I'm not a farm girl, and we have never been so close to such giant cows...they grow them big in Ireland!

The cow-jam was one of the unique highlights of our trip. The farmer herding these cows said "sorry about that." We said, "That's okay, It was fun!"

MUSIC AT GREENE'S PUB, BALLYVAUGHAN

We arrived at Greene's Pub in Ballyvaughan on a Wednesday night at 9:15 pm and claimed a table. This is a small pub with a come-right-in "local" feel. It is known for good trad and folk music on Wednesday nights.

The small room filled up with friendly folks anticipating a fun night. This was a music-loving group, with a local Irish woman standing close to the 3 musicians and shushing the crowd during the quiet vocals. Great music here! Three players facing each other. Sometimes they spoke Gaelic to each other.

Two of the 3 musicians were also great singers. I was thrilled with the excellent Irish music here. The small room fillled up completely with standing people. We were lucky to have seats.

The small size and shape of the room invited conversation between folks when the musicians took breaks. We chatted with music-lovers from Ireland, England, and San Francisco. One of my favorite pub nights in Ireland.

Greene's Pub in Ballyvaughan has music year-round on Wednesday nights at 10 pm according to the web-site I consulted. It is run by Geraldine Greene. See http://www.irishmusicbars.com/clare/greenesbar.asp No food, just great craic, music, and beer.

Many thanks to whoever directed me to consult that great web-site for Irish music bars. Mark D, was that you? We found the best music at the pubs on this web-site.


VAUGHAN'S BAR, KILFENORA

We headed to the Barn at Vaughan's Bar on thursday night for set dancing. Cover charge of 4 euros. This has been in the Vaughan family for over 200 years I hear. That a lotta beer!

We watched local Irish folks set-dancing. The barn had 2 rooms; one with adults and beer, and the other with families with children. The 2 rooms were connected.

Met a couple from Holland and introduced myself to one of the dancers, a spry Irishman in his 70's who loves to dance. So much energy! This is a real community event.

Dancers in the adult room were mostly between ages 30 - 70, with one teen girl with gorgeous long red hair and a few dancers in their 20's.

In the family room were the children who will carry on this tradition. At one point an Irish lady was instructing and encouraging the children. It was cute watching the kids dance!

Set dancing is like a very lively square dance with an interesting move where 3 or 4 dancers look like they are hugging. A good cure for lonliness!


DINNER AT BRUACH NA HAILLE IN DOOLIN

Bruach na haille next door to McGann's pub in Doolin has a decent dinner for 16 euros, main entree plus potatoes and vegies. No wait for a table at 8:00 pm when we arrived after visiting the nearby Cliffs of Moher. Other places in Doolin had a wait. We didn't want to miss the barn dance in Kilfenora!

LUNCH AT MONK'S PUB, BALLYVAUGHAN

On a hot day in July, a nice light lunch is the crab open-faced sanewich with salad on Irish brown bread for 10 euros at Monk's Pub.


LODGING: DRUMCREEHY HOUSE, BALLYVAUGHAN

We spent our 3 nights in County Clare at the comfortable Drumcreehy House on the main coastal road outside Ballyvaughan, County Clare. The advantage is that it was well-located between all the places we had planned as day-trips. The disadvantage is you cannot walk into town, like we could in Dingle.

This lovely guesthouse is efficiently run by a very busy young couple who are also raising a family and I much admire their energy! I appreciate Bernadette's helpful e-mails as she helped me in selecting the best room for my hubby and I.

Their cute little daughter served us imaginary tea upon our arrival.

The best part of their breakfast is the excellent cold buffet, which includes various cheeses, fruits, jams, cereals, muffins, pastries, salmon, cold cuts, and even liver pate. You can also order hot breakfast and it is all included in the price of your room. At Drumcreehy we all preferred their outstanding cold breakfast buffet. We also enjoyed ordering a boiled egg or porridge.

Hubby and I stayed in the charming fuschia room with a garden view. The bed was a king-sized bed made with 2 mattresses sheeted together. The bed was average in comfort. It was a very quiet room and we slept well. Drumcreehy house has good prices and is a good value.


LEFT OUR HEARTS IN COUNTY CLARE

County Clare was gorgeous, unique, and mysterious Three nights was just the right amount of time for us. I would happily return to County Clare. My older daughter left her heart on the Cliffs of Moher.

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 14:15, 2006-07-26

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 14:35, 2006-07-26

-- Edited by Melissa5 at 12:40, 2006-07-27