OK, here is a quick synopsis as a few people have been asking about changes over there.

The Cliffs:

You all owe us for this one. Start sending the pints. We arrived and the wind gusts were reported at about 130-140 kph, but there was one very special spot along the cliffs where the sea spray came flying up over the edge and we were literally pushed sideways and had to pull ourselves along the fence for about 15-20 yards. The wind speed had to be close to 100mph. When we first got there, the rain was blowing sideways, but later the sun came out.

The visitor center itself is well done. The parking arrangement is silly. If you are driving, you have to cross the N67 to get to the visitor center. Tour buses get to park on the west side where the visitor center is located. There is still some big ugly temporary building on the east side of the road.

I believe parking was E8.00 but the infrastructure to take the money wasn't in place yet, so we got in free. They may have expected us to pay somewhere, but there was nobody working brave enough to stand out there.

The visitor center is fairly well dug into the side of the hill, approximately where the old building was. There are some slightly less attractive loading dock doors down the way, but it still looks ok. Inside, for E4.00 pp are some interesting displays on the geology, a cool flyover video of Co. Clare, some educational stuff for all ages and a history of the planet in Millions of years (if you believe it is that old). In a separate room is an IMAX wannabe type theater. It's OK and would be cool for kids probably.

The Cliffs themselves now have a nice wide paved path, a section that is somewhat like a small amphitheater but also acts as stairs and a wheelchair accessible route around those. The trail goes up to O'Briens tower and I didn't check to see if it went beyond there.

In the opposite direction, the trail only goes to the first bend in the cliffs. There are a few nice lookout points, but generally, many of the nice views have been restrained a bit. There is large signage in multiple languages barring visitors from jumping the fence and continuing along the cliffs as this is private property. There is also a sign suggesting that you will be attacked by a wild bull if you decide to jump over. Not sure of the validity on that, but even a bull wasn't stupid enough to be out in that weather .... just me. I'm sure people will jump the fence as some of the best views, especially of the stack (Branaunmore), are to be had further along the cliffs. It's disappointing that Shannon Heritage didn't find a way to purchase a little more of that pathway as that it truly one of the more special aspects of the Cliffs experience.

There were no staff present to keep people from climbing over the wall and out onto the ledge, but again, that was probably due to weather. I couldn't see that there would be anything stopping tourists from arriving before or after opening hours (no gates that I could see) but the hours are greatly extended and the visitor center stays open until 9:00 pm in the summer.

Aer Lingus:

A new deal has been struck called open skies and it will allow Aer Lingus to fly to more airports in the US. Currently under consideration are San Francisco, A Florida stop, Washington or Baltimore, Texas, (Houston or Dallas probably) and perhaps another east coast stop. No Denver. The other change is that the mandatory Shannon stop over has been eliminated which may not be a good thing for Shannon airport.

Castle Townshend

OK, so it's not Ashford. It's an old, slightly dusty, kind of funky building with loads of character, creaking wood floors and a quirky owner. The views over the harbor are lovely any times of day in any weather and the harbor area is well protected so it tends to get a bit less punishment from the wind. Our room was big, slightly cold (we could have asked to run the heat longer but it probably wouldn't have made a huge difference) with a fireplace, separate kitchen that had more than enough gadgets for us. We self catered and thought it was an excellent value.

N18

The bypass is in and there are only two exits for Ennis, south and north and they are quite a distance apart. My understanding is that it goes all the way to Gort. It certainly seems to loose the flavor a bit.

Trad

Heard some great trad, great story from The Small Bridge in Dingle, De Barra in Clonakilty was fabulous and Ennis has a strong scene even in the off season. On a Wednesday night, there were 3 pubs with trad.

B&Bs:

I liked all that I stayed in. I visited Annette at The Shores which was great as always. Pat spent a lot of time in the rain because all of calving season. Some of the worst weather we have ever seen. Got to spend time with both Aideen and Colm two of her children. Wonderful time chatting. I've raved about The Shores for years so I'll spare you the redundant genuflecting.

I stayed at the Water's Edge in Kenmare which I liked very much. The view was lovely and although there is nothing extraordinary about the decoration, it was comfortable, warm and with a regular sized shower so you don't have to be a contortionist if you drop the soap. Noreen is a great and considerate hostess, very helpful, the place is clean and the rooms were a good sized. It looked like all of them may have been triples. It is not on the Beara Rd, but the road just south, well marked from the N71 and then down a narrow lane at the end. There is a lovely deck looking out over the bay. If the path is not muddy, it would be a longish (prob 15 min) walk, but doable to the village. Standard breakfast choices. I will definitely stay again, a good value and a great view. http://www.kenmare.eu/watersedge/

The Lakeside Country Lodge in Ennis was our first and last night. Again, I'm a huge fan of a room with a view and the view over the lakes to the Abbey and hills beyond is stunning. There is a beautiful sunroom and patio behind all with views of the lake. The breakfast shares the same view. Two of the rooms also have the view. The rooms were warm, comfortable and clean and Joan was a slightly quiet but gracious hostess and had plenty of suggestions for dining. The B&B is 5 miles south of Ennis on the N473 which no longer exits from the Main N18 but the "sub" N18 that still runs through the town. Take the southern Ennis exit off the mororway. Ennis is slightly further from the airport than Bunratty but is a real town and despite it's proximity to the airport, doesn't slap you in the face with tourism. As a town to stay in, I prefer it to Bunratty. http://www.lakeside.ie/

That's it for now. Any questions?

Bill