The Cliffs of Moher!

I know it's been a while! Two weeks ago I had the beautiful opportunity to take a bus tour to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, not far from Galway City, with some of the people in my program. It is, by far, one of the most incredible places I have ever been! Our bus driver/tour guide was a little creepy, but kept loudly singing "Galway Girl" by Steve Earl as well as some trad music which made things entertaining..

We stopped at a castle, or, as he called it, a "glorified tower house", as well as the "famous" crosses of Klifenora, an early monastic site from the 11th/12th centuries. The crosses were built most likely to raise the prominence of the monastery at a time when competition was high.

The Burren is a very rocky area near Galway where some people in our program are studying at the Burren College of Art. Everyone jokes that it has zero nightlife, but it is so beautiful! Burren means rocky is gaelic and there are ancient tombs we visited. Poulnabrone is supposedly one of the oldest and best preserved portal tombs, dating back to the 4th millennium BC! The anthropologist in me loved it.

We also stopped at this fairy ring, a supposed National monument. It was only a circular clearing nestled in a forest and, without any background context, was pretty dull. But still beautiful, I suppose, as everything in this country is infused with romance and beauty.

The cliffs were magical. They grace the cover of my Lonely Planet Ireland travel book and many a film! We had a clear day for seeing them, which is rare at this time of year. The pictures speak for themselves, although we were all frustrated at our camera's inability to really capture the breathtaking view. Some of us climbed a tower that appeared to be a castle for a better view of the cliffs. I payed two euro, totally worth it. Two musicians were playing accordion and tin whistle and it was magical. I can't find a better word than "magical" to explain it.












More to come soon! <3