FUN-travel: Ireland – Dingle to Galway
September 29, 2011 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ireland – Dingle to Galway
Day 9 – Wednesday, September 21 – Dingle to Kilkee – cold, windy, thick low ominous clouds & fog w/occasional rain bursts turning sunny
Dunguaire Castle
- Depart 12:15 – Take 30 mile one hour drive of Dingle peninsula
- 1st stop – Beehive Huts – mysterious stone igloos clustered together w/in circular wall
- 2nd stop – view of Blasket Islands
- Head out northeast route – arrive Tarbert 3:25 for 3:30 ferry
- Stop in town of Kilrush for coffee @ Buttermarket Cafe – Ann suggests Murphy Blacks for dinner
- Arrive Kilkee 5 pm and find 40 euro parking ticket on car from Kilrush – had no idea you would have to pay to park in such a dinky, little town (that’ll never happen again)
- Stella Maris Hotel – 90 euro (also suggested by Ann & conveniently across the street from Murphy Blacks)
- FUN-food – Murphy Blacks – St. Tola goat cheese salad drizzled w/honey, steamed Garrigaholt mussels w/butter & wine, pan fried halibut in lemon butter w/au gratin potatoes & carrots, Dandelion wine 95% shiraz & 5% reisling – VG! (very good)
FF (FUN-facts) – we like it when the only high rise you see is a castle!
Not so FF – realized we lost a hubcap and have deep scratches on car from bushes & cut trees hugging the sides of narrow roads
Cliffs of Moher
Day 10 – Thursday, September 22 – Kilkee to Galway – windy, cloudy, cool, sprinkles – depart 9:45
Galway
- 1st stop – Cliffs of Moher – 10:45 – dramatic cliffs soar 650′ above Atlantic for 5 miles
- 2nd stop – Doolin – 12:00 boat ride of cliffs cancelled – next one @3:00 won’t work – have latte instead
- 3rd stop – Dunguaire Castle – 1520 4-story tower house sits in the bay surrounded by swimming swans
- 4th stop – car repair shop to replace hub caps – sent to Car Parts Warehouse who replaces hubcaps (40 Euro includes tip to put them on with ties) – sends us up street to body shop to fix scratches
- Arrive Sea Breeze Lodge B & B in Salthill 4:30 – 2 miles from city center – Freddie the owner upgrades us to king bed and gives us each a Guinness – What are the chances for such good luck!
FF – Today is Arthur Guinness Day and you get a free pint if you are in the pub by 17:59 (the year it was founded) Great gimmick, huh?