Beauty of the Burren

The Burren is 10 square miles of limestone plateau created when glaciers scaped the soil away. Water eroded the limestone, leaving crevices where, over time, soil found a little nook and plants took root. The area is home to alpine, artic and tropic plants, such as ferns and orchids. Springtime brings out a showcase of colorful flowers.








There are hundreds of ring forts and other evidence of early man dotting the barren landscape. Over 4,000 years ago, this 10 foot high dolmen served as a grave chamber.

Castles, Cows and Cliffs

We've had beautiful weather up until now. Just when we wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher, they were socked in . . . first with rain and then with fog.


Our B&B in Doolin overlooked the bay near the Cliffs of Moher. From our upstairs window we had a view of their castle . . . and their cows. The rain didn't seem to bother them!


Doolin is known for its traditional music, but some of the best music we've heard so far was in Lisdoonvarna, just up the road. A fiddler and flute player started the session, later joined by a guitarist from Texas, and then a hand organ player. We got home late that night.


Gus O'Connor's Pub is a gathering place for those who play and listen to traditional music. This window is in their Doolin pub (from the inside looking out).

Limerick

What do Friends of the Orphans and Frank McCourt (author of Angela's Ashes) have in common?

The answer is: Tricia Hoyt. Tricia is the husband of Jim Hoyt, Executive Director of Friends of the Orphans. Her brother Frank O'Mahoney is the proprietor of O'Mahoney's Bookstore in Limerick, Ireland, where Frank McCourt grew up. He launched his Pulitzer Prize winning book at this shop. As a youngster, Frank McCourt was kicked out of the store after loitering and reading Shakespeare. At the book launch, the O'Mahoney family gave him a leather bound Shakespeare collection as a gift.


O'Mahoney Bookstore in Limerick


Sue and Frank O'Mahoney having a chat.

Thatched Roofed Houses of Adare

The village of Adare, about 30 miles SW of Limerick, has a row of thatched roofed houses built around 1830. Pretty gardens in each front yard welcome visitors.


The old abbey has pews with "personal kneelers" that belong to parishioners. Better than doing penance by kneeling on the slate floor.


This jolly leprechaun had a twinkle in his eye as he played his accordion in front of the cultural center.


As kids growing up in Roselle, IL, we loved the smell of lilacs . . . we had a hedge of them in the back yard. It's spring in Ireland, and there are lilacs, bridal wreath, tulips, rhodadendrons and wildflowers in abundance!

Stone Rings and Swans

This beautiful mute swan was one of about 25 floating gracefully on an inlet along side the roadway. We drove west from Kinsale for a day of site seeing.




Our destination on our drive was the Drombeg Stone Circle. After careful searching, consulting with locals and roadside area maps, we found the circle off a side road surrounded by farmland. The circle was used as a calendar, marking the days of the year and the solstice.

Nearby, two smaller circles indicated the base of a hut used for heating stones. The stones were rolled down the hill into a cistern of water, causing it to boil and allowing meat to be cooked.

Kinsale, the Pearl Harbor of Ireland

From Killorglin, we drove back south to County Cork and Kinsale. This natural harbor once was of major importance to England during its occupation. It was also occupied by a Spanish armada and the French. Today it is a bustling touring center. Upon arrival, Gene immediately spotted the burgee of the Kinsale Yacht Club, where we enjoyed a drink and chatted with three sailors who had just arrived on their yacht from Waterford.


The bay from the road leading to Fort Charles.


Fort Charles once guarded the harbor and was occupied by about 2,000 English troops. This star-shaped fort is one of Ireland's Heritage sites.


We drove out to Old Head, a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. This was the final headland seen by at least a million Irish who emigrated to the United States after leaving Cobh Harbor near Cork. We enjoyed lunch at the Old Head Golf Course clubhouse overlooking the 18th green and lighthouse on the point.

This area is rich in maritime history. The last port of the Titanic was Cobh, and the Lusitania sank offshore. Today, cruise ships pull into Cobh.

Muckross House and Gardens

The rhododendrons are about 30' tall and scattered throughout the gardens at Muckross House in Killarney National Park.


Lots of tulips, too, in all colors.


The Muckross House is a stone mansion built in the early 1800's for 30,000 pounds. Queen Victoria visited here for three days, and the family that owned the house spent six years preparing for her visit.