Dublin - Galway - Cliffs of Moher - Ennis
Up early and we headed for dairy farm country in the centre of the Ireland. We stopped in Galway, a popular seaside destination and a buzzing cosmopolitan centre with cobbled streets, colourful shops, and busy cafe and bar culture. Then, we crossed the limestone plateau of The Burren to visit the spectacular Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort "Mothar" which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower. These scenery here was breathtaking. Leaving Moher we headed for Ennis, a county town of Clare. We stayed at the Auburn Lodge and had a traditional Irish evening in the setting of a village barn with dinner, wine, and entertainment at Bunratty Castle.