This year for spring break Catherine Reiss and her kids Ezra and Elsa came [back] to Ireland and we toured a bit of the western part of the island. We managed to fit the 5 of us, Riley, and all our luggage into the Prius and hit the road on Sunday March 24.
Halfway to our first stop (Galway), we stopped to see my friend Sinead and her family at their family farm in Shannonbridge/Ballinasloe. We had a lovely visit with delicious scones, an egg hunt, and some time petting the gorgeous Charloais cattle.
Then we headed to Galway, where we spent quite some time trying to warm up our charming little airbnb (called “the Art House” because the artist owner had her paintings all over the walls) before walking through the rain to explore the town a bit. It was pretty darn wet (we even stopped and Catherine bought new waterproof hiking boots), so it was a short tour, but the cozy streets still held appeal as we made our way to dinner. Dinner was delicious at Ard Bia (translation: “high food”), where we actually ate with Teg, Heather, and the boys last summer (worth a visit every time we’re in town, I’d say.). They tucked us into a sweet little snug, which was good because the girls were in full swing of joy and enthusiasm.
On Monday, after a short rainy walk through the graveyard across the street with Riley, we headed out into the mist for the northern part of county Galway and then Mayo. Our first stop was the village of Cong, famed for being where A Quiet Man was filmed in the early 1950s. I’ve not seen the movie, but the town is very cute. We wandered through Cong Abbey and its gorgeous grounds and had a picnic by the statue of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Tim Eastman had been telling me to visit for several years so I’m glad to finally be able to say I have.
Next stop was famed Kylemore Abbey, which is on many a guidebook cover of Ireland and is actually owned by Notre Dame University. It still houses nuns in the upper floor of the castle, and has stunning walled Victorian garden (I’ve never seen purple pinecones before - on a Japanese pine, I believe), adorable Kune Kune pigs, and supposedly some Connemara ponies (which we didn’t find).
From there we did the first of our 4 times driving around Killary Fjord up past the Famine Cross (Doolough Valley Famine Memorial) to Louisburgh, our home for the next 2 nights. The home was absolutely gorgeous and welcoming inside, and we had nice quiet night with Ez and the girls making dinner, and a crackling fire in the hearth.
Tuesday morning we started with a very windy, very cold, and very beautiful walk along Carrowmore Beach just a few minutes from the house (would be so convenient in the summer!).
From there we headed to Connemara National Park (around Killary Fjord time #2) for a nice hike.
After another nice picnic there, we drove out to the Pony Point Trekking Center way out on one of the farthest western peninsula’s of Ireland. It was drizzling at the start but then cleared up and was an incredible couple of hours. The leaders (Joanne and 2 excellent assistants) were kind and the horses were well cared for. We were mostly on—wait for it—Connemara ponies, who were perfectly mannered and had a lovely trot. We went along the beach, taking in the emerald to teal blue sea on one side and misty mountains on the other, walking in the water at times, trotting along the beach, noted Slyne Head Lighthouse (westernmost point of County Galway), and even saw a colony of frolicking rabbits. That was a bucket list item for Catherine and me, and the kids also really enjoyed it.
We stopped in the town of Clifden for a snack, light shopping, and some groceries on our way back and then went around Killary Fjord time #3 to have another quiet evening at home (movie night!).
On Wednesday we headed out from County Mayo (time #4 around Killary Fjord) and went down to Glenlo Abbey Hotel outside of Galway for falconry. Sally says this was her favorite activity of the trip, and I can see why. Jason was the falconer and he was excellent at his job - starting with smaller, more “approachable” birds, and working up to walking with the hawk, and maintaining a steady stream of fascinating information the entire time. He was the sort of person who instantly memorized and used our names, kept us laughing, and managed to teach us a lot without making it formal. We started with an adorable African owl named Yoda, then a barn owl named R2D2, followed by a brilliant Harris Hawk named, and finally we met his newest bird (still in training), a peregrine falcon named Darth Vader. We learned the falconry origin of turns of phrase like “under the thumb” and “wrapped around your little finger” and fascinating tidbits about bird behavior and training.
That afternoon we stopped in gorgeous Lisdoonvarna and stumbled upon lunch at cute veg/vegan place then drove on to explore the Cliffs of Moher. It was pouring (sleeting?) when we arrived, but that quickly stopped and we even got a rainbow over the cliffs. From there we drove down into Lahinch, a town with never-ending huge waves and swells, making is a surfing Mecca (you can check out their surfcam here). The house we stayed in there was functional, not cute, but was just a few minutes’ walk from the coast and downtown Lahinch, full of great pubs. Our first night we had a nice dinner at The Cornerstone bar, and enjoyed the clear night and sparkling stars on the way home.
On Thursday we drove inland to Caherconnell Ring Fort, where we had inadvertently signed up for an awesome guided tour about the 10th century ring fort and learned about lichen (on average, it takes 10 years to grow about the size of an adult thumbprint), ring forts (really more of homesteads), and medieval metallurgy, among other things. This was followed by an awesome sheepdog demonstration. The shepherd taught us about breeds of sheep, sheep markings, and dog training and commands. The dogs were astounding - by the end 4 dogs were doing different things based on their differing whistle tones and patterns. These fierce herders then lay down and adopted very Riley-esque expressions as they asked us to pet their bellies. Most delightfully, twin lambs had been born the night (or early morning) before, and not only did we get to watch them learn to use their legs, but the kids got to hold them (genuinely getting umbilical blood on their shirts)!
We then had some scones (shocker) at their delicious café and headed towards Burren National Park. The day had cleared up nicely and we ended up doing an almost 6-mile hike up and around the top-most crazy rock formation at the park. The kids were amazing hikers (several skinned knees but great attitudes) and Riley didn’t cut up her paws and it was honestly incredible.
That night we had a really tasty (honestly probably made even better by the hour-long wait at the bar preceded by aforementioned long hike) at Kenny’s Barn in town again. Thursday night is live music and I was in heaven.
On Friday, after I snuck in a beautiful run along the coast with Riley, we headed back inland to County Kilkenny. We watched the terrain turn from rocky to endless green pastures, and the appearance of [slightly] fewer sheep in exchange for many more dairy cattle. We broke up the drive with a couple stops. First, a very briefly (it started to pour) leg-stretch at the several thousand-year-old Shanballyedmond Megalithic Tomb. Our second stop was more successful and longer in duration. We drove down a very long, remote turnoff to Kilcooley Abbey. With not another soul in sight until another family pulled in as we were leaving, we had a great time meandering around this gorgeous spot.
Our final night was spent in Graiguenamanagh, an absolutely inviting little town in the countryside. Our airbnb was part of a huge farmhouse complex with the most gracious hosts, who brought us fresh homemade scones with jam and cream. It was a perfect end to the trip, and I’d love to go back and spend a nice weekend here.
Saturday morning the kids enjoyed the sunshine at the town playground and we headed off to Kilkenny, where Catherine and kids did the Medieval mile tour (love it, but skipped the third time), we had a terrible lunch (you can’t win ‘em all), and poked around in the shops while the kids ate ice creams the size of their heads from Scrumdiddly’s.
I’d say we really made the most of this week. We truly delighted over every sheep, lamb, cow, abbey, and abandoned castle we saw as we made our way around the country. We stopped for photos galore. Catherine and I make good travel buddies, and I look forward to our next adventure, wherever it may take us.