County Clare

The Burren, Inisheer, Ennis, Cliffs of Moher

May the Wind Be Always at Your Back . . .

We flew into Shannon Airport and settled for the night in the market town of Ennis. On our own we toured The Burren, and took a ferry to the Aran Island of Inisheer. When our tour began we walked the streets of Ennis and toured the Cliffs of Moher.

The Burren

"Boireann" - A Rocky Place
The locals quote a statement about the Burren made by a Cromwell Officer, "There is not enough water to drown a man, not enough wood to hang one, nor enough dirt to bury him."

After settling in to our accommodations, Grey Gables, we hired a limousine service, Tony Woods Chauffeur, to drive us around The Burren. We used Rick Steves Ireland 2017 Book, pages 301-304, to plot our course.

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Inisheer

The Aran Islands - Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer - are located off the west coasts of County Clare and Galway. "Inish" means island in Irish. Mom and I described the islands in this way:
Inisheer is the island near, Inishmaan is the island middle, and Inishmore is the island more west. We chose to visit the nearest island, Inisheer. Our adventure began with a taxi ride to Doolin...

From Doolin we took Doolin Ferry Company's ferry to the island. When we arrived at the pier we were greeted by a plethora of vehicles and drivers offering island tours. We choose an older gentleman, with an older horse, and an older carriage. The slow and steady pace of the horse gave us lots of time to snap beautiful photos and take in the charm of Inisheer.

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Ennis

The Old Ground Hotel

Our Rick Steves Heart of Ireland 8 Days Tour began the next day. We relocated to The Old Ground Hotel. Across the street from our hotel window was St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral. Our walking tour with Ollie (Ollie's Walking Tours of Ennis) included stories about the town's history and visiting the town's many statues, and Friary.