We travelled from Donegal again by Bus Ėireann-Irish Expressway and as before, the bus was 30 minutes late departing. However, I must say that this bus was a definite improvement – new and very clean.

The four hour journey passed through some lovely countryside (so many sheep) and nice little villages. We arrived at Galway Central Station which was a quick 5 minute walk from the Hyde Hotel. We were very pleased with this hotel.

For dinner our first evening, we chose Taafes Bar. Our primary reason for this choice was the offer of live music at 5:30 pm rather than the more common 9 or 10 pm offered by most establishments! 🤣😉 We enjoyed our dinner choices, followed by Irish Coffee as we were entertained by excellent Irish music!

For the next day, we had booked a tour with the Galway Tour Company – The Aran Islands and the Cliffs Cruise. The tour bus driver and guide, Tommy Dixon, was excellent and provided an interesting and educational narrative all the while manoeuvring the bus along many small roads.

We travelled past green fields and hills into the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global GeoPark. The Burren  is a unique karst landscape that formed over 325 million years ago in a tropical sea. Shaped by glaciers and erosion, the Burren is well known for its striking landscape of grey limestone interspersed with unusual flora.

At the harbour in the small town of Doolin, we boarded the Aran Island Ferry for a trip to Innis Oírr (Inisheer). The crossing takes about 35 minutes and was fun amidst the wavy sea.

Inis Oírr is the smallest of the three Aran Islands. These islands have a harsh landscape and the inhabitants live a traditional Irish life. In the past, they were sustained with fishing and small farming. The original islanders had to create the soil on the bedrock, using limestone sand, seaweed and animal dung. Today, tourism has brought a boost to the economy of the islands.

We took a small van tour of the island with a local man who provided us with great information and insights into the history and current life on the island.

The freighter An Plassy wrecked offshore the island in 1960. With the help of the islanders, there was no loss of life. The ship washed up on the shore where it still sits today.

O’Brien’s Castle was built around 1400 inside a low wall remaining from an Iron Age ring fort. Destroyed by Cromwell’s troops in 1652, the ruins dominate the hilltop in the middle of the small island.

An 11th century church, St. Cavan’s, has almost been buried by shifting sand dunes. It sits sunken in the middle of a graveyard.

After an Irish Coffee at a local pub, we re-boarded the ferry for a return to Doolin.

After docking in Doolin, we remained on board for a cruise along the Cliffs of Moher. ‘Cruise’ is a somewhat gentle term for our sail through rather turbulent seas, with swells of up to 10 feet. It was a fun adventure for those of us who do not suffer from motion sickness. 😉

The Cliffs of Moher stretch for 8 Kilometres (5 miles) and reach 214 metres (702 feet) in height at their highest point, Viewing the cliffs from below was quite amazing!

We returned to Doolin and had a great late lunch at a local pub.

Our final stop was at the top of the cliffs and the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre. It was incredibly windy but we managed to keep from being blown away! The visitor centre also provided some interesting information.

We returned to Galway by way of the Burren and the Wild Atlantic Way.

We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and our time with Tommy – definitely a highlight of the trip!

Sláinte,

Bev & Harvey