Following the workshop in Belfast, we were up fairly early to begin our “whirlwind tour of Ireland.” We had only a couple of days before we needed to be in Sligo for the DISES International Round Table and wanted to see as much of the country as we could before then. We drove toward Dublin but the traffic and weather were horrible. There has been torrential rains this month. Only yesterday London got as much rain in 12 hours that they normally do in a month!
We drove through Dublin City Center and saw what we could but decided to move on toward Newgrange. This passage tomb was constructed more than 5,000 years ago and is older than the pyramids and Stonehenge. Having the chance to tour this archeological wonder was pretty awesome. You can check out the pictures HERE on Flickr.
After the Newgrange tour, we were back in the car driving toward Limerick where we would spend the night. This is a beautiful, quaint village in south Ireland on the River Shannon. There’s a lot to see in this town, though I understand it’s often overlooked by tourists. I recommend a stay here for at least a couple of days. The Strand Hotel in City Center is clean, accommodating, and four-star. Everything is an easy walk from the Strand, including the Market which was our first on Saturday morning. After getting a bit to eat at the Market, we walked around town to St. Anne’s Cathedral (that tallest in Ireland), King John’s Castle, and checked out some of the moments along the River. You can check out the Limerick pictures HERE on Flickr.
Back in the car – next stop, Bunratty Castle! The Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland. It was built in 1425 and restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendor. You can tour the entire complex and the grounds including the dungeon, bedrooms, dinning room, etc. The view from the rooftop is beautiful. You can check out the Bunratty Castle pictures HERE on Flickr.
We explored as much as time would allow because we still needed to make on more stop today – The Cliffs of Moher along the western Atlantic coast. There’s simply no way pictures can capture our spectacular the Cliffs are but this is definitely something worth taking the time to see – an inspiring experience! You can check out the Cliffs of Moher pictures HERE on Flickr.
We had planned to spend the night in Galway but the Harbour Festival brought in more than 60,000 tourists…meaning no hotel rooms to be found anywhere. That being said, we finished the trip into Sligo to get some rest before beginning the DISES International Round Table!