(Fortunately, I was able to recover my original draft of this post! In someways, I’m glad I lost it, I just spent another 2 hours updating the photos and layout LOL. We are taking a slow start to Tuesday.)

The flight was fine. Aer Lingus has quite an impressive selection of movies and other entertainment. We did get served dinner – the beef and potato wasn’t too bad; the chocolate mousse was quite tasty! I should have brought sleep shades…every seat had an “entertainment center” and the glow of the screens was distracting. I did get a pair of new earphones though. Charles and I both slept for a few hours. I missed “brekkie” (breakfast) because I was asleep…it was juice and a cereal bar.

We landed at 5:15 am local time and left the airport by 6:30. Longest wait was actually to deplane.

We drove to Ennis and parked, walking around the town center. It was about 7, and most businesses were closed, so we asked an older gentleman for a breakfast recommendation. His first comment — in a good natured way— ”I’m very angry.” ”Why is that?” ”The team lost yesterday.” (We think it was the County Clare hurling team, but who knows?) A woman passing by suggested the Old Ground Hotel. It was a lovely buffet and hot breakfast, and very reasonably priced. Greg enjoyed the ambience of the bar located next to the breakfast room. We did a bit more walking before heading out for the rest of the day.

First stop, Clare Abbey: ruined monastery; founded in 1189. Interestingly, there have been some burials (or at least, memorials) in the last 20 years. Apparently there is some trouble with vandalism 😦

Next: Craggaunowen Castle/Outdoor museum: partially restored castle, built c. 1550, and other replications from the Bronze Age and Iron Age. Also located there is the Brendan Boat, built and sailed in the 1970s to prove that St. Brendan the Navigator MIGHT have journeyed to what is now North America in the 500s. We also learned Charles is good at playing skittles (the game with blocks, not the candy.)

We then drove to the Burren Centre: short video and exhibition about the Burren formations. Their hearts are in the right place and much of the information is very interesting, but it could use a bit of freshening up.

Charles and I took a short walk around the Caherconnell Stone Fort: a nicely kept excavation, with evidence of over 5000 years of continuous occupation. (Greg rested in the car…it was a long day!)

I think Poulnabrone Dolmen is my favorite so far: it is a 5000 year old portal tomb, set on a high limestone plateau. It was really cool to see the limestone formations up close. It was drizzling quite a bit so we stayed just a few minutes.

Checked into a lovely AirBnb right in the middle of the town of Athenry. Hired a driver (see below about my thoughts about driving!) to take us to/from a medieval banquet at Dunguaire Castle. The food was fine, and the players were entertaining. (Excuse the fuzzy indoor pictures, it wasn’t really conducive to photography…and at this point,I had been awake for 30+ hours.)

Driving on the “wrong side” of the road is not for the faint of heart. And it’s not just the driving. The pavement markings are different (yellow and white lines are reversed) and the road signs use somewhat different graphics. And the roads! The GPS managed to find all the single track routes. They are so narrow! And the other drivers are so fast! And don’t get me started on the roundabouts…so many roundabouts…

Some additional photos from the day.