Good morning for those like me, who woke up super early, at 5am!
Today is a travelling day to the west side of Ireland, to the famous Cliffs of Moher.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Malone
"Molly Malone" (Roud 16932, also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City") is a song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the city's unofficial anthem.
The song tells the fictional tale of a fishwife who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin and died young, of a fever. In the late 20th century, a legend grew up that a historical Molly lived in the 17th century. She is typically represented as a hawker by day and a part-time prostitute by night. In contrast, she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street hawkers of her day.
He hit the road, and our first stop for food and toilet was at the Barack Obama Plaza (gas station).
Maybe I am the only one who thinks this is hilarious!? A gas station in the middle of the country named after the president of the United States? Anyway, it's not just the name, but photos and a mini museum of Obama and his family, who have ties with this region in Ireland.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_Plaza
Barack Obama Plaza is a motorway service area on the R445 road at Junction 23, just off the M7 motorway in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is beside the village of Moneygall, which is just across the county border in County Offaly, and is accessed using the Junction 23 slip roads. It is named after U.S. president Barack Obama, whose third great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, lived in Moneygall and emigrated to the US in 1850. The Plaza cost €7 million to construct and opened on 30 May 2014. In An Obama museum–visitor centre opened on the following 4 July.
This is our route for the day, crossing the island from east to west.
Good part of the morning drive was under a lot of fog, which made the bus trip a bit more exciting.
Famine walls were built throughout Ireland, especially in the west and south, in the mid-19th century, during the Great Famine. The walls were built as famine-relief works projects, sponsored by landlords and churches to provide work and income for unemployed peasants. As payment, workers received food or money, and many of the walls served little practical purpose other than giving work to the poor and clearing the land of stones.
The walls are generally around 8–10 feet high and 300 yards long. Along some of the walls are periodic holes built in to the structures, which records say were a way for two parties to stand on opposite sides of the wall and touch fingers through a hole, signifying making an agreement or contract.
The tour buses stop at this visitor center built inside the rock.
As you walk towards the ocean, you are taken by this emotional "wow."
The Cliffs go on for 13 kilometers, but just this part, fenced off for tourists safety, is enough to see the magnitude of it!
Check it out the size of the cliffs compared to the castle on the top right of the mountain.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffs_of_Moher
The Cliffs of Moher are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They run for about 14 kilometres (9 miles). At their southern end, they rise 120 metres (390 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and, 8 kilometres (5 miles) to the north, they reach their maximum height of 214 metres (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs, built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien, then continue at lower heights. The closest settlements are the villages of Liscannor 6 km (4 miles) to the south, and Doolin 7 km (4 miles) to the north.
From the cliffs, and from atop the tower, visitors can see the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, the Maumturks and Twelve Pins mountain ranges to the north in County Galway, and Loop Head to the south. The cliffs rank among the most visited tourist sites in Ireland, with around 1.5 million visits per year.
A stop to get closer to the ocean and experience this limestone rock formation.
FROM WIKIPEDIA:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burren
The Burren is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland. It measures around 530 square kilometres (200 sq mi), within the circle made by the villages of Lisdoonvarna, Corofin, Gort and Kinvara. The area includes such natural features as Mullaghmore hill and Ailladie cliffs, and historic monuments such a Poulnabrone dolmen and Caherconnell Stone Fort.
Thus the stated size of the Burren varies between around 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) (the core area of exposed limestone), through 360 square kilometres (140 sq mi) (taking in all limestone landscapes) and 560 square kilometers (including the about 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) of downland), depending on the approach taken. Roughly 60% of the uplands show exposed limestone pavement.s Poulnabrone dolmen and Caherconnell Stone Fort. The Burren National Park covers a small part of the Burren and is the smallest of the eight National Parks in Ireland, while the adjacent territory, including the Cliffs of Moher, is included in the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark.
The next stop was at this village for lunch.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway
Galway is a city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the fourth most populous in the Republic of Ireland, with a population at the 2022 census of 85,910.
Located near an earlier settlement, Galway grew around a fortification built by the King of Connacht in 1124. A municipal charter in 1484 allowed citizens of the by then walled city to form a council and mayoralty. Controlled largely by a group of merchant families, the Tribes of Galway, the city grew into a trading port. Following a period of decline, as of the 21st century, Galway is a tourist destination known for festivals and events including the Galway International Arts Festival.
In 2018, Galway was named the European Region of Gastronomy. The city was the European Capital of Culture for 2020, alongside Rijeka, Croatia.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Arch
The two arches were part of the extension of the city wall from Martin's Tower to the bank of the River Corrib, as a measure to protect the city's quays, which were in the area once known as the Fish Market (now Spanish Parade). It was constructed during the mayoralty of Wylliam Martin in 1584, being called ceann an bhalla (the head of the wall).
In the 18th century the Eyre family of Eyrecourt, County Galway, created an extension of the quays called The Long Walk and created the arches to allow access from the town to the new quays. The designation "Spanish" is not historical to this period and was likely known as the Eyre Arch when built.
In 1755, the arches were partially destroyed by the tsunami generated by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Until 2006, part of the Arch housed the Galway City Museum. At that time, the museum was moved to a new, dedicated building located just behind the Arch.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://thekingshead.ie/pages/our-history
The Kings Head is a true piece of living history. The building itself dates back over 800 years to the 13th century. Speed’s famous Pictorial Map of Galway (below), drawn in 1651, shows the home of the Mayor of Galway at 15 High Street as one of the tallest and most prominent buildings in Galway with the impressive five storey Stubber’s Castle adjoining it to the rear.
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