Day 3: Smelling and Sailing at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland

Ann is back writing about Day 3 in Ireland.

We headed towards the coast to visit the Cliffs of Mohrer, but first stopped at a place that was on the way. We were hoping that by going a wee bit later in the day the Cliffs may not be as busy and we could avoid the huge tour buses that made you wish the roads were just a little wider as you closed your eyes and hoped all of the car was still there after they passed us. I definitely let out a few gasps on the encounters we had with the tour buses. We started our day at The Burren Perfumery, which was a place I had heard about through an Ireland Travel Tips page I was one. It turned out to be quite the gem. The store itself was small, with so many scents that Keven left after about 10 seconds. But I found a nice lotion and some soaps to bring back as souvenirs for the grandmother’s and the folks watching our dog, hermit crab, and house.  There was also a lovey tea house there that was surrounded by a herb garden. Kelle and her daughter grabbed some colored pencils that were inside the teahouse and started sketching, while the majority of the kids head off to explore the garden. There was plenty to see between mice stealing some bird food, tadpoles and frogs in the pond, and fun paths that wound their way through the gardens. We enjoyed some pastries along with coffee and tea. It was a pleasantly relaxing morning and gave the kids a change to explore, play and talk outside of the confines of the car. 

A mouse on a bird feeder

Scones!

By the time we left the perfumery is was almost noon. We headed to the town of Doolin on the west coast where we bought tickets to take a boat out to see the Cliffs of Moher. There were two men from different boating companies trying to get us to go into their trailer. We ended up going with the Doolin Ferry Company as I had heard good recommendations about them from the Ireland Travel Tips page and our host.  Once we bought our tickets one of the lads working there told us we’d made a good decision as their boat had a bar and a stabilization system for a smooth ride while the only thing that other company would give us were  plastic bags. I think we made a good call as the ferry we took looked far more comfortable than the other companies, even though the bar was just a cooler of beer.

Someone was tired!

There was a food stand so we enjoyed a quick lunch of hamburgers (that were way better than the ones at Kings Head), hot dogs or sausages. There was lots of rocks, which the burren region along the west coast is known for, along the dock and shore and the kids had fun climbing between them and down to different levels. The Atlantic Ocean is known to be wild along this part of Ireland. Even the road we were staying in the Lisheen House was called Wild Atlantic Way. We had a beautiful spring day to visit the Cliffs, and while there were some large swells, it wasn’t rough enough to cancel the boats from going out. Thankfully no one in our crew got seasick, but we did have several of us who chose not to take a seat on the inside part of the boat and stuck with the fresh air.  The whole trip took an hour, and they described different parts of the Cliffs, as well as O’Brien’s tower, the sea stack, and we could see the puffins and other birds that live along the rocks. The kids enjoyed finding out that The Princess Bride and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were both filmed here. The sheer cliffs are mammoth and it was worth the trip to view them from the ocean. After we got off the boat we discussed if we should drive the half hour to view them from the top, but we all agreed that we couldn’t improve on what we’d just seen.

As we were riding back to the dock I asked my 9 year old daughter if she liked the Cliffs. She said, “I didn’t get any pictures. I’ll do that on the way back.” Kelle and I laughed and told her we were back and she said, “But I didn’t’ see any cliffs! I was looking at the water!” Oh well, she did see them from Doolin, and she also saw a dolphin that is known to stay around the docks, which was something I missed while looking at the Cliffs instead of the water.

Keven and Brian brought all the kids down to the waters edge as it was low tide. The ocean was actually a beautiful green that didn’t convey in any of our photos, and it was very relaxing listening to it roar while looking at the  cliffs lining the edge of Ireland.  The kids found some shells and sea stars. And Keven took his shoes off and walked in the water on the other side of the Atlantic.

By now it was time to start thinking about dinner so we made reservations at Keogh’s, which was next to the grocery store we’d visited the day before. Keven and I ordered Irish Stew and Fish and chips, the men ordered some pints, while the kids enjoyed pizza.  Before we left the restaurant Kelle and I ran to the grocery store to pick up more breakfast food and snacks for the car ride the next day. When we came back I sat at the other end of the table next to her four year old. I noticed a girl and her sister were turned around in their chairs staring at us. I assumed it was because we were such a large crew. But Brian said he hear one girl tell her parents, “They’re ALL Americans!” He had even given her a wink.  

We headed back to the house to put the youngest to bed, while the dad’s took the majority of the kids to an ice cream place, that unfortunately had already closed. Again, we weren’t in the states where ice cream places stay open until 10-11 pm. The kids and dads happily headed back the pub down the street for ice cream and pints while the moms stayed at the house packing up a bit so we could head to the southern part of Ireland the next day.