Adare and Dingle

Our next stop in Ireland included a brief afternoon wandering the streets of Galway, followed by a side trip to the Cliffs of Moher while on our way to Adare for the night.  I worked for an Irish CEO for almost a decade who hailed from Galway.  As a result, I’ve always been curious to see her home town. We spent a couple of hours wandering through Galway's old town and relatively new cathedral.

The Cliffs of Moher are considered one of Ireland top sights.  These dramatic cliffs offer a stunning view of the nation’s rugged Atlantic coast.  They extend for more than 14 km and soar to a height of more than 214 metres.  We stopped for an hour to climb a series of paved paths and stairways that took as far as the Victorian folly, O’Brien’s Tower.

It was then on to Adare, a quaint, picturesque village south of Limerick.  The village offers a surprising array of sights.  This includes Desmond Castle, a ruin on the north bank of the Maigue, Adare Manor on the river’s southern flank and two spectacular churches; the Augustinian Priory and Trinitarian Abbey.

The Priory dates back to 1316, and the Abbey’s order of monks, to 1230.  We stayed at the Dunraven Arms. The hotel is said to be one of the oldest establishments in Ireland. It dates back to the Eighteenth Century. Sadly, it proved to be the least impressive place we stayed at in Ireland.

From Adare, it was on to the Dingle Peninsula.  We stopped in the picturesque harbour village of Dingle for a pub lunch before making our way past Inch Beach and on to Killarney.  While on our way to Dingle, we drove across the Connor Pass, Ireland’s highest roadway. However, low cloud shrouded the mountain top and we missed most of the view.  The road was still incredibly dramatic.  It often narrowed to a single lane with little more than a stone wall to guide us through the dense fog.

Follow this link to read about our two-day road trip around Ireland's world-renowned Ring of Kerry tour circuit.