Day Six (9/19/18): “Ruin”ing a Vacation

We made our departure from the Dunaway farm around lunchtime, and headed northwest until we reached Limerick where we had lunch.  Despite being surrounded by ancient buildings, Limerick proved to be a very trendy, hipster-friendly city. At times, I felt a little out of place there, having no tattoos, piercings, strange hair, or a lumberjack

beard. It was sort of like being home. After lunch, Tim and I walked around town, observing the natives and their habitat.

We next paid a visit to the Cliffs of Moher, along the Wild Atlantic Way of western Ireland. The scenery there was, both literally and figuratively, breath-taking! The last remnants of Helene were blowing through, producing strong winds from the ocean. Still, the climb to the edge of the cliff and the lookout tower there was not as daunting as that of Sheep’s Head, where you had to work hard for your scenic outlook. Though much of the day was overcast, the sun at last broke through the clouds, enhancing the already colorful panorama before us. It made you want to stay there, staring out at the ocean for hours on end, listening to the surf crashing on the rocks below.

Reluctantly, we had to pull ourselves away and continue our drive toward our next host house, located in Tuam, situated outside of Galway. As the sun was setting, we paid an unplanned visit to the ruins of Kilmacduagh Abbey, a 12th century monastery that had fallen victim to attack (possibly by the Vikings?) hundreds of years before. The coming dusk, the full moon shining down, and the lonely, wind-swept landscape provided the perfect backdrop as Tim and I peeked around the shattered buildings and toured the cemetery. The history nerd in me absolutely reveled in it all!

When it had gotten too dark for photos, we concluded our journey to Tuam, and not a moment too soon as the rains began to fall just as we finished bringing our bags into the house. Our host Geraldine showed us to our private room with its own full bathroom. The only fault that I could find with the accommodations was that the ceilings were low and sloped, giving me numerous opportunities to inadvertently crack my head while moving about the room. Ironically, Tim, who was several inches taller than I was, didn’t share this problem.