This morning we checked out of our hotel after having breakfast and headed to the Cliffs of Moher. Our path took us on A LOT of winding and steep roads in the Burren National Park. My daughter had us stop alongside the road quickly, and she got sick :-(. Guess she ate too many peaches. You can park along the narrow, winding road for free and tour the cliffs for free. We decided to pay the 12 Euro and park in a parking lot and be able to use the bathrooms and see the exhibitions.
The Cliffs of Moher Fun Facts
The Cliffs of Moher rise 214 m (702 feet) and expand for 5 miles over the Atlantic Ocean. The Cliffs of Moher were formed during the Upper Carboniferous period (320 million years ago) when a river flowed down and dumped sand and mud into this area which settled to form the rock layers. They are stunning and breathtaking! I wasn’t scared at these cliffs since there was a railing or some barrier between me and the edge at all times.
Cliffs of Moher
A view from the south side of the Cliffs of Moher looking north towards Obrien’s tower
Cliffs of Moher from the north side looking south
Bunratty Castle in Limerick
After finishing our tour of the Cliffs of Moher we headed to the Bunratty Castle in Limerick. On the way we found a cute sandwich shop in Baile Stairiuil called Foodie’s korner. We enjoyed tuna melt sandwiches, soup, an omelet, and a delicious slice of mint pie for 24 Euro.
A cute restaurant we stopped in to have some lunch
We made it to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park just after the castle closed. So we couldn’t go inside the castle, but we could still tour the folk park and see the outside of the castle. It was a discounted price of 22.50 Euro for a family. The castle was built in 1425 and the folk park is 26 acres of 19th century Ireland. During the 16th and 17th centuries it was a stronghold for the O’Brien’s (hey that’s my Granny’s last name!). The Bunratty Folk Park is a living reconstruction of the homes and environment of Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries complete with a village street, farmhouse and fisherman’s house. The door to the castle was still open…so we took our own quick, quiet, self-guided tour of the castle. To no surprise, the kids found another playground…this one had a zipline! They had a great time!
The Bunratty Castle
Playing on the cannons outside of the Bunratty Castle
A cool tree chair we found at the fairy village in the Bunratty Folk park, Gavin is trying to take over the Queen’s chair.
My daughter and son having school at the Bunratty school house in the recreated town
My daughter playing on the zip line in the Bunratty Folk park playground
By the time we got into Limerick we were too late to see King John’s Castle, so we headed to the hotel and checked in. We had dinner at a neat place in town called the Locke Bar where traditional Irish music and dancing is performed nightly. We had some traditional American food of burgers and chicken tenders that cost us 38 Euro. The food was mediocre, but the ambiance felt traditional. Our hotel was next to an Aldi! (I so wish we had one of these in our home town.) We grabbed some snacks and breakfast goodies for the next day totaling 12.01 Euro. We went back to the hotel and tried to sleep, but it was pretty difficult to get to sleep since the room was stuffy and Ireland hotels (at least the ones we’ve stayed in) don’t have air conditioners. We are heading to Killarney tomorrow, but going to Dingle Peninsula first to explore some beaches.
