The Burren and the Irish Party Capital

From Bunratty we went to Corofin, a town on the south eastern corner of an area known as "The Burren".  It was wet when we arrived and the weather was starting to become more mixed, with greater emphasis on rain than dry spells.  We were hoping to visit the Cliffs of Moher the following day, but were told by the site owner that there was no point going unless it was clear and that the weather forecast was not good...  They were right about the forecast, so we went mid-way into the Burren to Kilfenora, to see an exhibition about the local area.  The exhibition covered details of the area from its formation in prehistoric times, through early life and settlements in the area to modern day.  It also gave details of the local flora, forna and geology.  Kilfenora also turned out to be the home to a church with one of the greatest number of "high" crosses - including the Doorty cross.

Kilfenora Church

We had planned to stay in a hostel in Galway overnight rather than camp as the weather was starting to get a little unsuitable.  However, for one reason and another, we had not phoned ahead and could not find a hostle with a spare room for the night.  As we had seen signs for a compsite on our way into town, we decided to have a good wander around and then head back to the site we had seen.  The town was good, but the campsite was not so wonderful.  We arrived in the dark and could not see the reception, so made the decision to camp and then pay the next day.  This was a great plan, but harder to execute than anticipated.  Next morning we found the reception, with a sign saying that it was only open from "6pm-8pm".  We weren't planning on returning for another night, or staying for the rest of the day, so we tried the doorbell (we knew there were people in the house) but got no response.  We didn't know what the rate was for the night, and could not see a postbox where we could leave a note and some money, so we had to depart without paying.

Doorty Cross, Kilfenora Church

We decided that we wanted to an evening in Galway and to catch some live music, but knew based on our previous experience that we would probably be too late to stay at a hostel, so we booked into a hotel on the outskirts of the town instead.  After showering and changing we headed off to do a little shopping before dinner in a fantastic restaurant called "Ard Bia" and live music in the "Crane" Bar.  It was an excellent evening, except for the weather, which was steadily becoming worse.

The next morning, we discovered that the weather forecast was again not good.  We had been getting steadily colder and damper whilst camping, to the stage where both of us had developed sniffles and we knew that we could not afford to spend the rest of the week in hotels or B&Bs, so we made the decision to head back to the UK on a ferry from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead that evening, via one last historical building.  

The Burren - 1

The Burren - 2

The Burren - 3

Ruins at Kilmacduagh

Abbey in Athenry

Gavin feeding a mule in Athenry

Tower House in Athenry

Cathedral in Galway

Galway city centre

Inside of Abbey in Galway