Golf and The Burren

  Doolin, Ireland
Thursday, April 24, 2008

This morning we got up and had a delicious "Full Irish Breakfast" that traditionally includes a fried egg, toast, bacon (more like Canadian Bacon), light/white pudding (what we would call sausage links) served with assorted home-baked breads including the famous brown bread which is very hearty and full-grain.  Wonderful! 

Next we drove to "Doolin Pitch and Put" where Pat got to golf.  It had amazing views of the Atlantic and Cliffs of Moher in the backgroud.  A pitch and put is a links style course just with all the holes fairly close together so that there are no long drives to make.  What is unusual is how hilly this course was - more like huge bumps or berms all over.  I think they just covered up all the rocks on the site with a bunch of dirt and planted grass over it!   

Mom and Dad hung out at the Doolin Pier and watched the waves roll in while we golfed.

After that we took off for the Burren Perfumery.  It was an all-day trip with stops all along the way.  At Kilforna we stopped to see ancient Celtic crosses from the 11th and 12th centuries.  A lady gave us directions to the perfumery that went something like this;  "Go East until you come to the Castle ruin then turn left.  Follow that road until just before the 'Ring Fort' where you will turn right".  Nothing you would hear in the States!  The Castle ruin was from 1480.  The Ring Fort was old too, but we didn't get past their Tea Room before they closed!  Yum, Guinness Cake and Scones!  After that we visited the Portal Tomb Dolman.  It is an ancient grave site from 3000BC  yes, BC!

The Burren is an amazing landscpe of limestone rock.  I can't even describe it... think of the Moon.  It mostly looks like someone spilled concrete mix everywhere with deep grooves running through it.  This is where the flowers and plants grow.  Then there are huge boulders scattered around.  This goes on for miles and miles.  At the perfumery they make perfume, lotions and soaps from the flowers of the Burren.  It is the only place on earth where tropical flowers bloom next to arctic flowers.   

We are getting ready to call the kids and head out for a night on the town.  Gus O'Conners has live traditional Irish music every night starting at 9:00.  It is one of the three hot-spot Pubs in Doolin.