Month: July 2022

Our stay at the Glass House Hotel in Sligo was most comfortable, but it was time to be back on the road. With Derry being a two hour drive, we decided to stop at the beach resort of Rossnowlagh, near Donegal, then Donegal itself. The beach and resort were very nice. However, it was cold and windy, but amazingly, a lot of people swimming in the sea!

Derry is quite a compact city, and very walkable. There is a walk/cycleway stretching along the Foyle River, and the pedestrian ”Peace Bridge” across. Derry also has the most complete circuit of historic walls of any town or city in Ireland. They stand up to 8 metres high, measure almost 2 kms around, and were constructed between 1613 and 1618.

After a pleasant meal at the Quay West bistro, with nothing a bother, and a good nights sleep at the Holiday Inn, we made plans for the next day in Derry.

We decided to visit Bogside, a city neighbourhood area just outside the wall. It is a majority Catholic/Irish Republican area, and a focus point for many of the ”Troubles” The end of many of the terraced houses are decorated with murals, illustrating the history of the area. This was the scene of ” Bloody Sunday” in 1972.

Sligo, in the north of Ireland, is our next destination. It is known for its literary heritage and rugged landscape. Unfortunately, the cool, cloudy weather that has plagued us throughout continues, with some light rain thrown in! The poet WB Yeats spent a lot of time in Sligo.

In the afternoon we drove the short distance to ”Carrowmore”, a neolithic burial area. Following that we motored out to Rosses Point, with two beaches and a very highly rated golf links course. It was cold and windy, but the sail boats and sailboards were out!

After two very enjoyable days in Killarney, the direction was north, destination Galway. Instead of taking a more direct route, we drove through ”The Burren”, which contains one of Ireland’s National Parks.

The Burren is an example of a Karst lanscape of bedrock incorporating a vast cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone, with cliffs and caves, fossils, rock formations and archaeological sites.

And so on to Galway, a harbour city on the West Coast, where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean. Our accommodation is the Nox Hotel, within walking distance of the town centre.

After a couple of comfortable nights in the Torc Hotel, Killarney, it was time to drive north to County Clare.

After a morning tea stop in Adare, we continued on and stopped for lunch in Ennistimon. Lonely Planet recommeded ”Oh La La”. They were spot on ,as the crepes were excellent. The Irish comedy series ”Father Ted” was filmed in this area.

So, on to the Cliffs of Mohr, and our first experience of large crowds of tourists. A very impressive piece of Irish west coastline.

On to our accommodation for the night, Vaughan’s Anchor Inn in Liscannor. Their seafood restaurant is highly rated! And very nice it was too!

After a very comfortable night in the Metropole Hotel, Cork City, the Pharts loaded up the car and headed west. Killarney was the destination, but via the very popular Ring of Kerry. The weather was overcast, cool and showery, but this is Ireland!

We decided to drive the Ring ”clockwise”, as the tour buses go the other way. We stopped in the very attractive Kenmare for a coffee, then lunch in Waterville. The latter is notable for the Butler Hotel, where the Chaplin family liked to holiday. Also notable was a number of children swimming in the sea!

Late afternoon we arrived at the Torc Hotel, on the outskirts of Killarney, and steady rain.

We drove the short distance to the town centre for dinner. It seemed extremely busy! We were informed the next day was the Ring of Kerry charity cycle race, therefore Killarney was full of cycling enthusiasts. We dined at the Curious Cat Wine Bar and Tapas. A great spot, in fact so good we had breakfast the next morning at their Curious Cat Cafe.

Killarney is very close to Lough Leane and Muckross Lake, so the Pharts decided to take on the Dinis Loop Walk. About 10kms all told. A good workout!