Cliffs of Moher, Wild Atlantic Way and Galway!

Connor and I went on a fantastic day trip to the west coast of Ireland for our 4 year anniversary! During the 2 and a half hour bus ride, our awesome guide and driver told us really interesting stories about the history of Ireland, as well as about the places we were passing. I really enjoyed all the stories about fairies; more than half of the Irish people still believe in them! There are these ring forts that are believed to be bushes where the fairies live and there are over 45,000 of them throughout the country that have existed for thousands of years that no one will touch out of fear of disturbing the fairies. They even spent $3 million building a highway to avoid a fairy tree! Some people also believe that if someone you know is sick, you rip off a piece clothes and tie it to the tree and then in the night the fairies will come and heal them. We passed a few of these trees covered in strips of clothes on the drive and they were really beautiful.

We really lucked out that the rain held off when we arrived at the cliffs, but they were wicked foggy; one second everything was clear and the next you could barely see 2 feet in front of yourself! We also learned that a few people a year die taking selfies on the edge of the cliffs so we were careful not to get too close! At it's highest point, the cliffs are 700 above the Atlantic Ocean so it would realllly suck to fall...

O'Brien Tower marks the highest point of the cliffs. It was built by Cornelius O'Brien who was a member of Parliament that built the tower for tourists

Where they filmed a scene in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!!! This is where Dumbledore and Harry go to find the cave where the locket is hidden

These shields (O'Brien and Sullivan) they had on display were obviously meant for Aunt Rosie!

We passed some cool places  driving west and then along the Wild Atlantic Way, which has the Atlantic Ocean on the left and the "burren" on the right. JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis both lived along the Atlantic Way and you can definitely see how it influenced their writing.

We also saw some of the consequences of the Great Famine, which lasted from 1845-1852 and resulted in nearly a million people dying and another million people leaving Ireland. A new program was developed for building roads, which eventually culminated in the much despised 'famine walls' built up throughout the country, but particularly in the hills and mountains of the west of Ireland. These walls were built solely to provide work to peasants in return for food. More often than not these stone walls provided no economic or infrastructural benefit, but were built anyway. Thousands of people died working on these walls.

Bunratty Castle (stole this from Google!)

Clare Abbey

Dunguaire Castle

We passed a few homes that had roofs like this. They have to be changed every 4-7 years because they get so damaged by the rain.

Next we went to Galway, which was such a colorful fun city! One of the most interesting things we learned about on the walking tour of the surrounding area were the Tribes of Galway, which were 14 merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of  Galway from the 13th until the 19th centuries. You could still really feel their presence with plaques and huge houses throughout the city.

The symbol of Claddagh outside the shop to the right was made by a man who lived nearby to make an engagement ring for his finance. The heart represents love, the two hands friendship, and the crown loyalty. 

This bar is an original medieval structure, dating back over 800 years old. It was once the home of the Mayor of Galway, until it was seized by Col. Peter Stubbers in 1653. Stubbers is responsible for the beheading of King Charles I of England in 1649.

Smaller windows meant the family that owned it didn't have as much money. Since stained glass was very expensive, the bigger the window, the wealthier the family.

fun bar where we grabbed a bite!

We had an awesome guide and bus driver whose stories made the tour so much better! While we were in Galway, we stopped at the home of the Lynch family, which had some really interesting history. Outside, there is a statue of a monkey holding a baby, which is a tribute to a pet monkey that saved their baby (and only son and heir) from it while it was burning. The other side of the building is also famous, but for a more...negative reason. James Lynch was mayor in 1493 when his only son killed a young Spanish visitor in their home. When the city heard about it, they were furious and demanded justice. James Lynch didn't know what to do because he loved his son, but the people were restless and formed a mob demanding justice. Finally James gave in and hung his son outside a window of their home. This is where we got the term, "lynch mob." Not-so-fun facts!

Connor and I had a great time! We were so lucky to be able to see so much of this beautiful country!