Day Three - March 9, 2013

We woke up this morning to our first little hint of sunshine!  When we looked out the window, we saw it peaking through the clouds - albeit intermittently, but at least the clouds were peak through-able. 



My Leftie, on Hole 4

We decided to take advantage of the weather and play nine holes of golf in the morning then drive over to the Cliffs of Moher in the afternoon. 

East Clare Golf Village is a modest municipal course about 30 minutes away from our cottage, so we set up a late-morning tee time with them.  The greens weren’t exactly in the best condition and the rental equipment for lefties (poor Ted) was pretty sparse, but we were thrilled to be playing in Ireland. 

The course is a links style, as most of them are over here, and graceful foothills wrap around it on the horizon.  Just off the second tee box, we saw peat drying in the sun.  Peat is partially decayed organic matter that’s been compressed over the millennia.  It can be used as a source of fuel and the Irish have quite a bit of it because it forms in boggy/wetland areas, of which this country has a lot. 

Much of Ireland has been deforested throughout the centuries so firewood is sparse.  Therefore, these 2-foot peat briquettes have been filling the role for decades and the smell of peat burning in fireplaces is quintessentially Irish.


Not much in the way of a surf zone...

We wrapped up our golf game and headed toward the cliffs.  On our way , we stopped in Lahinch, the top surfing destination in Ireland (who knew!).  There, the swells come in from the North Sea so it can get pretty big on this section of coast. 

As soon as we got to the seawall, we saw a line up of about a dozen surfers in the frigid Atlantic.  The waves were peeking pretty close to the beach…which was lined with boulders.  So if you didn’t bail out from your ride in time, you’d have pretty nasty finish to your surf session.


Lahinch and O'looney's in the background

O’looney’s Restaurant, The Wave, was built right on the promenade and had a perfect view of the action.  We stole a seat by the window and watched the madness while enjoying a lunch of seafood chowder and fish and chips in the cozy restaurant. 

Surfing was actually on our list for this trip but the more we talk to the locals, the more it's confirmed that we have WAY over planned.  So we’ve had to make some cuts, a day in Belfast was one, surfing and fly fishing were two others.  Next time friends – we WILL surf the Emerald Isle.

We stopped into the Lahinch Surf Shop  and the owner was a very cool woman who gave us some pointers for board/wetsuit rental companies in town.  After purchasing some t-shirts with the shop logo, we walked down to the shore.  By that point, the swell had died off and most of the surfers were finished for the day, but we got some beautiful pictures of the waves rolling in.

We got to the Cliffs of Moher around 4 p.m. and it was even more beautiful than I thought it’d be.  Before leaving for Ireland, we saw some stunning pictures of the cliffs, but being there with the wind blowing in our faces and seeing the gulls coasting in the updrafts was absolutely breathtaking. 

Looking south along the cliffs

The cliffs rise 700 feet up from the sea and vibrant green grass grows over the tops and down the sides of the rock face.  It was a dramatic sight, and most certainly an unusual one as grass doesn’t usually grow on cliff walls.  Adding to that was the fierce wind, which was swirling the water far below us into massive circles.  



Peeking out through an archway at O'Brien's Tower

We walked north along the cliffs toward O’Brien’s Tower.  It was built in 1835 to serve as an observation tower for tourists.  Cornelius O’Brien, the brains behind the tower, was a progressive who understood the role of tourism in a struggling economy.

Just kidding, mom

Once we passed the tower, the substantial stone wall gave way to a meager path with only a mound of earth separating us from the drop off.
We braved the howling winds that felt like they were going to blow us right off the cliff.  But on the other side of the path was a pasture with precious, fluffy white sheep with skinny black legs.  I want one.

We continued hiking until we ran into a group of Americans who were taking pictures pretty far out on one of the overhangs.  They offered to take our picture (though, we didn’t stand as far out on the slab of rock that will one day fall into the sea, it’s just a matter of time) and we ended up chatting with them for a while.  We compared stories, gushed about the places we had seen, and we all agreed that this was certainly the most picturesque. 

Caution is King

As the sun crept toward the horizon, I told Ted that this is definitely my favorite moment of the trip so far.  While I went to Dublin years ago, it’s this is the kind of landscape I picture when I think of the Emerald Isle.  Green, vibrant, dramatic, and wind swept.  I feel so connected to my ancestral home.

Looking west over the North Atlantic