The weather couldn’t have been better for our trip to Inis Mór (or Inishmore), the largest of the Aran islands. It was a 45-minutes ferry ride from Rossaveal over a calm sea. We had brought our bikes with us, which was a little cheaper than to rent a bike on the island. Our destination on Inis Mór …
The monastery was founded by Saint Colman, son of Duagh in the 7th century, on land given him by his cousin King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin of Connacht. The Kilmacduagh round tower dates back to the 11th or 12th century. It was used by the monks as a hiding place in case of attack. At 34 metres tall, it …
We had found a pier on the River Shannon, where we spent the night. The next morning, we were surrounded by grey skies with no view so we decided it would be a good day to get some work done. The weather hadn’t improved much by the afternoon, but we drove north anyway, and stopped …
We were on the way to Bunratty Castle, but first we had to find a rubbish bin like nearly every day, a difficult task in Ireland, as there are no public bins. The bins marked on Park4Night are often only for recycling (glass, cans, clothes), but up to now we always managed somehow. Before we …
Our tour around the Dingle Peninsula started at Inch Beach, where we had better weather in the morning, and went for a walk along the beach. You are allowed to even drive at the beach, but salty sand is nothing we want near our car. Boring but reasonable. We passed the town of Dingle, where …
Waking up in the morning, we noticed that a cycling event took place around the Ring of Kerry, with about 4,000 cyclists, passing our parking for the night. Luckily, they were driving in the opposite direction, so that we had no problem to drive the last part until we came to Killarney. After we did …
We had started our Ring of Kerry tour at Kenmare, where went for an Irish breakfast, to be prepared for exploring the peninsula. We stopped at Sneem for a walk through the village and a look into another wool shop, still no jumper for us. Next we tackled the narrow drive to Staigue Fort, a …
Back from Mizen Head, we stopped at Glengarriff. Edi needed time to work, but Cordy could take a little boat to Garnish Island, with its beautiful garden, and enjoy the good weather. The garden was designed for John Annan Bryce, (1841–1923), who purchased the island from the War Office in 1910. Bryce’s son Roland bequeathed the island to …
Mizen Head, with its dramatic cliff scenery, is traditionally regarded as the most southerly point of mainland Ireland, but it is actually nearby Brow Head, which reaches a little bit further south. One of the main transatlantic shipping routes passes close by, and Mizen Head was, for many seafarers, the first (or last) sight of Europe. The tip of …
On the way to Bantry Bay, we came past Ballydehob, where we stopped to admire the old railway bridge. The magnificent 12 arch bridge, which dominates the estuary of Ballydehob, was the major engineering achievement of the narrow gauge Schull and Skibbereen Railway. Coal shortages and the arrival of buses and motor cars eventually brought …
