We Explore the Cliffs of Moher

 It's cold and windy when we get to the Cliffs of Moher. I mean, it's September but that doesn't mean it can't get cold around here. In fact, this tour is the last one John will conduct until next spring. 

We start up the path to the overlook and, as we walk, we hear some hauntingly beautiful music wafting over the wind. A young Irish lass, all wrapped up against the chill, is sitting on a little stool, her harp hugged tight in her arms. She plucks the strings and the sound is heavenly. She softly sings the old Irish tunes. 

      

From the overlook we see the moss-covered cliffs rising up from the Atlantic ocean. The view is breathtaking.  

Not far away sits O'Brien's tower so we pay our toll and climb the steps to the top. There are the Aran Islands is in the misty distance. 

And, Nag's Head. The story goes that an old woman lived at Nag's Head (maybe that's where it got it's name). She had a lot of, shall we say 'admirers' and when she tired of a particular suitor, she'd go out and chang the signs to her house. The unlucky fellow would plunge to his death below the cliffs. And, then, I guess, she was on to the next 'victim.'

Now for a bit of tourist info. 

            O'Brien's Tower was built in 1835 and sits atop the highest point of the cliffs. 

                    The 3 very small islands of Aran guard the mouth of Galway Bay. 

The Cliffs of Moher is a favorite tourist attraction bringing in about one and a half million people annually. A lot of movies have been filmed here. Perhaps you saw it and didn't realize what you were looking at. Did you watch 'The Princess Bride'? Or 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' or perhaps 'Leap Year'. 

We climb aboard the bus once again. Actually we have to wait for Marie as she comes straggling along the very last one. She doesn't want to leave this fascinating place. Frankly, I was happy to get on the warm bus and thaw out my toes and nose.

Lunch is at 'The Lantern', this nice restaurant just sitting beside the road. Irish food is something Marie and I are 'exploring'. For our noon day meal we both order poached salmon with mixed vegetables. Salmon is a very popular fish for the menu here. So, we try it. 

The Lantern (the area) got it's name from one of John Paul Jones' heroic deeds. During the War of 1812 when Jones had slipped away from the British Fleet, he'd moved the lights from his ship and hung them in the trees on the shore to confuse the British. 

So, we head to Killarney.... More about that next time.