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8 July 2014

Fionnuala (2) had trouble sleeping again and ended up in our bed.  Liam for the second morning in a row saw the clock strike 6!  Thanks to Liam though, our morning was relaxed and not rushed.  At 9 o’clock we were off.  Leaving behind the Gaeltacht.

 

 

 

 

 

We made a brief stop at the Supervalu in Killybegs for some picnic items and arrived at Drumcliffe at 10:45 for an early lunch.  At 11 AM it was almost empty and made for a nice place to eat lunch.  We bought tea and postcards and used the bathrooms before we set off again.  This is the best all purpose stop in the Northwest (a nice sight, food and restrooms with no admission fee).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made a stop for diesel later but were able to make good time today.  The traffic was light the whole way making for easy, stress free driving.  Fionnuala got her nap in and slept all the way through our picnic.  We arrived at Quin Abbey a little after 2 PM.

It really is a magnificent structure.  The cloister here is intact and incredible.  I’ve never seen a complete cloister (roof and all) before.  The Abbey was built in the 1400s and includes the tower from a castle that was previously on the grounds.  It was used on and off until the 1820s.

 

 

 

 

 

The only downside was we got yelled at for Liam being too loud and running.  We were surprised as this is a ruin and we were the only ones there aside from the caretaker and the man mowing the grass.  It still was beautiful, but less enjoyable with the employee scowling at us during our visit.  Thankfully, the children were not bothered at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From here we headed to Bunratty Castle.  The kids loved it and were really enjoying the Folk Village when it started raining and we were getting hungry.  Admission was  €30 for the family.  Bunratty is perhaps the best example of a furnished Towerhouse Castle in Ireland.   Built in 1425 and renovated in 1955, they have done a great job finishing it and the building is all complete allowing a visitor to wander into each room and see it as it would have been used.  As has been said by many, the only downside to this place is the HUGE volume of tour coaches that stop here as well as it being a popular first or last stop for visitors using Shannon Airport.  The castle is hard to miss as you drive on the N20 between Shannon and Limerick.  Even with all the visitors, it would be a shame to miss.  We gave the Medieval Banquet a miss since the children are so young, but will probably go when the children are older.  While cheesy and touristy, it is still a nice evening.

 

 

 

From the castle we headed to our B&B outside of Ennis for the night, Lakeside Country Lodge (NOTE: it appears to now be closed).  It is a big wonderful house on a lake with a view of a Newhall House (built in 1765) and Killone Abbey.  We checked in, unloaded everything and then went to eat.  Our landlady suggested the Poet’s Corner in the Old Ground Hotel.  It was perfect!  They were very accommodating of the children and the food and service were very good too.

 

 

After our meal we walked up to Ennis Friary, but it was closed (I didn’t realize it was paid entry).  It does look interesting, maybe next time we are here.  On the way to and from the Friary we passed the Queen’s Hotel which was mentioned in James Joyce’s Classic Ulysses.  We returned to our parking garage and headed back to the house.

The kids enjoyed  some time in the back yard and garden.  Then it was time for bed.  A good ending to a great trip!

The next morning it was off to Shannon Airport.  Lakeside Country Lodge is a 10 minute drive to the center of Ennis and about 20 minutes to the Avis Car Rental at Shannon.  The location is perfect for a night before departure.

We arrived three hours before departure and everything went pretty smoothly, we even had about an hour to spare at the gate.  As a wonderful bookend to our trip,  a family of three adults and four children sat in the chairs next to us.  They instantly caught Liam’s attention as he discerned the sounds of some Connemara Irish coming from their mouths.  It was great to see the children using Irish not just with the adults, but also among themselves.  It was an encouraging sight to see and made me think that maybe on our next visit we’ll head to Connemara.

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