Ireland
Part I: Dublin to Doolin (and the cliffs of Moher)
The Congress was sponsored in part by Guiness and several of the associated social events were supplied with free samples of their fine products. This, however, was often just a warm-up for the subsequent exploration of Dublin night-life. Here I am with several colleagues at Trinity College preparing to head out for the evening to the Temple Bar district.
Howth Head
One afternoon of the congress was set aside for a bus trip into the surrounding countryside.
About 9 miles north of Dublin, the penninsula of Howth Head juts into the Irish sea. The photo above is looking south towards Dun Laoghaire. The ship is heading into Dublin harbour, which is just off the right edge of the photo.
Malahide Castle
North of Howth Head, this castle was the seat of the Talbot family from 1185-1973.
The stately home is set in 250 acres of parkland that include fine botanical gardens.
Its grounds contain the Fry Model Railway, a collection of handmade models of Irish Trains, beautifully detailed and engineered, and miniature constructions of Dublin's stations and other landmarks.
Doolin
From Dublin I took the train to Galway, then the bus south to this small, friendly village on the west coast of the Republic.
Doolin is nestled between the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren and the Aran islands and is reknowned for the quality of the music in its pubs.
The bus stops right in front of Paddy's Doolin Hostel, a great place to spend the night.
The Cliffs of Moher
Looking from Doolin south towards one of the most outstanding coastal features in Ireland.
The cliffs rise nearly straight up over 215m (700 feet) out of the heaving Atlantic Ocean.
For more photos and info: click here,
The Burren Way - Doonagore Castle
A 3-mile long paved segment of the Burren Way is a nice walk from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher through the Irish countryside and past Doonagore castle.
The Cliffs of Moher
As the fog and drizzle had rolled in by the time I arrived at the cliffs,this photo is taken from a postcard, rather than my hazy shots.
Both the visitor's centre and O'Briens tower (visible atop the cliffs in the picture above) are open all year round.
The bus from Galway (via Doolin) stops at the cliffs of Moher,
and I hopped aboard to ride to Killarney.
Next: Killarney
Site constructed by Murray A. Francis
email: murray@francis.com