So we had a great road trip . . . except my camera is gone. Where it is, we do not know. Best guess: I set it on the roof of the car and then drove off. But it’s gone. I was taking pictures on Monday but on arrival at our B&B Monday night there was no camera to be found. So the pictures from now on will be from Elaine’s camera or occasionally from my Moto G4 phone. Hey, it’s only a camera and it will be replaced when we get home. Stupid to lose it, but things happen. Fortunately I download all my pictures from the camera at the end of each day, so the only photos lost are the ones I took on Monday.
Monday
We headed out for County Clare at about 9:00 AM. We drove north through familiar territory to Tarbert where we caught the Shannon Ferry to Kilimer in County Clare. We were the last car onto the ferry for the 25 minute crossing.
In Clare we drove first to Carrigaholt Bay and Carrigaholt Castle. Just a brief stop there and it was on to Loop Head Lighthouse where we did the tour to the top of the lighthouse. Up until we got there the weather was cloudy and drizzly, but the sun magically came out just after we arrived. We stopped at the the Bridges of Ross which used to be three natural bridges but is now one, two having fallen into the sea.. Beautiful area but we didn’t walk far enough the see the natural bridge.
Click on the galleries below to bring up scrollable windows with full size pictures – the gallery previews show just thumbnails of the pictures
Carrigaholt Castle 
Loop Head Light 
At the Bridges of Ross 
We stopped for lunch in Kilkee at the Stella Maris Hotel. Then it was on to the Cliffs of Moher, one of the most famous sites in Ireland. On the way we passed Trump Doonbeg, Trump’s luxury golf club in County Clare. We flipped it off as we sped by. (Trump is coming here soon and invited the Irish Taoiseach, the Prime Minister, to visit him at the Golf Club. The Prime Minister turned down the invitation. Bless him. They will meet briefly at the airport.)
As is normal, the Cliffs of Moher were crowded with tourists and tour groups. It’s big enough to handle it, but I cannot imagine the crowds in July or August. While the cliffs are spectacular, there are cliffs almost as spectacular in counties Clare and Kerry that you can enjoy with nobody else around. Still, one has to stop. It was very windy!
After a walk along the cliffs we drove on (four miles) to tiny Doolin where we spent the night at the lovely Twin Peaks B&B. Doolin is four pubs, a couple of gift shops, and lots of B&B’s. And one more thing which I will talk about on Tuesday. We had a lovely dinner at the Ivy Cottage where we met and chatted with owner Frank Dineen. (For the Murphy’s, we asked if he was related to Kathleen Dineen in Dingle, but he was not.) The food was delicious. Crab cakes followed by Fish and Chips for me. Soup (Butternut Squash, Peanut Butter, and Chili) followed by Tagliatelle for Elaine.
The Ivy Cottage 
Wedding!! 
Squash, Peanut Butter & Chili 
Crab Cakes 
What Are They Having? 
Tagliatelle 
Fish and Chips 
See Our Shadows?
Tuesday
The plan for Tuesday was a pre-booked boat trip to Inis Oirr (Inisheer), the smallest of the Aran Islands. The worst thing would have been a rainy, foggy day. We got up to breakfast at Twin Peaks to beautiful sunshine. After a nice breakfast we drove the two kilometers down to Doolin Pier. As I eluded to above, the other thing that Doolin is famous for is as a boating gateway to the Aran Islands. The small dock was teeming with tourists for the several boats running to the Islands. We were booked with Doolin2Aran Ferries for the thirty minute crossing to Inis Oirr (for a three-hour stay on the Island) followed a return ride to Doolin with a cruise directly under the Cliffs of Moher. No vehicles on this ferry, only pasengers, so Winnie stayed in the huge parking lot in Doolin. Nothing in Doolin is big except the parking lot!
The boat trip and the walk about on Inis Oirr was delightful. The sun shone brightly. We had a nice lunch at Tigh Ned (Ned’s Pub). The pictures tell the story.
Cliffs of Moher from the Boat 
Upon redocking at Doolin, we jumped into Winnie the Peugeot for the two hour ride back to County Kerry via the Shannon Ferry. It was the 50th birthday of the ferry service. Happy Birthday Ferry! We stayed in Ballybunion for the night at McMunn’s Hotel where we had a nice room and a very nice dinner. From our room window we could see the Ballybunion (Bromore) Cliffs, Ballybunion Beach, and Ballybunion Castle. Ballybunion is probably most noted today as a golfing center. In the past it is famous as having been the spot from which Guglielmo Marconi (who was married to an Irish woman) made the first ever radio transmission across the Atlantic to Nova Scotia. That was in 1901. That explains the Irish, Canadian, and Italian flags flying at the ruins of Ballybunion Castle.
Wednesday
Not much to say. Before we left Ballybunion in the rain, we stopped for a picture with the Statue of Bill Clinton in front of the Gardai Station commemorating his visit here to play golf. The ride home and the rest of the day were uneventful. I barbecued chicken beasts, ground lamb skewers, and asparagus for dinner. Then to bed, to bed.
The pictures above are all from Elaine’s camera, some taken by me and some by her. Since it was a photo worthy road trip, here are some more pictures that I took with Moto G4 phone camera. It does pretty well in bright light, not so well in darker situations.
Brilliant pictures and exceptional narration! You Bring the West Coast the best coast of Ireland to life I am exceedingly sad about the loss of your camera but it is replaceable please except this from someone who is now becoming I’m sure traveler if you put these pictures into a book published it it is clear that you put a lot of thought and research into bringing your lives into something that others even in Ireland would benefit in reading it as a foodie only one where I can use Yum I wonder though have you found any place that serves chilies ?
Maybe you could borrow a kitchen and cook up a plate of chilies and frejoiles you could call the place Ola McJoes with Elaines!
Too bad about the camera, but at least you have a backup or two. Lovely pix, and yes, we can’t imagine how summer is teeming with tourists. The Aran Islands look gorgeous.
The cliffs are amazing and what wonderful new places and sights you saw this trip. It must have been frustrating that you can’t find your camera, thank goodness for the backups. Take care….Cindy
Hi Joe, sorry to hear about the loss of your camera.
Elaine’s camera does take wonderful photos.
Enjoy your remaining time in Ireland.
I have very much enjoyed your trip through your blog.
Fred C