Day 62 - Fermoy to Clifden

6 June 2023

Today we drove the 260km from Fermoy up to Clifden on the west coast of County Galway. We stopped for a break at a beautiful park Coole Park, between Limerick and Galway. Coole Park used to be the home of Lady Gregory, who was a dramatist and folklorist. She surrounded herself with writers, such as George Bernard Shaw, Sean O’Casey and William Butler Yeats, and there is a fascinating (and free!) museum telling her story through the eyes of her granddaughters. We walked through the park to the seasonal lake, called a turlough, and on the way got talking to an Irishman and his three boys. It came up in the conversation that we feel that Irish drivers drive very fast, and he was somewhat surprised by this comment. I explained that when I am obeying the speed limit, especially when encountering road works, cars are flying past me. He laughed and told us that the speed limits are “merely suggestions”, and that the Irish are rule breakers at heart. No wonder I feel that I am slowing everyone down – however this little Kiwi will continue to follow the road rules!

Top two photos were taken at Coole Park. Bottom two photos were taken in Connemara.

Clifden is a little town on the Atlantic Coast in the Connemara area with a genuine Irish feel to it, which is no doubt why it is chocka full of tourists. Mum and I spent a lovely afternoon exploring the town including the Christ Church (which surprisingly was open and empty), the Town Hall where we heard children having music lessons on traditional Irish instruments, the tiny and very tidal harbour, brightly coloured homes, and a wide variety of tourist shops, pubs, and cafes. This evening we sat out in the town square, eating dinner and watching the tourists go by. The pub across the road was beckoning us, so we headed over and got front row seats while a talented Irish duo played wonderfully toe-tapping traditional Irish music. It was a lot of fun and there was plenty of audience participation, especially from the Americans in the crowd. Clifden is certainly livelier than Fermoy was, and I am very grateful that we have been able to experience the more fun side of Ireland.

The delightful town of Clifden - very colourful buildings.

The countdown is on, and we only have a couple more days before we fly out. Tomorrow we are planning to do the Sky Road before we start heading east again.