Towards late afternoon we arrived in Ennis where we were to stay for two nights. The snow had eventually turned to rain, but it was cold, bleak and windy. We walked around the town looking for pubs where we might eat and hear some traditional Irish music. Keith bought me a CD of Declan O'Rourke and chatted with the guy in the shop who assured us there were at least four pubs that served "very nice meals" and had music. We found one, that proudly displayed a sign "live music tonight at 9pm". This is where we did eat and waited for the music. At around 9.45, we asked the owner when the music would be starting and he told us they didn't do live music on Wednesday's. This seems to capture something of the Irish, where you don't find out the full truth about anything - yes, we have live music but not tonight.
We awoke to a clear blue sky and drove to the Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs seem to arise out of no where - they soar 200 metres above the sky. Despite the sun, it was bitterly cold and we tried to rug up as warmly as we could. We made a dash for the cliffs from the car and enjoyed the spectacular views across to the Aran Islands, and up and down the coast and then down to the sea. This is a place of bleak beauty - but it was almost too cold to stand and appreciate. We headed back to the car and drank cups of coffee in the warmth before driving north up the coast towards Black Head.
There are these castles dotted around the country side that are crumbling down, but dominate the local landscape.
The colours of the rocks, sea and grass blend to an irish quilt of greys and greens waiting to be made back home. I love the rocky walls - these stones have been put together like a jigsaw puzzle and are then overgrown with gorse and bracken. In the spring time, Jane tells me that the gorse flowers bright yellow - this must be an amazing sight. I am enjoying the autumn colours, but at this place there are no trees and the landscape is barren and bare.
We decide to head towards a perfumery in the Burren National Park in a village called Corofin where they have a cafe. The countryside is gorgeous and it seems like we are driving forever along windy narrow roads with few signposts and there is an uncertainty that we will reach this spot on the map.
We stop firstly to see a dolmen. This is an ancient portal tomb that dates back to the Neolithic period, 3200BC. We are amazed that this structure has stood the test of time - the winds, the rain, the blizzards and the gales.
On arriving, we discover that the cafe is open during summer only - we can only laugh as it has taken us so long to get there. The pub in Corofin had looked inviting, with beautiful views across a loch. We arrive to discover it is closed to the public as there is a private function on. By this time is is 3.30, so we load ourselves into the car to in the hopes of eventually finding a pub that will find us. We are finally revived with soup and brown soda bread - an Irish staple that is delicious - as was the vegetable soup, that looked like pumpkin, but was probably mostly carrot and potato and warmed us to the core.
That evening we were treated to wonderful Irish music at a different pub. The pub is where the locals meet their friends and chat and socialise. County Clare is a gorgeous spot and we feel we have merely glimpsed what is on offer. Tomorrow we will do more exploring.
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