This past weekend was the first of our two weekend trips for the Champlain College Dublin program. This time it’s 3 days on the beautiful west coast!
Our first offical stop for our trip this past weekend was at Corcomroe Abbey (Mainistir Chorco Modhruadh)located just outside the village of Ballyvaughan, in the Burren region of County Clare. This 13th century monastery is full of detailed carvings and ornamentation, making it a very beautiful stop. Though the abbey has not been occupied since the 17th century, the surrounding cemetery is still in use.
From there we took a driving tour of The Burren (Boireann), a stunningly desolate limestone plain in County Clare. Poulnabrone (Poll na mBrón) dolmen, a 5,000 year old neolithic tomb, was our stop in The Burren. The tomb, a marvel of ancient construction, is made of two slender stone slabs supporting a huge capstone.
From there it was off to the Cliffs of Moher, where a break from showers granted us a few moments of sunshine and gorgeous views. At their highest point the cliffs are a shocking 218m high and winds off the Atlantic Ocean can be so strong as to blow people off the cliffs. Don’t worry… the area open to the public at the visitor’s centre has a protective wall to keep people from getting too close to the cliff.
The day ended in the little village of Doolin, where we gathered for a big group dinner at McDermott’s Pub and those of us who weren’t ready for bed stayed on to listen to some traditional Irish music.
In the morning we woke to unfortunate news. Hurricane Katia was sweeping across the Atlantic Ocean causing gale-force winds with giant sea swells and making the waters unsafe for the ferry from Doolin to Inis Oirr to sail. Instead of heading to the smallest of the Aran Islands we headed north to Galway City where we let the students have a bit of time to explore and get lunch.
Soon enough we were back on the bus heading into the mountains to find Joyce Country Sheepdogs, run by sheep farmer Joe Joyce. He invites people to his home where he demonstrates the art of sheep herding and training the sheepdogs. Despite the gusting wind and rain showers (suddenly missing out on the Aran Islands wasn’t looking quite so bad), the dogs… and puppies were great company for the afternoon.
Back in Galway the students had the evening to themselves. In the morning we departed Snoozles Hostel to head for Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Though not part of our original itinerary it was a stop that had enough indoor activities to keep us occupied in the rain. The castle and folk park gives visitors a glimpse into what living conditions would have been like throughout Irish history, from the great castle built in 1425 to the Kerry fisherman and even into the home of the Hughes Brothers, famous in Ireland for HB Icecream!
Our final destination was a very quick stop in Moneygall, home of President Barack Obama’s Irish ancestors. During his trip to Ireland this past May, President Obama visited this small village and even partook in a pint at the local pub. The village has taken it’s link to the president very seriously and is now full of American flags and Obama memorabilia.
Despite having to resort to Plan B, this past weekends trip was a great success… now if only the winds from Katia would calm down and leave us with some sunshine for a bit.
All the best,
Claire Gannon
Champlain College Dublin Operations Manager