Doolin

A coastal village on the Irish west coast, and home to the traditional irish music sessions, Doolin is really something special. Friends from Dublin, Lorraine and Simon, invited us to join them for the weekend, to celebrate our upcoming wedding. They picked us up from Shannon airport at about 11:45pm, friday night (4 hours later than expected - due to us our missing plane, but lets not talk about that), and we made our way to Doolin Cottages. After a few drinks we hit the sack, and woke up to the most beautiful crisp morning. Our cottage was positioned on a hill side with views out over the Burren and the Aran Islands. After a quick bite to eat we made our way into town, and hired bikes. We cycled north, up the coast, with the Aran Islands to our left, and the strange lunar landscape that is the Burren to our right. We made our way to a great beach called Fanore, and took in the views before heading back to doolin (with some sore rear ends). Amazingly there was snow on the beach. After a quick lunch in Lisdoonvarna, we drove up to the town of Ballyvaughan, which is positioned between Galway Bay, and the Burren. A lovely fresh pint of guinness was enthusiatically consumed, and our journey took us back to the cottage for a little siesta.

Later on saturday evening we made our way to Liscrannor, for a great meal of seafood, and then returned to Doolin to experience the music. We heard 2 sessions in different pubs, and thoroughly enjoyed them. It really is so relaxed, with different musicians arriving, and then finding a corner of the pub, and starting a session.

Sunday was again a clear day, and we decided to explore around the Cliffs of Moher. The wind was of polar proportions, and our walk along the cliffs was a chilling experience. A few weather fronts arrived, and we continued our journey in the car, passing Lihench (a popular surfing beach), and Spanish Point. After a relaxed lunch back at the cottage we were on our way back to Shannon, and the airport.

A great weekend in rural Ireland. Thanks very much Simon and Lorraine.