Day 9  Poulnabrone

Poulnabrone

Today started off in the usual way... Did my morning things like breakfast and read emails and comments etc (thanks to all those who send these through!). Then the Church bells started ringing, so I hopped into Mass next door. Still have people to pray for!!! And always after Mass I head straight for the beach.

Lahinch beach this morning

It had rained quite heavily overnight, but it had calmed down by the morning. It was just on the edge of showers.

On my way back I continued to check out yet another coffee shop. This time it was Joe's... and it was a good one!!!

Joe's cafe

Nice coffee

BY the time I got home it was nearly 12 noon, so I was thinking about what I might do with the rest of the day. I had bookmarked a few places on Google Maps before I came. I was looking for somewhere not too far. So my choice was 30 minutes away - just right! It was called Poulnabrone

Map to Poulnabrone

So I drove first to Ballyvaughan. I had my usual fight with the GPS. She was determined to get me on those back roads again, and this time I was more clued up and knew I wanted to go via the main road. But she was very persistent - with messages to continually turn right.... But I persisted and eventually overcame her! But it was a battle!

Ballyvaughan is lovely little village about half an hour North of Lahinch

Ballyvaughan Harbour

Had a lovely bowl of soup and slice of soda bread at the Tea Rooms across the road from the Harbour

Ballyvaughan Tea Rooms

Poulnabrone is a very ancient tomb that is made of rocks - as usual we wonder how they ever put them together in that fashion.

Wikipedia gives a short synopsis of it..

Poulnabrone dolmen (Poll na Brón in Irish^[2]) is an unusually large dolmen or portal tomb located in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland. Situated on one of the most desolate and highest points of the region, it comprises three standing portal stones supporting a heavy horizontal capstone, and dates to the Neolithic period, probably between 4200 BC and 2900 BC. It is the best known and most widely photographed of the approximately 172 dolmens in Ireland.

Here's more information from the official site

https://www.burrengeopark.ie/discover-explore/geosites-discovery-points/poulnabrone/

It was about 10 minutes south of Ballyvaughan and it was relatively easy to get to. It was just a bit tricky to find it at the end, because it was not highly signposted. According to Wikipedia they are discouraging people from visiting it, because of the possible damage that could be done.

A car park was available followed by a short walk. I had to be careful because the ground was quite uneven, and I'm not all that steady on my legs sometimes, but I was very cautious.

Here's a few pics that might show it  to you..

Poulnabrone

Poulnabrone

Poulnabrone

Poulnabrone

Here are a some information boards that were dotted around the paths

Poulnabrone Info

Poulnabrone Info

Poulnabrone Info

Poulnabrone Info

Poulnabrone Info

Poulnabrone Info

I was lucky on two counts when I got there...

1. I arrived there between showers, so I was able to see it all without getting wet.

2. Just after I had finished all I had to do and was heading back to the car, a big bus full of tourists pulled up!! The guy who took my photo and I looked at each other and said - that was perfect timing!!! Like at the Cliffs of Moher there were thousands of ants!!!!

So when i had finished, I headed back to Ballyvaughan so I could take the coast road home.

Coast Road from Ballyvaughan to Lahinch

I just love this road. It hugs the coast the  whole way. It started off with quite heavy rain, then almost mist. Sometimes it was hard to see the sea... I stopped along the way to take a pic of the misty view

Misty Sea

Once again I went through Doolin and Liscannor. By the time I got to Lahinch, the mist had cleared and it was almost sunny again...

Lahinch Beach this afternoon. Tide is in

So that was my day. When I got home I found a new hotel to have my half pint of Smithwicks - Kenny's Hotel. Then I started organising my blog and getting my photos sorted... and I ended up back at my Atlantic Hotel for tea. Lovely Roast Lamb tonight, but as usual even the half serve fills me up and I can't finish it!

And of course I walked home along the beach and though how lucky I am!

 Day 8 - A pleasant Sunday

Sunday Mass coming out of Lahinch Church

I had a nice and easy start to the day, with the Church bells reminding it me it was Sunday. I didn't need to leave my house until 2 minutes to 10, and when I stepped outside there was literally a procession of people all coming to Mass. I think most of Lahinch must have been there!. The Church was three quarters full. 

The poor Parish priest, Fr Willie, didn't deliver a sermon, because he said 3 masses yesterday (including First Communion) , 3 masses today and he was scheduled for 3 more tomorrow (including a funeral).

Sadly his fellow priest, Fr Des, has leukemia and has been in and out of hospital, hence the extra workload for Fr Willie.

But I was reflecting on the faith of the people of County Clare, and I realized that was where my faith came from, and that of my family. My great grandfather, John Curtin, migrated with his wife and young son and brought with him a strong Irish faith that originated here and has been maintained through at least 4 generations. Be interesting to see where it leads with our youngest generations... :)

I was reminded of the strong local faith yesterday at Marie's house, where she showed me her altar to Our Lady for the month of May. She lights her candles every night as a symbol of her prayers for everyone. I think candles must be a very Irish thing, because my friend Bernadette in Geraldton is nearly burning the house down with candles for me while I'm away!! 😂🙏 Thanks Bern.

Our Lady's altar at Marie's house

Just thought I'd take a pic of the Parish Bulletin, because I always reckon they carry a snap shot of life in the Parish!

Church Bulletin

After that I went for a walk along the beach and bought another coffee at The Coffee Hatch. Very popular place. And just sipped it as I wandered along the Promenade. I've been very lucky with the weather so far... yesterday was absolutely glorious - I was in shirt sleeves (see washing pic!!) In fact that was why we hung the washing on the line, because it was sunny with a lovely breeze to dry the washing!

Sunday Coffee

The lady who took my pic was from Texas and we had quite a chat about where we came from etc... You can always strike up a conversation here... people are very open and friendly.

Here's the beach this morning

Sunday morning Lahinch Beach

If you look carefully you will see that there are lots of swimmers and surfers in the water - the locals love this "mild" weather. I still had my jacket and scarf and hat on, because the wind had quite a bite to it!

You may not realize it, but Lahinch beach is quite famous for it surfing. Lots of tourists come for the surf alone. Apparently in the summer you can't move for all the campervans and caravans etc... I'm glad I've come now, on the change of the seasons.

Lahinch Surf Club

On a completely different note..

I forgot to mention from yesterday that Sean is taking his cows out of the shed now that the weather has improved. Apparently they are kept in the shed over winter because it's way too cold to leave them outside. He said he's a bit late bringing them out now, because they've had an exceptionally wet Spring. When we arrived up at the farm to visit Nora yesterday, Marie was telling that the cows are dirty at the moment, because they've been in the shed so long. So here's a pic of a "dirty old cow"!!!

Dirty cows

So all the farmers around Lahinch and Tullygarvan, where the Curtin property is, are very busy getting their cows out. You could hear them bellowing quite loudly and Marie said that's because they're missing their mates who haven't made it out yet. I could learn so much just hanging around the Curtin family!!!

Anyway... back to my pleasant Sunday.

After lunch I went shopping in Ennistymon, because I was out of  a few essentials of life... including a bottle of wine. Interesting the Australian brands that are available here.. I would consider them all the cheap and nasty brands that I wouldn't bother with in Perth... hope we are exporting some of our better brands as well. 

Then I stayed home and cooked a chook, while I watched the Gaelic football game between Clare and Kerry. Clare have been doing really well lately but they faltered badly today and sadly lost by quite a margin.

When the chook was cooked, I ventured down the street to get my half pint of Smithwicks, and the game was on the TV in Flanagan's Pub. I didn't stay long there - they sort of shoved me in a corner out of the way! So I finished my drink and took off!

Flanagan's Pub

Now I'm about to cook some vegies to go with my Roast Chook. And I did manage to find a nice bottle of Oyster Bay Sav Blanc - just to help me wash my dinner down!!!

So that has been my pleasant Sunday. Didn't do too much or move too far, but that suited me just fine!

Day 7 Wattle's Washing

Wattle is washing!

There were two plans for Wattle today - footy on the Internet... watching the mighty Hawks, and my washing!!!! 

Before I left Australia I subscribed to the "watchafl.com.au" site, which allows me to watch the AFL games whilst overseas

So I got myself all set up to watch the Hawks v Fremantle, which came on at the civilized time of 10.30 am Irish time. Well that was a big waste of time!!! If I was in Perth I would've gone to that game - maybe it's just as well I'm in Ireland!!

Sad but true

At least I had a break at half time, where I went down  to the beach  to get  coffee. The Coffee Hatch advertises the best coffee in Lahinch. It was very nice and later, Marie told me the owner lived just over the hill from her.. I think everyone in Lahinch knows everyone and everyone's business as well!!!

Coffee Hatch

But let's go back before the distress caused my Hawks terrible loss....

When I first booked my little apartment, the one stand out thing that was missing was a washing machine !! And not just my apartment, the whole town of Lahinch does not boast of a laundromat.

You can find some washing machines in Ennistymon - about 10 minutes away...

But... they are attached to a petrol station and they are out in the open... so you would have to sit there and wait for your washing on the grounds of the petrol station. Not really my idea of a good time!!

Anyway... back to the story..

When I booked this apartment, I pointed this out to Julia who was looking after the bookings and her solution was that I could bring my washing  down to her office and for a small fee, she would see that the washing was done. Sounds like a plan!!

But.... alas and alack... I took my washing down this morning and she sadly admitted that they no longer had the washing machine access and there weren't many options to offer as alternatives... unless I wanted to sit in the grounds of the petrol station and wait for my washing!!!

So, what to do... Thank God for relatives!!! I texted cousin Marie and she immediately said Yes... come on down!!

So once the footy was over (*sob* *sob*) I took myself and my washing to her house and we immediately put it on and we were underway!

Her children were in Ennis having their music lessons, but soon they returned and I had brought a few gifts for them from Australia, so it was party time!!!I wonder if you can see a common theme in the presents???

Ellen loves basketball so here's her Lauren Jackson top

Guess what Patrick likes

Moira Patrick and Ellen

Many thanks to my cousin in Melbourne, Liz Philpott and her daughter Julie who helped me choose and then collect the above items and deliver them to me whilst I was in Melbourne. The kids absolutely loved their gifts and I'm very grateful to Liz and Julie for their help in getting them... :)

Here are some more pics of the Shannon family. Marie and I share a common great, great grandfather. Our family emigrated from the farm that is still in the hands of the Curtins.  Nora Curtin (Marie's Mum) and Sean (Marie's brother) still live on Curtin land in Tullygarvan - just outside  Lahinch.

That dog Daisy is not spoiled!! NOT!!

Nora Curtin and Moira

Patrick Marie Ellen and Pat Shannon

Patrick Moira Daisy the Dog Marie and Ellen

Also had a few discussions about our heritage but it's bit hard to find out about our heritage... I'm still working on that.

Marie shared a few pics from her family

Patrick and Nora Curtin's wedding day

Sean Curtin - brother of Patrick (Marie's Dad)

So, my washing dramas led to me a lovely day with my family over here. At one stage Marie said.. "You look really at home here" And it was so true... I really do feel at home here in County Clare. And I do feel very much at home with the Shannon family.

While we were waiting for the final drying of the washing, Ellen played us a few songs on her fiddle, and it was lovely. There is something very poignant about Irish music, and Ellen has this in abundance.

Here's a little video that captures that..

So It's amazing where a story about washing take you in one day!! :) 

 Day 6 Ennis

O'Connell St Ennis

The day started off with a very soft and gentle rain... and I thought it was going to be a cold and wet day. My picture of the beach this morning reflects this...

Lahinch Beach on a rainy morning

I went to Mass at 10 am to say thanks for Jim coming out of his operation ok. As  usual we prayed for everyone who had died and one man in particular who was being buried at Ennistymon Church at 12 noon.  So  I just said my Eternal rest prayer for him, not realizing he was going to affect my day later!

In the meantime, I think I have a new 2nd best friend, because Dave, the TV man was able to fix my TV! Yay!!!!! He was up on the roof and round about  for ages in the rain, so I was very grateful that he got it sorted for me.

That kept me at home for a while, but my plan for today was to go to Ennis to try and sort out my issues with the sim card. So once the TV was sorted, I was off.......

And this is where the prayers at Mass this morning for those who died kicked in to my world!

Because I had to go through Ennistymon at just on 12 noon... and the whole town was stopped for the beginnings of the funeral... Apparently the gentleman who died was a prominent policeman in Ennistymon, so the cops just stopped all the traffic while the hearse was brought in.  Again the Irish culture was very evident in that local community... And nobody was worried about the traffic buildup. It was just a mark of respect to wait.

So once we got going again, I set my sights for Ennis, the virtual capital of County Clare It's only half an hour from Lahinch and the road was reasonable. Nobody was speeding along, everyone just kept a steady pace.

Dave, the TV man, had advised me where to park, which was just as well, because there are quite a few pedestrian malls and getting around can be a bit tricky. So I found his car park - next thing to do was to find a phone shop that sold sims

Here's a few pics of Ennis to give you an idea of the town...

O'Connell St Ennis

River Fergus flows through Ennis

Daniel O'Connell monument

Ennis street

So now the next challenge was to find a phone shop. I knew there was a Vodaphone one there somewhere, so I tried my Google Maps for walking, but I was getting totally confused with that. Anyway, I resorted to the age old trick... "Excuse me... do you know..." People are always so kind an helpful and the Irish are exceptionally so.

Anyway I got there and the lovely girl installed my new sim card so I can use the local Vodaphone network, instead of using my Australian Telstra connection, which I've been using intermittently for the last week. God knows what my Telstra bill will be like when I get home????

I wanted to pick up a few groceries so after asking around, I found there was a Dunnes Store - which seems to combine groceries with Myers!!!!

Dunnes Store

So then I had to find my way back to the car park. I usually have a reasonable sense of direction, so with a bit of luck and a few prayers to St Anthony I made it back.  Found something interesting on the way... 😁

Look carefully at the street name :) 

By this time the sun was out and it was a beautiful drive home through the very green Irish country side.

I've decided to stay home and cook for myself tonight. Just need to keep tabs on my diet and it will be good to have some home made pasta tonight...

So that was a lovely day out and I successfully completed one job!

Hopefully meeting up with my cousin Marie tonight.

Late edition:

Just caught up with Marie and we went for a lovely walk along the promenade - although I have to admit she is a bit fitter than me!!! Beautiful evening for it though...

Marie and Moira - Lahinch sunset

 Day 5 Aillwee Cave in The Burren

Entrance to Aillwee Cave is via the shop!

When planning where I might go today, there was one stand out and that was where i definitely would NOT go! And that was anywhere near Doonbeg, where Donald Trump is visiting his golf course at the moment.... I can only imagine the security and hoo-haa around that place. Hopefully he's gone soon so I can work out places to visit that might need to go through Doonbeg

The weather forecast for today was supposed to be cold and rainy, so I planned to go somewhere where hopefully I would miss the rain. I was discussing this with Declan at the Atlantic Hotel last night and he was suggesting Aillwee Cave, as at least it was out of the rain.

As it turned out it didn't rain at all. It was pretty overcast, but didn't actually rain. (Actually I'm hanging out for a bit of rain to wash the bugs off my windscreen!)

Did the usual trick of going to Mass this morning as I was praying for my brother Jim. (He texted me this arvo to say he was back in the ward, so thanks to all those who prayed/thought of him.)

Then I went for my walk along the beach - the tide was out and the sea was very peaceful

Lahinch Beach this morning.

Then I set my GPS for Aillwee cave. It gave me 3 options, but it has a mind of its own and once again it took me through every little back lane it could find between here and The Burren. 

Map of the journey

It was a nice peaceful drive, as there were hardly any cars around. But it wasn't a cruisy drive either as there were lots of bends and single lane roads. At least I got to see a lot of the country around Lahinch!

Corkscrew Hill

The pic above is of an area called Corkscrew Hill and the road certainly was a corkscrew in that part!

Eventually I arrived at Aillwee Cave and didn't have long to wait for the tour guides to call us in. There were only 4 of us on the tour, so it was nice and personal.

The cave was interesting enough, but I have to admit I didn't take in all the geological details.

If you would like to follow  some of the facts, try their website :

Aillwee Burren Experience

Here are a few pics of the cave itself

Aillwee Cave 

Aillwee Cave 

Aillwee Cave 

Aillwee Cave  Info

Aillwee Cave Info

The ticket also included admission to the Birds of Prey exhibition - no way was I going to that!!! I'm terrified of birds, but couldn't imagine having one land on my hand. And they were big buggers too.

So instead I just chose a sensible option ....

Coffee Time!

So now it was time to return to Lahinch, but I  didn't want to come back the same way I came, so I decided to come down the coast road. My GPS and I had a few arguments about this But I just kept going the way I wanted and she just kept "recalculating!!"

It was a lovely drive along the ocean road - it was part of the Wild Atlantic Way, which I have done a few times before. My heart just seemed to sing again as I followed the ocean road... so much better than the back roads and country lanes..

Stopped a few times for some pics... here's a few

Murrooghtoohy 

Murrooghtoohy

So it was a lovely drive home following the ocean.

Then when I came home I had some time to sort out my pics and start writing my blog, but after a while I could feel the need for my half pint of Smithwicks...  so I put on scarf and jacket and set off for possibly a different pub, but just as I got out my front door and was walking down the street, I heard someone calling out "Hello, Hello". It turns out it was the proper TV repair man who had returned from Dublin and was ready to look at my TV, which sadly hasn't worked all week.

So I came back inside  to let him do his thing (which unfortunately has not yet been solved, and he's coming back tomorrow!)

In the meantime I had an online video chat with my friend Fiona who lives near Manchester in the UK and is one of the few on the same timezone as me. Fiona was one of my much loved colleagues at St Clare's so it was lovely to catch up with her.

Then it was time to visit the Atlantic Hotel for my dinner... Roast Beef and real vegies!  Because I didn't have my Smithwicks today, I easily justified an Irish Coffee to replace this :) 

It's raining in Lahinch now - soft, gentle rain... but I still walked home along the beach..

Lahinch  Beach in the rain

So it's been a big day, but a good one.