Paddy's Day at the Cliffs of Moher

Full disclosure, I do not have a drop of Irish blood running through my body.  Also, I don't really drink alcohol.  Which is to say that my history with St. Patrick's Day is relatively inconsequential.  I could never honestly wear those funny pins that say "Kiss me, I'm Irish" because I'm not, and I've never used the day as an excuse to hit up every bar selling Guinness for the excessive consumption of alcohol.  I'm not Catholic, so my knowledge pertaining to the Saints is quite limited.  Before this year I didn't know very much about St. Patrick, who is accredited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the latter half of the 5th century.  In previous years, the 17th of March came and went much like any other ordinary day for me.  But from this point forward, I will think of St. Patrick's Day with fondness when I recall the memories from this trip to Ireland. 

On March 16th, we took a picturesque bus ride through the Irish countryside (as you can see from the picture of grazing sheep in a green field with limestone fences) to the quaint town of Ennis.  We stayed at the Old Ground Hotel which conveniently had a terrific, traditional Irish pub on the first floor. 

The hotel overlooked a most beautiful church...

...which had this more modern sculpture on its grounds. 

After unloading at the hotel, we wandered the streets of Ennis and eventually found a spot for a picnic lunch of brown bread, wine, olives and cheese along the River Fergus. 

On March 17th, Saint Patrick's Day, we piled into a van headed for the Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland's greatest treasures.  

We hit the road for a full-day adventure through the Irish countryside. 

Frank drove the van and was a terrific guide.  He had everything a good tour guide needs: extensive historical knowledge of every castle, pub and sheep field we passed, a clever mind full of great jokes to keep us giggling along the way, lots of patience for picture taking, and a cheery Irish accent.  His van company is based in Limerick, Ireland so he entertained us with the only clean limerick he knew:

Once there was a birdie flying high up in the sky,

who dropped a bit of whitewash into my little eye.

I did not laugh, and I did not cry,

I just thanked the Lord that cows don't fly.

Frank took the scenic route on the way out to the cliffs and let us stop at a few historic sites including this very old church in the town of Killinaboy (which sounds like a funny name but it's Irish for "church of Baoth's daughter").  If you look closely at the picture, you might notice that the stones are arranged to form a cross in the middle of the church wall.

We also stopped at Leamaneh Castle, which was built around 1480 and is now in ruins.  Frank told us the story of Máire Rúa (Red Mary), an infamous woman with flaming red hair who did everything she could to keep the castle in her possession.  She even placed advertisements stating her desire to marry a Cromwellian officer after her 2nd husband died to ensure the estate would not be taken from her.  This girl seriously loved her castle. 

One of my favorite things about Ireland was the expansive fields of green spotted with grazing sheep and bordered by limestone walls.  Truly beautiful!

The Poulnabrone dolmen is an ancient, and I mean ancient, burial site dating back to the Neolithic period (between 4200 and 2900 BC). 

Here is one of my "Amanda Artistic Pictures," as Ellen describes them.  

I propped the camera up on a boulder to get this group shot. 

We also spotted plenty of cows in addition to sheep as we drove along.  If you look closely, you might notice that the brown one is smiling for the photo. 

Fritz gazing out on the great Atlantic.

Before getting to the Cliffs of Moher, Frank let us hop off the van for a photo shoot at these baby cliffs.  This was just a sneak preview of the views to come!  Nothing like standing at the edge of the world to help put life in perspective. 

A contemplative Mitchel.

The weather was absolutely unbelievable.  I'm surprised Frank didn't try to charge us extra for scheduling the blue skies.  

The Cliffs of Moher are located at the southwest edge of County Clare, Ireland.  They are 702 feet above sea level with a straight drop down to the ocean.  They are made primarily of shale and sandstone rocks which have been cut away over millions of years to create the breath-taking views seen today.  There are more than 20 different species of birds living in the cliffs including Atlantic puffins.  Unfortunately, we didn't spot any during our visit.  Maybe next time puffins.  

The Cliffs have appeared in several movies including The Princess Bride (as "The Cliffs of Insanity") and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  

There is a substantial stone wall preventing visitors from getting too close to the edge of the cliff, but in the event of crazy risk-takers, these caution signs say it all. 

Standing on top of those cliffs and looking out over the Atlantic Ocean was truly a breathtaking experience.  One of Ellen's friends once described the Cliffs of Moher as a place where one could see God.

O'Brien's Tower built by Sir Cornelius O'Brien in 1835. 

This was a St. Patrick's Day unlike any other.  Over the past year, I have frequently found myself reflecting on how fortunate I have been in my life.  I was born into a wonderful, thoughtful, generous, loving family and now I am marrying into a wonderful, thoughtful, generous, loving family.  Thank you Mike, Ellen, Mitch and of course Fritz for inviting me to be a part of this unforgettable adventure.  I am truly grateful.