In the company of my brother Bob & sister-in-law Linda, I returned to Ireland for ten days in September; lucky me! There was a light rain upon landing at Shannon Airport & as if to welcome us, the skies cleared & the sun shone. We all thought that this was a lovely omen for our trip & indeed it was. The itinerary for this holiday took us into the eastern section of Connemara on our way from Doolin, near the Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare to Carrowmore-Lacken on the North Mayo coast.
Castle in the Backyard 
View of the Cliffs of Moher 
Castle Tower
At our first lodging located along the County Clare coastline we stayed at a pretty hotel that had a castle tower in the backyard. Yes, sometimes your hotel in Ireland has a castle in the backyard! It’s difficult to top having a castle in your backyard but the hotel also offered a view of the Cliffs of Moher which was marvelous. The castle tower was built circa 1390 by the O’Connors who feuded with the O’Laughlins; eventually the O’Briens took over the estate which at the time comprised 5,000 acres. Hearing of the O’Connor & O’Laughlin feuding reminded me of the Hatfields versus McCoys feuds of the 19th century in the USA. The estate is now about 100 acres & includes the elegant Manor House which was built in 1840. In the 20th century the O’Callaghans bought the estate, added on to the Manor House & opened the hotel. Our hotel had an “Old World” elegance & charm with delightful staff to match the ambience.
As we were on the edge of the Burren for a few days we explored some of its charms to include a perfumery that takes its fragrance inspiration from the wildflowers of the Burren. The delightful Sandra gave us a tour of the perfumery & we learned that it can take at least ten minutes for a person to smell all three layers of a perfume, the top, heart & base notes. For that reason, it’s recommended to wait at least ten minutes to ensure that all three layers of a fragrance are smelled before choosing to buy a perfume. Who knew?
On our drive through the Burren we stopped at Poulnabrone Tomb, the oldest (~ 5,800 years old) dated megalithic structure in Ireland. Another lesson learned … a megalith is a large stone used in a structure made without mortar or concrete. One of the many surprises I encountered on my first trip to Ireland in 2009 was that some of the Irish ruins, such as Poulnabrone Tomb, are older than the Egyptian pyramids. See Burren Geo Park for more information on Poulnabrone Tomb.
At Poulnabrone Tomb we met Tomas, a talented & amiable craftsman. Tomas has a table showcasing his work set up outside the Poulnabrone Tomb property. In addition to the many beautiful pieces of jewelry crafted by Tomas are key rings upon which he can stamp a name in Ogham, an ancient Celtic language. We had several key rings stamped with our names as a nice keepsake of our visit.
On this trip we were happy to attend Mass at St. Patrick’s Church in Islandeady, County Mayo and spend the afternoon & part of the next day with family. Thanks to the research conducted by our brother Jack, we’ve met & become friends with the cousins on our father’s side in Islandeady. Our cousins are a grand family, with warm and generous hospitality. Time in their company is always a great pleasure filled with many laughs and our relatives’ delicious meals and baked goods.
Over the years, cousin Joe & his wife Irene have restored a traditional Irish stone cottage that was built in the 1830s. Jack’s Old Cottage is now a fascinating educational & historic site in Islandeady. Jack’s Old Cottage is signposted on the N5 road between Westport & Castlebar in County Mayo. I highly recommend a stop at Jack’s Old Cottage when you’re traveling in this area. In addition to the cottage, a lovely community hall has been built & is used for various activities to include dances, classes & indoor cycling. One of the delightful things about Jack’s Old Cottage & Community Hall is how members of the family & community contribute to this historic site & active facility.
For those times when you don’t have a castle in your hotel backyard or a view of the Cliffs of Moher, one might have a view of the Atlantic such as we had at our last B&B in Ireland. The views were spectacular, the hosts endearing & the breakfast, a gourmand’s delight!
Babbo Natale, the Italian Father Christmas, & I might meet up in a few weeks’ time. I invite you to follow my travel blog to see what transpires.
As usual a very interesting and informative blog.
What an interesting blog and great photos. I’m looking forward to your next adventure!