Emerald Isle Virtual Tour – County Clare, Part 2

Welcome back on board for our virtual tour of Ireland, the Emerald Isle!  Before we leave County Clare for County Galway, our next stop, we’ll spend a bit more time exploring Clare.  It’s no mystery that our favorite hotel is Sheedy’s Hotel in Lisdoonvarna and for good reason as it is a lovely, luxurious family hotel.   

The lovely town of Lisdoonvarna became well known in the early 19^th century as a “Spa Town” for its Sulphur-rich waters and is now Ireland’s only surviving Victorian spa town.  Lisdoonvarna is also home to an annual Matchmaking Festival.   This festival takes place during the month of September as historically, farmers had harvested their crops by September and those who were bachelors were available to go meeting women in the hopes of finding a wife.  There are still professional matchmakers in Ireland and one of them has helped set up around 3,000 marriages.  At present there is uncertainty about the festival taking place this September due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

Back in 2014 on a trip there with friends Kaye and Barbara, we were staying at Sheedy’s Hotel during the festival.  The town was packed with people looking for love, hopefully in all the right places!  As we walked from Sheedy’s Hotel down to “The Square” we were approached by a gentleman asking if we wished to join him and some friends for dancing.  As we are all happily married, we declined but it certainly was fun to be asked.  Hmmm, how does Ireland feel about bigamy?

The Cliffs of Moher are only one of the many captivating sights to see in County Clare.  Fair warning about the cliffs though … some days it’s so windy that you feel as though the wind could knock you off your feet.  For that reason, this retired Safety Professional advises you to stay away from the unguarded cliff edges! 

• 

• 

• 

The wild and rocky landscape of the Burren, Kilfenora Cathedral, Celtic crosses, wedge tombs, stone forts, round towers, monasteries, holy wells, a perfumery, chocolate factory and lovely tea room on Galway Bay are just a few of the many other delightful sights to visit in Clare.

Loop Head Peninsula, on the Wild Atlantic Way, has the Atlantic Ocean on one side, the Shannon River Estuary on the other, the wild ocean crashing against cliffs, sea stacks, horses frolicking in fields, mooing cows and singing birds all which make me think that people traveling to Ireland should make sure that their itinerary includes this lovely area on the west coast.

A visit to the Loop Head Lighthouse is definitely recommended and if you’re lucky, you might be in the area when one of the pubs has a cèilì which is a social gathering with Irish dancing, song, poetry and storytelling.  John and I were fortunate in attending a cèilì last visit and it was a fun-filled night.

A climb to the top of the Loop Head Lighthouse is definitely worth your time and effort.  The views on a clear day take you south to the Dingle Peninsula and north to the mountains in Connemara.  Steven was our Guide last visit and he told us the story of the heroic climb down the cliff face in the 1940s by locals to retrieve what turned out to be the headless body of a British soldier.  Although Ireland was technically neutral in World War II there was a fair amount of military activity around her shores during war time.  I have to admire people who would risk their lives to retrieve and treat with respect the body of an unknown soldier.

Next stop, County Galway!