Dunguaire Castle and Cliffs of Moher

After spending a couple of days in Galway, we set off in our rental car (an automatic, of course, no shame in admitting it!) to Dunguaire Castle and the Cliffs of Moher.  Pictured above is Dunguaire Castle, which was built in 1520 by the O'Hynes clan on Galway Bay near what is now Kinvarra, County Galway.  In the early 17th century the Martyns of Galway acquired the castle and Richard Martyn, the Mayor of Galway, lived there until 1642.

Oliver St. John Gogarty, a famous surgeon and literary figure, bought Dunguaire Castle in 1924 and began to restore it.  While he owned it the castle became a meeting place for Celtic literary revivalists like W.B. Yeats and George Bernard Shaw.  In 1954 Christobel Lady Amptill acquired the castle and completed its restoration.  For €5 from April to October you can visit the castle, which is restored to reflect how people lived from 1520 to modern times.

The castle also has a stunning view of the area from its tower, where you're welcome to step outside and admire as far as the eye can see.

Once we were satisfied with our Dunguaire Castle tour, we hopped back in our car and drove onward to the Cliffs of Moher.  Before we got to the cliffs, we ended up pulling over on N67 (after passing Gregan's Castle Hotel) when we came upon a rather windy and picturesque section of the highway.

Above is the view for which we pulled over--pretty great, eh?  Definitely one of many photos that illustrates why Ireland is also known as the Emerald Isle.

We finally made it to the Cliffs of Moher and, after paying the €6 entrance fee, began our ascent to the views.  It was pretty windy that day, as I'm sure it is most days, so I recommend bringing a windbreaker or some sort of jacket with you.

The Cliffs of Moher are located in County Clare and stretch for about 5 miles (8 km) on the Atlantic coast of the county.  At Knockardakin, which is north of O'Brien's Tower, the cliffs reach their highest point of 702 feet (214 m).

Pictured here is O'Brien's Tower, which was constructed in 1835 by Cornelius O'Brien, a descendant of Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland.  Ahead of his time, Cornelius believed that tourism would benefit the local economy and bring the people out of poverty.  So the tower was used as an observation point for the hundreds of visitors that came each year.  We didn't climb the tower, but for a small charge of €2 you can view Knockardakin, marked by a cairn, from the upper viewing platform.

If you're into pop culture fun facts, the Cliffs of Moher were used in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film in conjunction with Lemon Rock, which is 150 km southwest of the Cliffs.  They also doubled as the Cliffs of Insanity in the Princess Bride.

The Cliffs of Moher are obviously an extremely frequented tourist destination, but they're absolutely worth seeing, especially if you're into natural wonders.  We went right before tourist season hit, so we were fortunate that there weren't long lines or many tourist groups to weave around.  But even if you do go during peak tourist season, definitely make time to see the Cliffs of Moher--you certainly won't regret it.

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