Gus O'Connors Pub, Doolin Ireland

Gus O'Connors Pub, Doolin Ireland

Note from Bill: Mary and I were fortunate to be able to visit Ireland on vacation earlier in the month of May. This posting is the 4th and final posting of a 4 part series on our adventure.

For our last 2 full days in Ireland, we bid Killarney goodbye and headed out through the Irish countryside to a little seacoast town in county Claire called Doolin for a stay at a charming B and B called Daly's House. The initial part of the trip was uneventful. The road between Killarney, Limerick, and Shannon is actually a real divided highway in many places.

Ennistimon cascade in Ennistimon Click to enlarge

To the west of Shannon, we left the divided highway and once again proceeded down what passes for numbered highways in Ireland. About 20 kilometers west of Doolin, we arrived at the town of Ennistimon where we decided to do lunch. Ennistimon is a little village that is stuck in time. There are huge developments taking place on the resort beaches to the west of Ennistimon. We saw many cars loaded with wind surfing equipment. But Ennistimon did not try to cater to the traffic that was passing through it. The town has several nice little pubs, which did not appear to serve food mid-day, and a nice little restaurant where Mary and I sat and relaxed for a few minutes. Just behind the village is a moderately sized waterfall complex called the "Cascade". In days gone by, the village used water power in its now empty small factories. At some point, I expect it will become a regular stop for people touring Ireland, but for the time Mary and I were there, we had the walk along the waterfalls all to ourselves. And we did not have to pay a 10 euro admission fee to boot.

After lunch, we headed back out to complete our day's journey to Doolin. We had about 20 kilometers to go, and felt pretty good right about now about our skill in navigating the Irish countryside. Just as we entered Doolin, we stopped by the side of the road to pull out the directions to Daly's House. While parked on the side of the road, a car raced towards us....Big Wack... our side mirror was now torn off the car and in pieces. The car that hit us sped off, never to be seen again. (If you see a gold colored Ford in Ireland with no right side mirror...Call me!) Oops.. we did not have the extra insurance. Luckily, there was no other damage, and more importantly no one was hurt. We were able to settle with Hertz for just over 200 Euro's when we brought the car to Shannon the next day.

Rental Car sans passenger side mirror Click to enlarge

Fresh from our little excitement, we arrived about 10 minutes later at Daly's House in Doolin. Daly's House is run by Susan Daly, a strong petite irish woman. She greeted us with a cup of tea, called the police for us to file and accident report, and told us about the area. One of the main reasons to visit Doolin is the Irish Music played in the several pubs in town. As I was getting thirsty, Susan directed us to take a 100 meter walk down the lane to Gus O'Connors pub. (Susan, by the way, used to be the owner and head bar maid in the place prior to selling it several years ago.)

Gus O' Connors Pub is one of the most famous pubs in Ireland. It is reputed to be the home of Irish music, and it is truly a special place. Each night, in the center of the pub, a table is left empty with a reserved sign on it. Local musicians wander in with their instruments and sit at the table, The bar tender provides them with their favorite beverage, usually of the malt variety, but I also saw a lot of hard cider. And then the musicians start playing. Irish folk songs, various ballads, bar patron requests, you name it, who ever is sitting at the musicians table plays what ever they want. Our first night in Doolin we got to O'Connors about 6:00PM. We actually wound up sitting at a table with another couple from Vermont. Many, many Guinness, and Jameson's later, we stumbled out around 1:00 AM. If the other couple did not have a plane to catch back home in the morning, I think we might have gone all night. O'Connors is that type of place. If you go to Ireland, and are in County Clare, it should not be missed.

Gus O'Connors Pub In Doolin Click to enlarge	Irish Singers In Gus O'Connors Click to enlarge

The next day, feeling surprisingly spry, we headed out to tour the countryside. Our first stop was the scenic Cliffs of Moher. Rising about 800 feet out of the North Atlantic, the Cliffs of Moher provide a stunning commentary about the linkage between Ireland and the sea. Rising straight up, the Cliffs are filled with all kinds of nooks and crannies which provide nesting space for countless sea birds. One sad point about our visit to the Cliffs was the commercialization of the area. Susan Daly told us when we returned to her guest house that the Cliffs receive over 1 million visitors per year. The European Union has just completed a $31 Million Euro project (about $40M at current exchange rates) to build a visitors center and walkways set back off the Cliffs to handle the crowds. While we were there, it was relatively peaceful and uncrowded with only a few tour buses in the parking lot, but the development along the Cliffs to handle visiting crowds is massive.

The Cliffs of Moher Click to enlarge

As a side note, I am sure that some development was necessary. The EU did not remove the old pathway on the edge of the Cliffs. I would imagine, that if 1 million people have been visiting it for a few years, more than a few tourists experienced a 800 foot dive off the cliff edge into the Atlantic. But no more.

After our visit to the Cliffs, we headed north down some very small country roads out into the Burren. The Burren, or "Rocky Land", is a vast plateau of limestone deposits stretching from the sea several miles inland in Country Clare. The limestone deposits are scarred by channels scoured by rain. Over the years, the channels have accumulated small amounts of dirt, in which many strange small flowers have taken root. Scattered throughout the Burren are ancient settlements. As the rock is basically impenetrable, you will also see the remains of ancient burial chambers spread out across the Burren.

in the Burren Click to enlarge

On our way back through the Burren, we took the coast road from the village of Black Head. I have driven the Pacific Coast Highway, so I have seen roads built on the sea coast in mountainous areas, but the views from Black Head to Doolin were out of this world. The barren, foreboding, other worldly Burren was to your left. The deep blue, wave cresting, boiling Atlantic was to your right, many times literally hundreds of feet down from the car door. It was a beautiful way to finish our tour around the southeast of Ireland.

That night, we headed back to Gus O'Connors for one last taste of the good stuff made by Irish brewers. With our vacation coming to a close, we were both relaxed and exhilarated at the same time. We had navigated through Ireland. Met a lot of very nice fellow innkeepers. Tasted our fill of various Irish nectars. Like all vacations, it was too short, but it was also time to go home to Killington.

Mary and Bill hoisting a glass goodbye to Ireland at Gus O'Connors Pub Click to enlarge

The next morning, Susan Daly cooked us our final Irish breakfast of the trip, we settled our bill, and headed out one last time down little Irish country roads. At about 1:30 in the afternoon, our plane took off from Shannon Airport for the trip across the Atlantic. By 4:30 PM, after just under a 6 hour flight, we were through customs and in our car heading back to Vermont.

I do miss the pubs. I need a Guinness!