Because I like taking ferries, we crossed the Shannon on a boat and drove to the coast.
We briefly stopped at Lahinch Golf Club where Michael had played on a previous trip.
Our destination was a region of unusual geological appearance. The Burren is underlain by limestone which reaches the surface in many places and keeps the landscape gray and rocky. Despite this apparently inhospitable land, people have lived here for millennia.
Corcomroe Abbey and a ruined tower house surrounded by comfortable dairy cows represented the more recent inhabitants. Poulnabrone Dolmen revealed the more ancient residents.
Our primary reason for staying in Doolin was to spend the next day hiking along the Cliffs of Moher. We had dinner in town and then walked into the countryside where we enjoyed a glowing sunset over the town.
In the morning, our walk leader was Patrick Sweeney, a farmer whose lands border the cliffs and who helped convince his neighbors to allow public access and assist with trail building.
Our tour started at sea level in Doolin and gradually rose to 700 feet near O'Brien's Tower in the south. As the cliffs gained altitude and majesty, Patrick explained how he had grown up here and showed us where he had learned to surf below the cliffs. He pointed to tiny surfers climbing back up hundreds of feet and recalled how tricky that could be on the narrow path when the wind tried to blow them and their boards back into the Atlantic.
Our final destination in Munster was a 7th century monastery at Kilmacduagh just on the border with Connacht. An intact round tower stands within the still-active churchyard and cemetery, a proud monument under gray clouds.
