We've been enjoying Galway in the west of Ireland for the last several days and now
we're leaving town and heading south.
You can find the extended movie about Galway and Connemara in our collection.
We'll be driving along the west shore of Ireland past some very dramatic scenery, including
the Burren and the famous Cliffs of Moher.
It takes a few hours and halfway there we will stop at a spectacular viewpoint to see
the Cliffs of Moher.
Will be driving along with they call the Wild Atlantic Way.
It's a road along the shore with many fine sites including castles, some of them occupied
and others in ruins, but they’re always photogenic.
We'll see lots of pastures with sheep.
Sometimes cows are crossing the road in front of us and we have to slow down and let them
go.
This coastal road extends from the north of Ireland to the south, 1500 miles altogether.
Along this stretch one of the main sites is the Burren, which is formed chiefly of barren
rocky hills rising to a height of about 800-1000 feet.
It originally formed as sediments at the bottom of a tropical sea about 325 million years
ago.
It finally emerged as the barren limestone that we see today.
There is a surf school here at Sonor Beach which was quite amusing to my group, which
is from Hawaii.
From the Burren it's a rather short drive to what is the most popular natural attraction
in all of Ireland.
It's the spectacular Cliffs of Moher.
The area’s extreme beauty has made it a big magnet for most Irish tourists.
About 1 1/2 million people are visiting each year and that number is growing pretty rapidly.
They've developed a new visitor center and strict barrier walls to deal with the situation
and provide a safe and pleasant experience for the visitors.
Previously in the last century, it was possible for visitors to get close to the edge.
See this ledge of rock down below.
That was accessible to the public, but it just got too crowded and became too dangerous.
So, they blocked it off.
I've got some rare old footage that shows how it used to be to share with you.
And in a minute I'll have some tips about how you can still get close to the edge.
From this vantage point, you can look straight down, in fact, you’re beyond straight down,
where we are now.
We’re on a little ledge that’s hanging out over the top of the cliff.
And it's truly bizarre, to look down.
You're looking down about 800 feet, and it's one of the most dizzying experiences you can
ever have.
It’s really fabulous to be here in person and get this feeling of vertigo and exhilaration
and excitement is something beyond all description and beyond all picture.
It’s one of the most, it is the most incredible feeling of height that I've ever had.
It’s just too much.
You’re clinging onto the rocks so that you don't fall off.
It’s a sheer thrill.
This is the highest sea cliff in Europe.
That's how it was twenty years ago.
But the experience today is still quite magical.
The view looking down those cliffs is one of the great sights of the world.
In fact, in one recent survey it was named the world's best vista.
It's still possible to get close to the cliff, if you get away from this visitor viewing
area.
The cliffs extend for 8 kilometers south from here, and there is a nice hiking trail that
you can walk along, and you will soon find places where you can look straight down.
Just be careful.
It's called the unsupervised path.
These restrictions on viewing bring up the much bigger concept that tourism in large
numbers is affecting the sites.
Worldwide, places are getting more crowded, so the lesson is get out and travel now before
it gets even more crowded.
On this visit it was misty even though we were here in the month of May which is the
sunniest month.
You’ll have best lighting in the afternoon, especially if you come after 4 PM when it's
a bit less crowded.
But no matter the weather, the crowds, or the restrictions, you'll still love it.
They built a major new visitor center with a large gift shop and a wonderful display
of multimedia screens, and display boards of the history, the geology, the culture of
the area.
There's a small auditorium where they show a video that ironically they called The Ledge
so you can watch a video of the ledge.
Then have a cup of tea in their snack shop and be on your way.
Nearby is a well that supposedly has healing powers.
It's in a tiny grotto whose walls are thick with holy pictures representing various saints.
It's devoted to Brigid who was originally a Druid goddess and then later a Catholic
saint with healing powers.
A few miles south we’re passing through the small town of Lahinch, probably 70% of
the visitors to Lahinch are here to play golf.
Surfing is popular down at Liscannor Bay.
We soon reached the village of Miltown Malby, famous for traditional Irish music.
If you look on the left you'll see a statue of Willie Clancy, noted musician.
Next we arrive in Kilrush.
It's one of the larger towns of County Clare.
It's been around ever since the sixteenth century, but the town layout is largely from
the 18th century.
It's a little bit different than many Irish towns with the town square and the courthouse
right in the center.
We’re about halfway on our journey today from Galway down to Dingle.
Kilrush made a perfect place to stop for a while and have lunch and take a little walk
around.
Many good places to eat, ranging from cafés, sandwich shops, pubs and restaurants and a
very lively streets scene with all of the shops lined up on the main road.
The town is not exactly a tourist magnet, but there are some small hotels and bed and
breakfast where you could spend the night.
Quite entertaining to take a little stroll, take a break and then get back in our bus,
and continue on.
We will be crossing the Shannon River.
Our van drove right onto the ferry that's going to take us across the River Shannon.
It goes from Killimer to Tarbert.
The crossing just takes about twenty minutes, and it will save you a lot of driving time.
If you were to drive all the way up the Shannon and cross over and come back again, that could
take at least an hour, maybe two hours, depending on traffic.
So, it's a very popular way to get across the Shannon.
Just get on the ferry, crossing over from County Clare to County Kerry.
And it's great to get out of your vehicle and stretch your legs, get some fresh air
and enjoy the view.
Driving off, we continue south, heading eventually to Dingle but along the way we pass through.
Listowel, a typical small market town, population about 5,000 people.
A distinctive feature of the main street is the color and variety of the shopfront designs.
We soon arrive in the city of Tralee, which is the largest town in County Kerry, and it's
the county capital.
It has a population of about 24,000 people making it the eighth largest town in Ireland.
Tralee is a tourist destination with many fine hotels and a lot of restaurants and shops.
The town center is compact and a nice place to walk around.
And there's a nice history museum on the edge of town that we will take a look inside.
It could be a home base for visiting the nearby Dingle Peninsula and the town of Killarney.
There is a hiking trail that starts here and goes all the way to Dingle, but that's 100
miles away.
It would take eight days to walk it.
We will be riding in our van.
Tralee is wonderful place to take a break as you're driving on your way to Dingle.
And we go along the Main St., Denny Street, which is one of the oldest in town, and we
notice these Georgian-style doorways, reminiscent of Dublin.
Our bus stops at the town park right in front of the Kerry County Museum.
We will take you inside and have a look at their exhibit that depicts life in medieval
Tralee.
You walk through this exhibit that takes you back to the year 1450 with sights and sounds
and the smells of a bustling community.
You'll see people's clothing, their food, where they lived and step back in time like
a Smithsonian exhibit.
Along with three more floors of archaeological and historic displays.
The stated aim of the museum is to collect, record, preserve and display the material
heritage of County Kerry.
The museum is located in the Ash Memorial Hall.
The Tralee town park is right across the street with 35 acres, making it one of the largest
urban public parks in Ireland.
It has a rose garden set among lush greenery.
Downtown Tralee is lovely place to just take a stroll.
It's got one shop after another.
There are pubs, there are restaurants and lots of people out walking.
Like most Irish towns they do not have a pedestrian zone but they do have very nice wide sidewalks
that make it easy to get around, with friendly people you could talk with if you like to
strike up a conversation.
But for us it's time to go.
We’re back on our van with our driver guide Martin, heading to our main destination for
the evening, which is Dingle, where we shall spend the next couple of days.
Be sure to look for the Dingle movie and other movies about Ireland in our collection