County Clare, Ireland ~ Part 1

...65 hours later, 5 weary travelers finally touched down in Shannon.

Mike's job is behind the right-sided wheel of our giant Renualt Traveler...

In no time at all, I feel a warm Irish welcome.

O'Keeffe Pub. My blood. The O'Keefe's.

We check into the Dromoland Castle...

...located on the 410 acre estate of the O'Brien clan...

(can you see the rainbow?)

...the grounds are lush and full of fun, family activities...

The walled garden was absolutely luxurious...

...the blood sausage, not so much...

We took the birthday girl on a genuine horse and trap ride with Sean and Paddy...

In Sean's beautiful thick Irish accent he spoke of the epidemic that has overtaken the county side. God's green earth that was meant for everyone to share and the over priced greed of man.... We told him it was the same back in the land of the free.

(photos courtesy of Lucky)

The ducks depended on Grandma and Lucky for their morning breakfast...

...this is how they got to them. The window is quicker...

The Irish country side is like one big patchwork quilt of different shades of green, speckled with sheep and cows...

...lots of stone fences....

...and the most beautiful foliage...

The roads are narrow, head on and fast...

Ladies and Gentleman....

394 feet above the Atlantic Ocean... I give you,

The Cliffs of Moher....

What would Ireland be without traditional Irish harp music?

Sir Cornelius O'Brien built this tower to impress female visitors...

I am certain Pat was impressed...

Mike was impressed by the view, too...

Lucky was most impressed by the oh-so-creamy ice cream...

You can run, you can hide, you can try to camoflage yourself....

...but, even across the pond, I'll make you stick your face in the hole, Lucky!

The town of Ennis is the 6th largest town on the island...

...there are a lot of stone statues...

...and a couple old churches. Some with roofs, some without...

Mike had fish and chips...

Watch out me, Lucky is the new paparazzi in town...

...now seeing the world through his own lens...

...capturing photos of the local teenagers.

They said they liked our accents. We said we liked theirs...

Father and son rest after finishing their back to school shopping at the local shops...

...and then we moved on.

Stay tuned...

More Gaelic adventures to follow...