We had 6 cool lady travelers and myself spending 9 days touring the counties of Galway, Clare, Kerry, and Cork in late August and early September. We had great weather almost all the way, especially while visiting the show-stopping Cliffs of Moher and Dingle Peninsula. We also had great times at the lovely and peaceful Brigit's Garden (where we learned how to make Brigid's crosses and enjoyed a meditation with Jenny Beale) and the Ballymaloe Cookery School (where we met Darina Allen, had a tour of the grounds and organic vegetable garden, and were treated to a fun baking lesson on Irish breads, scones, and more with Debbie Shaw).
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| The Cliffs of Moher, County Clare |
Speaking of Ballymaloe, we had some delicious meals at beautiful Ballymaloe House and the award-winning Wild Honey Inn. In Dingle, some of us even started the day with a decadent bowl of Drambuie-flavored porridge at our great guesthouse owned by the Heaton family! We risked our lives crossing from Doolin to Inis Oírr on the Happy Hooker ferry--but it was all worth it for the gorgeous Aran jumpers on sale at Dara O'Conaola's craft shop and the delightful walking tour and talk we had with Cathleen Ní Chonghaile, who told us all about the unique crafts made on the Aran Islands. We also found ourselves enjoying modern Irish poetry movingly recited to us by Tony Kirby of Heart of Burren Walks, in the midst of the secluded and special St. Colman's Hermitage in the Burren. And we got the inside scoop on Galway City from guide and local man Conor Riordan, who even passed on a few tidbits about student life in Galway as he showed us the campus of his alma mater, NUIG.
Best of all, we had a man named John Donovan taking us everywhere we went, on one of the most comfortable coaches in the world, supplied by Butlers Buses of Cobh, County Cork. John was a fantastic guide and driver who cheered on the sun's appearance every morning, sang to us on long stretches of the Irish roadways, and converted us all to Rebel fans by the journey's end.
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| Our group at Ballymaloe House in County Cork |
There's much more, but I'll shut up here finally and let you see for yourself. You can check out pics from our visits to Galway and Clare on the Wayfaring Women Tours Facebook page here. (You don't even have to have a Facebook account to see the pics!) Our journey through Kerry and Cork can be seen here. If you like what you see, you can even like our Facebook page and show your support.
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| Two wayfaring women at the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry |
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