The Cliffs of Mohur and Galway

Today, I had a tour to the Cliffs of Mohur. It was one of the highlights of my trip and I couldn’t have had a nicer day for it. It started off overcast and foggy in the morning but by the time we got to the cliffs the fog had burned off and the sun was shining. I even took my jacket off and walked around in a T-Shirt. Our guide said that we were extremely lucky as the weather there very rarely cooperates like it did today. He told some stories where there were 60 MPH gusts that he had to deal with on certain trips.
Our first stop was at Dunguaire Castle. This castle is actually still in use and the host medieval banquets inside. Right now, however, the castle is closed for the tourist offseason. The location on Galway Bay provides some very nice views.

We learned a little bit about thatched roof cottages on this tour. These types of roofs are still being used today and on the trip we were able to view several different ones. The most important part of the thatched roof is the apex of the roof. If that leaks then it can rot all the remaining thatch so this layer is thicker than the rest.

Next, we stopped at Corcomroe Abbey. Going back almost a thousand years, this abbey is still in use today as a cemetery; however new graves cannot be opened and only existing family graves can be added to.

The next stop was at a portal tomb. This grave is in a limestone-covered area. This part of Ireland has a unique beauty of being highly saturated with rock. The portal tomb is built over a cairn and it is believed that people would come here to remember those who passed away.

After a traditional Irish lunch at a traditional Irish pub (I had beef and Guinness stew) we headed over to the cliffs themselves. As I mentioned earlier, the cliffs were one of the highlights of my trip. The view is just absolutely stunning. The sheer drop of the cliffs is breathtaking and we were able to see the Aran Islands in the distance. I took many pictures while walking along the cliffs.

I also took pictures from O’Brein’s tower. The tower cost two euros extra to go to the top of but I figured it was worth the price. Once I walked to the top I got some good views of the cliffs. I did this towards the beginning of my explorations of the cliffs.

We had one stop after we were done at the Cliffs of Mohur. We stopped at an area known as the “Mini Cliffs”. You can see the Cliffs of Mohur in the distance and this area is really popular for rock climbing.

When we got back to Galway I wandered around the city. It is a cute city with an amazing atmosphere. I wandered over to the Spanish Arch and took some photos.

After I was done wandering I went and had a pint in one of the pubs while listening to some Irish music before having dinner. I will end this blog post with one of my pictures from my wandering along the river and a picture of the musicians. Tomorrow, I will return to Dublin and hopefully see some more of the city.