Our last full day had us leaving Galway in the late morning and heading south to (eventually) drop the car off at the airport that evening. I mapped out a route that would let us see some interesting sites along the way.
Our first stop was in Kinvara at the Dunguaire Castle. It’s been closed for three years because different government groups can’t decide on a path to restore it (according to the signage). It was low tide and it’s likely the views are nicer during high tide. We could see some swans in the distance but nothing up close.
From there we drove into the limestone-dominated landscape of The Burren to check out the Poulnabrone Dolmen, a stone aged tomb made of massive balanced rocks.
After seeing photos online we were looking forward to the Ennistymon Cascades but they were almost completely dry. The only sound of rushing water was coming from the fish ladders. Very disappointing.
Since we had a good parking spot in Ennistymon, we stopped into McMahons Bar to complete my goal of 5 Guinness’ in five different counties! This is definitely a locals place, with lots of horse racing aficionados. Eric went with a half pint of Smithwicks (more bitter than previous pours) and we got sucked into a conversation with a fast talking, thick-accented older woman named Ellen Long. Well, less of a conversation and more of a listening to her talk situation. 😳
The Quin Friary was a pleasant surprise, a mostly-intact building founded in 1433 on the ruins of an Anglo-Roman Castle from 1280. The roof is long gone but many of the rooms are preserved, including the cloisters, which was our favorite spot. A nice free stop!
Our last dinner in Ireland was in Bunratty, near the airport. We easily found parking in the dedicated lot of The Creamery Bar & Restaurant and grabbed a shaded picnic table outside. Happy to note that we could order (cheaper) burgers from the Locke Burger food truck and eat them on the covered patio. I ordered Eric “The Cheese” (American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and secret sauce) and “The Jack MC” for me (American cheese, black pudding, crispy bacon, sauteed onions and secret sauce) along with an order of rosemary fries that could have easily fed four people.
After getting our buzzer, I headed inside to the bar for drinks. I had been drinking a lot of Guinness on this trip, so I decided to try a Beamish Irish Stout this time (a little smokier and less bitter than Guinness, very good!) while Eric had a pint of the Murphy’s Red.