On the way north to Clifden from the airport, we made a quick stop in Athenry (A-thin-RYE) to view the castle and church (now a heritage center featuring paid tours). One of the largest medieval towns in Ireland, the castle was built in the 13th century and the castle walls from 1310, of which about ⅔ of remain, including the North Gate. Thirty minutes was enough to walk around, and parking was 1€/hour in town, with a minimum of 12 minutes for 20 cents (this rate was the same in Clifden).

We took the short detour from the main road to view the Quiet Man Bridge, featured in the 1952 American film starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. The bridge also had lots of wildflowers in bloom and nice views of the lake.

After a quick refreshing nap at our B&B, we hopped back in the car to drive the 17km Sky Road scenic loop. Spectacular views but unfortunately few places to stop and take photos. The main overlook was busy but had spots on a late Thursday afternoon. Along this section we saw coastal views and even more wildflowers. The road is very narrow, so be prepared to pull over or back up!

We gave ourselves some time to explore town a little bit before heading to dinner.

Located right across the street from our B&B, we walked over to the Clifden Castle Gate & Wall around dusk. Lots of wildflowers in bloom: fuschia, Montbretia crocosomia, and goldenrod. With the exception of livestock we had the place to ourselves AND it wasn’t too muddy! We opted not to go inside but got some nice photos of the exterior.

There were a ton of wildflowers in bloom near our B&B.

Across the street we we also saw a pony and foal!