Look how excited she was for another day of sightseeing!
On the road again...the boys both sat with Grandma in the front seat as we started out again today.
I was so glad Moriah took her morning nap on the bus... I love watching my babies sleep.
First stop, Dungaire Castle.It was built in 1520 by the Hynes clan, a family who may have been associated with the area since 662 when the site is believed to have been the royal palace of Guaire Aidne mac Colmain, the legendary King of Connacht (one of the 4 provinces of Ireland) and father of the clan.
In the 1600's the castle was transferred to Oliver Martin and remained in his family until 1920 when it was purchased by surgeon and poet Oliver St. John Gogarty. He began restoring the castle and established it as the meeting place for the leading figures of the Celtic literary revival such as W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Lady Augusta Gregory, and John Milington Synge.
In 1954 the castle was acquired by Lady Christobel Ampthill who completed the restoration work before selling it to an Irish heritage corporation. It is open to tour in the summer with a nightly medieval banquet with costumed performers featuring Irish music and literature.
One of the ladies snapped this picture of our fellow tourist. He was a friendly kid from Australia. Several times during the day, he walked up from the back of the bus with a request of John, our driver/tourguide...."could you turn up the microphone, please?"..."do you have any tissues, please?"..."would you turn the air up, please?"... "can we take another vote - we think we'd rather see the Abbey than the coastroad after all." It was entertaining. He was very polite about it...he told me Moriah was a beautiful baby as he passed my seat during one of his inquiries. :)
Headed down into The Burren.
We paused at Gleninsheen megalithic (lit. 'large stone') tomb.
Then got out to see Poulnabrone Portal Dolmen (another megalithic tomb). The boys love running on the rocky terrain that is The Burren.
The tourbook I have talks about all the plant species that grow in the cracks of the limestone ground. Now it's growing and it is beautiful. The Burren is home to both Mediteranean and Arctic plants - a rare and unique area. 
John was a wonderful tourguide with a gift for telling the history (and folk lore) of this part of Ireland. As we passed Leamaneh Castle, he told us it's story...the folk lore version. If you are interested, this is the link to the history on the tour company website. The version we got included lady of the castle pushing scorned husband out of the top floor window...www.failtetours.com/maire_rua.html
The Cliffs of Moher - our featured stop.The ladies went to see the cliffs while I kept the kids at the visitors center. They took some gorgeous photos!
As usual, a very windy day!
This was my view at the cliffs :)
We drove on and stopped for a photo op overlooking the switchbacks in the road and Galway Bay.
Our Australian friend had lobbied successfully for a re-vote and won over the majority so we went to see Corcomroe Abbey instead of driving the coast road.
A Cistercian abbey founded in the late 12th century, it functioned for over 400 years.
King Conor O'Brien, a benefactor of the Cistercian Order and grandson of the Abbey's founder, was laid to rest here in 1267. This is one of only two royal effigies known to exist in Ireland.
Moriah took her afternoon nap with Carol...the kids did great again today, thankfully!
McDonagh's Pub in Oranmore (our village) We asked John to drop us off in Oranmore since we were driving through. We were glad to be getting home from this tour on time. I ran ahead so I could make it to the farmer's market where I buy my organic fruit and veg every Thursday. (Daniel is just thrilled with the plethora of vegetables we eat now.) I also wanted to make baked cod for supper since fresh seafood is a treat for us land-locked Midwestern folk!
I always admire this cottage garden when I walk into the village.
Later on after the kids were in bed we went in to The Crane to hear live traditional Irish music. The website stated that the music started at 9:00. We sat and talked until the music started at 10:15. "Irish time", remember? We've learned to go with the flow and enjoy it!
Friday - Quin Abbey & Bunratty Castle
The ladies and I went back to Galway Irish Crystal. Monday had been the preview day, and they had been thinking about what to buy since then. A few fragile items are on their way to the States as I write this :)
That task completed, we headed south. We took winding, one-lane, country roads lined with wild flowers and often covered in a canopy of trees. Nobody got a picture until we pulled over in this clearing; I think we were too enthralled with the drive! We'll take the road again when Hannah is here and show you.
We got to the village of Quin and ate at The Abbey Tavern. It was so nice to have a relaxed lunch with no time we had to be back on a bus. The food was so good - we'd highly recommend this place to anyone who finds themselves in the West of Ireland!
Quin AbbeyDaniel and Grandma took the kids across the street to the abbey while the rest of us finished eating. This is the abbey we found by accident when Mark and Michael were here. It's my favorite.
Anne told me the boys wanted to take pictures. Aaron took this one... 
...and Silas took this one.
This is one of Anne's pictures I really like. I adjusted the lighting so now it looks sort of surreal.
Looking across the Garth at the ladies in the Cloister. (We had finally finished our lunch and made our way to the abbey.)
Margaret and I are standing at the end of the cloister. Right about now we ran into the curator who was on duty for the day. I think it was Margaret who asked him whether he knew of a book written about this abbey. He replied that his mind is a book and we could ask him anything we wished to know. For the next half hour we asked and he shared many things about the abbey's history and architecture. I think we all would have stayed longer to learn more, but Daniel, Anne, and the kids had been waiting at the car for a while by now and we had to move on to Bunratty.
Margaret and I are standing at the end of the cloister. Right about now we ran into the curator who was on duty for the day. I think it was Margaret who asked him whether he knew of a book written about this abbey. He replied that his mind is a book and we could ask him anything we wished to know. For the next half hour we asked and he shared many things about the abbey's history and architecture. I think we all would have stayed longer to learn more, but Daniel, Anne, and the kids had been waiting at the car for a while by now and we had to move on to Bunratty.
Bunratty CastleThe ladies toured the castle while Daniel and I took the kids to the playground.
Silas stared up blankly at the bottom of the slide while dozens of school-age kids on a field trip slid down. I watched him for a while curious to know what he was thinking.
I finally asked him what he was doing. "I'm waiting so I can crawl up the slide."
Aaron had found a safe place away from the mob of older kids.
The groups did leave and the boys got the play ground to themselves for a while.
When the ladies were done touring the castle, we all walked around the folk park.
Many gardens here grow huge orange poppies... so pretty!...
...as well as climbing roses.
More fuchsia hedges!
I like this blurry picture. It looks like a water color painting.
We walked through the walled gardens.
Peonies are my favorite flower.
My precious view when she sleeps in the baby carrier.
Now we're ready for the Medieval Banquet at the castle!
Silas stared up blankly at the bottom of the slide while dozens of school-age kids on a field trip slid down. I watched him for a while curious to know what he was thinking.
I finally asked him what he was doing. "I'm waiting so I can crawl up the slide."
Aaron had found a safe place away from the mob of older kids.The groups did leave and the boys got the play ground to themselves for a while.
When the ladies were done touring the castle, we all walked around the folk park.
Many gardens here grow huge orange poppies... so pretty!...
...as well as climbing roses.
More fuchsia hedges!
I like this blurry picture. It looks like a water color painting.
We walked through the walled gardens.
Peonies are my favorite flower.
My precious view when she sleeps in the baby carrier.
Now we're ready for the Medieval Banquet at the castle!(I was mostly praying that the kids would continue their good behavior for two-and-a-half more hours until it was over.)
We were shown into the Great Hall and offered mead (honey wine), the authentic drink of this area in the 1500's. I personally thought it was disgusting. Glad I didn't live back then.
The harp and violin were beautiful.
This is a wood carving on the wall - wow!
Charles, the Butler, and the minstrels welcomed us to the feast.
Moriah, the only baby there, was a hit among the performers.
I think our kids were the only kids, period. Our minstrel/server (I wish I could remember her name) brought the boys down to show them the dungeon. They all were very nice to the kids.
The food was incredible! It was all authentic to the period. Who would have thought I'd love pureed root vegetable soup?!
During and after dinner, we were entertained by music, singing, and comedy. It really was a fun time and the kids did great...I had to walk out with Moriah fussing with about 10 minutes left. I'd consider that a success!
We stopped back at the gift shop after the banquet, and Grandma bought the boys Irish drums (bodhrans) to reward their good behavior all week. They really were exceptional. I kept waiting for them to show their more normal behavior, but was thankful for every day they didn't. :)
We were shown into the Great Hall and offered mead (honey wine), the authentic drink of this area in the 1500's. I personally thought it was disgusting. Glad I didn't live back then.
The harp and violin were beautiful.
This is a wood carving on the wall - wow!
Charles, the Butler, and the minstrels welcomed us to the feast.
Moriah, the only baby there, was a hit among the performers.
I think our kids were the only kids, period. Our minstrel/server (I wish I could remember her name) brought the boys down to show them the dungeon. They all were very nice to the kids.
The food was incredible! It was all authentic to the period. Who would have thought I'd love pureed root vegetable soup?!
During and after dinner, we were entertained by music, singing, and comedy. It really was a fun time and the kids did great...I had to walk out with Moriah fussing with about 10 minutes left. I'd consider that a success!
We stopped back at the gift shop after the banquet, and Grandma bought the boys Irish drums (bodhrans) to reward their good behavior all week. They really were exceptional. I kept waiting for them to show their more normal behavior, but was thankful for every day they didn't. :)
After this, it was time to leave Margaret and Carol at their hotel in Shannon, a couple minutes from the airport they'd fly out of the next morning. They are both part Irish, but from different backgrounds, and it was interesting to hear about their families' roots. We so enjoyed our week with them!
Saturday - Relax
We slept in and had no rush this morning. Daniel stayed home with the nappers while Anne, Gwen, Aaron, and I went to a few stores. We had to visit Royal Tara China again (the clearance prices really are a steal). Grandma bought the boys each a new pair of tennis shoes so we could throw out their stinky ones. We got some groceries. Nothing overly exciting...we needed a day of not exciting after the whirlwind of activities over the past week!
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