We had to backtrack just a little to go to the Bunratty castle and village. We thought we could go there the day before, but it got too late and we saw the Cliffs of Moher instead. We got an early start that morning and drove to Bunratty Castle. Since it was Sunday morning, we didn’t see any restaurants open for breakfast, we got food at a gas station. It was actually pretty good!
Bunratty Castle was one that was refurbished instead of a ruins. It was built around the original tower and added onto over several hundred years. It was interesting to find out the history of it. We went on a guided tour so we learned which parts were built when.
The other nice thing about the castle was that on the grounds and for the same price, we got to see an authentic older village. They had houses and shops that were just like the old houses of several hundred years ago. It was interesting to see the difference in living conditions between the poor people and those that had some money. There was a lot more difference than there is now.
One of my favorite things while we were there was as we were about to leave, an older gentleman on a bench called us over. He had a violin and he played and sang a song for Marty. He had a beautiful Irish accent and it just added to the ambience of the whole experience.
We left there and drove to Kylemore Abbey. We barely made it there before it closed and had to run to get to the gate before they closed. What made it worse was this was one of the few times it was pouring rain while we were there.
Kylemore Abbey was built as a castle and then sold to become an Abbey. It is one of the newer castles and was built in the 1800’s. It’s also one of the more picturesque castles as it was never built for defense. It also has a large and extensive gardens and grounds. I wish we could have spent more time there on a nicer day.
The next day we spent much of the day driving toward Northern Ireland. We did have time to see the fairy bridge. It’s a natural formation that forms a bridge. It’s not well marked and we just about missed it. You could walk right up to it and around it.
We also decided we had time to see the secret waterfall. It was quite a hike, so just Hattie and I went in search of it. I just found this one little sign marking it.
We walked down a path toward the sea and met a couple other people. The information we read said it had to be low tide to see it. According to Google, the tide was going out.
We walked on rocks along the ocean and we met a group heading back our way. They had their pants rolled up and were a little wet. They told us they barely made it out and the tide was coming back in. So, we had to turn around. I guess the secret waterfall will remain a secret.
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