What a very lovely dog! We first saw this dog when we went down to the beach at Fanore and she was beautifully well behaved. The next morning he appeared at the door of B&B and was ready for more attention.
Someone told me that the dog’s name was Rosie, but regardless, a very delightful dog.
Quote of the day – “You could have sorted this, you’ve so wealthy you could have bought the pub” – Dave
Bravest walker of the day – Julian
OK, so I’m rather behind with the write-up of this week. So settle down, get a coffee, a chicken bake and a Viennetta and get ready for the story. Photos are partly uploaded, I’ll add more separately later on.
So, we all arrived in Doolin and spent most of the night in the pub, but that’s day 0 and I’ll come back to that evening later on. There’s a lot of stuff that I’m going to have to come back to. I was very well behaved, but I noticed that some others weren’t. However, as I say, I’ll return to that.
Day one was our first walking day, and I decided that the group needed a challenge. So five of us met at the youth hostel bus stop in Doolin and the other four stood on the wrong side of the road at the next bus stop along. The bus driver thought that they were idiots. Primarily because we told him that.
On the subject of the bus driver, he was exceptionally friendly and he was kind enough to take our photo when we arrived at our start point. He seemed confused as to why we would walk in the rain, but then again, I was similarly confused.
Anyway, the coach went to Lahinch which is probably a lovely place, but we didn’t really see it. Well, we saw the golf course and a castle thing which had half fallen down. The weather was dreadful and although we hoped it would stop raining, it didn’t all day. I was very brave about the whole thing.
The first part of the walk was mostly along the road, and Steve M and I decided that we’d rush everyone along to speed the boring bit up. I explained that this section was around three miles until we hit the coast. So, after eight miles, we reached the coast and it was absolutely lovely.
We did have a long stop though in the petrol station and two of the group needed the toilet. They didn’t think to go before we all went out, but I didn’t say anything as I didn’t like to cause a fuss. Well, no-one would believe how long we were in the bloody petrol station. Probably around 45 minutes, as some people wanted a coffee, some wanted chocolate, some wanted crisps, some wanted a lie down. And then Susanna decided that she would buy some bin bags to wear, which was actually one of my ideas. Bev, who sadly isn’t on this trip, looks lovely in bin bags, which is what gave me the idea.
So, with Susanna wearing an elegant bin bag, and everyone else rested, the process of walking continued. We were getting wetter and wetter and fortunately my new coat proved that it was waterproof. Although my bag certainly wasn’t.
Our arrival on the coast was hard to forget as Steve M and Steve B stood right on the edge of the very tall cliffs. It looked rather risky to me, but they seemed to know what they were doing, so I let them get on with it.
I was more sensible and stood around three metres away from them, which I considered to be sufficiently safe for my liking. The view was spectacular, even in the rain, and the Cliffs of Moher were an impressive site.
I was nervous about part of the path as there had been some reviews saying that it was difficult. Fortunately, it appears that the authorities have made the path much safer by building an inner path which was further away from the edge. I used this even if it meant ploughing through two foot of water, as I like the knowledge that I won’t plummet to my death if I trip over something. The path now is entirely safe and it’d take a complete idiot to actually fall off the cliff, although I was still worried about some of our group. Although I didn’t mention that.
Some of the others aren’t as worried about death as I am and meandered around whatever path they could find. I rushed off so that I didn’t have to deal with the fallout of any emergency, and also because I wanted to reach the lunch stop as fast as possible.
The lunch stop was at the visitor centre of the Cliffs of Moher and was busy with coach groups and those who had driven there. I didn’t like this as everyone else had cheated, with all these tourists being delivered to the visitor centre by car, rather than trudging through the rain for three hours as we had done. On the bright side, we didn’t have to pay to park and they did. Anyway, I didn’t hold it against them.
Actually, I did. I became quite irritated at the faffing about of some people with their umbrellas and fancy shoes, being careful that they didn’t stand in the mud. I was going to barge by, but I decided to be polite and just tut quietly for the twenty minutes that I was caught behind them.
The visitor centre was a welcome relief and enabled me to dry off around 1% of my trousers in the time that I had. I had a cup of coffee and sat down in a puddle, which was mostly created from my bag. The cafe wasn’t particularly warm, but then the other eight of our group arrived in and ordered cakes, chips and goodness what else. To be honest, I could have just stayed in the visitor centre all day and then got the bus back, but I have to try and look really brave.
The next part of the walk meant that we came back into Doolin, and some of us went via the road inland to speed the process up, whilst some continued along the footpath. The weather only started to improve towards the end of the day, just as we arrived back into Doolin.
There was then a little incident when someone accidentally told Susanna and Joy the wrong road to go down back to their accommodation. I’m not one to cast blame for mistakes such as this, but they really shouldn’t have headed off without a map, just on the say so of a non-local. The end result was good, they got lost and were picked up by an American tourist who kindly took them back to their hotel.
The rest of us were comfortably tucked up in rooms across Doolin trying to dry off, although that process wasn’t helped by some of the B&Bs not having radiators which were actually on….
The evening started in McDermott’s Bar in Doolin where we had a pint and Dave wouldn’t stop talking to the barman. Although Dave rarely stops talking and he went and did that whilst I dried things out in front of the pub fire. That was rather lovely I must say, and I did make some inroads into drying clothing off….. The pub wasn’t doing food and so we headed back to McGann’s pub which we had been to the previous evening.
Despite it being a Sunday evening the pub was still relatively busy, although the helpful staff were able to find a table for nine of us easily enough.
The group was its usual raucous itself, but like the titan of sensibleness I am, I managed to stay refined and above it all. I can’t say who was gossiped about, but the people involved will probably guess who they are. One of them was particularly talked about….
The beef stew and mashed potato was excellent, lots of beef which was tender and full of flavour.
And that was followed by apple crumble and ice cream, before a Guinness and an Irish coffee. All rather lovely.
The Guinness in the pub was excellent and there was lots of that consumed throughout the night. Mainly by Dave I’d add. One of the wealthier members of the group showed off their wealth by ordering an extra Guinness that we didn’t need…… It must be amazing to have that much money.
There was also some dancing, which I inevitably didn’t involve myself in, but some of the wealthier members of the group got themselves involved in that. It even included some of the locals from the pub.
At the end of the evening we decided to treat ourselves to a taxi journey home as four of us were miles away from Doolin. And walking home late at night along the road isn’t the most appealing things to have to do….
So, all in all, another brilliantly led walk and some of the best coastline that I’ve seen. A really beautiful location, although it was a bit of a shame about the rain.
I will catch up on the text soon! Photos from day two 🙂
I’ll write our first day of walking up later. For now, I can report back that it rained nearly all day and we got drenched. Here are some photos of the day…….
So, since the last update, we got off the bus and decided that we needed refreshments. Not all of the group are as youthful as me (well, frankly, none of them are, I’m the youngest) so they needed a little sit down. I obliged, as that’s easier. The cafe was a few steps away and they had some light snacks available which looked most suitable.
The selection of cakes in the cafe.
The chocolate and orange cake, very delicious.
The walk to the B&B for me…. Some of us were located nearer to the centre of Doolin than others.
We decided to go to McGann’s and this is the menu in the pub. It had a lively and welcoming atmosphere, and since it’s the off-season they were easily able to deal with nine of us. By that, I mean that they could seat nine of us, I’m not sure that they were prepared for the behaviour of the two Sarahs and Susanna, very raunchy and raucous… But, I’m not one for gossip.
My fish and chips.
Dessert.
There was live music playing which was, on balance, tolerable. I’m not a music person, but it was some of the better music that I’ve ever heard in pubs. I was trying to play with my camera to take photos remotely, but I really needed to position the camera in a more suitable place.
They pour Guinness properly here, letting it settle on the bar before topping it up. And the Guinness tastes good. Shame they didn’t have Murphy’s though.
Looks at that smoothness from Steve….
I look enthusiastic….
Anyway, there was a lot of gossip going on during the evening, but unfortunately I’ve had to redact the vast majority of it. Needless to say, Susanna is heading towards winning the “crudest person of the week”, but she does it with such style, as indeed she does everything else.
The friendliness is really evident everywhere and Dave is I think clearly planning to live in Ireland. I don’t think he is British, he’s far too social, he’s Irish through and through.
I decided to walk back to the B&B using my phone’s torch and I stopped to take a photo of the graveyard at night, which was very brave indeed. Tomorrow though I’ll share the taxi back, it’ll just be easier….
“I was in a prison toilet” – Dave.
Now that we’ve established that my peace in Ennis has been shattered by the arrival of Hike Norfolk, I’d better switch the blog to record this marvellous week of eating, drinking and gossip. And walking. I’m writing this on the bus to Doolin and we all spent the afternoon in Ennis.
Steve the Hat coming out of the pub.
Driving Steve coming out of the pub.
Aaaah, Murphy’s. Again….. We were quite a loud group in the pub, so I’m guessing the staff were glad we were at the back out of the way. Well, I say “we”, but really the usual culprits were responsible.
I won’t mention hatgate as some of that would have to be redacted, and I certainly can’t comment on some of the discussions that Susanna started…. Some of us had soup and some had chowder, and I won’t mention who got confused and started talking about chunder, as that wouldn’t be fair.
Sarah H walking down one of Ennis’s main streets.
Dave keeps finding people to talk to, and here we are in the tourist information office in Ennis. Dave got a heap of maps that I now seem to be carrying…. There was good and bad news about the museum, the bad news is that Susanna didn’t get to look around, but the good news is that I looked around two days ago.
Maggie paying on the bus in Ennis, we’re now on our way to Doolin on the Galway bus.
Steve the Hat got himself a lovely seat by the window, but then Sarah H decided she’d plonk herself next to him. Here is Sarah H playing.
So, that’s the first post done, hopefully the excitement of the troops will calm down a little bit, as I felt that Dave wasn’t far away from ordering shots……. It was raining earlier this morning, but fortunately the sun is now shining. I can’t imagine that it’ll last.
Well, my peace and quiet will now be interrupted as the rest of the Hike Norfolk walkers (and drinkers) have arrived. What could possibly go wrong…..
Some random photos of Ennis…… I leave here soon, but it’s been a rather lovely place and certainly very friendly. And quite rainy.
I learn something new every day, although most days what I learn isn’t particularly useful or relevant to anyone. Anyway, I had never heard of the chain Milano, but it’s owned by Pizza Express, which is evident by the nearly otherwise identical branding. I don’t quite understand why they have a different name, it’s something to do with the trademark not being available in some countries.
Since I had a little while in the library, I had some time to quickly read through a few of the books in the local history section.
The War in Clare by Michael Brennan
The story of the First World War in Ireland is of course very different to that of the First World War in Britain, as there was the additional element of the fight for Irish independence. This book is the story of Michael Brennan’s war, in memoirs which he completed in the 1930s. He writes about how he was involved in the Easter Rising and how he then spent the next few years in and out of prison.
Brennan was interned for some of the war and found himself for a period at Reading prison, in what was formerly the women’s prison. He found himself here amongst people of primarily German and Austrian nationalities, but anyone who was considered a threat to the nation was in danger of being imprisoned.
He also writes that “I have always emphasised to volunteers that armed action was only one arm in our fight for independence. I maintained that good propaganda was the other arm and the most important part of this was our own conduct. It was easy to behave well to our friends, but I argued that our critics and political opponents might become friends if we impressed them by our standards of conduct”.
Brennan went on to become the Irish Defence Forces Chief of Staff between 1931 and 1940 and died at the age of 90 in 1986. The book at Ennis Library also has a personal connection to Brennan since he has signed it inside the front cover.
Ennis in the 18th Century by Brian o Dalaigh:
This small book has an introduction to the history of the town, explaining that it has its origins in the early thirteenth century when the O’Briens, the Kings of North Munster, moved their principal stronghold to the area. The town didn’t though grow much in size and by the beginning of the eighteenth century it was a modest unwalled town which was smaller than Galway and Limerick.
It was only in the second half of the eighteenth century that the town started to really grow in size, and the book notes that the jurors of the corporation complained that “the carriages and chairs were daily in danger of being overturned by the vast number of horses, baskets and other lumber that on market days take up the whole street”.
The infrastructure also struggled and most of the roads to and from Ennis were in a poor state of repair, with the Clare grand jury who was responsible for them simply not having enough money to fix them. So, in 1734 a Road Act was introduced to establish a series of toll roads, something which proved to be of benefit to Ennis as at least people could get there.
The book also gives some population figures for Ennis in the eighteenth century, starting at 886 in 1700, going to 1,367 in 1720, to 2,108 in 1740, to 3,251 in 1760, to 4,906 in 1780 and to 7,567 in 1800. Although many of the urban improvements didn’t even start until the nineteenth century, and they were hardly completed then, the book notes that it was during the eighteenth century that “the essential pattern of urban life had been established”.
Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Peter by John Bradley
This large colourful book was published in 2015 and is generous in terms of the number of photographs inside of it. What is now Ennis Cathedral was conceived as a church in the 1830s, although it wasn’t opened and blessed until 1843. There were renovations in 1894 and in 1973, and it eventually gained the status of a cathedral in 1990. A more recent substantial project was the restoration of the spire in 2004, which cost a not insignificant €1.6 million.
The level of information is deep, without making the book unreadable. Although I’m still wondering why the beautiful railings which were added around the church in 1876 were ripped out in 1973 to be used instead in the garden of a private house in Killoo, Clarecastle. I also like how the cathedral clock became known as the ‘four faced liar’ as every one of the four faces told a different time.
Ennis at Work in the 19th Century by Lucille Ellis
This book is the story of how the town of Ennis grew during the nineteenth century, although it has been written from the perspective of certain occupations and families from the period. As a result the text feels rather random in places, although it’s an interesting look at some of the important families in the town.
The author quotes a description written in the 1770s by John Howard of the town’s hospital, which was the County Infirmary on Mill Road, who wrote:
“The County Infirmary at Ennis, built around fifteen years ago, has two wards on the first floor, one for each sex. The floors and walls were very dirty. None of the patients had sheets, two excepted, who said they brought in all their bedding; the others lay on a little hay or straw, and had hardly any blankets to cover them. No fuel”.
Sounds a marvellous model of medical care…… Anyway, the book does seem a bit loose in its construction, but there are a few interesting photos of buildings in the late nineteenth century.
