The Wonderful West

Above are pictures that I took this past weekend after my trip to the West coast of Ireland.

A large group of us, about 45 students, toured the area and had an incredible time! After driving for a few hours, we arrived in Galway Friday night and had dinner at Monroe’s Pub. Not only was their Irish strew delicious but their live music was also quite entertaining.

Saturday morning, we woke up early and visited the Cliffs of Moher. If you are traveling to Ireland, you MUST see the Cliffs before you leave. As Ireland’s number 1 tourist site, the Cliffs surpassed my expectations and were breathtaking. The gorgeous scenery provides an excellent opportunity for photo-taking and the tourist shops at the site are filled with great memorabilia and trinkets.

Later in the day, we drove past Dunguaire Castle, had lunch on a farm, went on a hike up a small mountain, and even watched a Gaelic football game. We then spent Saturday night in the village of Carron in county Clare. This small town, surrounded by farmland, has just a pub, church, and post office. After dinner the local townspeople played traditional Irish music for us. Therefore not only did my trip to the West allow me to experience life in a small Irish village but it also incorporated the vibrant city-life of Galway. On the way back to Dublin on Sunday we stopped at Fanore Beach for a quick dip in the cold Atlantic Ocean.

Although my weekend was busy and tiring, it was definitely worth it. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous both days. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Ireland truly is such a beautiful country and driving from Dublin to Galway allowed me to see its green fields, rolling hills, and roaming cows and sheep.

I’m having such an amazing time so far in Ireland and I can’t wait for more adventures to come!

Courtney