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Driving the Burren Coast Road of Ireland to Doolin and Cliffs of Mohr

Taking the Coast Road in the area called the Burren of Ireland is stunning.  Mix vast expanse of Atlantic Ocean and the almost surreal rocky terrain with many the interesting sights and no doubt about it, it’s a Wow.  A continuous Wow.

We were lucky to do this on a sunny, blue sky “My Irish Eyes are Smiling” kind of a day.    The Burren, which means rock, is the area of Ireland almost directly west of Dublin on the opposite coast.  It is south of Conmarra (also wonderful) and Galway. The top part of the road borders on the Galway Bay and then swings around to the south along the rocky coast to Doolin and the Cliffs of Mohr.

We loved stopping at a little town called New Quay for the freshest lobster possible. So sweet and tender.  We ate outside, right near the water, enjoying our feast.  This funny little sign next to the pub/restaurant is clearly  a reminder that drinking too much Guinness  can  get you in trouble.

We drove through pastures, past the marvelous stonewalls with frequent cow and sheep sightings. The hills bloomed with wild flowers and these yellow bushes the farmers hate because they take over  but I loved the splashes of gold against the many shades of green.

The locals and tourists mixed and mingled  in the  little town of Ballyvaughn at a arts and crafts show,  ice cream store and in welcoming pubs. We went back to this town another day for the Farmer’s Market—an event with only a half dozen stalls but then it is pretty early in the season.  As you can imagine, the cheese produced in this area is delicious. Everything here is Farm to Fork.

Then the really dramatic scenery started. As we rounded the curve of the coast of the Burren and headed south, the ohs and ahs began as did the number of times we pulled over, trying to find a slight widening of the road, so we could stop to take pictures.   Along the way we saw rock climbers, cows by the edge of the water (don’t you think they must produce happy milk grazing in such a setting?) and many ruins of churches and old castles.

Farther down the coast we came to a well-known little town called Doolin.  With three pubs and a deserved reputation for being the center of Irish merrimaking, the tourists, folks with second homes, Irish weekenders,  backpackers buy CD’s and jam these lively spots for a foot tapping time.

The best way to see the Cliffs of Mohr is by boat.  Takes about an hour and is well worth the ride.  After that experience we continued on the Coast Road south to the spot where  at least 50 surfers were out catching waves. Surfing is a big sport here.  Hard to fathom. Such cold and miserable water but a lovely young Irish lady in a pub told me they surf year around.

In addition to the dramatic and gorgeous scenery, the route is filled  with   lots of cute and silly stuff.   Whether designed by nature or by human hand, this part of the world is a visual feast.

Post Author
Susan J. Smith
Susan's career includes writing for newspapers, lots of community work and a wonderful family life. Now she is enjoying traveling, photography and writing for DesignDestinations and Grand Rapids Magazine. She welcomes you on her journey and appreciates your comments.

Comments

6 Comments
  1. posted by
    Barb
    May 27, 2010 Reply

    Thanks Susan. Very fond memories of our trip in Ireland. Your blog is not helping me decide exactly where to rent our Irish “villa” for next year. …so much natural beauty…everywhere! What to do, where to go! Keep writing….

  2. posted by
    ann stevenson
    May 27, 2010 Reply

    Can’t decide which photos were most enchanting—loved the cows lounging at the cliff’s edge, bare bottoms of toddlers considering the water temp, or your two hats that I didn’t notice at first but then wondered how I missed them!

  3. posted by
    smithsj
    May 27, 2010 Reply

    Thanks, both of you. Glad you are having a good time taking the journey with me.

  4. posted by
    Peggy DePersia
    May 28, 2010 Reply

    I believe the traditional music shop is the same shop that Jerry and I stopped in to look for sheet music for ‘The Fields of Athenry’….not to be found but so fun checking out the place.
    I remember that road well and our night of traditional music in Do0lin,
    Have enjoyed all of your posts and am reliving some wonderful memories.

  5. posted by
    Stephen Rosselet
    Jul 28, 2010 Reply

    Just love you’re
    pictures and writing about where you have been. I get a vicarious thrill as thought I had been there. Steve Rosselet

  6. posted by
    DesignDestinations: Celebrating 125 Posts | DesignDestinations
    Dec 3, 2010 Reply

    […] a big priority for DesignDestinations whether walking the streets of Paris, meandering through the Burren in Ireland or exploring the coast line of Cinque Terre with great […]

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