By far our favorite Neolithic structure seen during our drive through Ireland…read more The path from parking lot was gravel but to get close we had to walk over some weathered and rutted limestone. Tread carefully. The enigmatic portal has been standing for many thousands of years. Maybe a marker, a tomb or something else. A must see for those driving through the Burren.

Some 22 years, I first encountered Poulnabrone Dolmen, prior to the Cliff of Moher. I was very…read moreeager to revisit. The Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren, County Clare, is surely one of the most photogenic ancient sites in Ireland, with its thin limestone slabs lying elegantly atop one another. It's also the OLDEST dated megalithic monument on the island, dating back 5,800 years! But the accolades don't stop there. After the Cliffs of Moher, it's the second most visited site in the Burren.

I think the most interesting thing about Ireland are the ancient relics that are still standing:…read moreeither alone off the beaten path, or alongside more contemporary structures. The Grange Stone Circle in Lough Gur, located in a field off of R512, is the former, and it is definitely worth visiting if you are near Limerick. It is the largest ancient stone circle in Ireland and dates to the late Neolithic/Bronze Age. It had a ritualistic purpose and the center aligns to the sun during the summer solstice. To consider that some of the stones were brought from 3 miles away is just astounding, as is the understanding that this site dates to 2,200 BCE. To think of the ancient peoples that walked here so long ago is certainly astounding! The stone circle is definitely an impressive site to behold! More information can be found here: http://loughgur.com/destination/the-stone-circle/

Bigger around than Stonehenge The diameter of the upright…read morestones is 45 meters (148 feet) The diameter of the capped stones at Stonehenge is 33 meters (108 feet)

So this castle was fully rebuilt and restored but the owner died and left it to his children. They…read moredon't use it so it sits abandoned once again. Locals say there have been rumors of it becoming and Airbnb, or a museum, but as of now, this tower sits empty. It's a beautiful view if you hike from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher, or you can drive right next to it as well. You just can't go on the property until someone buys it from the current owners.

As Maggi R. mentioned, this castle is not open to the public. However, you can drive all around it…read moreand take scenic photos for social media - don't ask me why I do this. Regardless, it is quite a sight to behold. It's VERY scenic and picturesque if you drive above it to get photos with the ocean in the background. You will have to park on one of the few shoulder spaces on the roads surrounding it to take pix of it. You won't be able to get very close to it. It's a beautiful site to see, but unless you have other business in Doolin, don't go out of your way just to view this 16th century castle. It's just not worth it. I wasted half a day to check out this castle that I could only drive around. Other than that, I don't know a whole lot more about this 16th century Irish castle. Take a pass on this one and just enjoy the photos I have uploaded here. Not much else to do in Doolin...

I booked a tour via Viator for the Cliffs of Moher, and it included a stop at Corcomroe Abbey. This…read more13th century abbey is now in ruins, but still maintains some of its charm. My visit was on a particularly gloomy and rainy day in July, which added to the mystery of it all. If you have an active imagination, you can envision what it looked like in its glory days. As with most ruins, it is now mainly a skeleton of its former self. Airy corridors, separated by stone walled archways, and a real graveyard, complete with a bishop's tomb effigy. There isn't a lot to see here; you won't need more than 1/2 hour to explore and take photos. If you're traveling from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, it's along the way and worth the quick stop to appreciate the history and what once was. However, please be respectful, as this is a final resting place for many souls.

Made a small stop here while on a tour. A very nice place to explore. Nice little abbey with a…read moregraveyard. The place is basically a ruin. Seems to be in good repair and maintained, but would love to see it fully restored. Interesting piece of history. Good photo opportunities. Wouldn't come by here just for its own sake though.

Kilmacduagh Monastery is found 5 km from Gort, Co Galway. It was the birthplace of the Diocese of…read moreKilmacduagh, whose name means "church of Duagh's son". The 7th century Saint Colman, son of Duagh, established a monastery on land given him by his cousin King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin (died 663 in Ireland) of Connacht. The monastery contains a round tower, notable as both fine example of this particularly Irish feature but also because of its noticeable lean, over half a metre from the vertical. The tower is over 30 metres tall, with the only doorway some 7 metres above ground level. This site was of such importance that it became the centre of a new diocese, the Diocese of Kilmacduagh, in the 12th century; it is now incorporated into the Diocese of Galway. The monastery, because of its wealth and importance, was plundered several times in the 13th century. There are no words to describe this place - if you like history or architecture, this place is a MUST see.

What a great find in Limerick. We had no idea where we're gonna be able to run wild in an old Irish…read morecastle! We were able to go up into all the towers and look down from the murder room. We learned a lot, and we loved every minute of this impromptu visit While we were in Limerick for just one night after visiting the cliffs of Mohre

The first castle I've ever toured!…read more We paid €10.50 (student pricing) to get in. We gave ourselves about an hour but I definitely wish we came earlier for more time. There is so much to learn, watch, and interact with in the castle. It was super neat learning the history & even neater taking in the views. I could have easily spent 2+ hours just exploring every nook and cranny. There is a car park across the street that is free if you are going to the castle. The only downside is that the castle does close quite early, but I noticed everything in the city does. The hours for when we were there on a Saturday was 0930-1700. The car park closes when the castle closes. If you're into history & castles, I'd definitely recommend at least 2 hours to give a good visit here.

If you are a lover of James Joyce's writings, you might want to stop here and visit his wife and…read moremuse's childhood home. Nora Barnacle met Joyce in Dublin on June 10, 1903 and arranged to go on a date on 14th, but she blew him off saying she couldn't get away. Never a quitter, Joyce arranged for a follow up on June 16th and this time went to pick her up. For readers of Joyce's classic tome "Ulysses", June 16th will forever be known as Bloomsday. Nora's famous quote of Joyce lives on: "I mistook him for a Swedish sailor - His electric blue eyes, yachting cap and plimsolls. But when he spoke, well then, I knew him at once for just another Dublin jackeen chatting up a country girl." Though it should be noted, it took them 28 years to tie the knot and it annoyed Joyce that the media of the day made such a big deal of it. But they never got tired of celebrating June 16th! True love, eh?

Fantastic little museum! Very personal, detail oriented, with a generous guide. Highly recommend…read morevisiting for a quick stop to learn more about an interesting lady and her family!

Lots of ducking if you are over 5'0 tall, long walk down a tunnel, then many steps to the bottom,…read morethen you get to see the stalactite and it is all worth it, they give you a hard hard, not because they are nice (which they are) but because you will bump your head. Some of the passages are slightly narrow and until you get to the main cave they are very short. So walk low, make sure to wear your hard hat and you will be awed and amazed, especially when you see the tiny hole the original discoverers had to crawl though, make sure to walk around the path before or after your cave visit to see the animal the fairy village the original entrance and some beautiful scenery. Not a huge cavern but something to see when in the area. Takes about an hour down and back up, well worth the price of admission for a natural wonder,

We really enjoyed this stop. We were traveling with our 4 year old and a bit apprehensive on…read morewhether it would be manageable. Our tour guide was wonderful and really tailored his talk to things she would find interesting. There are 120 stairs to climb down (and back up!) but if a 4 year old can do it, so can you! We also had some tea and snacks at their cozy cafe. Free WIFI at the cafe. Tip: make sure you are dressed appropriately as you will get a bit muddy. There was also a nature trail to walk and lots of animals to look at.

I booked the Cliffs of Moher & The Burren half day tour through Galway Tour Company this past…read moreNovember. The value of the tour was great, only costing around $45 (42.50 euros) for an eight hour tour. I was able to select the pickup point at a nearby hotel. The bus was prompt and we headed on our way shortly after 10am. The tour bus driver was an absolute delight. Incredibly friendly and full of knowledge and funny stories. We stopped at a couple spots along the way including a castle, a very old cemetery, and a pub in Doolin. We drove through the Burren on our way which was a really interesting sight to see. I enjoyed learning about the geology of such a unique place. We had adequate time to explore the Cliffs of Moher once we arrive - almost 2 hours to roam around, take pictures, and check out the gift shop. Then we made our way back to Galway and arrived around 6pm. The timing was perfect and I really feel like it was a valuable experience. So glad I booked a group tour instead of renting a car and trying to navigate to the cliffs myself - the roads to get there were really wild and I'm not sure I could've handled it on my own (plus, it would've been way more expensive). I'll also note that the tour company reached out the day before my scheduled tour to let me know they had to reschedule due to the snow and ice that rolled through that night. They put me onto the tour the following day and communication was seamless throughout. I highly recommend booking your tour through Galway Tour Company!

If you're looking for a tour company while visiting Galway, search no further…read more My friend and I took the Cliffs of Moher and Burren Day Trip, Including Dunguaire Castle, Aillwee Cave, and Doolin which conveniently picked up right outside our Galway hotel. The scheduled time frame was 9:30am-5:30pm so not too early and not too late - just right when committing to a day trip tour time frame I'd say. The order of the day trip started with Dunguaire Castle (which featured misty rain when we arrived so not the best weather for traipsing around a castle - sadly it didn't seem that we were able to go inside the castle so this wasn't a long stop), followed by Aillwee Cave (note, this was an additional €20 if I remember correctly), then onto Cliffs of Moher (with perfect weather I might add; I think we had about 2 hours or so to spend here, including shopping in the store which has a lot of great merchandise), an added lunch break at Fitz's Pub in Doolin, then the last stop before heading back to Galway was the Burren. I really enjoyed the Cliffs of Moher stop as well as the Burren - the views were incredible for both. Sadly I didn't spot any puffins at the Cliffs of Moher though. If I could've changed anything about the tour, I probably would have skipped the Aillwee Cave to spend more time in Doolin. I definitely need to find a way to get back to that area to explore more. This was my second day trip centered around the Cliffs of Moher but the previous day trip left from Dublin and included a stop in Galway so it was through another tour company. Choosing between the travel for both, I prefer this trip originating from Galway - it was more reasonable of a time frame as the trip from Dublin started hours earlier and still ended around the same time. We booked this tour directly through Viator, and it cost for 2 adults $109.82 plus tip (which we tipped cash following the end of the tour). Oh and I can't end this review without praising our tour guide Barry Hopkins - he was fantastic, very personable and friendly.