May 7, 2024 Galway to Limerick

It was luggage in the corridor before 7:15 a.m. breakfast, then meet on the bus for an 8:15 a.m. departure.

It took less than an hour to drive to Rathbaun Farm. We were greeted by Finton, who grew up on this farm. He lived in the thatched cottage which is now a museum. We were directed into a room full of eight tables set to make scones. Everyone was given a green apron and a pair of latex gloves and told to find a table. Each table was numbered and had a tray that had a large bowl turned upside down, scone cutter and a spoon. Also on the table was a flour bin with a china cup inside the bin, 250 grams of soft butter, a jug with premixed egg and buttermilk and 100 grams of sugar. Each person around the table had a job in the creation of the dough. It was step by step and after each step the bowl passed to the next person. Once the scones were cut, the scones were taken to the kitchen to be baked.

While the scones baked, Finton led us out to the sheep barn, where there were ewes and lambs and his border collie, Bailey. Finton explained the life of a sheep rancher, he also raises cattle. Bailey did a demonstration of sheep herding. Lambs go to market from 12 weeks to 12 months.

We returned to the dining room where our scones were on a plate on our numbered table set with plates, cups and cutlery and a bowl of rhubarb ginger jam and a bowl of whipped cream. There was coffee or tea to drink. The scone were delicious.

Next we toured the older part of the house where Finton grew up. The parlour had a peat fire burning in the hearth. There was a small gift shop that sold the green Rathbaun Farm aprons, T-shirts, jewelry and preserves. Jeanie bought a postcard with the sones recipe and passed it around for people to photograph.

We were back on the road by 11 a.m. following a road with views of Galway Bay, fields with stone walls and quaint villages in county Galway and county Clare. This area is known as The Burren with rocky hills of limestone in the Shannon region. Cattle graze on the mountain in winter, where grass grows in the cracks of the rocks during the mild winter.

At the Cliffs of Moher parking area the car park was almost full and there were well over a dozen large (45+ passenger) coaches in the coach parking lot. There were half a dozen 6 seater golf carts to take people with mobility issues up to the viewpoints.

The Aran Islands were visible today, even though it was overcast. The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher region covers over 530 square kilometres. From the coach parking lot the walk to the northern cliff viewpoint was just over one kilometre. The cliffs are 668 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. There are cliff walks stretching over three kilometres. South of the Visitor Centre is the path to O’Brien’s Tower. There are 147 steps to climb or a sloping path that the golf carts use. We had two hours to wander the cliff paths, visit the gift shops and have lunch in the restaurant or café.

Then it was back on the coach for the 70 minute drive to Limerick, where we arrived about 3:30 p.m. We waited for our luggage to be delivered to our room, then went exploring. As we crossed the bridge over the River Shannon, we spotted a spire and decided to find it. About 15 minutes later we found St. John’s Catholic Cathedral which was built in 1861. We had seen another church tower on the bridge and tried to figure out where it would be and headed back toward the river by a different route. We saw a sign to King John’s Castle and on the way found Saint Mary's Catholic Church, on Kings Island, built in the early 1930s and nearby the Bishop’s Palace built around 1740 and extensively restored in the 1990s. Initially it was the home of Limerick’s Anglican bishops. Across the street is King John’s Castle. King John built the castle between 1200 and 1212. King John was the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart and son of Henry II of England and Normandy. His father, King Henry II had made him Lord of Ireland after his older brothers rebelled against their father. King John was the English monarch who signed the Magna Carta in 1215. The walk was a little over three kilometres.

In the evening 27 of our group of 42 decided to enjoy an Irish medieval banquet. It was a 40 minute drive to Knappogue Castle which was built in the 1400s. It was expanded in the 1600s. We were greeted by medieval costumed lords and ladies and given a goblet of mead and led into the banquet hall containing more than four coach loads of guests. A young woman in medieval costume played a Celtic harp as people found their seats. We enjoyed a 4-course feast with unlimited wine followed by a 30 minute musical play containing Irish music, song and dance. The evening concluded with the drive back tot he hotel.

Steps 14,152