A Royal Good Time!

Permian Orchestra in Ireland: Day 4 & 5

"On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again..." Truer words have never been spoken, unless they have driven on the back country roads in Ireland. Bumpy doesn't begin to describe it!

The plan yesterday was to visit very old castles. The first on the itinerary was the Blarney Castle in the County Cork. The Blarney Castle was built in 1480 by Cormac Laidir McCarthy. He was known to be a bit of a charmer and had a way with words. It is said if you kiss the Blarney Stone on the 5th story, you are gifted with McCarthy's "Gift of Gab". We shall see.

After a great meal and some shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills, we loaded up and headed for the Bunratty Folk Park and Castle. The Bunratty Castle was built in 1425 and was originally owned and ruled by the famous O'Brien clan. After many centuries it fell into major disrepair until it was refurbished in the mid 1960's. We came for a great medieval meal, but what we got was a tremendous show and wonderful music! What a treat!

Today, we ventured out again...this time to the Cliffs of Moher and some down time in downtown Galway.

We started out taking the scenic route to the Cliffs of Moher.  This road took us through small villages and hamlets that looked as if they had just stepped out of the 1700's. Beautiful landscapes!

 Before we reached the Cliffs, we went through a really strange but beguiling portion of County Clare called the Burren.  In the Burren, massive limestone rocks have been brought to the surface through time and the elements.  Most were exposed during the ice age when the massive glaciers covering Ireland moved out to sea.

The Cliffs of Moher was a sight to see!  Expansive limestone cliffs rising out of the water at 900 ft!

After the awe-inspiring Cliffs of Moher, all of the students and chaperones shopped and gazed in wide wonder at the 1400th century city centre of historic Galway.  It is like a living page of medieval history come to life.  A lot has changed since then, but in this particular corner of Galway, NOTHING has changed...and it is great! 

Tomorrow it's off to Dublin and the orchestra concert at St. Patrick's Cathedral.