If you are following me in instagram you would've seen me bombard my story with my trip to Co. Clare where I visited one of the most renowned sights in Ireland which the Cliffs of Moher and the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. It really was a long day of picture taking because everything was just astonishing and I felt like a child again (Not because my mum paid for my ticket...psshhh..) Speaking of tickets we booked our tickets online so it would be cheaper than buying them at reception. There were no student prices for booking online but for both the sites I mentioned above, we only paid €12.60 per adult which is such a good deal! (If you want to book online I'll leave a link at the end for the website) Getting there, we drove for 2 hours on the motorway from Portlaoise (located in the midlands of Ireland) so I suggest this is the prefect opportunity to get your friend who just got their driver's license to drive you and the squad to the west of Ireland!

Cliffs of Moher 

It was really hard to take photos because the wind kept blowing and the foot path was narrow

Moving back to the topic, since we were up on a cliff we doubled our thick clothing because the wind and water from the sea that crashed on the rocks were cool. I advise hoods and gloves if you're going during winter but during the summer it's not as cold. 

O'Brien's Tower

As for lunch we I ate at the restaurant built inside the hill, just above the reception area. We had Hawaiian Pizza (Yes I love pineapple on my pizza) and all meat pizza. It was such a lovely restaurant, it over looked the grassy hills. 

There were a lot of christmas characters roaming around too. Obviously Santy Clause was there, busy hearing the children's christmas wishes; Mrs, Clause was in her kitchen making her traditional custard. Rudolf and Ebenezer Scrooge, who was wearing pajamas; were chilling outside the local pub where we went to get some mince pie and mulled wine.

We visited the surrounding houses and other village quarters including the:

• Village Church
• Masonry House
• Bunratty House (Just outside because it was locked inside)
• Local pubs
• Village doctor's house.

Honestly don't know why I bent my knee like that but look at the stables in the background. We had fun playing around with the equipment!

On the right side from the souvenir shop was Bunratty castle and it was chilling yet stunning to see it while seeping through the leafless.

The inside of the castle was quite grand. The dinning hall gave off that Harry Potter feel but of course it was smaller compared to the film. Upstairs was where they had their parties and balls. There was also a long table where the lord and lady of the castle would sit down and hear the problems of the people. 

Furry coat + lord's chair = me pretending to be one of the Stark children of Winterfell in Game of  Thrones (Yes, I love this show!)

It was the winter solstice and we finished our journey at around 4pm so it was just right on time before the night fell.The drive back was smooth but rough for the my sister and aunt because they had to put up with my singing at the back ( I had my earphones on and my music on full blast). In my opinion, the west of Ireland bestows some of the most beautiful scenery and it's a must go to when you're ever visiting the country. I hope you enjoyed reading this. Till the next castle voyage...

A bientôt, Dawn

For more information here are some helpful links..

Online Booking for the sights: www.shannonheritage.com/BookNow/BookTickets.aspx?eid=0113

Cliffs of Moher: www.cliffsofmoher.ie/

Bunratty Castle: www.shannonheritage.com/BunrattyCastleAndFolkPark/

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