The Cliffs of Moher website states, “Like more than million plus visitors who come to see them each year, you can look forward to a trip never to be forgotten: Ireland at its most natural, rugged, panoramic and breathtaking.”
This quote is so perfectly true. I stayed in Cork just for the fact of being able to take a tour to the Cliffs of Moher. This is one of the most sought-after attractions in Ireland and I needed to be one of the million+ visitors to see them.
The company I chose was Paddywagon and I selected the Cliffs of Moher Tour from Cork. I wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher and spend the day driving around western Ireland. The tour consisted of a very large tour bus with about 40-50 people. It was about a 12-hour day but well worth the trip to see the Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, The Burren, and Bunratty Castle.
Table of Contents
Limerick and River Shannon
We boarded our tour bus and left Cork at 7:30am. We drove to the city of Limerick and had about a 20 minute stop. We saw the beautiful River Shannon and King John’s Castle in the distance. There was even enough time for a restroom and coffee break.
Cliffs of Moher
After departing Limerick, we drove to the beautiful Cliffs of Moher! We had 2 hours at this location (which seems like a long time but actually isn’t!). It was extremely windy and rainy and we were told not to get too close to the edge during these weather conditions. The cliffs were stunning, even with the overcast clouds! There is a beautiful visitor center that has a wealth of information about the cliffs and the wildlife that live there.
Doolin and The Burren
After the Cliffs of Moher, we drove to Doolin for a lunch stop. There were only a few places to eat so we chose to eat at a café in the Doolin Hotel. We had 45 minutes to eat before getting back on the bus to go to The Burren.
The Burren is a fascinating region of environmental interest and is dominated by glaciated karst (basically rocks). Most people traveling down the road would probably drive right by this geological site but our tour bus stopped here for 20 minutes. It was stunning walking along the rocks overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean. On a clear day we probably could have seen the Aran Islands.
Bunratty Castle
The last stop of the day was Bunratty Castle and we had 20 minutes at this stop. Our options were to either go inside the castle (and pay) or spend time shopping “in town”. It was pouring rain at this point so we ran to the castle and took a picture before heading inside to the gift shops. I am not one to spend time shopping when there is so much history to see but I honestly did not think I could see the castle in 20 minutes (and the gift shop was amazing!).
The tour arrived back in Cork at 6pm and I definitely was exhausted from the tour. We were staying the night in Cork and found an Irish pub called Oliver Plunkett for dinner. Since St. Patrick’s Day was in a few days, the pub had live music with Irish dancers and a great atmosphere.
Side note: I actually loved Cork more than Dublin because it had a quaint city feel over the big city of Dublin. If you have time to stay in Cork for at least a day, do it!
Until next time,
Leave a Comment