On Wednesday, June 16th, 2015, I picked up my friend Felicia and her sister Daria at the Dublin airport.  We drove cross country to Killarney where we spent the night.  The next day began our four day tour up the western coast of Ireland.  Thursday morning was bright, crisp, and full of sunshine–great weather to see the views of the Ring of Kerry.

We found an ancient ring fort off the beaten track.  It is said to have been built to protect livestock from plundering tribes.

We settled into Galway for the night and the next night drove out to visit the Cliffs of Moher, stopping at one of the many ruins in the landscape.  Archeological teams were mapping out the fields next to this church to see what else they may find.

Heavy fog prevented us from seeing anything at the Cliffs of Moher so we wound our way back through the Burren, stopping in small villages to visit a world famous salmon smokehouse shop, a chocolatier, and a perfumery before we returned to Galway for the night.  We attended a traditional Irish music concert through Tunes in the Church at St. Nicholas Church.  Tucked in a corner of this beautiful medieval Anglican church, we listened to a concertina player and a few fiddlers.  It was intimate and terrific.We spent the night again in Galway before the next day’s drive through Connemara to Mayo.