The Archemist: The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher is an all day excursion two hours outside of Galway, Ireland. I decided to give the cliffs its own blog post because the photos did a great job at capturing this amazing place, and I love them all. The tour takes two hours to and from the cliffs, giving its patrons two hours at the actual place. As it is very cold in Ireland, I though there was no way I could spend a full two hours checking out these cliffs. Boy was I wrong. The Cliffs of Moher might be my favorite place I ventured to on my trip; they are truly beautiful and I pranced around taking a million photos the entire time. I was very lucky with the weather; it changed constantly. From sun to rain, and ever changing clouds full of yellows to deep purples the cliffs looked as if they were constantly changing. There was even a rainbow at one point that I half expected to see a leprechaun running around.

Of course since I am me, I knew I would want to enjoy a beer amongst nature. Sitting quite near a cliff edge drinking a beer in solitude is one of the most spiritual moments I have had.

Dunguaire Castle

This next set of photos are from an Irish ring fort. Ring forts are circular fortified settlements built during the Iron age (800 - 400 BCE) and can be earthen or stone. The ring fort I visited below is an earthen ring fort and which are fortified by a characteristic bank and ditch area. Legends say these ring forts are mystical and inhabited by fairies and leprechauns. A particular legend depicts a drunken Irish man who accidentally stumbles into the ring fort at night. Once inside the ring fort at night it becomes impossible to find the exit and the man tirelessly searches until he gives up and passes out only to find that once he awakes he is lying directly in front of the ring fort exit.

This stone looking table below is called a dolmen, or portal tomb. Two hundred years ago, locals called this a "druids' altar". These large grave sites have existed in this area for over four thousand years and are strewn all of the country side of Ireland.