My Ireland in the Sun!
Availability of hotels was limited due to our fairly late booking and it being July, and our hotel The Woodstock wasn’t really our style as it was more like a family motel. However, we loved the area and the town of Ennis itself, so it was a convenient base rather than a luxurious lodging!
The weather was very kind and three out of our four days were beautifully warm and sunny, the other being cloudy but still very warm. This is quite unusual for Ireland’s west coast, so we made the most of it.
On the first day we headed out in our hire car and explored the town of Ennis, the surrounding countryside, and coast at Lahinch which has a huge sweeping beach – and very busy with holidaymakers enjoying the sunshine. The countryside is ruggedly beautiful, and driving was very easy – despite the number of tourists around there was very little traffic and we only really got held up by the odd tractor or two. The Irish people are so friendly, and they love to chat – they get talking to you like an old friend and it was (pleasantly) difficult to get away sometimes. Dinner at the hotel was ok but nothing special but we’d had a long day, having left home at 6am for our 9am flight.
The next day we set off earlier than required for our 2pm Father Ted tour to explore another part of County Clare and headed across to Doolin where the ferries leave for the Aran Islands. Doolin is quite touristy and there were lots of tour buses, but we found a quiet spot and enjoyed the sun and views. We then drove to Kilfenora and had a very acceptable lunch washed down with some Guinness. It tastes totally different to what we get in the UK, smoother and more refreshing and of course it is obligatory to drink Guinness in Ireland. I’m pretty sure you get fined if you don’t so we didn’t want to risk that!
At 2pm six of us plus our guide piled into the Ted Tours minibus and we set off for Father Ted’s house. The house in the series is a real house, privately owned by the family who lived there when the filming was taking place and we sat in the front room for tea and cakes (sadly not served by Mrs Doyle!) and took photos and listened to entertaining stories about the filming. Full of delicious homemade cake we then went to see some of the other filming locations and visited Eugene’s bar in Ennistymon where the cast and crew spent many hours – the bar has its own dedicated Father Ted corner now with memorabilia and signed photos covering the walls. A very enjoyable way to spend a Thursday afternoon I must say.
We had dinner in town at the Town Hall (the restaurant of the Old Ground Hotel) in the evening which was superb and very good value. The portions are huge and my two starters instead of a starter and main were more than enough. After dinner we went to Cruises Bar which had been recommended by our guide – as seems to be the norm every evening in many of the pubs there was a “jam session” taking place and we enjoyed a very pleasant couple of hours of traditional Irish music (diddly-diddly I call it), complete with a couple of locals Irish dancing.
On the third day we skipped breakfast at the hotel and went into Ennistymon to a tea room we had spotted the day before. Then we drove to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. It was very busy there but worth the €8 per person entrance fee to see the dramatic cliffs close up. It would have been nice to take a boat trip and see them from the other direction too, but we didn’t really have time for that. After having our fill of cliffs and a nice long walk we drove north of The Burren national park to a seafood restaurant which had been recommended to us – Linnane’s Lobster Bar - which didn’t disappoint. Back to Ennis in the evening to watch a world cup quarter final on the big screen at Cruises Bar, then a quick simple meal in a local restaurant, followed by some more “diddly-diddly” music.
Day four and Ashford Castle here we come! This was our final night’s splurge and wow - what a place! There was a real wow factor from the moment we entered the gates to the moment we left the following day. We were given a royal welcome along with a delicious welcome cocktail. Every staff member we met was superb – friendly, polite, professional, and happy – and the whole place was bursting with character. The ambience, architecture and décor are amazing and there is not a single hint of pretentiousness which you can often get in grand hotels. Lunch was delicious but the cherry on the cake was dinner in the elegant George V dining room – one of the best meals we have ever had.
Saturday 7th July was such a great day. We arrived at what must be one of the most magical places on earth. The sun was shining, we were wined and dined like royalty, there was an excellent Irish band playing at the hotel after dinner, and we even got to see England beat Sweden in the world cup quarter final in the very elegant Billiards Room! I’d already decided we must return to Ashford Castle even before we checked into our room (a Corrib Lake view corner room which was most acceptable – small bathroom but hey how long do you spend in a bathroom). Pricey but worth every penny.
The next morning, we had a great breakfast (you can’t go wrong with hotels which offer Eggs Benedict) and popped into the lobby area to meet the two huge local Irish wolfhounds (and their owner) who visit the hotel every morning between 10 and 11am to meet the guests. What a lovely idea. We had a wander around the vast beautiful gardens of the castle and then it was time for a very sad goodbye.
I felt so at home in Ireland – such a hospitable friendly place. Perhaps it’s my Irish roots (going back several generations my family was a mix of Irish and Scottish) pulling me to my “homeland” – but actually no, anyone regardless of their heritage would feel at home in the Emerald Isle. I urge you to consider Ireland for a holiday or short break, you won’t be disappointed.
