Moher of Ireland!!!

On Wednesday, we left for our last tour on the West Coast-the Burren. Our amazing tour guide and driver-Brian Farrell-is from Co. Clare-in the heart of the Burren, so it was very special as he shared his knowledge with us. The word Burren, comes from an Irish word-Boíreann-meaning a rocky place. This is an extremely appropriate name when you consider the lack of soil cover and the extent of exposed Limestone Pavement. However it has been referred to in the past as Fertile Rock due to the mixture of nutrient rich herb and floral species. While the students learned that the rock in the Burren is limestone, they also were taught not to take it for granite! Ha! Throughout the day, Brian stopped at numerous points of interest for us and told many fascinating stories. We passed through the beautiful seaside town of Kinvara, to an old Ring Fort, to the Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren. A dolmen is a is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones supporting a large flat horizontal capstone. Most date from the early Neolithic period. Dolmens were usually covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow, though in many cases that covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone skeleton of the burial mound intact. It was very interesting for the students to see, as they were able to take pictures and walk around the tomb. It was then off to Kilfenora-meaning Church of the Fertile Hillside or Church of the White Brow. The small town is situated at the southern tip of the Burren. Kilfenora is also home to many beautiful High Crosses, which students were able to see up and close. The village also was the location of Craggy Island Parochial House for the comedy Father Ted and has the best clam chowder at Vaughn's. We made a quick stop at St. Brigid's Memorial, as the students were able to pay tribute and reflect on someone that they had lost in their lives, before proceeding to the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs are 750 feet high at the highest point. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The ILE spent an hour here and soaked it all in. It was a majestic site to behold. Plus, the weather was PERFECT!!! The views back to Galway were absolutely stunning. Brian continued to share his secrets with us about this incredible gem of Ireland. After a long day of traveling, the ILE arrived back to Gort na Coiribe and prepared dinner. All of the students had a buffet and each apartment provided a different dish-ranging from Spaghetti O's, to Ramen Noodles, to french fries or chips, as they call them in Ireland. On Thursday, the students will be able to explore more of Galway on their own and discover the Galway Arts Festival. We are excited! Off to Dublin on Friday, so I'm not sure if we will have much access to the internet for a few days. We'll do our best to keep you up to date on all of our fun adventures. I hope you have enjoyed reading everything so far.

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