This whole business of trying to rent a car in Ireland wasn’t easy. After A LOT of research and back and forth, we finally decided on Dan Dooley. We had to pick the car up from Dublin Airport so we made our trip back there from our city apartment. Instead of hailing a taxi off the street – which is what we did on arrival – this time we used the mytaxi app. It cut the cost from 44 euros to 30 euros. Not bad, eh?

The whole paperwork procedure at Dan Dooley’s was relatively simple. Although admittedly, we got lucky with the lady that was sorting through our documents. The next thing I knew, we had our car and we were on our way. It’s been AGES since I last did a road trip. I was excited – but I had also forgotten how tiring these trips can be.

I was the passenger for most of the day, so I was in charge of music and entertaining the driver. I enjoyed being the maestro. It’s probably my favourite thing to do on the road. When not imposing my highly questionable taste in music on those around me, I played the good old favourite ‘I SPY’ and other games to make sure the driver doesn’t fall asleep.

Whilst on the road, I was hit with a deep, profound and nostalgic sense of deja vu. This is my first time in Ireland, but I feel like I’m re-visiting an old friend I haven’t met in a long time. Ireland reminds me so so much of Australia. My current experiences here feel like a throwback to my Melbourne days. Strange… To find something so familiar so far from where it all started for me. The moment we hit the motorway, it’s like time freezes and I’m transported back to someplace where I haven’t been for four years. Has it really been that long? 

I thought my memories had faded with time, but they were all still with me. And with a quick snap of the fingers, everything came back like it was never gone. I’m not one to indulge in nostalgia. In fact, I hate it. But remembering something is different to reliving it. Just because I sometimes remember something fondly doesn’t mean I want it back in my life. 

We must live in the present and future. Not in the past. It is gone and can never come back. 

Limerick

I can’t claim to having done much here. Limerick is a popular transit stop on the way to the Cliffs of Moher. It’s why we were there. To eat and take a rest. It was raining (yippie!) the moment we arrived. We stopped at a pub called O’Conners to have lunch. The food was OK. We had a sandwich and a salad. The star of the meal was the chocolate cake. YUM!

Quin Village

We randomly ended up stopping in this village because of a castle that we went past. My partner in crime thought it was a church. I thought it was a castle. The name of the structure is Quin Abbey and it is a bunch of ruins. A little bit of research revealed that it was a castle before it became a church. We were both right. Oh the joy. Picturesque, indeed.

Cliffs of Moher

The highlight of the day and the reason why we did this long drive. The Cliffs of Moher are often touted as Ireland’s Most Visited Natural Tourist Attraction. The advertisers weren’t lying. There were LOADS… and I do mean LOADS of people there. From what I could tell – they were mainly Spanish and American tourists. 

After the LONG LONG drive, I was excited to finally arrive at our long overdue destination. It all sounded like a good idea when we were planning the trip – but the moment I arrived at the super famous Cliffs of Moher, I realised that I’m scared of heights. Oh yes. It’s a childhood problem. It’s better than it used to be, but it’s still a major issue in my life. 

The rain, the wind and the electric fence on the other side of the path did nothing to soothe my fears. My feet wanted to stay planted on the ground and go nowhere. It was a challenge just to grab my phone and find the courage to take these photos. A big part of me thought I was going to vomit, pass out and never wake up. I don’t know why I have these irrational fears, but I’ve always had them.

But I’m glad I pushed through and past my fears and did what I could. The view was just… stunning. It kind of reminded me of Great Ocean Road in Australia. Told you I’m having massive deja vu.

But forget my fear of heights – my biggest complaint was the 6 euros per person they charged for the parking… Err… Why? Can’t they just charge per vehicle?

Bed and Breakfast in Oughterard

So currently we’re in bed in our B&B in Oughterard. It’s in Galway County and is around 30 minutes away from Galway City. Our B&B has an AMAZING view. I’ll post pictures tomorrow. We were supposed to see Galway City tonight but we’re too tired. 

Till next time – sweet dreams.