Looking back at this past weekend in western Ireland, I experienced a whole different part of the country, and saw some really cool places. We stayed in Galway both nights, but during the day we traveled around the countryside and neighboring places around Galway. Some of the attractions that we did were the cliffs of Moher, Killary sheep farm, and Kylemore Abbey
My favorite excursion so far was the Cliffs of Moher, which we stopped by on the way to Galway. It was the best possible day to look at these cliffs. It was 65 degrees and sunny, illuminating the water to a beautiful blue color. I was very suprised with how long these cliffs stretched out for, and how there is always such a good view. We probably walked around for a good 1 and half miles before deciding to start heading back. We started going left, but soon realized we could see more if we went to the right. As you went farther down the cliff, the thinner the trail got until there was no more trail.
When we first got to Galway, I was caught by surprise at where we were staying. Previously, I have never stayed hostile, and didn’t even know what that meant. I was quickly taught what it was as I walked in. It reminded me of a sleepaway camp with all of the bunk beds in a tight proximity. As we were walking the streets of Galway, we did notice an increase in homeless population, but that could be credited to the more dense city population. Some of the streets in Galway looked very Irish with the cobble stones, tons of flags dripping down, and lots of people singing and enjoying themselves downtown.
On our way back from Galway, we stopped at Killary Sheep Farm. Since the roads were so narrow, the bus had to stop in the middle of an intersection, and had to walk to get up to the farm. When we first got there, we saw a herding dogs herd numerous sheep using commands from the owner. It is crazy to think about how well you can train a dog to run a mile away and be able to herd all of these sheep into a gated area. Another interesting thing we saw was the shearing of a sheep, basically giving a sheep a haircut and using their wool for different purposes. It was cool to be able to pick up these sheep and see how they interact with each other.
