Tir Gan Ean is the perfect location for touring – the Cliffs of Moher are just a few minutes south, Doolin Pier offers ferries to the Aran Islands or cruises to the Cliffs of Moher and Ballyvaughan is just 30 minutes but car.
We had a 10:00am massage at the Burren Coast Hotel’s Halcyon Spa, a non-descript spa from the outside but a leader in the holistic realm of health, offering everything from massages to facials and everything in between. The relaxation room consists of four leather lounges to sit back while waiting for your therapist to whisk you away to a quiet, candle-filled therapy room. After an hour of a Swedish massage you have the option of relaxing in the steam room, sauna or sit in one of the two heated-tile loungers before heading to a true rain shower… 40 seconds of misty rain before the sky opens up to shower you with dozens of rain droplets falling from above. While only four weeks old, this spa is designed to cater not only to the location population but also travelers alike with their 4-star accommodations adjoined in the Burren Coast Hotel. This property will soon be placed on my moderate spa package for those looking for a luxurious vacation getaway without the cost of a 5-star property.
After our massages we decided to seek out the Burren Perfumery which was quite further into the Burren than originally anticipated. Down side roads and small one-car lanes we found our destination, watched a short 10-minute overview of the region and went right to the gift shop where we bought a few items for friends. All products are natural with no oil-derivatives and never tested on animals, ensuring quality and good karma for all that purchase here – though it’s expensive when the dollar is down against the euro. There is a small café offering soup, sandwiches, tea/coffee and sweets for a quick bite to eat.
On our way out we stopped at Poulnabrone, the megalithic burial tomb a few kilometers away. Excavated in 1986, 33 people were recovered dating back to 3,800 B.C., a magnificent tomb to witness.Further down the road was Caherconnell, a round stone fort where they just excavated a burial tomb a few weeks prior (September 6, 2008) and found remains. Admission is just 5 euro for the fort however the gift shop and cafeteria are free to enter.
Back toward Lisdoonvarna we decided to skip the Matchmaking Festival after hearing about the drunken melee from the previous night. Instead we stopped at the Burren Smokehouse and were a bit disappointed at the presentation but thrilled to find caramel waffle cookies, great Irish cheeses and some crackers for what we planned to be a nice quiet evening at the hotel.
Rather than the quiet evening I suggested we head to O’Connor’s Pub near the pier to have a pint and enjoy some music but just as we arrived a bus was letting out dozens of people, locals from Lisdoonvarna and Limerick! Tourists tend to be more mellow and subdued but locals are more bold and brazen, drinking quite a bit more and being a bit louder than most. We sat at the bar drinking for about two hours, enjoy the locals and the dueling groups of musicians in two different rooms competing for attention. One more traditional and the other more progressive, with a rendition of The Rose capturing the audience after many people “Shhhhh”-ing to get the room quiet. It was fun, but not as much fun as if it were later in the night and a few more pints were finished – it was only 5pm and the buzz wasn’t strong enough to deal with the drunken melee that was going on.
Back to Tir Gan Ean for dinner, which never disappoints and off to bed – at 8:18 it was a good 12 hour day from beginning to end. Jet-lag should be gone by tomorrow when we head off to see Raymond and Florence in Bantry, County Cork.
