From Limerick to the wild West Coast to Doolin: Kilkee Cliffs & Cliffs of Moher

11th June 2022

For breakfast in Limerick, we had porridge with raisins soaked in whiskey. A bit unusual at 8.30am, but very tasty.

We leave the car at the hotel and walk to St. Mary's Cathedral, which is still closed.

The cemetery could be used for a horror movie. After taking a few photos, we continue towards King John's Castle. We decide not to go inside for 11 euros and instead browse through the shop, where we find stylish bucket hats. 😄

After a half-circuit around the castle, with a view of the water-poor Shannon, we drive west.

The road runs north of the Shannon. We stop in the small town of Kilrush for lunch, as dolphins live here. The weather has become truly Irish.

Every half an hour, it pours or drizzles, then the sky clears up and the sun peeks through the clouds, but it doesn't get any warmer than 14 degrees. A strong wind blows at speeds of up to 50 km/h, making it quite chilly.

After a cup of tea and scones, we set off towards Kilkee Cliffs just before half past one. From here, we follow the Wild Atlantic Way to the north. The signposts with a stylized WAW can be found everywhere - you just have to decipher them first.

With a height of around 70m, the Kilkee Cliffs are slightly lower than the Cliffs of Moher, which are 70km to the north. However, there is no tourist hustle and bustle here, no entrance fee, just magnificent nature.

A fierce wind is raging around us, making it difficult to take photos as the camera can hardly be held steady. Suddenly, one of those nasty rain showers starts. I sprint to the car, which is only 100m away. The rain comes at us like a shower from the right and I am soaked, but only on the right side 😄.

My thin hiking pants dry quickly, but the jacket takes longer, but it held up well. Tomorrow, I'll bring my hat! After 10 minutes, we are in the sun and taking photos of horses.

Actually, we wanted to get a coffee or tea here, but we find nothing. A few photos of the bay and the offshore rocks are enough for us. Then we continue on the country road on the Wild Atlantic Way to the north. Shortly after the Cliffs of Moher, we reach our cottage where we will stay for two nights.

Unfortunately, Doolin is very crowded this weekend because of a Folk Festival, which takes place exclusively in all the pubs and the Doolin Hotel. This makes it quite difficult to find somewhere to eat. We end up in a nice pub at the end of the town and enjoy Irish Beef Stew. At 8:30pm, we head to the Cliffs of Moher.

From 8pm, entrance to the car park is free (instead of 12 euros per person!) and we are lucky that it stays dry. The visitor center is still open, but we prefer to go straight to the view of the 14km long cliffs, of which we only see a small part. The wind is blowing us around, but briefly clears the clouds in front of the setting sun, giving us a great view.