After seeing many pictures of Ireland over the years we were really keen to check out the famous Cliffs of Moher. Unfortunately we were a bit pressed for time (given we were only in Ireland for a long weekend) so we decided to embark on a day trip to see the Cliffs. It is quite a lot of driving and I think that it would have been better to spend a couple of days doing a road trip through Ireland and the coast. But hey, sometimes you don’t have those luxuries. So off we went with a quick pitstop in Moneygall (about 2 hours out of Dublin) where they weirdly have a museum dedicated to Barak Obama at the petrol station. It turns out one of Obama’s ancestors is from there and they town have really taken this to heart. Our next short stop on the way to the Cliffs was in a town called Bunratty. Here we had some snacks and gazed up at the Bunratty Castle.

Around lunch time we arrived at the famed Cliffs of Moher and were greeted by crowds and crowds of people and buses. Luckily most people stick to within a few hundred metres of the visitors centre so after about 20 minutes of walking we had a lot more space and quiet. We walked in the direction of the village of Doolin and this provided fantastic views of the cliffs and countryside. It would have been lovely to do the entirety of the hike if we had a couple of days in the area – I would recommend you do this. Nevertheless, the Cliffs of Moher really are spectacular and we loved our walk along the cliffs edge.

Near the Cliffs of Moher is the intriguing landscape of Burren National Park. Once again, we would have loved a day or two to explore the region and go on a hike in the National Park. It is however a wonderful place to drive through, with rocks and crevices everywhere, it feels like you could be on another planet.

On our way back to Dublin we stopped briefly in the small fishing village of Kinvara. The town is quaint and pretty and provides picturesque views of Dunguaire Castle. I recommend stopping here for a pint and snack.

Overall our big day checking out the Irish countryside and coastline made us hungry for more. It would have been nice to elongate this into a few days of road tripping, however, we were happy that we got to experience it at all. Cost wise, everything is a lot cheaper out of Dublin!

Here is a breakdown of our costs for 2 people over 1 day:
Food/Drink – E48 (NZ$82)
Transport – E77 (NZ$131)
Activities – E16 (NZ$27)
Total spent – E141 (NZ$240)