Moran's Oyster Cottage

Moran's Oyster Cottage was the capstone of our trip to Ireland. It was magnificent. Quaint. Cozy. Historical. Fun. The following is from a small description we acquired during the time we were having our evening dinner ...

Moran's Oyster Cottage dates back more than 250 years and is now run by Michael Moran who is the 7th generation in the family business. This picturesque cottage overlooking the Dunkellin River is situated on one of the many inlets of Galway Bay.

In the 1800's The Weir was a busy port where boatloads of turf and seaweed from Connemara were traded with local people who arrived by horse and cart. This pub along with two other licensed premises were busy as the thirsty badoiri and farmers needed refreshment. The tradition ended with the advent of road transport during the 1950's. Moran's began serving food in 1967 and is now a must for anybody with an interest in sampling the crustaceous delights of Galway Bay.

Locally grown Galway Bay oysters are the speciality of the house. Willie, Gerry, Vincent and Michael have held the International and World Tittlse in Oyster Opening competitions. When was the last time you were served lunch by a World Champion?

While we were dining, we noticed an old posting mounted above the door. It obviously had some history associated with it and it looked, oh so old. Anyway, I hauled out my most trustworthy pen and copied it down for generations to come ...

Moran's Galway Oysters

Tis long ago that oysters were the pride of Moran's bar,

But when you eat them here today you'll know that they still are.

And it will be forever so, in years they'll taste the same,

And little children not yet born, will know why granddad came,

So have another dozen, and then have another drink,

And thank the Lord for oysters, since it's later than you think.

Pretty special, eh?

October 2 Saturday - Dublin to Galway

This was our first full day in Ireland. We landed in Dublin at 7:00 am and proceeded to arrange for a rental car. The rental cars in Ireland are dispicable. Bumps and bruises over the entire skin of the car. Once we entered the motorway I sensed something amiss with the steering but wrote it off to the oddity of driving with the drivers side on the right. Anyway ... we headed for Trim and Trim Castle where we had arranged ahead of time to meet up with Paul and Trudi who were just finishing there tour of the island. We arrived in town to see them walking down the walkway. We joined them, buying a pass to visit historical sights all over Ireland. We had a delightful walk with the Ippels through the area surrounding the castle and then inside the castle courtyard itself.

Trim castle is an Anglo-Norman castle, possibly the first stone castle in Ireland. It is located about 28 miles northwest of Dublin in County Meath, along the banks of the River Boyne. Trim is, in Tom McNeill’s words, “the finest and largest castle in Ireland” (McNeill 244), and it has a reputation as the king of Irish castles. The movie Braveheart was filmed here.

We bid them a fond farewell and continued our trip westward towards Oranmore, just outside Galway. We had booked our only lodging of the trip ahead in a small B&B.

On the way, we found a small family run pub called Furey's. Very quaint and cozy with a peat fire burning to keep away the chill. You can check it out at ... http://www.ireland-guide.com/establishment/fureys_bar.5434.html . We had good sandwiches and split a pint of Guinness. Back on the M4 towards Galway.

We arrived in Oranmore early afternoon and found our way to the B&B with some help from the local travel bureau. We were welcomed by the owner and settled our belongings into quite a lovely room. The B&B was just outside town so we walked back into town looking for points or pints of interest. The B&B owner told us that the Coach House Hotel had good food and that we should check it out. We walked past a small business enclosure with several shops and checked it out. Continued on down to The Coach House Hotel and went inside just to see what kind of ambience they had. It was rather nice but we wanted to investigate all of our options. We headed further into town and found McDonagh's, a small thatched roof pub pretty much in the center of the village. Went inside and each ordered a half pint. Several locals engaged us in conversation. The friendliest, Collum, gave us all kinds of valuable information. We discussed politics, families, economics and most important ... restaurants. He gave us several options in town. But, he said, if you really want to have an experience, go to Moran's Oyster House on The Wier. You're only here once so you should try it ... it's only an 18 kilometer drive to a beautiful spot on Galway Bay. We continued talking and went to pay our bill but before we could, we learned that Collum had taken care of it and had two more half pints on their way. So we talked some more about children and family.

We left for more walking and headed back towards the B&B but not before taking a detour to the castle that was situated on the bay. It had no name and was boarded up but it had a tremendous view. Someone with some money could really do it up right. Continued our hike and both of us were ambivalent about eating out and travelling some more, especially since it was only our first day in Ireland.

Collum won out and we headed back to the B&B for a quick change of clothes. We arrived in Kilcogan and turned onto the small road heading for the bay. The hedgerowed lane was so narrow only one car could maneuver. Arrived outside Moran's Oyster Cottage and parked the car. Marlene went in to scout it out. She reappeared and was madly waving her arms which was a sure sign that we would eat here tonight. Marlene had already secured a very cozy little table built into a bump out. This was the original part of the oyster cottage and was quite small. We both sat down and ordered Galway Bay grilled oysters along with a salad that we told the waitress to have the chef make up for us. This meal was absolutely the best meal we had in Ireland. Magnificent!! If you want to read more about it check out ... http://www.ireland-guide.com/establishment/morans_oyster_cottage.3566.html .

Then there appeared to be a small group congregating inside this very small part of the establishment. It turned out that it was a group of folks who had gone to college together and had an annual get-together ... an evening of pub crawling complete with limo. There were 10 of them and once they had procurred their respective pints, a lead fellow began singing. His name was Jim, I believe, and he was the person who started almost all the songs, and then those who were able, would join in. After a couple of songs, Jim began singing The Irish Rover and we began rapping our glasses on the wooden table, keeping time with the beat of the song ... no nay never, no never no more. Soon another familiar song was started and I began singing the chorus along with the group. Before long the group asked us to join in. I remember singing The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, a song written by Eric Bogle and then The Willie McBryde song that he made famous. Jim was magnificent! He knew all the lyrics and he knew all the tunes.

Not long after we were asked to sing along, we asked them if they would like for us to sing them a song and so Marlene and I sang With Someone Like You. They loved it! We were photographed and video taped and some of the kitchen staff even emerged to see us singing. After a few more songs we sang The Storms Are On The Ocean to a receptive group.

What a wonderful time we had! What a delightful group of people. They were marvelous and most friendly to us Americans.

The evening soon started to come to an end. The group had to move on to the next pub and the limo was waiting. I exchanged email addresses with a chap, Bryan Doyle who lived in Cork. He actually invited us to his home for supper.

Before the group left however, a camera was placed on the floor of Moran's Cottage and we were all asked to circle it with arms clasped around each other. The timer was set and the camera snapped our smiling faces, 360 degrees of heartfelt fun and merriment. You can see Marlene and me on the far left. Bryan sent me the photograph titled "View From the Grave".

Note: Note that all of the folks we partied with were being ferried around using a limo. Therefore they could consume as much Guinness as they wanted. We however were made aware that police in Ireland do not take kindly to drinking and driving. Therefore Marlene and I would only ever share one Guinness. And despite that, we had a most wonderful time.

October 3 Sunday - Galway to Connemara

One thing I forgot to mention ... remember on the last post I alluded to the car behaving in an ugly manner and I wrote it off to the difference with driving on the right side of the car and the left side of the road. Well, the real thing was that the tire had a nail in it and it went flat on the way home last evening. I did'nt dare to stop because of the darkness and unfamiliarity of road shoulders and such ... so I waited till morning to assess the damage. The damage was unrepairable. I changed the tire and kept an eye out for a place to repair the tire. I ust say that Budget car rental was absolutely no help whatsoever. Very rude! Notice the car next to me ... they had lost all their hubcaps ... victims of the endless potholes.

Onward and forward. Our b&b host said that we should NOT miss the Connemara. It was his favorite spot and provided us with lots of information. We pointed the car in the north westerly direction and headed out.

The picture below is of Marlene along the road with Galway Bay in the background. After wending our way through the streets of Galway, we began to encounter some very beautiful scenery.


Soon after leaving the city limits and exploring a cemetary or two we spotted an official looking sign for a castle ... Aughnanure Castle, an official sight where we could use our historic cards that we purchased at Trim Castle. The castle and grounds are kept very well and we had a great visit. Passed by a golf course located on the road leading to the castle.

Beautiful scenery abounds. We are heading in a westerly direction looking for the road heading north at Maam Cross, the R336. This road eventually would bring us to Leenane where we could view the only Fyord in Ireland, Killary Harbor. The town of Leenane is very quaint and the pub where we had soup for lunch was a real local gathering place. We walked through the town a bit, then headedback east a short trek to where the fjord terminates at the Aasleagh Falls.

Did a little hiking and got back into our wonderful Irish bumper car with Clifden as our destination along Rte N59.

October 4 Monday - The currachs of Connemara

Today was spent exploring the Connemara but not before scoping out a place to buy a replacement tire for the one that was damaged. There was lots of wind and lots of rain and yet the beauty of the penninsula made it through the clouds and the driving rain. This is a very beautiful and isolated region of Ireland. Our breakfast was taken in a wonderful dining room that was outfitted with some of the most beautiful china and silverware. The breakfasts in Ireland are something to be reckonned with. Meat and eggs and toast and jam and cereal and many, many other additions peculiar to where you might be spending the night. It's a fun surprise to see what's been cooking for breakfast.

The ambience of the room had been created over several years by Desmonds family who has owned the structure for more than three generations. Antique furniture, old china, beautiful silver and tea sets adorn each and every table setting.

The currach originates from the Aran Islands situated in Galway Bay. It is made with tarped canvas over a wooden frame, and although made of a very light structure it can ride out almost any wave. Great skill however is required to handle these boats properly.

We took our lunch in a very cozy small fishing village called Cleggan. Homemade soup and homemade muffins were most wonderful. We liked it so much that we returned for dinner next to a peat fire. We had fish of some sort.

Small towns with names like Barnanrusheen, Claddagduff, and Rossadillisk were what we encountered on our trip of the small penninsula, sort of a sub-penninsula of the larger Connemara penninsula.

October 5 Tuesday - Connemara to Ballyvaughan

It's Tuesday and we are spending the morning making our way along the southern coast of the Connemara back towards Galway and points beyond. We are not sure of our destination but we are headed somewhere to the south.

We make our way along the beautiful coastline road with Galway Bay in view most of the time.
We encounter the delightful little village of Ballyconeely on our way back to the N59 which takes us back to Galway. Seaside sights abound and beauty is around every turn in the road. What a marvelous area! We enter the village of Roundstone There is a small cluster of buildings and shops that are separate from the village itself. Small condos, a parking area and artist shops.

This small village of Kilcogan afforded us a pleasant way to stretch our legs and poke in a few shops. Marlene is pictured here in a delightful park in the center of town. We visited a really classy antique shop where we covetted many of the beautiful pieces that were on display. Once we had made our way along the southern cost of Galway Bay, we began our drive along what is called The Burren. The Burren is what appears to be a stoney, rugged landscape with little or nothing to show for itself. When we arrived in Ballyvaughan, we stopped off at the visitors center and parked the car. Inside the visitor's center we learned that we could hire the resources of a personnal guide who could take us up onto The Burren. After some confusion and discussion with the person we were trying to accomplish this task with, we managed to procure the services of Shane. Shane would meet us the next day in the church parking lot.

Once we had arranged this activity, we found a bed and breakfast and unloaded our belongings. We got back into our marvelous vehicle and headed for the road that would take us through The Burren and past some interesting features. The most interesting was the Poulnabrone Dolmen. It was a holy place for people who lived here long, long ago. Marlene is pictured next to the dolmen and the perspective helps you to realize how large this particular structure actually is. I read some things describing it's history and it's meaning to the people who actually built it. Being the sceptic that I am, I did not however find any reference to the fact that when this dolmen was found that it may have been in a sad state of affairs ... i.e. parts were laying unassembled on the ground. Anyway, we continued on the road and came upon the fort but alas, it was closed and we were not able to enter the enclosed grounds.

Back into the car ... headed south towards Lisdoonvarna. The day was becoming more beautiful as evening wore on. Herds of cattle were wending their way back to the barn. Cloud patterns coming in off the Atlantic and over the mountains. Appearing and reappearing rainbows kept our eyes watchful and waiting. What a most beautious evening. When we came to the crossroad ... one direction, Lisdoonvarna, the other direction Ballyvaughan ... we opted to head back to Ballyvaughan. On the way back we stopped across the road from the house pictured here and looked at the map for some idea of where we were and where we had just come from. Suddenly there appeared a rainbow, pointing us in the direction of Ballyvaughan. After we stopped and emptied the pot at the end of that rainbow, we continued back to town for dinner.

And a good dinner it was. Then to bed in anticipation of meeting our own personal Burren guide tomorrow.

October 6 Wednesday - Feeling the rainbow

We awakened to a new day. We had a most wonderful breakfast, packed our bags, loaded the car and headed out to the church where we were scheduled to meet Shane at 9:00 am. Our concept of him was that of an older, semi retired individual who had local lore oozing out of his bones. At 9:00 a nifty little grey SUV pulled into the parking lot and we got out of the car. A young fellow (maybe 30ish) walked over to us and gave us a good looking over. He examined our gear and especially our boots. He was fully equipped with rain gear and completely ready for rain ... did I say rain. We had sturdy raincoats and water proof boots. Our trousers were simply bluejeans ... why would'nt the gentile rains simply drip off our sturdy raincoats and fall to the ground?

Anyway, after some genteel greetings and introductions, Shane explained to us where we would be going and we both mounted our respective travelling steeds. We headed directly west from Ballyvaughan around Black Head, travelling right next to the coastline. Very, very beautiful.

After a beautiful drive of maybe 20 minutes, we parked alongside the road, trying not to leave our vehicle stick too far out in traffic, being that there was no shoulder. We exited the cars and Shane provided us with hiking sticks from the back of his SUV. Shane was amazing. His knowledge of the flaura and fauna was marvelous. His knowledge of geology wasn't too shabby either. We hiked for small distances and we would stop and he would have a small geology lesson. We hiked in an upwards direction, crossing stone walls and more of the flat stoney surface of The Burren. Tucked into the crevices of the stones were all kinds of plant life. He showed us an old prehistoric village with evidences of shelters and a spring that was still flowing.

We kept looking westward over the ocean. The clouds were dark and ominous looking. Then a rainbow appeared and we commented and stopped to take a picture. Shane told us that if we stopped to take pictures of rainbows every time we saw one, we wouldn't get very far.

The rainbow appeared to be moving closer and the entire inside was very, very dark. Soon the wind picked up. Immediately there was an enormous cloudburst. Shane had adjusted his raingear to cover his backpack and he pointed himself 180 degrees away from the wind and rain. He didn't move. We followed suit. We learned a lesson that day. When your back is to the wind and it's raining like the devil, your trousers immediately begin to soak up water and sooner than later, the water starts to make it's descent down into the insides of your boots. It doesn't matter if your boots are waterproof if you fill them from the top. The storm lasted about 5 minutes. We continued our trek, albeit we were really soaked to the bone with wet jeans and water in our boots. Well Shane stated ... "Now you know what it's like to feel a rainbow."

We made it to the top. Shane removed his back pack and a bottle of Jamieson's appeared. He told Marlene it was the best pneumonia prevention recipe. We continued on. We saw goats, birds, and other animals that Shane was readily able to identify for us. We spotted some donkeys, a heard, and asked Shane what people used them for ... farming, wagon pulling ... he told us that they we mostly peoples pets.

We had spent three hours with Shane on The Burren. Now the bill. Fifteen a piece. $30.

The fun part of the day over, we hopped back into the car and headed south, a bit damp but eager to see more beautiful things. Marlene was able to perform a complete wardrobe change on our trip south. It was good to get dry clothing and socks and shoes back on. I simply turned the heat up and dried out over a period of time. Marlene did not wear her waterproof boots for two days.

Before our trip we talked to David Mollinari about his visit and he recommended Doolin. This town seems to be the Irish music mecca. Doolin was a quaint little town on the ocean. We made our way down to the area where ferries were launched to the Aran Islands. The sea was very rough so there was not much activity. We parked the car and walked towards the shoreline. If you notice on the second picture above, the ground consisted of those familiar flat stones sort of lodged together. Notice the stones and also notice the Cliffs of Moher in the distance.

Back in the car. Back to Doolin. We stopped for lunch in a very beautiful pub. We sat as close to the fire as possible to aid my drying out. Gus O'Connors Pub was the place we stopped. Good lunch. Warm hearth and very good service.

Back into the car headed for the Cliffs of Moher. These look very much like the Cliffs of Despair in the film, Princess Bride. Maybe it was filmed here. These are a very popular tourist destination. Lots, and I mean lots of parking available. Paved paths to the overlooks. It wasn't too bad today, must be off season. Took lots of pictures and headed out.

We headed for Poulnadaree where we could load our car onto a ferry and cross the River Shannon and avoid a big traffic snarl in the City of Shannon. We crossed and landed in Tarbert. Ask Marlene the story of our landing and the embarrasement we encountered. Our destination was Tralee and a place to stay for the night. We passed through Tralee and continued on the N86 headed south and the Dingle Peninsula. Tomorrow we would make the crossing of Conner Pass. Tonight we would stay in a more modern place where we could also order food in the restaurant downstairs.

October 7 Thursday

October 8 Friday

October 9 Saturday

October 10 Sunday

October 11 Monday

Listen to moran