This past weekend a group of us set out for the charming little town of Doolin. I had visited this area over the summer with my family and had gone horseback riding there for the first time, so naturally I couldn’t wait to get back! Luckily, Doolin is the lunch stop on the Galway Tour Company’s Cliffs of Moher/The Burren tour, and thus we were able to get a free bus ride there and back! I know I said last week that our hostel in Dingle was incredibly adorable, but I think the one in Doolin was even cuter! The renovated 300 year-old cottage was right next to a river and had a very warm feeling (both literally and figuratively) to it. After dropping our stuff off we walked about ten minutes into town. Only a few stores were open since it is still the off-season, but one of them was having a sale on wool sweaters. Deciding I probably wouldn’t find one for a better price while I’m here, I caved and bought one. This is one souvenir that is at the top of everyone’s list when they come to Ireland, so I was really happy to find one that I liked that wasn’t too expensive!
After some shopping we walked a little way up the coast to Doonagore Castle. The walk was very tranquil, as the sun was beginning to set behind the Cliffs of Moher in the distance. When we arrived at the castle the gate was unfortunately locked, as it is apparently private property. That didn’t stop three of our group members (who shall remain nameless), who proceeded to hop the fence to get some better pictures of the castle up close (at one point, I believe the words “do the garda even exist out here?” were spoken haha). While these shenanigans were taking place, our friend Brianna was visiting with family members whom she’d never met before that still lived in the area. To say I was a bit jealous would be quite an understatement!
Since it was getting dark out, we headed back into town and eventually made our way to the Russell Cultural Center. The reason for our visit to Doolin this particular weekend was to experience the Russell Music Festival. Micho Russell was one of Ireland’s best-known traditional musicians in the latter half of the 20th century. He was born in Doolin, where he lived all his life. Around the anniversary of his death, musicians from all over come together in Doolin to celebrate his music and legacy. Friday night’s event was a large music and dance performance by multiple groups. It was really interesting to listen to all the different songs, and it was a great indicator of what we would be enjoying the rest of the weekend.
On Saturday we sat in on a traditional (trad) music session. These sessions were taking place in all three of Doolin’s pubs throughout the entire weekend, so odds were good that if you happened to wander into one that some good music would greet you! After listening for a while, we decided to rent bikes in order to explore the area better. We rode them down to one side of Doolin’s beach, where Brianna and Amanda insisted on putting their feet in the water. I can’t even imagine how cold that must have been. This is also where Kate played hero of the day and saved the cameras from a wave! Good job Kate J We spent about an hour there and then rode out bikes over to another side of Doolin’s shoreline. It was really pretty since the sun was close to setting, with the Cliffs of Moher once again providing a beautiful backdrop.
Saturday night saw us pub crawling between a whopping two locations that were literally right across the street from one another. Both places (McGann’s and McDermott’s) were really crowded due to the festival, but the music was great! We were all having such a great time that we ended up staying until 4am, when we were finally kicked out. Sunday morning we went back to the pubs for some brunch. It is quite an interesting experience to recognize people from much earlier in the day right back in the same spot a few hours later, complete with Guinness in hand! What some champs. After a little more shopping we caught the bus back to Galway (driven by none other than Desmond!). We had a great weekend in Doolin listening to some amazing music, and all of us hope we have time to get back at some point this semester! J
Click here for pictures from Doolin!
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