54407IRE
Bunratty Castle Visit – Voucher
Cliffs of Moher Visit – Pre-booked pay by cash.
Book your visit to Bunratty so the group gets a guided tour of the castle. see yellow pages for all phone numbers/opening times etc.
- You can make a photo/rest stop in Adare village (use Heritage Centre – Tel: 061 396 666.
- Warn the group to stay on the marked paths at the Cliffs of Moher.
check killarney meals with the office as they are often now asked to book meals in advance.
En Route through the Burren
As an alternative to going direct to the Cliffs along the N67, you could explore the Burren a little more. Work out your timings carefully. You must adhere to your booked arrival time at the cliffs. What follows is a suggestion if timing allows.
Extended Burren tour
Come off the N67 at Ballyvaughan and take the smaller R480. This leads you across the Burren past the Poulnabrone Dolmen (potential stop, with coach parking). Further on when you join the R476, turning right towards the Cliffs, you will see Lemaneagh Castle).
In Kilfenora is The Burren Centre, small café and Celtic Crosses. Tel: 065 708 8030.
The most direct route will then take you via Lisdoonvarna home of the famous “match making festival” each September.
Or you could take the road via Lahinch (famine monument on the right as you leave the town) and Liscannor (famous for the sandstone paving slabs). As you climb after Liscannor you will see the column in memory of the MP Cornelius O’Brien, who also built the observation tower at the Cliffs. He is buried in the little churchyard behind the Brigid Well (statue of saint in little courtyard). The column looks down on the remains of O’Brien’s mansion, Birchfield, in the fields below.
Returning from the Cliffs towards Bunratty, you retrace your path through Liscannor and Lahinch, then head on through Ennistymon and Ennis.
Cliffs of Moher – Visit
Group will have been pre-booked by the office so the tickets should be waiting for you. A member of staff from the Cliffs will meet and give you the tickets when your coach pulls up near the visitor center. Depending on group size you may be asked to park in the main car/coach park on the other side of the main road. Double-check the number of tickets. Distribute tickets, being aware of potential gusts of wind. Tickets include admission to the Atlantic Edge Exhibition but more often than not the barrier is left open. Café, restaurant toilets, gift shop and exchange are in the visitor center. Warn groups to stay on the path, and suggest they walk up to O’Brien’s tower where the Cliffs are at their highest. O’Brien’s Tower is separate and has a small charge. Warn group to be careful of hats and bags if a windy day and to stay on marked paths. If Cliffs is a lunch stop then allow group to visit in whatever order they wish.
Bunratty Castle – visit
The castle and folk park site are a little separate from the Woolen Mills. As groups often wish to visit this too, not least for lunch, it is a good idea to drive into the Woolen Mills car park, do a loop, then drive to Bunratty folk park entrance and drop off. Point out the route back to the Woolen Mills and arrange to meet them back on the coach there. This saves too much to-ing and fro-ing. Tell the group to be very careful on the road between the Mills and the Castle.
Pay your entrance to Bunratty, hand out the free maps of the site and walk the whole group down to the left until you reach the castle. Announce your arrival to the guide and ensure the group know how and when to rejoin the coach, at the Woolen Mills car park, before handing over. At Bunratty there is often an introduction inside the castle by one of the guides.
Best lunch options are probably the cafeteria in the Woolen Mills, which can be a little slow, but there are also the pub and tea room in the folk park and Durty Nelly’s Pub, 061 364 861 outside the castle. There is an ATM, exchange at the Woolen Mills.
Photostops enroute to Kilarney:
Castleisland viewpoint (ask your driver if you are unsure). It sums up everything about the west of Ireland. In the distance on your left, you can see the MacGillycuddy Reeks, Dingle Bay and the mountains to your right are the Slieve Mish Mountains of the Dingle Peninsula.
Aghadoe Heights is a great photo stop if the weather is good. If the weather is inclement you can perhaps fit it in the next day. The coach will park and the group cross the road to the viewing point. Make sure they watch out for traffic. Just before you arrive at the photo stop, coming from the Killarney direction, you will see a ruined church with a graveyard and the bases of two round towers.
Killarney Activities
Jaunting Cars through the National Park to Ross Castle. 1 hour round trip. Ring Billy/Mark Tangney – 087 2571492.
Shops open till late – often till 8pm during high season.
The Killarney Avenue Hotel – 064 663 2522. The hotel has a cultural show on each season and at some point it is highly likely that their promotional staff will introduce themselves to you.
Summer Festival (August). Ask at the hotel for pubs with music and other events.