You Haven’t Danced Til You’ve Danced In Doolin

Departure days always seem to be a bit more disorganized. Ida and I did spend the last night in Dingle drinking with Sheri McDonough & crew which likely contributed to the disorder sorting out where to get lattes in the morning.  Staff and Pig & leaf were very patient as we ordered up the 6 lattes for take away.  Then we were off for more travel on the Wild Atlantic Road .  Today’s section was the drive to Doolin via Conor pass and the Cliffs of Moher. 

Conor Pass was a famine project.  The British assigned Irish Catholics work for 1 pence a day.  The Conor pass was a narrow winding road carved between the mountains connecting tone side of the Dingle peninsula to the other.  It’s not as long or high as the Million Dollar highway between Durango and Silverton but has the same vibe. There are a few parts where the road is barely wide enough for a single car so the driver has to pay attention to oncoming traffic and wait as needed.  

Our route required crossing the Shannon via a ferry.  It’s a short trip over and a much nicer way to get to Doolin than risking the traffic in Limerick.  They must have a few ferry users who hit the snack bar and then have issues navigating the stairs to the upper deck.

The Cliffs Of Moher are indeed a natural wonder and not to be missed. Until recently, the best way to get to the cliffs and avoid the mess in the parking lot was to head down a dirt road where you paid the farmer 10 Euro, parked in his field and took a short hike to the cliffs.  Unfortunately the government has now outlawed him and others from that additional source of revenues.  Our driver explained that because the parking now would charge 15 Euro per person rather than the carload that was considered outrageous. Because they also station security guards at key places it is difficult for the drivers to easily drop people off.  So the process now is, she stops the van briefly at the pedestrian crosswalk and everyone piles out of the car.  It’s rather like a Chinese firedrill. We managed to all pile out and get across without getting hit. 

After the Cliffs we headed to our lodging in Doolin.  Doolin is a very small town but very well know for being the heart of traditional Irish music.  Its location is just a short drive from the Cliffs and it’s directly across from the Aran Islands.  Our hotel, the Fiddle & Bow, was excellent and a very short walk to everything.  We found O’Connor’s pub and of course the requisite picture of the Kennedys.  As the Irish would say, the group was a bit peckish and we landed at McDermott’s for a late lunch.

Paula, Ida and I wandered back up the road from the Fiddle & Bow Hotel to McDermott’s for a bit of traditional Irish music.  When we had lunch we noticed that Blackie O’Connell was the listed musician for the night.  Blackie plays the Irish pipes - Uilleann pipes.  The Uilleann is played using your arms not blowing into the pipes.  Our driver told us he was one of the top musicians in Ireland and not to be missed.  He was part of a trio with a fiddler and bouzoukis players.  They were amazing and the crowd was great.  We lucked out and sat a table that was empty so when a bridal party showed up we were happy to have them join us.  They had gotten married earlier in the day at the Cliffs of Moher.  We had a great time sharing in their wedding festivities and the brothers of the groom were clearly having a wild time.

As the trio wrapped up for the evening, they announced “You haven’t danced til you’ve danced in Doolin.”  At that point all locals stood up and cleared the stools from the room to create a space for dancing.  The musicians launched in to a lively set and things started hopping.  Paula channeled her Oklahoma square dancing skills and we all got hopping.

At the end of the dancing the band announced they were finished.  One of the local older gents came over to make sure we wouldn’t leave. “Don’t go as my friends and I will be singing a bit and that’s the real show.”  So we were forced to order more drinks and were glad we did.  The locals young and old sat around and entertained with their singing. Walking out, we stopped briefly to talk to the band.  We’re pretty certain that if Nan had been with us she’d have had us joining their after party and we’d have been a lot longer.