Letterfrack to Ennis
After a good breakfast, but with still poor scones and bread, we left Rosleague with David having a chat to the owner who is still doing his accounts by hand and not using the computer.
We had a lovely journey across the moors and lakes Then we suffered the traffic jams around Galway before branching off to follow the coast. We stopped for a walk at the castle we had visited before and then went to the chocolate factory and then on to the pub where we have had lunch before they did not do a crab sandwich so we did not stop this time.
We then stopped at Ballyvaughan, here we sat on the pier and enjoyed our picnic lunch.
As we then crossed inland to the Burren, where we stopped to walk to an impressionable megalithic tomb, Poulnabrone Dolmen
The GPS took us a long winded way to Station Road in Ennis. We were there by 3:30 as it was 4.30 before we were eventually able to get the car to the Old Ground Hotel: this was a large hotel and they couldn’t care less that there are instructions arriving there partly due to a closed road where useless. We had a cup of coffee in the room and then went for a walk round the town, trying to decide which bistro we were going to go to for dinner. Had dinner in Henry’s Bistro. And enjoyed that it was nicely decorated and not too crowded.
A day touring from Ennis
After a pleasant breakfast David went to have his haircut and had a nice Irish barber with whom he had a good chat. We left the hotel about 11 and drove to Spanish Point where we were fascinated by the history of the Armada Hotel which had been built in 1803 as the Atlantic Hotel. Between 1848 and 1852, is a become an auxiliary workhouse . The hotel today is now called the Armada Hotel and this was built completely new around the 1950s. We walked around to it, and were not overly impressed.
We then continued to Trumps golf course and hotel at Doonbeg We parked nearby and had a walk along the beach and had a chat to an Irish couple who told us that we could have coffee in the hotel. So we went into to the hotel and looked around. Were not overly impressed by the two sites offered for coffee.
We then continued to Killkey where we enjoyed our picnic for lunch overlooking the beach.
Dinner in the hotel's bistro, quite noisy
Ennis Old Ground Hotel
Not one of Ireland's great hotels. Untrained staff, room with a view over a car park, rude receptionists. It deals primarily with groups, so individual punters take second place in things like restaurant bookings
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Letterfrack to Ennis, via The Burren
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Trump International Golf Hotel
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland, formerly Doonbeg Golf Club, is a traditional links-type course situated to the north of Doonbeg in County Clare. Designed by Greg Norman and opened in 2002, the geography was hardly changed as the course was fitted into the area provided. The complex hosts a 5-star hotel, spa, cottages and reception rooms.
On assuming the office of United States president in January 2017, Trump (along with his daughter Ivanka) resigned as director of the golf complex; his sons Eric and Donald Jr. remained. For 2019, the company had reported a pre-tax loss of 1.37 million euros. In November 2021, the resort reported revenue of 3.8 million euros in 2020 and a pre-tax loss of 3.59 million euros. Its workforce was reduced from 230 to 112, and the company received 459,000 euros in government grants for COVID relief.
The Great Man was not there when we visited!
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Spanish Point, Killkey
On the coast, 2.5 km from Milltown Malbay, Spanish Point was named after the many ships of the Spanish Armada were wrecked during stormy weather. Those who escaped from their sinking ships and made it safely to land were later executed by Sir Turlough O'Brien of Liscannor and Boethius Clancy, High Sheriff of Clare. As news of the English victory had not reached William FitzWilliam, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, he had issued a blanket command that all Spanish found in Ireland were to be executed with their ships and treasure seized. The executed Spanish were buried in a mass grave in an area of Spanish Point. There was no archaeological evidence for the claim until 2015 when a group of historians investigating the location of the wreck of San Marcos stated they had found a mass grave under Spanish Point which contained the bodies of the executed Spanish sailors
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