Ireland: Carnlough & A Bunratty Castle Snapshot

The sleepy fishing village of Carnlough was another one of our stops on Day 3 of our jaunt around Ireland. We were on our way to Ballintoy to visit the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, but made a quick pit stop here for a stretch break. As stretch breaks go, I'd say this was one of my favorites. We got a perfect peek into the quiet life of a small Irish village just hugging the Northern coastline. Fishermen were out reeling in their lines, friendly shop owners greeting us tourists, and cattle were grazing on the hills above the town. This place felt like a scene out of an old Celtic storybook--quaint, cheerful, and oh so dreamy!

Bunratty Castle Jumping around again to Day 2 and our visit to the Cliffs of Moher--I remembered we stopped briefly for another stretch break on our ride back to Dublin. What I wasn't expecting at this stop was to see our first Irish castle! Bunratty Castle, to be exact. We didn't have time to go inside the castle or walk around its adjacent Folk Park, but a quick cappuccino at the Village Mills and snapshot of the medieval fortress was just enough for us. I loved that we were able to see beautiful pieces of Irish history on our bathroom stops! Well-planned tours even make the most of the simplest of tasks. :) More from Ireland to come!