I’ll start by saying this winter has been tough. The days are short, dark, and wet. I’m so glad to be living and working in Limerick now but I’ve spent the last few months trying to adjust to being paid monthly at my new job, as opposed to being paid weekly like I was before. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it eventually but it’s been a struggle to get back on my feet, especially after a short stint of unemployment in the autumn when I first moved to Limerick and a bit of overspending at Christmas.
Anyway, the point is I haven’t had much going on since the autumn besides my trip home to Boston for Christmas. Other than that I’ve been in hibernation mode, splitting my time between going to work and sitting at home on the couch.
But recently we had a bit of sunshine on a weekend which was very exciting. I’d felt so cooped up the past several weeks I immediately started researching somewhere in the region to go for a hike.
In the end I decided on hiking Mullaghmore Hill near Cloon, Co. Clare in the Burren. I chose this spot for a few reasons:
- It has multiple walking/hiking paths clearly marked
- The hike wouldn’t be too intensive. It was a place we could spend an afternoon and complete without proper hiking gear.
- We’d get to hike in the heart of the Burren, a place I’d really like to explore now that I live in Clare
- It’s just a stone’s throw from Father Ted’s House! Another place on my Ireland Bucket List
Don’t bring your dog to Father Ted’s House
If you don’t know Father Ted, it was a popular sitcom from the mid-90s. It was produced in the UK but was set on the fictional ‘Craggy Island’ in rural Ireland. It centered around the antics of a few wacky priests living in a parochial house. It’s now a staple in Irish pop culture and beloved by just about everyone in Ireland.
The parochial house featured in the opening credits and all exterior shots is actually a farmhouse in Co. Clare. People love to visit the iconic spot, so we decided to head there for a few photos before our hike.
While we were there we witnessed an incident where a dog that lives at the house bit the finger of another tourist. She was cradling a small yippy dog in her arms and the dog was clearly going after the other dog, not the woman. So please don’t bring your dogs and assume they are welcome here! I don’t think we’ll ever forget it!
After we got our snaps and waited until the other tourists had cleaned her wound and left, we set off. The hiking trail spot is just 2 minutes down the road and around the bend from Father Ted’s house.
Hiking in the Burren
We parked and hopped out to start our walk. Even though we had nice blue skies and a good weather forecast with springtime temperatures, I hadn’t anticipated the wind. It was cold and biting. Part of me wanted to turn back immediately after setting off, especially since we found the trail to be muddy and slippery that day. But we persevered and kept walking. I was glad we did because after I was warmed up, I didn’t feel the cold wind so much.
The Burren, if you don’t know, a geological area located mostly in Co. Clare. It has a distinctive otherworldly rocky landscape, totally different than the grassy fields you’d normally associate with Ireland. The word “Burren” comes from an Irish word “Boíreann” meaning a rocky place. Makes sense.
The place we decided to hike, Mullaghmore, is located in the Burren National Park, which is a dedicated national park within the greater Burren area. I’d never been there before so I was happy to tick it off my Ireland Bucket List.
We hiked for about an hour, maybe a bit more, up the rocky hill. I’m pleased to say it wasn’t too tough for us even though we were both out of shape. I was more concerned about the possibility of twisting an ankle on the uneven terrain, so you’d want to wear decent shoes and be mindful of that.
We went up fairly high on the hill but didn’t go all the way to the summit. After all we had to drive back to Limerick in time for our Sunday dinner plans. We found a nice spot to perch ourselves and have a snack while looking out over the Burren. We got some lovely photos to remember the day and headed back down.
I usually don’t think of myself as the most active person and especially not a hiker, but after our day out hiking the Burren National Park it got me thinking that I’d like to do more of it this summer!
