Enjoying the Cliffs of Moher.
Hello! Hello! The History Junkie is back from his Irish holiday. What a great country! Where else can you find Guinness on tap at nearly every third door in nearly every burg across the country?
One of the “must sees” in Ireland is the Cliffs of Moher. You see them on virtually every postcard or program on the country. The cliffs rise straight up from the Atlantic Ocean, to a height of some 700 feet. Truly a stunning view.
Maire Rua MacMahon
On our way back toward Shannon, our guide gave us an amazing account of a long-ago local named, Maire Rua MacMahon. She was part of the O’Brien clan, and sported a head of red hair, hot like her temper. As legend, or possibly exaggeration, would have it, Maire had a bit of a mean streak. Indeed, she did work her way through three husbands. The guide shared with us an account that may or may not be true, in that when Maire and her third husband, a Cornwellian soldier, named Cornet John Cooper, visited the Cliffs of Moher in the 1660s, only one returned. Uh, that would be Maire.
We passed by the ruins of her former residence, the once formidable Leamaneh Castle. Saw it with my own two eyes! She spent her last days at Dromoland Castle, which I stayed at also. God love the Irish for their colorful characters like Maire Rua MacMahon!