1 It’s hard to fathom, on approach to the truly awesome spectacle of the Cliffs of Moher‘s 241m-high walls of verticle rock that plummet straight into the raw and stormy Atlantic, how German tourists can be so stupid. About 15 of them a year fall over the unfenced cliffs. The day I was there, five went over all at once. All Germans, all hanging over the ledge. No wonder the name translates as ‘cliffs of ruin’. The walls are mighty and terrifying, forming colossal shoulders that ride on the ocean and offer up bitingly fresh spray to the flea-sized humans above. A humbling, poetic and brutal spectacle.
2 Ailwee Cave is a rare glimpse at underground Ireland – huge caverns, stalactites, subterranean rivers and cascades. Before Aillwee Cave was opened in 1976, its entrance was only a chink in a cliff face. The man who discovered the cave was Jacko McGann, a herdsman on Aillwee Hill. He explored the cave by candlelight and found that Aillwee is basically a single tunnel burrowing a kilometre into the Aillwee Hill. The original show cave has three chambers, Bear Haven (where the 10,000-year-old imprint of a hibernating bear can still be seen), Mud Hall and the Cascade Chamber.
3 Lions legend Peter Clohessy’s pub on Howley’s Quay is the pinnacle of rowdy Limerick City boozing – a late-night watering hole that packs to the rafters with rugby lads and local girls.
4 If you’re up for a culinary pounding, head over to Dunguaire Castle for the daunting delicacies of the middle ages at this ancient monument, complete with a Cable Guy-style medieval floorshow. All in, it’s £35.
5Hikers can head to the dazzling Curraghmore Forest Park with its walkways, lake, gardens and nature trails that surround an 18th century homestead.
The essentials
Time from London 1.5 hours
Getting there Easyjet run cheap flights to Shannon, Knock and Cork from Gatwick.
What to say There was a young man from Eenus…
Price of a beer: About €5
– SEAN MAHER
