Today was spent mostly moving from Galway to Killarney. Along the way we passed more bogs, quaint villages, some jaw-dropping seaside scenery and a crystal manufacturer. Our first stop was at the Celtic Crystal Factory just outside of Galway. Here we saw examples of hand crafted crystal. I learned that the raw materials for the crystal glass is silicon (I knew that) plus sodium carbonate and lead oxide, who knew? We watched one of the most humble men that I have ever met hand cut artistic designs into a glass bowl. I was surprised at the speed at which he did his work.
After the crystal cutting demonstration we moved down the coast, southward, to the Cliffs of Moher. This is a stretch of about five miles along the Atlantic coast with towering sea cliffs. Sandy and I walked to the top of the cliffs. My breath was taken away, both by the magnificent view and by the fact the wind velocity was so high that the Boolean pressure literally squeezed the air out of my lungs. In the past the Irish let natural selection act as the determinant of how close one could get to the cliffs edge, now it is well protected with a stone and earth wall.
Throughout the day we passed through small towns and green countryside
We checked into the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney where we had yet another great meal after which some of us went out to Murphy's for some more Trad.
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