Ireland day 1406. Monday 04 August 2025- From Doolin DWC

Today’s summary	Took our leave from Doolin today. Departed just after 10am then stopped at the Craft Centre to get a wildflower book, and at the Burren visitor centre to look at the exhibition. Also paused en route at the Kilmacduagh abbey site to admire the round tower. Then an easy three hour drive back to Malahide via the M6. Walked round the Demesne with Val in the evening, then had pizza for dinner and watched a James Bond film.
Today’s weather	Stormy with wind and rain overnight as Floris passed through. Warmer and drier in Malahide. Gale force westerly wind. Appx 18c

Today’s overview location (The red mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The red mark shows where we walked) (No GPX today)

Commentary

We’ve had a great time in Doolin but today it was time to say our goodbyes and make our way back to Malahide.

We were up fairly promptly at around 8am which gave us plenty of time to get showers, have breakfast and pack up. Then we were on the road shortly after 10am.

We didn’t head straight for the motorway, but paused along the way to do some shopping, some visiting and some sightseeing.

Our first stop was the shopping stop – at the Doolin craft centre, where Val bought an excellent little book on the wildflowers of the Burren.

Next, a little further on, we dropped in at the Burren Visitor Centre in Kilfenora, to visit the rather well done Burren interpretive exhibition.

Finally, we wanted to stop and sightsee the Kilmacduagh Abbey Church, just outside Gort. As well as the ruined abbey, there’s also a millennium- old round tower, which is well preserved and which also leans at almost a meter from the vertical. Don’t pitch your tent underneath it! It was interesting but there’s no visitor centre (and also no visitors apart from us) and I couldn’t help thinking that the OPW could have made more of it. Anyway it was blowing a gale and a vigorous downpour hit us as we were looking round, so we didn’t linger.

Kilmacduagh is only about five minutes from the M18, so we were soon trundling along the motorway network back to Malahide. It took about three hours and we were back at the flat by mid-afternoon.

Once we’d unpacked and had a cup of tea (essential), Val and I went out in a quick stroll round the Demesne, then returned to enjoy pizza for dinner. A James Bond film in the evening brought the day to a close, and rounded off our exciting and interesting break very nicely.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


At the Doolin Craft Centre – nice and quiet when we dropped in first thing this morning	Val’s wildflower book. It’s a lovely publication, with space to write in your own observations, too

At the Burren Visitor Centre in Kilfenora	There’s a really good exhibition, which gives an interesting insight into the natural and human history of the Burren. The bare karstic limestone we see today is apparently a man-made artefact. The original vegetation – which was mostly hazel and pine scrub – was cleared by the first farmers some 5000 years ago

A glimpse inside the ruined abbey at Kilmacduagh. Unfortunately you can’t go inside	The Round Tower. Your eyes don’t deceive you – it is indeed leaning

Everything you always wanted to know about Kilmacduagh. It’s a shame there isn’t an interpretive centre to explain it in greater depth (and an even greater shame, I felt at the time, that there isn’t a café)