Day 8--IRL, Ennis to Gallway to Cliffs of Moher to Ennis

Got up at 6:00am and got ready with plenty of time to spare since we didn’t have to bring down our luggage (staying at the hotel in Ennis again tonight). We started our seat rotation today. The idea is logical, but the execution of it is not. Each side of the bus moves 2 rows forward and the front 2 rows move to the back. You are always sitting by the same people (in my case, an older, crazy, over-bearing woman who must always add her 2 cents) and across the aisle from the same people. Right now I am in the first row and Mom and Grandma are in the very back row. We changed the order of the trip for today as there are big horse races in Gallway right now and we would have been caught in traffic. We went to Rathbaun Farm to see a sheep shearing demonstration. We also got to see a border collie/ sheep dog do his work, most of which is instinctual. After seeing the demonstration, some got to bottle feed some lambs that were just a few weeks old. Saw some goats and chickens there too, then went into a thatched roof building (a few rooms of it were 200+ years old) for Tea and scones. The peat burning in the fireplace left a *lovely* smell in my hair and the hint of asthma in my chest. Went to the Connemara Marble Factory. There were about 6 or 7 different kinds of marble, some as old as 600 million years. I bought a silver claddagh ring with a light green marble piece in the heart. Grandma promptly handed me a Є20 after I bought it because she wanted to buy something for me but didn’t know what I would like. Next stop was in Gallway. We did a bit of shopping and a brief drive through city tour, but the traffic was bad still. We talked about the Lynch stone but didn’t even get to see it. At lest I saw it last time. Ate lunch and mailed some post cards from there too. Drove through Lisdovarna, a town that used to be known for its baths and is now known for its Matchmaking Festival every September. Stopped at the Cliffs of Moher. It was clear enough to see well, but it was also very windy. A few things we learned today: *Irish Coffee and Duty Free Shopping originated at the Shannon Airport. *The conception of the submarine began in Ireland. *Only 2-3 Border Collies out of 10-12 will be good working dogs- most of it is instinctual. I’m sure there was a lot more, but it escapes me at the moment. Back at the hotel in Ennis, we paid for our excursions then went to dinner. We waited for nearly a half hour for our food, but it was a good meal. I had curried chicken and rice, Mom had Cordon Bleu, and Grandma had a Banana Split!! And she said they did it wrong—only caramel, no whipped topping, one type of ice cream, no cherries or other toppings. We warned her that it might be different than what she was used to. Not sure if I said it already, but Grandma can’t understand anyone with an accent—not even us sometimes. Returned after dinner and Mom and Grandma both slept for a while before we packed. Then, of course, we all lay awake from having gotten sleep earlier.