Lisdoonvarna, Day 6

Day 6 starts with a quick trip to Doolin. From the shore in Doolin we could see the Cliffs of Moher--but more about them tomorrow. From this sneak peek I was fairly frothing about going to see them up close. 

While waiting for Dermot and the girls to arrive, we walked around Lisdoonvarna a bit and Eleanor introduced us to the Flake 99. We're going to haul home some Flake and attempt to make our own, but none will probably taste as good as this one from the Lisdoonvarna Spar.

Continuing our tour of the local cuisine, we decided it was time to do a taste test of a range of chips/crisps. I can't claim that our approach was particularly scientific, but it was tasty. My new favorite is the prawn cocktail and Peyton decided that he liked the Walkers better than the Tayto (I've been muttering tayto, tayto, tayto for days now).

The real highlight of the day though was the Father Ted Tour. Father Ted hasn't been on the air for 20 years, but fan fervor for the show doesn't seem to have abated even a little. We love the show and are constantly trying to turn other Americans on to it--so far, we've only had a little success. But, god, I could watch it every day. The tour commenced with a rousing rendition of "My Lovely Horse" and a visit to the water falls in Ennistymon where the "A Song for Europe" episode was filmed. If you watch the "My Lovely Horse" video, you'll see the falls.

Because there hasn't been much rain lately, the falls were pretty dry, but you get the general idea.

Substitute Dermot with Ted and Dougal and it's pretty close!

The tour guide had all of these great Father Ted lines on cards that could be use as photo props. At this point in our trip I should not be calling for "more drink" (per Father Jack), but when in Rome...

From the falls we walked into town to see some other spots that were also featured in Father Ted episodes.

Eugene's pub is one of the most amazing pubs I've ever seen and it's also a living shrine to Father Ted. While the crew was in town (they lived there while filming many of the exterior shots), they often frequented Eugene's. Imagine a pub in which everything is in its place, everything is immaculate, everything shines, and the beer is extra cold and you'll get the general idea.

Looking sweaty and excited, we sit in the Father Ted shrine. 

Ennistymon is a really lovely town--we came back the next day for lunch.

The "Licensed 7 Days" sign really cracked me up. You can tell that it's hand painted and that the artists was running out of room towards the end.

According to our tour guide, the combo bar/funeral parlor used to be a pretty good business. The episode, "Mainland" was filmed in Ennistymon and this is the bar that Father Jack goes into for a drink.

Optometrist sign, duh.

Down the street from here is where the "Escape from Victory" scene of the "over 75s" soccer league was filmed.

There are so many charming storefronts in Ennistymon--I loved this one in particular.

When we arrived at the parochial house, the level of excitement and smell (due to the heat and due to the fact that several members of the tour were drinking heavily) on the bus rose noticeably. The current owners of the house were also the owners during the show as well. The house was mostly used for exterior shots, but they used the interior some as well. Sometimes the owner will host a tea and cakes event for the Father Ted Tour--luckily, today was one of those days. It didn't feel right to take a ton of photos in this woman's house, but I will say that the tea and cakes were delicious. She even put a bit of tape on the window so the tourists could imitate Father Ted from the "Are You Right There, Father Ted?" episode. In particular, I love THIS clip.

Here's Peyton doing his best imitation.

The parochial house.

The fella to the right is doing a fair impression of Bishop Brennan.

The view from the house was breathtaking. I imagine it's far more desolate and bare in November and December, which is when they filmed the series.

I know that stone fences are ubiquitous in Ireland, but they really are amazing.

Here I am sweaty, disheveled, and full of scones and tea.

Back where the tour started in Kilnefora, there are a ton of tributes to Father Ted. Several scenes were also filmed here, including the end of the "Are You Right There, Father Ted" episode. The sign below references the "Good Luck, Father Ted" episode and the scene about the "spider baby."

After the tour, we drove to Fanore to meet Eleanor and the girls at the beach. Beach+sun starved humans+bank holiday=so many delighted Irish people.

Peyton didn't really believe that this was seaweed (he was convinced that it was plastic), but I assured him that it was.

Jane loves Peyton--she's fascinated by his beard and tattoos. They've been pretty inseparable throughout the trip.

Jane in action.

Finally, I have a few pictures of Elsa as well. Both of the girls loved all the sand, water, and sun.

We were all absolutely beat at the end of the day and we still haven't hit the Cliffs of Moher yet. Can you have too much sun, wind, and fun? We're about to find out.