Interrail 2000 (part 3)

About 10-15 days after we set off, we disembark at the first light of a cool morning in Dublin!! We have finally reached the long-awaited Ireland!! We found accommodation in a hostel in the city where, unlike in France, there is no separation between men and women and there are mixed dormitories hosting people from all over the world!! After spending 3 days in the capital we headed north of the island. Following the advice of some hostel guests we stopped in Drogheda, staying for 2 nights at the strange but very welcoming Orley House. Here we practically never managed to work out who the owner was, so when it came time to say goodbye, even if we'd wanted to, we couldn't pay... From Drogheda we made a few trips using the cheapest means we had at our disposal: hitchhiking! Worth mentioning is Bru Na Boinne (the Boyne Valley) and its archaeological site of Newgrange.

An area rich in historical traces and home to numerous archaeological finds from the most varied ages and origins. After saying goodbye to Drogheda we headed to Northern Ireland and, after a brief stop in Belfast, we arrived in Portrush, where we stayed for 3 days in a hostel where we were the only guests. From this small town, again hitchhiking, we reached wonderful places including the enchanting Giant's Causeway, a succession of basalt columns by the sea. Having left Northern Ireland, since there were no direct trains heading west and we really had no intention of paying for buses, we opted for the ultra-cheap hitchhiking and, passing through Londonderry, we reached Donegal City, the main town of the county of the same name. We stayed at the ultra-cheap Ball Hill Youth Hostel. Here both the guests and the hosteller were all mad... maybe we were too... we had a wonderful time...

A very friendly New Zealand couple kindly offered us a lift to the foot of the Slieve League, the highest cliffs in Europe. We improvised as climbers but it was worth it!! A marvel of nature!! Still hitchhiking, from County Donegal we reached Galway, from where it was very convenient to reach the touristy Cliffs of Moher (spectacular cliffs plunging over the ocean for more than 200 metres). After 3 days we changed county again, reaching Kilrush where the "Mrs Crotty Festival" was about to begin...