Is it a Boat or a Plane? & a Cup of Mead

We headed out yesterday to the Foynes Museum of flying boats and the cliffs of Moher. Flying boats??? We had no idea what to exect and were pleasantly surprised to learn the history of intercontinental transportation and the role Foynes played in early aviation. Yes, they really were like flying boats since they landed on water. Check out the museum link at the end of this post to learn more.

From Foynes, we headed to our hotel in Ennis to pick up another group that was joining our tour. Our touring group consists of a conglomeration of 3 tours, those of us on the full 14 day loop around Ireland, those on just the southern loop and those on just the northern loop. Other than yesterday when we had 31 people, the tour total was 21 for the last week and will be 19 going forward. Makes for lots of room to spread out on the coach since it is designed to carry over 50 comfortably. 

Off to the Cliffs (not off the cliffs)

The weather was glorious for a trip to the cliffs. We expected wind and cold, only to find little more than a breeze and bright sunshine. For the first time since arrival, it was actually a little hot, especiallly after traversing countless steps to get to the top of the cliffs.  Moher Cliffs are 214m high at the highest point and range for 8 kilometres over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. O'Brien's Tower stands proudly on a headland of the majestic Cliffs. From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower.

Next stop was Bunratty Castle for a rowdy dinner and entertainment. The evening started with cups of mead, a strong drink made of fermented honey. Think really sweet liquor. Wohoo. Dinner was lavish, although it was almost entirely eaten with our fingers. The only flatware provided was our daggers. Add to this act that wine was free and plentiful in tall pitchers on our tables. Picture eating chicken and potatoes with just a dagger. The entertainment was wonderful, lots of singing, jokes and interaction with the crowd. The night ended back at our hotel with a group picture of fellow travelers whose trip ends at Ennis. 

 The broads with their mead.

 Entertainment.

Our daggers.

The history of Irish coffee also originated at Foynes. Sure, many of you thought it started in San Francisco, NOT TRUE. The chef at Foynes created it and later relocated to San Francisco, so Irish coffee really is Irish. We saw a step by step demonstration on  how to make the tasty drink - can't wait to try it at home.



http://www.flyingboatmuseum.com/b314.html

History of Irish Coffee
In 1943, Brendan O'Regan opened a restaurant and coffee shop in the Foynes terminal building. This restaurant had been considered to be one of the best restaurants in Ireland at that time. Chef Joe Sheridan, originally from Castlederg, County Tyrone, had been recruited by Brendan.

Late one night in the winter of 1943 a flight departed Foynes for Botwood, Newfoundland. After flying for several hours in bad weather conditions, the Captain made the decision to return to Foynes and await better conditions. A Morse code message was sent to the control tower at Foynes to inform them of their return. Staff were contacted to return to work and when the flight landed they were brought to the Airport Restaurant for food and drink to warm them.

When Joe was asked to prepare something warm for the passengers, he decided to put some good Irish Whiskey into their coffees. One of the passengers approached the Chef and thanked him for the wonderful coffee. He asked Joe did he use Brazilian Coffee? Joe jokingly answered, "No that was Irish Coffee!!"

A few weeks later, Chef Sheridan knocked on Brendan O'Regan's office door. He showed Brendan this new drink in a stemmed glass and asked him "How about that for eye appeal". Brendan answered "Genius Chef" and so began Irish Coffee. Irish Coffee continued to be served at Foynes to all passengers and is still served to this day to all dignitaries arriving at Shannon Airport.