On the west coast of Ireland is the City of Galway. With 70,000 residents Galway is another example of the small Irish city with the metropolitan feel of something much bigger.

Known as the 'City of Tribes' because of the fourteen merchant class families that dominated it as an oligarchy during the Middle Ages, this city is packed full of culture and history. In fact, so much so that Galway is also known as Ireland's cultural heart.

Galway is also the home to a large number of Irish language speakers, approximately 10% of the population uses the language day-to-day. And most confusingly, many of the street signs are displayed only in Irish, something which can add a layer of complexity to getting around.

There is also terific food in Galway, and it was here where I had my favorite meal. It was at a restaurant named Ard Bia, which in Irish simply means 'general food'. The food was nothing short of spectacular, and the wine, a rosé from Morocco – 2009 Volubilia Gris, from the Guerrouane region – was the match of any rosé from Provence. It was so good, why oh why is it unavailable in the US?!

Not far from the Cliffs of Moher is the Burren, a 96 square mile patch of barren, rocky landscape. Other than grass growing between the wide fissures between the rocks, there isn't a lot of other vegetation to be found in the blasted, moon-like scenery.

The Burren was once covered by a forest that grew on top of a shallow layer of soil. But the forest was cleared more than 5000 years ago by farmers wanting to grow crops and raise livestock on that thin layer of rich soil. But combination of the loss of forest and the intensive farming activity led to soil erosion, and eventually to the rocky, desert-like landscape it is today.

These farmers also built a structure out on the Burren known today as the Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, which in Irish means 'hole of sorrows'. It is a dolmen that stands six feet at its highest and is nine feet long, and like many similar structures around Ireland is thought to have signified the passage into the afterlife (though Poulnabrone is by far the oldest). Some 22 to 28 people (including six children) were buried at the opening of the tomb over a period of 600 years.

As you've probably figured out by now this tomb is so far up my alley that I couldn't pass it up, even after the long drive from Cork and a couple of excited hours at the cliffs.

After Cork our next stay was in Galway out on the west coast. The drive was long and there was so much to see we knew we wouldn't bet getting into the city until late. One thing we knew we had to see on this leg was the Cliffs of Moher.

And what a sight to stop for it was. Below you will see the view of the cliffs, topping off at 700 feet above the Atlantic, and obviously a very beautiful scene it is. But the thing the photos cannot adequately convey is the sight of these cliffs when you are standing before them, something that truly takes your breath away.

First were the winds, blowing so strong that you had to concentrate on your steps to keep yourself from keeling over onto the pavement. And then there is the scale of the drop right before you, there is nothing that can really prepare you for the humbling size of the cliffs stretching out as far as the eye can see. And 'humbling' it really was – you get the feeling of how small you really are, and even how small the massed crowds lapping back and forth along the walkways are, when presented with the view.

The Cliffs of Moher are really one of those places that you really should see if you ever went to Ireland. They are also a place that can show you what travelling to distant places is really about.

Our last morning in Cork provided us an excellent time to see more of the city. We hadn't stayed much in town while we were there – there was just too much to see in the surrounding areas to spend time downtown.

Like so many other towns and cities in Ireland, Cork, while being scarcely the home of 120,000, still has the bustle and rhythm of a big city. The climate in the area is on average a little warmer and sunnier then other parts of the Ireland (though we had some of the heaviest rain we saw in Ireland down there).

What better way to spend the rest of the day after visiting Blarney Castle than to visit another castle? That's what we said, but we did it anyway.

Today's nap-time drive brought us across southern Ireland to the small town of Killarney. Situated strategically along a stretch of a popular scenic drive known as the 'Ring of Kerry', its streets were packed to the gills with shops and restaurants vying to catch the eye of the flood of tourists coursing through.

We stopped for a quick bite in town then headed for the nearest park for some chillout time. Ross Castle was what we found, perched over acres of park along the shores of Lough Leane, a lake surrounded by wilderness as far as the eye can see (a fairly rare occurrence in Ireland). And yes, the castle was nice and all but we had enough by this point and didn't even peek inside.