Clifden..with videos!

Quick! Everyone pretend they're in Western Ireland!

I took a journey to the west of Ireland this weekend. Clifden was recommended (by their website) as the "gateway to Western Ireland". It then showed a slideshow of gorgeous countrysides that one could see while staying in glorious Clifden.
Truthfully? It was lovely. But it was a tourist town, no doubt about that. It was like vacationing at Plymouth Plantation. Actually, I would liken it more to Old Sturbridge Village...it lacked the polish of Plymouth Plantation. They were trying to be a tourist town, but the natives lacked the attitude that is necessary for a tourist town. Instead of rolling their eyes at the crazy bus tours that rolled on through, they looked excited to see tourists. I sat down for a cup of tea and two teenage girls literally squealed and watched me drink it. I gave them a quizative look and one of them nodded at me as if to say "go on, drink...please?". I didn't know whether to be offended or amused. Who am I kidding, I was amused. People making a huge deal out of mundane things is the highest form of comedy.
The town was odd in that the population was mainly Irish and French of all things. I thought this was fantastic. The French? This is one of the first French enclaves I've ever heard of and I was fascinated (I'm a nerd, I go to Bryn Mawr, I'm sorry). Why did they come to Clifden? Is there some form of industry here that I wasn't aware of? What drew them to podunk West Ireland? Is this the start of more emigration from France? Again, I was fascinated. The library was even called the "Biblioteque Municipale". The tourists were mainly senior bus tours, which delighted me even more. My life goal is to be old and go on bus tours. The social structure is AWESOME. The women all sit around a table gossiping while the men handle the drink and sandwich transactions and look frustrated. I sat in a pub and watched one group for a good hour. I had a lot of time to kill. At night I went to the pub for traditional Irish music. Since this was a tourist town the bar was filled with British tourists, plus a few Polish natives (I've accepted the fact that the majority of the Irish population is Polish, no matter where you are...they're there). One of the highlights of my night was being able to understand the drunk Polish girl behind me who kept muttering "I love you, I love you, I love you" to her boyfriend. I was honestly giddy when I realized I recognized what she was saying. I got a disapproving look from a lady on the British bus tour when she saw how fast I downed my pint. I'm not exactly a fast pint drinker, but when paired against 60 year old British garden party ladies I guess I drink quickly. After the only Irish person in the bar requested the band play Dueling Banjos I decided it was time for me to head out.
The bottom line of Clifden? I wouldn't recommend it without a car. However if you've been kidnapped and taken to Clifden, once you've contacted the authorities I suggest you take a look around. The bay is really spectacular when the sunlight hits it and lets not lie, it's in Western Ireland, one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Here are a few more videos to highlight the experience.
Before OMP protests, I'm aware the wall in this video is not "ancient"
One of the saddest moments of my trip to Ireland
The bus ride home through Connemara made the trip worthwhile. It was like driving through a calendar. I cannot describe the absolutely gorgeous views that we saw. I could have spent two days in a trash dump and that bus ride would have still made the trip worthwhile.
The absolute icing on the cake, however? On the bus ride back to Dublin we stopped randomly on the highway and a Guardai (policeman) boarded the bus. I love when this happens because usually its an immigration check and the Guardai starts cracking jokes about everyone's country of origin, and basically everyone leaves the check in a good mood. This one gets on and shouts "I'm sure you're all wearing seat belts!!!" then proceeds to check and make sure. The chorus of CLICKs that followed got me giggling. After he was done checking he begins to make a speech about the importance of seat belts. By this time I am actively shaking. He goes in for the kill with the statement "In addition to saving your life, seat belts also improve your posture". At this point I audibly laugh and double over trying to keep the laughter in me. He is not pleased, looks at me and says "Do you think seat belts are a laughing matter?". I manage to shake my head before he leaves the bus. How I'm still allowed to stay in the country is beyond me, but that was by far one of my top 5 moments of my entire trip to Ireland.