Mooghan, County Clare, Ireland

So as I mentioned before, our friends, Tom & Trish, invited us to stay with them in their "castle" which was originally part of this Dromoland Estate where we had our fancy farewell gala...they picked us up & drove a mile up the road behind this castle to Mooghan...

Mooghan Castle (built about 500 years ago) was originally the "tower house" for the Dromoland Estate, built as a residence & to defend the aristocracy during any threat...it stands some 3 stories tall & it is in remarkable condition!

The front door is no longer used for entering or exiting the castle...they added a modern kitchen around the back & replicated the authentic look on the outside...

The kitchen door & the modern kitchen that Trish's parents added in 1970 when they purchased the tower house & renovated it.  They added bathrooms with indoor plumbing & electricity...all the modern conveniences.  Trish said that it was posh (among her parents' circle of friends) to buy a castle & renovated back then...Trish's 87 year old mother spends her spring & fall here every year!

Kitchen table & sitting room off the kitchen...

The sitting room leads into the main floor of the castle & formal dining area.  Trish's mom purchased period furniture (or replicas) to maintain the authentic look...several movies were actually filmed in here! They were Irish movies, so I didn't recognize the names...

at the end of the dining area is a long hallway...

To the left is a modern bathroom...

Construction workers actually dug out the mortar between the stone bricks to add the plumbing & wiring & then covered the pipes & wires back up by patching the mortar back up...

Opposite the bathroom is the spiral staircase - the only way up to the other floors!  As we climbed the stairs we came across other bedrooms & bathrooms that peeled off the staircase...

This was the 2nd floor main room with a large bedroom at one end.  Tom & Trish stayed here...

This is the doorway to our bathroom.  I had to duck my head to enter...

Once inside, this is the view to the right...

At the end of the bathroom looking back towards the door...

Around the corner was another long hall with this little opening...

And through that opening was the bathtub that where we bathed.  This odd shaped bathroom was probably originally a storage room of some kind...

Some 90+ steps up the spiral staircase is the top/3rd floor (also called the Solar floor) where we found  our room - the master bedroom, where Trish's mom stays when she's here...

Check out this master bed on a pedestal surrounded by animal fur...

I particularly liked the tapestry on the wall next to the bed.  If you've been to my house, you know that I have this same tapestry hanging in my entryway.  L'arbre de Vie (The Tree of Life) from the original painting by William Morris...

I got a kick out of the little pillow on the master bed...it's a smocked pillow - I made Jill & Cindi a dress with this pattern on it one Easter when they were little.  (I thought I took a picture of it, but I couldn't find it so I enlarged it here - it's hard to see the pattern.)

The master bedroom even had a little chapel/prayer niche by the fireplace.  The McGinnis family is as Irish Catholic as they come & Trish's mom prayers multiple times a day in her little niche...

The grounds & surrounding forest was amazing!  With the wonderful weather, we took many hikes & explored the surrounding area...

Such vivid green everywhere!  I loved the old forgotten rock walls & bridges almost hidden by the green undergrowth...

There were several old ring forts that were up above their property in the surrounding forest...

We caught a glimpse of Mooghan in a clearing from above...

Of course we explored the surrounding towns, too...Lahinch, Bunratty, Lisconnor, Shannon...

I'm pretty sure this store just might have anything you would ever need in it!

Tom was a great tour guide...

They took us to King John's Castle (Prince John was King Richard the Lionheart's brother from Robin Hood fame)...he wasn't very popular - England sent him to govern Ireland & he tried to proclaim himself King of Ireland...that didn't go over too well with the locals...

A local viking & his wench...

Our last evening there, we dined in the main dining hall.  Tom wanted to make sure that Paul felt like the king of the castle...

Our self-timer portrait - Tom decided to bow to the king...

Many thanks to Tom & Trish for an unforgettable experience!  It was the highlight of the trip for us...Ireland has been a dream come true for me - I've always wanted to visit & it did not disappoint! "Dia duit, Slan leat." May God be with you, Goodbye.