Navan
Entering Ireland from Northern Ireland and after visiting the Tollymore Forest, we drove to the town of Navan to stay at our planned housing at the Meadow View B&B and where we would meet our host Nora & her son Harry. When I met Harry I said "it's nice to meet you 'Hair-ee'", as we Americans pronounce the name. He asked his mom if I thought he had hair all over him, as they pronounce his name 'hah-ree'.
After breakfast in the guest dining area, I was invited to spend some time with Nora in her kitchen. I learned much about her background, her husband's background, and why she runs a bed-and-breakfast. Nora’s mother had run a B&B for many years before her. Nora started hers with much experience behind her.

Athlone
Leaving Navan the next morning, our next stay would be in the little town of Athlone.

Bastion B&B
I don't know why they call this a B&B. It is only a B. There is no breakfast. A modest place that has a nice private room with a good bed and an on-suite. But, most important, it was only a block and a half from Sean's Pub. No one wanted to be a designated driver this night.

Sean's Pub

Sitting in a traditional Irish neighborhood on the bank of the River Shannon, Sean’s Bar is a represents an Irish public house which makes sense as it predates all of them, and maybe even every bar still in existence.
Sean's Bar is an old pub in Athlone, Ireland. It claims to be the oldest pub in Europe, dating back to 900 A.D. In 2004 Guinness World Records confirmed Sean's Bar as the oldest pub in Europe.
Sean's Bar was originally known as Luain's Inn. It is now most often referred to simply as Sean's.
Luain was an innkeeper who guided people across the treacherous waters of the ancient fjord. Later, a settlement was established around the crossing point.

The bar holds records of every owner since its inception, including when the singer Boy George owned it briefly in 1987. During renovations in 1970, the walls of the bar were found to be made of wattle, daub and wicker, an ancient building compound that used wooden strips held together by mud and clay, and dating back to the tenth century. Old coins (which were apparently minted by various landlords for barter with their customers) were also found and dated to this period. The walls and the coins are on display in the National Museum. One section remains on display in the pub.

Looking into history it seems that the bar had likely existed for over a thousand years after being established as an inn for travelers crossing the fjords that once sat in the area.

Investigations are ongoing to secure the honor of oldest bar in the world.

Inis Oirr (east island)

On the western shores of Ireland we stepped upon the O'Brien ferry which would take us to the little island of Inis Oirr. To get a great view we chose to sit on benches in the front of the boat. Perhaps, not a good choice. The voyage was cold and windy causing the boat to sway back and forth, which, in turn, caused me to slide down the bench until someone caught me. We secured an inside seat during the voyage back to the mainland Shores.
While there, and after warming our bodies with a nice Irish coffee; Tom, Laurie, Ramona and I hopped on a horse drawn wagon while Sarah and Sean chose to rent bikes. Both modes of transportation allowed us to see much of what the island had to offer. As well as the white sand beach, we were able to experience the limestone landscape along meandering cobblestone roads where we could view centuries old homes with whitewashed walls and tiled floors, that reminded me of the structures I saw while visiting the Andalusian area of southern Spain.

Cliffs of Moher
At first glance, the Cliffs of Moher looks as though there was a large landmass that extended well into the sea beyond. And, millions of years ago, a large portion of that land broke off into the ocean, leaving behind a shear wall of the stone.
Of course, that's my imagination at work, but the immediate drop from land to ocean far below suggests to me that something sheared off that edge in some dramatic way.
In any case, it is a beautiful sight to behold.