During our trip to the Falls Hotel and Spa, the team got really excited about our Guinness World Record attempt and helped us along with four renewals... all in one day.
It was a great way to see some of the beautiful sights of Clare, do some interesting renewals, relax and pretend to be tourists - all at the same time!
Incredible falls
The Falls Hotel is named, not surprisingly for the incredible river that runs just outside their front door and along the hotel. It looks like we've been photoshopped into the Niagra Falls, but this is a wedding shot that any couple can recreate with a two minute walk from the hotel. Read our hotel review here.
Our ceremony was performed by deputy manager John McCarthy, one of the family members who own and run the hotel. He did a great job, despite standing right on the edge! The water rushing by sounded incredible, and we really felt the power of nature blessing our ceremony!
Photographs by John Kelly, first published in the Clare Champion.
Doolin Cave
Imagine following a stream to see where it came from and finding yourself tunnelling through Ireland's famed burren country. In 1952, the great stalactite was discovered and today is a family-run eco tourist attraction.
Caving is not really my idea of a good time, and when you hear that it took 14 months to create the attraction for the public, I'm just glad that other people like to do it, and people like me can just reap the rewards.
It's a very interesting experience, and the tour guide was absolutely fantastic. The descent down into the caves is via staircase, and it feels safe at all times. You follow the trickling stream through large tunnelled walkways and marvel at the power of water to create such an unbelievable sight.
The stalactite hangs in the final chamber and is dramatically lit for full effect. It's a beautiful thing to behold, created from millions of drips of water, weighing more than ten tonnes and hanging improbably from the ceiling of a giant cathedral-like cave.
Of course, we couldn't resist a vow renewal, beautifully performed by Paddy and underneath the great stalactite itself.
Talking of records - the stalactite is the largest in the northern hemisphere, second largest in the world, but it's the largest on-display free hanging stalactite anywhere in the world!
The Doolin Cave is a brilliant tourist attraction and a must-see when you're passing through Clare. There's also more to explore. A second chamber is slowly being excavated and is likely to unearth some more incredible sights, so stay tuned. Tours take approximately one hour. More information here.
The Matchmaker Bar, Lisdoonvarna
Every September, singles congregate at the pretty town of Lisdoonvarna for Europe's biggest matchmaker festival!
The festival started as a way for bachelor farmers to find a wife, but now is an excuse for singles to come and have a great time, drinking and dancing. If they find a match, even better!
Matchmaking is an age-old profession, and they don't come any more passionate than Willie Daly, a third generation matchmaker no less, who carries around details of his clients in his great-grandfather’s lucky matchmaking book.
He speaks movingly about love and takes his job very seriously. His knack of finding perfect matches is partly based on getting to know each client's preferences, and partly based on intuition. He got us to fill in a matchmaking form, just to check our compatibility!
Our wedding ceremony was held in front of the Matchmaker Bar, performed by the Matchmaker himself and was a beautifully personal renewal. Willy believes in love, and he has a wonderful calm energy about him. He genuinely loves his profession and has thousands of matches under his belt, including now The Honeymoon Testers!
The Cliffs of Moher
The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most famous and iconic natural landmarks in Ireland. The breathtaking cliffs range for 8 kilometres over the western coast of County Clare and tower 200 metres above the ocean.
Our ceremony was performed at the base of O'Brian's Tower, the romantic fort-type viewing tower which stands near the highest point of the Cliffs, and gives views of the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Tower was built in 1835 and celebrates 175 years this year.
The team put together a beautiful wedding spread for us, including champagne, cupcake wedding cake, strawberries and two cute cuddly sheep. An Irish flag completed the look!
Unfortunately the weather was incredibly foggy, so instead of the stunning cliffs in the background, we took a fake photo inside at the state of the art visitors centre.
The Cliffs of Moher are Ireland’s nomination for the global online campaign to find the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011. Vote and get behind this beautiful wonder.
It's our second wedding at the Cliffs of Moher! Our first was during a Paddy Wagon Tour of the Ring of Kerry!
What a day! Married four times!
What a lovely way to see the gorgeous sights of Clare!
Thanks to Joanne at the Falls Hotel and Spa for arranging this fabulous day and hosting us at the gorgeous hotel for two days. Joanne was a champ, she had to climb, hike, duck and dive to take pictures for us.
She even took us on a sightseeing boat cruise (where we could wear normal clothes and NOT get married for a change) on the Cliffs of Moher Cruises to see the incredible view from a different angle.
It was a great trip being out on the water and seeing the birds and their sanctuary up close. The rocks and natural formations have even been used as part of the Harry Potter sets. Unfortunately, Mark is not in the photo, as he turned an unpleasant shade of green and had to stay inside!
Cheers again to Doolin Caves, the team at the Cliffs of Moher and Willie Daly for helping us achieve our goal of 100 wedding vow renewals.
