Ireland 1 & 2
The following pages detail two different trips to Ireland. The first one was in 2018, the second in 2024. We loved both trips. Hope you enjoy!
The final leg of our almost four week journey brought us to Ireland. This part of the trip was particularly special because we flew our parents out to Belfast to meet us. We surprised our parents with the trip a few months earlier and they were elated. I’d always dreamed of being able to take my parents on a once in a lifetime trip, and I was finally able to turn it into a reality. This trip will always hold a special place in my heart. Going to Ireland was like coming home. Being half Irish, I felt a certain connection to Ireland unlike any other place I’ve ever visited.
We took a short flight from London to Belfast and met up with my mother-in-law. She landed just shortly after us and we scooped her up and headed to Titanic Belfast to kill a few hours until my parents arrived. If you’re at all interested in the history of the Titanic, I highly recommend making time for a visit to this museum. Seeing the place where the Titanic launched on its fateful, maiden voyage is pretty incredible. You could spend hours and hours exploring all its history.
Later that night my parents finally arrived and we drove north to the Bushmills Inn. The people in this country take the divide between Northern Ireland and the rest of the island very seriously. The distinction is clear when you pass from one area to the other. The first portion of our trip was at the very northern tip of this beautiful island.
Bushmills Inn was a quaint and cozy little place to spend our first night in Ireland. It put us in a prime location to visit the Giants Causeway the following morning. We were once again traveling in a rental, this time a big van. My husband was pretty much an expert by now & he handled driving on the right side of those tiny, winding roads like a champ. We all piled in and began our Ireland adventure.
The Giants Causeway is one of the most amazing natural wonders I’ve ever seen. It is an area with over 400,000 interlocking basalt columns that resulted from an ancient volcanic eruption. I would have loved to spend an entire day hiking and exploring this area. Unfortunately, as if on cue, the skies opened up and we got poured on as soon as we walked down to the first area of columns. Vic and I didn’t let it deter us, but we ended up getting completely soaked from the waist down thanks to the sideways rain. The columns were extremely slippery and we nearly fell more than a couple times. The rain did put a damper on our visit because of how cold and windy it became. I was just glad that we got to see it. We’re planning to go back someday, and spend an entire day (rain or shine) hiking the glorious causeway.
The Giants Causeway
Dublin
After our short but awesome exploration of the Giants Causeway, we headed south to Dublin. Here we found a bustling city with lots of cultural aspects to experience. After a hearty Irish breakfast our first morning in town (you’ll see my food photos at the end), we headed to Trinity College. The library at Trinity College is famous for the Book of Kells – a 9th-century gospel manuscript and the Long Room which served as inspiration for the library at Hogwart’s Academy in the Harry Potter films. The Long Room is simply incredible. It houses over 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. As an avid reader, I tried to imagine what it would be like to quietly sit in that massive space surrounded by all those incredible books.
Our next stop was Dublin Castle. It is beautiful both inside and out. I recommend you take the tour so you can see the incredible dining & sitting rooms first hand, and hear its history. No expense was spared in the construction that began on the medieval fortress way back in 1204 by King John of England. Over the centuries, Dublin Castle was host to many famous visitors, Benjamin Franklin, Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, Princess Grace of Monaco, John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela, to name just a few.
We continued on to the Christ Church Cathedral which started out as a Viking Church back in 1030. Make sure to visit the largest medieval crypt in Ireland, which lies beneath the cathedral. Also check out the cat and the rat while down below. Just a short walk from the Christ Church Cathedral is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This, more famous cathedral is a sprawling structure and home to some really beautiful stained glass. My interest in cathedral’s isn’t what it used to be when I first really started doing a lot of traveling (20+ years ago). By this point in the day, I was ready to go back to the hotel and take a nap. Dublin gives you a taste of Irish history with lots of beautiful architecture to enjoy everywhere you go.
Adare
From Dublin, we headed west across the island. We would be spending the rest of our visit along the western coast. We happened upon Adare not really knowing what we were going to find. We were so happy to discover this charming little village filled with thatched roof cottages and gorgeous, green parks. This is the perfect place to visit if you want to experience life outside the city.
Ballyseede Castle
Our accommodations at the Ballyseede Castle in Tralee were beautiful. It really is quite the experience to stay in an actual castle. The castle was decorated luxuriously and the grounds were just stunning. Both of our mother’s were in royalty heaven. Even the grand hall where breakfast was served each morning, had a way of making you feel like you’d gone back in time. We also enjoyed a decadent, five course dinner at the castle.
My only complaint at the castle was the noise. If you ever consider spending the night at a castle, make sure you first ask whether there will be a wedding the day(s) you plan to be there. There in fact was a wedding on our second night there and people were up partying until two in the morning. Definitely try and book your stay on a quiet, mellow evening.
Seaside drive to Dingle
We didn’t have any set plans when we headed out one morning from Tralee. We wanted to drive westward and take in some of the sites along the coast. We found the tiny village of Dingle on the map and decided to head that way. What we found was one of the most beautiful and scenic drives I’ve ever seen. The turquoise blue water surrounded by emerald green fields was just stunning. Dingle was a cute little village but it couldn’t compare with the the seaside drive.
Limerick
After a couple days at Ballyseede Castle, we headed north for our last couple days in Ireland. Limerick would serve as our home base for the remainder of our trip. Our first stop after checking into our hotel was a visit to King John’s Castle. King John, who was the brother of Richard the Lionheart, had the castle built in 1200 on King’s Island next to the River Shannon. The site dates back to 922 when vikings lived there. This place is so full of interesting history. You can spend hours walking through the different display areas both inside and outside. Definitely a place for all the history buffs out there. The views from the top of the tower are absolutely beautiful. Perfect place to spend a morning or afternoon in Limerick.
Make sure you check out one the sword fight demonstrations. My mom clearly enjoyed it.
We wrapped up the day by attending high tea. I’d always wanted to sit down to a proper tea luncheon of finger sandwiches, cakes, cookies and of course, lots of tea. It was a lot of fun and we were surprisingly full by the end of it.
Cliffs of Moher
Our final, full day in Ireland was spent at the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher and The Burren. These two spots are beautiful works from Mother Nature. The walk up the cliffs is a bit of a hike, but you can climb for as long as you’d like. You could spend the entire day out exploring the cliffs. The views are like something straight out of a movie. When we go back to Ireland and we definitely want to spend more than a couple hours on the cliffs. This is not a place I would take small children, the cliff edges are not protected in any way.
Burren National Park is home to glacial-era limestone that has been formed and cracked over the centuries. Depending on where you go, there are supposed to be thousands of seabirds in the area. We went to a very desolate area (not even sure if we were officially in the park). There are supposed to be puffins there too, which I would have loved to see up close in person. This is another place that I would like to spend more time exploring.
Irish Fare
I was pleasantly surprised by the food in Ireland. Much like England and Scotland, there are options galore and much more than just meat and potatoes. They definitely like their stews, sausages and potatoes, but you can find pretty much anything you’d like when visiting the bigger cities. The smaller villages offer more of the comfort food options, but we definitely ate to our hearts content. I developed a new love for sticky toffee pudding after having it there. I came home and tinkered in the kitchen until I came up with a new recipe for it. They definitely love their big breakfasts, I know my dad sure enjoyed them. They serve some unusual things with their first meal of the day (baked beans, blood sausage, etc.), but overall it was delicious.
The trip was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Having our parents there with us was so special. I will always look back on it with such fond memories, remembering all the amazing places we visited and all the laughs we shared. Ireland certainly holds a precious place in my heart ♥
May the winds be always at your back, may the sun shine be warm upon your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Feicfidh mé go luath thú!
Ireland- 2024
For our second trip to Ireland, we were able to fly direct from Denver to Dublin, which was fantastic. Anytime you can fly direct, do it. It saves you so much time and hassle. This second trip was short notice. We got a great deal on the airfare and built the trip around that. After landing we got our rental vehicle and headed north to a country home outside the tiny village of Broughshane. Our first six days were spent in Northern Ireland. There is no border control between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The two differences you might notice is that in Northern Ireland they use miles per hour and the pound sterling for currency, and in the ROI they use kilometers and euro.
We spent our first three nights out in the country at a beautiful Airbnb rental. The entire area was farmland and rolling green hills. It was so beautiful and peaceful. The owners were lovely people. They checked on us often and we took a stroll down to their farm one warm evening. It served as a great homebase for the areas we wanted to visit.
Giant’s Causeway
We spent our first full morning at the Giant’s Causeway. The weather was perfect for hiking and rock scrambling. During our previous trip, it was pouring rain the day we went there, so we were thrilled to have such stunning weather. The rock formations are so fascinating. It’s hard to believe they were created naturally. You can easily spend a day out there hiking all along the coast. You don’t have to buy a ticket unless you want to go inside the visitor center. There’s a paid parking area just up the road, so park there and walk.
After a leisurely lunch break we continued our afternoon with a trek out to Carrick-a-Rede. This was a quick 20 minute drive east. This rope bridge connects the mainland to Carrickarede Island. Salmon fisherman began building/using bridges to get to the island nearly 350 years ago. It’s about a 30 minute hike out to the bridge. You have to pay 15 pounds to gain entrance to the park and cross the bridge. The bridge itself is monitored by attendants, so they’ll only allow a safe amount of people on the bridge at a time. The bridge is very bouncy when you walk across it, so it might not be a good idea for everyone. The views are stunning and it’s a nice little afternoon getaway. There are lots of trails to walk on and they’re well maintained.
The Dark Hedges
The following morning we took a 30 minute drive north to visit The Dark Hedges. In 1775 James Stuart built Gracehill House for his wife. Along the entrance road to the house, he planted 150 beech trees. Over the years they formed an atmospheric tunnel. Legend has it that a ghost named Grey Lady visits the trees often. Being a beautiful & eerie natural landscape, it was used in several scenes on Game of Thrones. This has made it a popular place to visit. We were very lucky that we had it mostly to ourselves the morning we visited. This is a beautiful place to take a stroll.
On our last evening, we took a stroll down the lane to visit the homeowner’s of our rented house. They own all the acreage around both houses and we enjoyed seeing their cows & sheep. They were wonderful hosts and we really enjoyed chatting with them and learning about life out in the countryside.
Finn Lough
The following morning we packed up and headed slightly southwest for a 2 hour drive. We were headed to Finn Lough, still located in Northern Ireland. Finn Lough is a luxury hideaway resort that features individual forest domes as accommodation. It was such a unique experience. Each dome is completely surrounded by forest for ultimate privacy. You can swim or kayak on the lake, or spend time riding bikes or hiking in the woods. They also offer full spa services. We were tempted to do the morning plunge but changed our minds after we felt how cold the water was. Each morning they delivered a delicious breakfast basket filled with fresh pastries, yogurt and fruit and our choice of breakfast. We enjoyed our dinners at The Barn. The food was amazing, locally sourced and foraged. They put a lot of effort into sustainability through reducing waste and reusing as much as possible. We were thrilled on our second night that the clouds finally cleared and we could lay in our bed looking up at the stars. It was was an awesome experience.
Slieve League
While staying at Finn Lough we took an afternoon drive west to check out Slieve League, or as they say in gaelic, Sliabh Liag. This range of seaside cliffs sits at 601 meters above sea level. It’s the second highest cliff in Ireland, even taller than the Cliffs of Moher. If you were unable to make it down the west coast, this would be a great place to hike instead of the Cliffs of Moher. It’s far less crowded and the sheep walking alongside you is very Irish. You could easily spend several hours hiking in the area. You can park at the visitor center and take a shuttle up, or drive one mile further and park your car and hike the entire way up. You can’t drive you car to the top.
After wrapping up a couple days at Finn Lough, we continued down the west coast, settling in the small seaside town of Liscannor. This put us just ten minutes away from The Cliffs of Moher. We were really looking forward to spending some quality time exploring the cliff line. Unfortunately, the weather was very rainy and windy while we were there. The Cliffs of Moher has also closed off large portions of each end of the cliff due to safety concerns. We felt very lucky that we had beautiful weather and no limitations when we visited the cliffs previously. We also learned on our next leg of the trip that there are tons of places to walk/hike that are just as beautiful as The Cliffs of Moher and far less crowded. Our house sat on a nice bay with views of the ancient Liscannor Castle. The town across the bay, Lahinch, was a great place to get all different sorts of foods. We ate a lot of our meals over there.
The Hydrangeas
Lovely hydrangeas grow all over the island. I loved seeing the bright pops of color in so many different shapes, colors and sizes.
The South Coast
After our stay in Liscannor, we headed south to stay on one of the peninsula’s at the very bottom of the island. This turned out to be our very favorite part of the trip. This was an area that we’d never visited before. We rented the most beautiful house for four nights. It was perfection, surrounded by the loveliest garden and direct views of the sparkling bay. The house was perfect, everything was so tastefully decorated. It was one of those places that you couldn’t wait to get back to at the end of the day. The closest village, Bantry, was a 15 minute drive away. We loved the seclusion, the quiet and the privacy.
The four days we spent down south were primarily filled with hiking. This is a forgotten place in Ireland and we loved that there were no crowds. Many of the places we hiked, we were the only ones there. Granted, the time of year also helped with the lack of crowds. It was exactly what we were hoping for. The people we met were super nice too. On our first night at the house, the power went out. We had two “neighbors” come check on us since they knew we were renting the place. They were so friendly and fun to talk to. Below is a sunset view from the house.
One night we forgot to shut the gate. In the morning we had sheep roaming around in the yard.
On our first full day on the peninsula, we took a drive out to Mizen Head. This was on the peninsula just to the east of ours. It was a twisty turvy drive down a lot of tiny roads, but with lots of beauty along the way. We had to hop a couple fences (naughty), to get out to Mizen Head. They are currently renovating the visitor center and restaurant, so everything was closed when we went out there. Thankfully we didn’t let it deter us. There was the most fantastic view down at the end and up around the western side of the cliffs. It was gorgeous. We also got to experience a Sun Dog while we were out hiking. I’d never seen one of those before. We had a delicious lunch in the tiny village of Crookhaven.
We did get rained on one day on the peninsula. We didn’t mind though. It was a chill day enjoying the house, snuggling up and watching movies. The following day we headed out to the very tip of our peninsula. The area is called Sheep’s Head and it has a gorgeous lighthouse. Once again, we had the place to ourselves. It’s so wonderful to be able to take your time and explore without anyone else around. The drive out was beautiful. People in Ireland really put a lot of work into keeping their homes and gardens really taken care of. I loved looking at all the houses as we drove by.
We had the most incredible star gazing experience on our last night on the peninsula. The skies were clear and and it was completely blanketed with stars. I’d never seen so many stars in my life. It was fantastic being out in the middle of nowhere with no light pollution to speak of. We laid on the picnic table and just stared into the heavens. It was truly something that I’ll never forget. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but it’s pretty darn good for an iPhone.
As our trip drew to a close, we made the most of our trip back towards Dublin. We spent the morning at Blarney Castle, which turned out to be far more spectacular than I thought it would be. The castle was constructed in the 15th century and is surrounded by acres and acres of gorgeous gardens and forests. We got there pretty early and the line to kiss the Blarney Stone wasn’t long at all. We were surprised by how flexible you need to be to actually kiss it. It was a new experience and I’m glad we did it. There are many stories about the Blarney Stone, all very interesting. Blarney House was built in 1874.
After a lovely morning at the castle, we did the short drive to Cork. We had a delicious lunch there then headed northeast to our final stop of the trip. We spent our final night in Ireland at Kinnitty Castle. This castle dates all the way back to 1209. It sits on 650 acres of parkland. From the outside it is quite beautiful. The public places on the ground floor were very well maintained and quite nice. Unfortunately, the suites really need some TLC. They’re quite spacious but everything looks pretty rundown and worn out. Our history with staying in castles continued…unfortunately. There was a large party there celebrating something and you could hear their laughter and yelling right through the walls of our room. Thankfully, we were able to change rooms which helped us get away from the noise. The included breakfast the following morning was fantastic. If they could get the rooms up to snuff, it would be a really nice place. We however, won’t be tryin our luck again with staying in a castle. We value or sleep too much to try again.
The following morning we got up, ate a delicious breakfast and made the hour long drive back to Dublin. What a trip we had! It was an incredible two weeks. I fell in love with Ireland even more. It’s such a special place. If you love the outdoors, it is definitely a great place to check out. I loved it for the natural beauty, the tranquility and the amazing history. If I were a millionaire, I would love to own a summer house down somewhere on the southern coast. It was truly magical.
No post would be complete without a rundown of the food. Two things come to mind when I think about eating in Ireland: giant breakfasts and meat & potatoes. The Irish have a breakfast similar to what you find in England & Scotland. Typically you’ll have eggs, bacon or ham, hash browns or fries, white & black pudding, pork & beans and toast. Most places call it the Full Irish, the one pictured below was called The Whole Hog. My favorite part of their breakfast is the puddings. These are sausages made with oatmeal or barley. The black one contains blood (hence the color). We ate a ton of fish during our trip, it was all really excellent. I thought it was interesting that when you order a dish that is made with potatoes, they’ll give you more potatoes as a side. Above is lamb stew which has chunks of potatoes in it, and then they served it with mashed potatoes. They LOVE their potatoes. You don’t see a ton of veggie and fruits on menus which is a bummer, but we certainly had plenty of delicious items to choose from. Of course I had to have Sticky Toffee Pudding several times. The one pictured was absolutely delicious. I had it at a tiny bistro in Northern Ireland.
Overall, we had a fantastic trip to Ireland. Even though it was short notice, we were able to see and do everything that we wanted to. Ireland is such a beautiful and laid back country. I would recommend going to anyone who loves nature. I especially enjoyed going to places off the beaten path. The south coast was our favorite spot, and I would definitely go back again if I had the chance. Enjoy!
