Ireland in a Nutshell

Green, green, and more green.  And some sheep.  That’s Ireland in a pint.  Our almost two weeks about the hillside was filled with small towns, big sights, and an early hankering for Autumn. 

We started off in Dublin.  While the city is large and has many impressive bits to offer, it seemed to lack a sense of charm and an overall theme (other than Guinness) to make it memorable as a city.  There is of course Temple Bar, the run of old medieval pubs, but the neighborhood now mostly only attracts Guinness-mad tourist who have an entire credit limit to waste. We would say, if you’re planning a trip to Ireland, pass over Dublin. It's not why people go to Ireland.

Next was Galway, and what a breath of fresh air it was!  Right on the water, the city had an interesting layout due to the French influence in its founding; the streets were organized and even named according to their best economical use in relation to the port.  This and other things we learned on our walking tour with a local girl who seemed to be as excited about showing off her town as we were about visiting it.  We learned the backstory of the term “lynching” which was invented surrounding a terrible family tragedy there long ago.  We learned about the Celtic cross and how the circle represents old Irish paganism and the cross represents St. Patrick bringing Christianity to the region. 

We took several bus tours about the countryside, seeing how the thick moss covering almost the entire country is cut into bricks and dried for use in fireplaces.  Every 30 minutes or so, there would be a stop at an ancient monastery or castle, and occasional stops in small towns with cafes and coffee shops eagerly awaiting the next busload of cold, hungry tourists. We drove through the region of Connemara, and visited the Kylemore Abbey - one of the top attractions in the whole country. On another tour, we visited the Cliffs of Moher, and Rachel found maybe the most spectacular overhang ever on which to risk one’s life for that perfect snapshot. Also, we took long evening walks along the coast and hit the town after dark to hear live music.  Most of the pubs featured “trad sessions” of folksy Irish music often performed by local families and even pub owners, but there was also plenty of indie rock and contemporary folk going on as well. 

From Galway, we went up to a little fishing town called Clifden where we took a boat out to an Island for the better part of the day and just walked around and around, exploring the incredibly mountainous and lush, virtually untouched scenery there.  Our bed and breakfast in Clifden may have been the most quaint of all that we stayed in, although each B&B had its own story with unique owners and guests.  We really enjoy the B&B culture because it promotes kindness and hospitality in both parties, since (especially with “air” B&B and other online resources) the owners and guests cross-review and rate each other, creating an marketplace environment that naturally weeds out grumpy owners and difficult guests alike – or at least works to pair them together!

On we went to Dingle, a peninsula town with a name we had a hard time taking seriously.  But none-the-less, Dingle was another great highlight of our time in Ireland.  It was recently voted one of the most beautiful places in the world! We did an epic 26 mile bike ride around the peninsula on the famous Slea Head Drive, and again discovered many great live music joints after dark.

Last was the city of Killarney,where we stayed three nights in another beautiful B&B. Killarney has a beautiful national park that was only a five minute walk from where we stayed, so we spent a whole afternoon and multiple evenings walking and dodging the horse and carriage rides that frequented the park.  We also saw entire fields full of deer and at one point were almost entirely surrounded by hundreds them!  From Killarney, we toured the Ring of Kerry, which was a bus ride around some of the most beautiful parts of southern Ireland.  We also hiked through the Gap of Dunloe, which was again, some of the most stunning scenery we have ever seen.  Once through the Gap, we took a boat ride along the three lakes of Killarney that were created by an ancient glacier. Each lake connected to the next via a small, shallow, and sometimes rough outlet – at times requiring the passengers to exit the boat ashore while the guide took the boat through to meet us on the adjacent bank.  One of the boats had a dog on board that stood on the very forward tip of the boat during most of the ride, ears flapping in the wind and all!

In town, we found our favorite music spot of the trip, an outdoor seating area near a stage with local artists each night of the week.  Especially especially enjoyed the heating units in the rafters and the free blankets supplied by the pub!  

Overall, our two weeks in Ireland were truly incredible, and the weather was so well behaved!  It was a great kick off to the start of another school year, and a sneak peek at our the cool, crisp feel of our favorite season. We hope to find ourselves back again soon.