A Week In Ireland

This trip in Ireland is one of the most cultural enriching in our list. Ireland is normally a quick stopover for most European vacations, but there are a lot to see and learn about this country. We decided to explore and immerse ourselves for 7 days and 6 nights. We covered the whole country including Northern Ireland (England). Ireland is a small country, which is about 175 miles wide and 300 miles long.

Logistics is a big consideration in our trip. Public transportation is limited to the city and nonexistent outside. Renting a car is the most efficient and cheapest option for a family/group of four or five to explore this Emerald Isle. Besides getting used to driving on the “wrong” side of the road, driving in the north half of Ireland is not too bad as public highways are more developed. City driving especially in Dublin and Belfast is challenging due to traffic congestion and limited parking opportunities. Parallel parking skills absolutely comes in handy here. Pay parking are available and credit cards are accepted in most areas. Weekend parking on streets are also free but confirm with locals when you get there. Driving on the southern half of Ireland is more challenging as roads are very narrow especially in the country side. Sitting in the passenger side, I feel like I will get hit with the bushes on the road as there are no side walk and in most part streets are limited to only one lane. Yes, there are certain areas designated specifically for yielding to the upcoming traffic to pass. Lastly, we cannot count the times when we have to intentionally stop to let the local traffic behind go ahead. Locals drive so fast on the narrow road and we try to just be polite and safe being not used to these kinds of road. We recommend to rent a small to mid-size car or mini-SUV as the most reasonable. Here is a link to rental cars available in Dublin (DUB).

Our adventure in the Emerald island is a comprehensive immersion of the culture and lifestyle of the Irish culture. We stayed for 7 days and 6 nights on apartments, farm houses, inns and castle like rental properties and met lots of people. Irish hospitality is top notch as it reminds me so much when I go back home to my parent’s house for vacation. Almost everyone welcomed us with warm tea and biscuits or cookies. They have milk or hot chocolate available for everyone! In the farm house we stayed at Cork, they equipped the fireplace with peat blocks commonly used in Ireland to heat their rooms. They always express concern on your safety and wellness towards your next adventure when you leave.  

Breakfast was my favorite meal in Ireland as they always serve full platters of eggs, sausages (yes even the black one), bacon, beans and mushrooms, potatoes, fruits and the famous soda bread loaded with milk, tea or choices of juice. We learned that hot sauce is not very common but available on few places.

Ireland is family oriented and activities consider every member of the family. Irish pubs are part of their daily lifestyle. They like to hang-out together and they do love their beers. Kids are welcome but the only limitation is that they are not allowed to sit down in the bar area. To experience the lifestyle, we spent few dinners and night entertainment on pubs. Things to note is that options are limited on meals and some no longer serve food after 8pm or earlier depending on the location, but they have abundant options on beer or liquor, and live Celtic bands for entertainment. The whole family had so much fun listening to music and watching people dance.

With so many options of culturally rich places to explore, here are the areas we visited.

Day One

Taking the usual red-eye flight from the US, we arrived in Dublin early in the morning. We picked up our rental car and headed straight to our first day itinerary to explore Dublin.

• Guinness Storehouse – The home of the most flavorful pint of Guinness you will ever taste! Tour to this seven story facility is offered all day but making reservation ahead may come in handy to avoid the wait and avail of some discounts. Guinness has great history and lots of interesting details about the production of each keg throughout the century. Its social, environmental and political impact in Ireland and around the world that made them one of the most popular brand of beer in the world! There are a lot of interactive exhibits and up-to-date showcases to be enjoyed. We ended our tour in the Gravity Bar which offers the best 360 degree view of Dublin. You’ll also learn the skill of pouring a pint properly with the proper amount of head. Kids can get a glass of their favorite soda or juice.

• Book of Kells in Trinity College
  Dublin Castle
  Temple Bar
  Saint Patrick’s Cathedral
  Kilmainham Goal – We took the afternoon twilight time to tour this historical place. This is the #1 place to visit in Dublin to learn how the Irish fought for their freedom against Britain. Booking ahead is advisable to save time. This was a prison where they housed presumed lawbreakers in the revolutionary era in the 17th and 18th century. This used to be a site of terrible sufferings, oppression and hopelessness and public executions. Now this site is a museum to continue to tell the story of the richness of Irish history and culture and a building that symbolizes the militant and constitutional nationalism of the country.

Day Two

We started early to avoid the city rush hour traffic. We drove down to Glendalough passing through the Wicklough Mountains. It was a very pleasant drive and was our start to acclimate with country driving. Highways are not bad close to Dublin but watch out for the roundabouts on exits as they get tricky when you are not used to driving on the other side of the road. Roads are narrow upon entering the Wicklow mountains but the view is amazing.

• Gendalough – We headed straight to the Monastic City, an early Christian settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. The remaining structures from 10th to 12th century survived the test of time and the distinctive features of Kevin’s cross, the cathedrals, towers, gateway and other structures are still evident. We arrived and parked at the visitor center before it opens. The area is open for public and used as a walking trail for locals and visitors alike. We headed our way to the Monastic City and enjoyed a peaceful visit to the place mostly by ourselves. We decided to hike further along the lower lake and enjoyed the fantastic morning breeze and the amazing fall colors of the trees beside the lake. We headed back to the parking lot and drove to view the upper lake.

• Kilkenny in Clare region – For another 1.5 hours we drove down to the medieval town of Kilkenny. We parked on the streets across the medieval Kilkenny Castle, located at the heart of the city. We enjoyed the medieval structure of its facade and tower and stroll in the garden and greeneries which are open to the public. We also browsed around the Kilkenny shops of Irish arts, crafts and clothing. We walk our way across the town proper to find our way to the visit St Canice’s Cathedral & Round Tower. We decided to eat lunch in one of the dainty looking cafe and enjoyed our sandwiches and latte before we head down to our next stop.

Rock of Cashel