We took this trip to celebrate our 30th birthdays and 5th anniversary, and I would say it was the most detailed travel planning we had needed to do at that point in our lives. We were both very intrigued by Ireland, so the destination wasn't difficult to determine - but what to do once we got there? At the time, we didn't have many friends who had traveled there, so we depended a lot on our trusty Fodor's guide and internet information. This was also the first trip where we really planned to get off the beaten path. Our travels before had been to resorts or larger tourist areas and although we hit a lot of Irish highlights, our favorite moments were in small towns, immersed in true and authentic Irish culture.
My husband laid out the basic plan designed around the idea of a round-the-country road trip, then he and I discussed details of what we would like to do or what we should skip in each place. This is what we came up with, including those plans that changed en route and things we might have changed if we were doing it again. I'll highlight the places we stopped overnight and also try to work in some of the attractions along the way, which I'll discuss more in detail in future posts.
(Source: http://www.mapsofworld.com/ireland/)
Dublin: Coming from Chicago, Dublin was our only option for a direct flight, so it was easiest and most cost effective for us to fly in and out there. We felt that Dublin was a city we'd like to see and we were also able to easily meet our friends from London there. Neither of us are really big urban people and tend to shy away from big cities on our travels, but Dublin has a lot of wonderful history to share, along with a terrific nightlife scene. You won't want to miss iconic sites like the Guinness Storehouse or St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Our post on Dublin can be found here.
Galway: Straight across the country on the west coast of Ireland lies the seaside city of Galway. The train trip from Dublin to Galway is very easy (about 3 hours long) and it gets you to a great location to start a road trip clockwise around the southern part of the country. We chose to take the train rather than driving because we didn't feel that there was a ton we wanted to see between these two cities, and we knew we'd be in the car a lot over the next week. Galway is a really fun city and gives a wonderful taste of urban Irish pub culture. It also gives perfect access for a day trip to the Connemara, an area I would absolutely not miss.
Our post on Galway can be found here.
Our post on the Connemara can be found here.
Doolin: A very small town, but the perfect place to rest your head on a journey from Galway to Dingle. Along the way, you can enjoy the sites of the Burren, as well as experience the Cliffs of Mohr, a tourist destination but one I promise you will not forget for the rest of your life. Plus, Doolin itself is a fabulous place to integrate yourselves into authentic tradition for an evening - it is famous for its traditional Irish music scene.
Dingle: Probably my favorite Irish town, and ideally situated to experience the very best of Irish scenery, including Slea Head Drive and the Connor Pass. Large enough to be comfortable for all tourists, yet still small enough that the Irish character and culture are amazingly strong. A wonderful, friendly place and a great stop for an itinerary.
Killarney: This town has the great fortune of being centrally located for attractions like the Ring of Kerry and the Gap of Dunloe. That is pretty much the only reason I would recommend Killarney as a stopping point. This town is the closest we came to "cheesy tourist" and it doesn't have a lot to offer in itself outside the exceptional restaurant Treyvauds. We also considered staying in Kenmare, but chose Killarney as it was closer to Killarney National Park/Gap of Dunloe.
Our post on the Ring of Kerry and Killarney can be found here.
Cork: Cork was not included in our original travel plans - it was only introduced as an idea when we met 4 fabulous new Irish friends in Dingle who encouraged us to come visit (and we didn't want to spend another night in Killarney as planned). If you can build any flexibility into your Irish holiday, please do - because meeting these people and then traveling to see their homes and pubs was one of our favorite parts of the journey. Cork itself is a pretty typical bigger city, but we really enjoyed the surrounding suburbs and Fota Island.
Kilkenney: Like Killarney, this was a good stop off point between things we wanted to see and get to, but we also thought it sounded interesting in itself. It has good restaurants, a castle in town, and a vibrant pub scene - it feels a little more like a college town. There is certainly more to see in and around Kilkenney than we were able to do in our time there. If you are looking to tour the Rock of Cashel and/or Cahir Castle (and I recommend both to everyone), it's a reasonable drive.
Our post on Kilkenney and environs can be found here.
Powerscourt: This was kind of an afterthought for us in our planning, as we had some points we could use at the Ritz Carleton here to finish off our journey and it was a good place for us to be able to access Dublin again for our flight home. I never expected to love Powerscourt House and Garden as much as I did, and now recommend it as a must see to everyone we talk to Ireland about.
Places we chose not to see but you might consider:
*Blarney Castle - home of the famous Blarney Stone. Before you go out of your way to kiss this famous stone, check out videos of what you actually have to do. I didn't need any more gift of gab, especially not from hanging upside down high in the air...
*Waterford - obviously the crystal capital of Ireland. I would have loved to stop here given more time.
*County Mayo - This looked like an intriguing area with gorgeous scenery and lots of history. It was just a little more out of our road trip range than we thought we had time to wander.
*Northern Ireland - We just didn't feel like we had the time on this 10 day trip to squeeze in a journey up here. I am happy we didn't try to jam anything more into our time, but someday I would love to go back to see this supposedly beautiful area.
Stay tuned for our series of detailed posts on our trip, including all the cities and attractions we saw and the things we experienced!
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