The fact that I can even title this post "Spring Break in Ireland" is pretty absurd. I feel so lucky that I was able to spend a week in this beautiful country AND that I got to spend it with my mom and Aunt Margie! If you ever have a chance to go to Ireland, do it. You won't regret it. Not only is the country beyond beautiful but the people are so friendly and welcoming. Everyone told me that before I left and I only half believed them, but it really is true. We started out the week in Dublin, then rented a car and drove to Kilkenny (driving in Ireland is an experience - but more on that later), stopping along the way to see the sites, then from there we drove to Killarney, again stopping along the way for some castle visiting, and then from Killarney we did the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. Ireland is not a large country but there is SO much to see and I feel like we only got to see the tip of the iceberg so I cannot to go back one day in the future.
Dublin: Dublin is a wonderful city. It feels like a smaller London which makes it very walkable. Highlights of our time there included seeing the Kilmainham Gaol (who doesn't like a good prison tour?), visiting the Guinness Storehouse (the beginning of a Guinness-filled week), seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College (one of the first things I ever studied in Art History so that was pretty amazing to see in person), eating at the Queen of Tarts (a delicious tearoom/café near the Temple Bar area that is a must if you ever go to Dublin), and spending time relaxing and catching up in our fabulous hotel (it was vacation after all, right?).
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| Kilmainham |
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| Kilmainham |
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| Guinness |
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| Guinness |
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| Trinity College |
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| Mom and Aunt Margie! |
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| I was obsessed with the colorful doors all over Dublin |
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| So delicious and adorable |
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| Aunt Margie and me! |
On Monday, we left Dublin in our rented car (steering wheel on the right side and all) and headed out towards Kilkenny. Our first stop was at the Powerscourt Estate, a gorgeous former castle/mansion and beautiful gardens just outside of Dublin. We got our first glimpse of the amazing Irish countryside while we were there. Our next stop was into the Wicklow mountains to take in the incredible views. Braveheart was filmed in this region! Our last stop before heading to Kilkenny was the Avoca mill, the oldest weaving mill in Ireland. Avoca is an amazing brand that sells all sorts of wool products. Check them out! We did a tour of the mill, ate the most amazing food of our entire trip, and maaaaybe purchased a few things. From there, we set out for Kilkenny. The drive was not easy. We were on these tiny country roads mainly because our GPS hated us and because there aren't many parkways in Ireland. We may or may not have gotten a flat tire on the way... Driving on the left side in the right side of the car is a challenge, to say the least. Eventually we got to Kilkenny and re-planned the rest of our trip to avoid spending a lot of time driving - it just is not relaxing and we wanted to enjoy our trip.
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| Powerscourt |
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| Powerscourt |
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| Wicklow Mountains |
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| Loving the scenery |
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| Wicklow Mountains |
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| Madness. |
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| Potentially our favorite place |
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| Loved the colors |
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| Food at Avoca. Amazing. |
The next day, Aunt Margie left us to go back to New York. We wished she could have stayed! Mom and I figured out our plan of action for the day and then we set off to visit Kilkenny castle. It's this giant castle right in the middle of town. It was empty so we got to wander around pretty much on our own and have the lovely ladies working inside the castle explain all of the history to us. After grabbing a coffee and scone to go in town, we set off for our next destination: the Rock of Cashel. It's an old medieval castle and church set on a hill with absolutely insane views of the Irish countryside. Sheep for miles and miles! Seriously though, sheep everywhere. The landscape was so green and beautiful in the sunshine. After exploring a bit, we set out for our next stop: Blarney Castle! We were expecting it to be really touristy and kitschy but it wasn't. Maybe it was because it was the off season. Regardless, we were happy to explore the BEAUTIFUL grounds sans lots of people. I didn't realize that the castle is situated in essentially a large park with several little rivers and lots of different plant forms. The castle itself is really ominous. It's built on a rock outcropping and was constructed inward so that when you look up at it, it looks even more foreboding. We climbed up to the top (which was a struggle due to a really steep spiral staircase) but the view at the top was well worth it. Mom and I both kissed the Blarney stone and we now should have the gift of eloquence! It was a great moment because my Grandma kissed the stone years and years ago when she was in Ireland so mom and I bonded over the fact that we did something together than Grandma Dot had done too. We thought about her everyday as we got more and more in touch with our Irish roots. We explored the grounds a little more then had a delicious lunch at a place right near the castle called the Mill. Next door was the Blarney Woolen Mills where we spent some solid time shopping. I got an amazing wool sweater that I cannot wait to wear next winter when I'm freezing in the library. We drove to Killarney from there and settled in to our amazing bed and breakfast with the best host ever. Frank was wonderful and made our stay in Killarney one to remember. Dinner in town followed by a night of Irish music in a local pub made it one of the best days of my time abroad for sure.
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| Kilkenny Castle |
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| Kilkenny Castle |
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| View from the Rock of Cashel |
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| Rock of Cashel |
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| Rock of Cashel |
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| Blarney Castle |
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| Blarney Castle |
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| I did it! |
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| So did mom! |
On Wednesday we did the Ring of Kerry! It's a circular driving tour that takes you all around county Kerry and it probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever explored - mountains, ocean, bays, cliffs, it's all there. We did a bus tour because if we tried to drive it ourselves, well, let's just say we would have had more than a flat tire. We stopped at a bunch of different places along the way - a bog village, scenic spots, the town of Waterville where Charlie Chaplin spent a lot of time, the town of Sneem that's known for it's colorful buildings, Ladies View - where Queen Victoria visited Killarney National Park, and Torc Waterfall. Despite the rain towards the end of the day, it was still one of the most amazing things I have ever done. The pictures do more than my words ever could.
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| Stephgirl <3 |
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| Dingle Bay |
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| I mean come on |
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| The mountains were all sorts of colors |
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| The views as we drove |
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| Waterville |
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| In the other side of the Atlantic! |
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| Look at the islands in the distance! |
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| It was a little bit windy.. |
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| Sneem |
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| Torc Waterfall |
The next day, our last full day in Ireland (depression), we started out by visiting Ross Castle which is located in Killarney National Park. It was built right next to a lake so the views are absolutely stunning. It reminded me a bit of Blarney Castle. Mom and I were pretty much the only ones there which was cool too. Next we headed out to the town of Dingle on the Dingle Peninsula. We got there a bit early so of course we had coffee and scones (I miss it so much) and then we met our trusty driver Kevin who was going to take us on a tour of the Slea Head drive - kind of like the Ring of Kerry but on the Dingle Peninsula instead. (In case you need to brush up on your Irish geography click
here) It was raining and windy and all around disgusting but the landscape was still incredible. We visited the famed Beehive huts, Slea Head - the most western point in Europe, different beaches and bays with amazing cliffs (The movie Far and Away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was partly filmed here!), and even an old church type structure. A lot of what we saw was thanks to Kevin and his tiny van - we wouldn't have been able to see some of this stuff on a tour bus. We had some much needed seafood chowder when we got back to Dingle and then had ice cream (because it's vacation, ok?) at Murphy's which is made in Dingle! It was incredible. We explored the town a bit and then headed back to Killarney for our final night in Ireland.
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| Ross Castle |
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| Ross Castle |
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| Dingle |
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| Beehive hut |
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| Slea Head - As far west as you can go in Europe |
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| Coomenoole |
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| Coomenoole |
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| Wind. Rain. Everything. |
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| Our trusty steed |
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| Gallarus Oratory |
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| Ireland. |
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| So beautiful even in the rain. |
After a short flight from the Kerry airport to Dublin, mom and I had breakfast then parted ways - she headed back to New York and I flew back to France. Next time I see her I'll be home for good! 2.5 months! Weird!
This trip was beyond amazing and it is definitely one I will never forget.
