Anticipating that I was going to be taking a job starting early August (more of that later), we decided to use the time off to take a couple of last minute (ish) trips especially as our son is starting work in September. We’ve talked for a long time about going to Ireland and it’s a place I’ve been to before (albeit around 30 years ago!). Circumstances, timetables and budgets were aligned and the holiday was quickly booked. We’re staying in mainstream hotels this time, mainly as booking B&B’s for three is actually pretty difficult.
It would be fair to say that over the years we (or rather me 😊) have tried to cram too much into each trip, and then spend more of our time packing and unpacking that actually enjoying the trip. We’re going to change that going forward and consciously focus on a few things (leaving the door open for a future trip)
Day 1 – Arrive in Dublin, Ireland
We took a late flight out of Bristol with Aer Lingus (or rather Stobart Air – no I didn’t either). As we were boarding, we were told that our (already late departure) would be making an 
unscheduled stop in Newquay for ‘operational reasons’. We found our it was actually because they needed to drop off an engineer to fix another aircraft. It would have been easy enough to send him by road but no, the decision was taken to inconvenience 60 passengers instead. Nice customer service. Net result, we arrive in Dublin two hours late.
We’ve booked a mid-size rental car through Enterprise at £140 for the week which seems like an excellent deal. I’ve no loyalty to any of the hire companies and I tend to go for the cheapest of the “big” players. Car hire companies get a lot of stick (often quite rightly so) but in this case the collection and drop off experience were excellent.
We’re staying for two nights at Hilton Kilmainham making use of my last hotel points. It a little outside the main city but convenient for a couple of attractions.
Day 2 – Dublin City
We’ve only one full day in Dublin and (I suspect like many people) we’ve decided to indulge in some ‘drive-by’ tourism i.e. taking a city bus tour around the highlights. With limited time it’s a decent option especially as it allows plenty of time to come back and visit anything later that particularly grabs your eye. Actually, Dublin is quite compact so the tour is only around 2 hours end to end.
Our hotel is right next to Kilmainham Jail, one of the major attractions. We had tried to book tickets in advance but they were apparently sold out. However, in our case we were (unintentionally) passing at opening time when they release tickets from cancelled tours so it was easy enough just to walk in. Admission is €8 which feels quite reasonable. The visit is guided which is difficult to absorb (aren’t they all?) but the jail has been refurbished well and it’s definitely worth a visit.
We stopped for an…ahem…traditional Irish lunch at Eatokyo, based purely off the TripAdvisor reviews and pretty accurate it was as well.
Given our limited time in Dublin we, of course need to visit the Guinness Storehouse. Although
the ticket price includes a pint of Guinness (or two in my case if your companion is a non-drinker), this is less about a detailed tour and understanding or the process of making Guinness and more about have a ‘Guinness experience’ in a more Disney kind of way. That’s not a complaint as such but don’t expect any personal treatment as you’re herded from room by room through ‘Guinness the movie’.
We walked to our Guinness tour through a nice park which I later find out is actually called Bully’s Acre and actually has some historical significance.
If you’ve not been to Dublin before you’ll want to spend more time there our brief visit but were keen to take in other things we’ve not seen before and particularly the West Coast.
Day 3 – Dublin to Cork
It’s a fair drive to the West Coast so we’re breaking up the journey with a night in Cork. In similar vein we are taking a meandering route to Cork to pick up some attractions en route.
Not far out of Dublin is the Wicklow mountains national park. It isn’t much of a diversion from a direct route to Cork and with some spectacular countryside and beautiful quiet roads, it’s a diversion well worth taking.
First stop on the way is Sally gap which is one of those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ sights. It’s not actually a place as such but rather the views you see as you drive along the road. I am a big fan of seeing things on the move and treating that as part of the holiday but if you want to actually ‘be’ somewhere then you might give it a miss although sticking to the motorways in Ireland means you will miss so much.
Next up is Glendalough Monastic site. We’re not religious but it is ‘called out’ in most of the local guide books as somewhere to visit and (judging by the number of cruise ship passengers being deposited there) is quite popular. It’s a well preserved site with some interesting architecture and given that the only cost to visit is for car parking then its worth an hour of your time and a short detour on you journey south.
A short cross country drive back to the main Dublin-Cork motorway and our next stop is the Rock of Cashel. A 5-minute drive from the main Cork-Dublin motorway, and actually pretty impressive. Although the €8 entry fee didn’t seem excessive, we only viewed from the outside. It seems very well preserved and for me it actually had a bit of a Harry Potter quality (although others in our party were not convinced!)
We arrive in Cork early evening where we’re staying at the Clayton Hotel. It’s not that highly rated on TripAdvisor but I thought it was fine and the staff were friendly and helpful. Given that its right in the centre of town it was a little noisy but that seems a decent price to pay for walking distance to restaurants etc.
We had dinner at Market Lane, which at the time of visiting was the 10th (of 571) best restaurant in Cork. In my view the rating is well deserved. A modern menu with friendly and efficient service.
Day 4 – Cork to Dingle
We started today with some ‘drive-by’ tourism which is where you have a plan to visit an attraction and then once you get there you decide that it’s not worth the money. Such is the case with Blarney Castle. But if you’re in Ireland then you have to visit Blarney Castle right?
The Castle isn’t that far outside of Cork and we decided we ought to visit even though we have no intention of kissing the eponymous stone. On arrival we realized that at 25 Euros each just to get in it’s not an insignificant investment of your hard earned tourist Euros and although there’s much more than just the castle to see (for example that are – by all account – impressive Gardens), to do it justice we would need to spend far more time than we actually had allocated. So, after driving into the car park and a moments indecision, we left. But there you go, if this is something you need to fit into your visit then make sure you plan enough time.
Our next stop, the Dingle Peninsula is one of the specifically recommended routes forming part of the Wild Atlantic Way. We would recommend not looking at the drive in pure kilometre terms it’s much more complicated than the pure distance would suggest (narrow winding lanes and large tourist buses do not play well together). This can make make progress very slow. Progress is helped by travelling in the ‘correct’ direction. You can drive both ways but anti-clockwise seemed to be better if you want to avoid having to constantly wait for things coming in the opposite direction.
The first real stop on the way to dingle Peninsula is Dingle Town itself. You can stop off at Inch Beach which we did. Whilst it’s a wide beach with lots of opportunities for walking and frisbee tossing, it’s actually not the most impressive from a scenic perspective and its quite busy (being the first real stop along the route).
As usual our tight timetable didn’t allow us
that much time in the Dingle Town town but our initial impression was a good one although like any tourist town it’s certainly well populated and given the fact that we were not there during Peak tourist season I can only imagine that it’s extremely busy in the summer. There are plenty of places to eat and we had lunch at the Fish Box. Certainly decent food although take the TripAdvisor reviews with a pinch of salt and don’t expect gourmet quality.
The next logical step around the around the peninsula Sleigh Head Drive which itself is really a number of stop off points where you can see some spectacular views of beaches, rocks
and cliffs. It’s really worthwhile doing and I would recommend it.
We’re staying in the Brehon Hotel which lies about 20 minutes’ walk outside of the Killarney centre. Recommended if you want a modern hotel in a quieter location (it’s beside a busy road but away from the town) and if you yourself are American (you will feel very at home!). Not recommended if you prefer the hustle and bustle of being at the centre of the action in town or you want a place that feels a little more authentic. Certainly were we to come back then we would stay in the centre of the town as we spent a lot of time walking backwards and forwards. One thing I would say about this hotel (and most of the other places that we visited) is the promise of a full “Irish Breakfast” seems to be nothing more than excuse for gristle sausages, soggy bacon and watery beans. I suspect on future visits we’ll avoid paying in advance for breakfast and use the opportunity to explore the local eateries.
Day 5 – Killarney
We decided for this trip that we wouldn’t spend as much time traveling between hotels and Killarney is a very good place to base yourself on Irelands West Coast with good access to local attractions but also very nice town in its own right with lots going on.
On a second day in Killarney we are taking a day off and just having some family time. For us this means a game on the local Pitch and Putt course. With a spectacular scenic backdrop and some decent weather, it’s a fun way to spend a couple of hours.
For our afternoon activity we headed over to Killarney Riding Stables to take a very nice and relaxed ride through Killarney National Park. It’s a really nice way to see the local scenery and to get a feel for what’s actually going on around the town.
It’s worthwhile saying that during the course of our trip we had really fantastic weather which is unusual for the west coast of Ireland. Indeed, a 
number of locals commented on it (and the weather broke on our last day). Its worth bearing in mind when planning a trip i.e. either to have a backup plan or to make sure you take appropriate clothing!
This evening we’re having dinner at Bricin Restaurant which is highly recommended on TripAdvisor. They have a local delicacy which they recommend called a “Boxty” which is essentially a potato pancake filled with a concoction
of meat or vegetables. I think it’s something traditional to eat but it would be a stretch to ‘recommend’ it as such (especially given the other good things on the menu).
Day 6 – Ring of Kerry
This is our third day in Killarney and today we’re back in the car for our drive to one of the major tourist attractions on the west coast of Ireland, the Ring of Kerry.
Given that it’s mentioned in the majority of guidebooks as one of the ‘things to do’ we expected it would be significantly ‘touristy’. However, that isn’t really the case probably because there is a lot to see and everything is quite well spread out. In any event, it has a great feeling of authenticity. Unlike the Dingle Peninsula, there isn’t a recommended drive direction around the peninsula although given the approximately 180 kilometres you need to allow most of the day to complete the circuit and that includes being quite selective about which stop offs you choose and how long to stop at each one.
We decided on an anticlockwise route out of Killarney principally because we wanted to take the Ferry from Renard Point to Valencia (10 minutes and cost of 8 Euros). It’s possible to drive to Valencia but taking a ferry just adds a little bit of novelty excitement!
First places to visit just a short drive off the Ferry Valencia Lighthouse where a small guided tour, cost EUR 5 per person and I really do mean small in this case (probably around five minutes) but you need to pay the toll in order to be able to climb to the top of the lighthouse.
Next along the way is Geokaun Mountains which comes in at a cost EUR 5 per car. There are some nice short walks with four separate viewing points that reveal some spectacular views. So certainly a good investment of both time and money.
We had lunch in Waterville which is famous for being (one of the homes) of Charlie Chaplin. The commemorative statue is a little underwhelming but Waterville itself is a nice coastal town for lunch. We ate in the Beach Cove Café which is recommended on TripAdvisor although for me they have taken some popular dishes and ruined them through trying to be clever and complex. When will people learn that good food cooked well is the winning formula for 95% of restaurants.
Continuing our journey the next stop along the way is Castlecove beach. There are lots of beaches around the peninsula where you can stop but this one is specifically recommended. It’s a really nice Beach if you like a bit of sand but also some rocks for climbing and alcoves to explore.
After the beach you have two options, continue along the coast or head inland. We chose the latter, specifically because we wanted to visit both Molls Gap and Ladies view. I would recommend both even though they were slightly more crowded, they both provide some great Lookouts over the countryside surrounding Killarney.
Final stop along the way was Torc Falls. It is a recommended sight on TripAdvisor but if you’ve seen multiple waterfalls before, you really don’t need to see this one both because it’s a little bit underwhelming and because its quite crowded due to its proximity to the main town of Killarney.
This evening we decided to have dinner in Treyvauds restaurant. Pretty highly rated on TripAdvisor but for me it was disappointing. I think the food was just average and the service probably a little over attentive. We were approached five or six times to see if everything was okay and yeah, it was okay, but only just okay. It almost felt like they knew that, so wanted to over impress with attention maybe to distract from the food?
In conclusion, while we had great weather, which tends to flatter, Killarney is certainly a place I’d like to spend more time and perhaps linger a while rather than dash around all the various sights. Hmm…where have I heard that one before.
Day 7 – Cliffs of Moher
The final day of a trip to Ireland and we’re heading to one of the major tourist attractions on the Wild Atlantic Way, the Cliffs of Moher.
If you’re travelling from the south, there are two options. Either take the ferry from Tarbert (which costs 18 Euros if booked in advance) or the more circuitous drive around the inlets which is longer but does not take too much additional time. But again, taking a ferry is a nice fun way to travel and gives you a different perspective (although in this case not great as it was windy, rainy and cold). I don’t know how you find out about waiting times for the ferry but in our case, it didn’t matter as we were off season.
As you get off the ferry and drive up to the Cliffs of Moher it’s notable that, compared to Killarney and its surrounds the scenery is much less impressive, tending towards the flat and uninteresting. So, unless you really want to visit the Cliffs (and see below, you might not actually want to) or are just passing through to Galway, then there might be better uses of your time.
As for the cliffs themselves they are undeniably impressive and the cost of a 8 EUR per adult to enter the site is not excessive but it certainly feels like the most commercialized place we visited. What really isn’t organized is keeping the people onto the designated paths, which means watching numerous tourists standing perilously close to the edge of the cliffs and I almost expected to see them dropping off by the minute. In actual fact if you look at the press there seems to be relatively few fatalities which may be the case but it’s still a little unsettling. Worthwhile noting that the cliffs are highly subject to sea fog (even if the weather around is clear), so check in advance.
We had lunch at Stonecutters Kitchen. Around the cliffs there are relatively few other things to do so you’re either going to the cliffs on the way to somewhere else or, as in our case, making this your final stop on the way to the Airport (in our case Shannon). So after the cliffs we made a bee line for Shannon thinking we would have a little drive around the town and take in some of the sights. Mistake. Shannon clearly is a town that has nothing other than the airport and it feels like one big Council Estate with nothing of historical or touristic interest that makes it a worthwhile destination so don’t plan to spend any more time there than you absolutely have to.
A little word for the joys of flying Ryanair. Ryanair will make you pay for seats together. Initially we did not pay such that when we tried to check-in, we were spread throughout the cabin. Of course, nobody wants that so we paid for seats together. When we boarded the plane, I estimate it was only around two-thirds full so there would have been no problem actually seating us together for no additional cost. It’s purely to put them at the top of the price comparison charts but it just makes it awkward and more time consuming that it needs to be to make a fair comparison. There are other reasons not to like Ryanair and my conclusion is to endeavour to avoid them unless there is simply no viable alternative.
So finally, we very much enjoyed our week in Ireland, undoubtedly helped by the great weather. We didn’t touch very much of the country and there is certainly significant scope for future visits and places the we wanted to see that we weren’t able to take in this time (more of the Wild Atlantic Way, the South and Galway) but also places we’d like to go back to and spend some more time in particular Killarney.