Hey there!
We are SO excited to recap our amazing, once in a lifetime Ireland adventure with you. We will break it down day by day of all the activities, food, and driving we did on our 7 day journey. And yes, we can book this ALL for you! So if you're looking to cross Ireland off your bucket list, NOW is the time to go! Be sure to check out the gallery of images at the bottom of the blog!
Day One:
We took off from Sky Harbor in PHX bright and early Monday morning with a quick layover in Philly and we were off to Dublin!
We landed in Dublin on Tuesday morning again bright and early! That's the fun part of time zones. t was a rainy day, but we were just so excited to be here!
For this trip we decided because we wanted to see so much in a short amount of time, we would rent a car I am not going to lie, this terrified me. I was driving on the wrong side of the road in a small stick shift. Definitely was not on my bucket list, but I did it! Only a couple of mishaps but hey, we made it in one piece!
Our first stop was the Malahide Castle Tour. The castle was absolutely magnificent and the tour did not disappoint. The history of just this whole area is amazing! Next we were off to Northern Ireland with a quick stop for lunch in Belfast. I was not prepared to drive in such a large city and it was nerve wracking! After eating an amazing lunch, we walked back to our car only to find a parking ticket . Yep, we forgot to pay our parking meter! We were all so tired!
After lunch, our goal was to make 3 stops at Kings Road, Giant Causeway, and the ruins of Dunluce Castle . After mapping out our time, we knew we wouldn’t make all 3 so we opted for Giants Causeway. It was absolutely breathtaking We then were ready to make our last jaunt to our first night at The Lough Eske Castle. This was a little over 2 hours away and we were exhausted, but it was worth every second to get there! The drive in to the castle was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! We had an amazing dinner at their beautiful restaurant, walked the grounds a bit and were off to bed
Day Two:
We started off the morning bright and early (that's kind of our thing) with a traditional Irish breakfast, then we were off to gaze at Benbulben. This is a naturally formed tabletop mountain and is 100x bigger in person than what the photos show! We then were off to Kylemore Abbey! I have to say it was magnificent. We walked around the gardens, toured the Abbey, and saw the church. We even saw a nun! The nuns make chocolate and soaps at the castle so we of course had to get some at the gift shop!
After Kylemore, we were off to afternoon tea at the Ashford Castle. This was SO worth it! We had tiny sandwiches, pastries, unlimited tea, and scones. The Ashford was beautiful and the tea was so amazing! We felt so fancy! We enjoyed taking our time to relax, take in the views, and talk about our upcoming adventures. This is a MUST DO on a trip to Ireland for sure. After tea, we ended up in Galway right in the middle of Eyre Square for the night. We walked around a bit to check out all the Pubs and then we were off to bed to get ready for another fun filled day!
Day Three:
We started our morning again with a traditional Irish breakfast at our hotel and then we were off to Dunguaire Castle. It was absolutely beautiful and we were even able to climb to the top and walk out to look out. Then we were off to our next destination and stopped at Hazel Mountain Chocolate. This is one of the top 10 cafes in all of Ireland! We had a short history and chocolate making lesson and then bought a bunch of yummy treats to bring home! We had a tea and carrot cake that was to die for in the little shop!
Our next stop was Corconroe Ruins. Getting back to the ruins was a little tricky because the cows were herding right as we pulled up. The ruins were amazing and full of so much history. The last stop (and one of the biggest) of the day was the Cliffs of Moher. There are really no words and the pictures do not do it justice! It was absolutely stunning and yes, we cried!
We then stayed the night in Limerick and I am finally got to eat fish and chips. We went to a small little pub on the water and showed up just in time for the live music. This was definitely one of our favorite cities.
Day Four:
Day four did not disappoint. We started the day off at King Johns Castle in Limerick. It was really awesome and we learned so much about the history of Limerick. Next we headed out to Dunquin Harbor. Again, another breath taking view and the drive along the Dingle Penninsula was beautiful. It was a beautiful and sunny day which made for amazing pictures of the views.
Then we were off to see the Star Wars Beehive huts and happened to stumble upon the Hold a Baby Lamb farm. Well of course we stopped and we even were able to bottle feed them! Today was one of the craziest drives along the cliffs, but SO worth it for the views and the baby lambs! We then had to stop in Dingle for Murphy’s ice cream! It was the best Ice cream I have ever had and Dingle was the cutest little town. We definitely could have stayed there for 2-3 nights.
We then stopped for dinner at Cronins and Kyla found us the most amazing Shepard’s pie! The food in Ireland is SO delicious I can't wait to go back. We then checked into the Cahernane House hotel for the night. Driving up and seeing the beauty of this hotel was the best part! Kyla and Ashley grabbed drinks in the cellar bar, I took a bath in the claw foot tub, and we were content with the day.
Day Five:
Day five was awesome and jam packed as usual! We started off our day with a trip to Ross Castle. We were there early so lots of kayak and rowing tours were just getting started! It was beautiful. It was right on the water and just full of so much history, Next we were off Muckross Abbey. We took a short walk to the Abbey and it was totally worth it. I have never seen such historic and breathtaking buildings in my life!
Next we hiked to Torc Waterfall and again, it was majestic as ever! It was a short 5 minute hike, but SO worth it when you see how big the waterfall really is. We the headed to the Blarney Stone and yes, kissing the stone happened! Ashley and Kyla went to the very top, learned over backwards and kissed the stone! We then had lunch in Blarney Village at a quaint little pub. I swear they are everywhere, you will not go hungry in Ireland!
We then headed to the Jameson Distillery to grab some gifts, check it out, and take lots of pictures. They even let you bottle your own Jameson and get the bottle engraved! We had to make some room in our bags because it was the perfect souvenir!
We ended our day in Cork at the Belvedere Lodge Bed and Breakfast. I really feel like a B&B is a must do in Ireland because they are everywhere and the people are SO nice!
Day Six:
We really lucked out because this was the only day that was super rainy. Oh, and it was Easter Sunday! We had another early morning and we were off to the Rock of Cashel. Of course it was a beautiful sight and so fun to tour. Kind of reminded us of Hogwarts!
After the Rock, we were off to visit the home of Ashley’s ancestors in the town Clonmel. We did a little hunt for some family graves, but didn't have any luck as there were so many headstones. We then had an amazing Easter Brunch at The Bunker. Bottomless mimosas were ordered to celebrate.
Next we visited Kilkenny Castle. This was one of my favorite castles because you could tour so many rooms! The library was the coolest room. We did a little shopping in Kilkenny and then we were off to Dublin ! We ended our time in Ireland in the grand city of Dublin so we had a lot of time to take it all in.
Day Seven:
Want to know why this was my favorite day? I didn't have to drive! We had a hop on hop off bus tour and the weather was really nice so we even got to sit up top in the open air. Our first stop was the National Art Gallery of Ireland. It held so much history and beautiful art. We then did a little shopping and even stopped off at Lululemon!
We then stopped to eat at the Hairy Lemon. OMG, the best Bangers and Mash and Irish Stew I have ever had! This was just a random pub we came across while walking in the city, but it was amazing!
We then toured St Patrick’s Cathedral and I literally have no word. It was the most beautiful places I have ever seen! Have I said that each day? Oh well! It was then off to the Guinness factory and our last stop of the day, The Temple Bar. If you have seen pictures of Ireland on Pinterest, you've probably seen the Temple Bar! We had a drink and some food to share while listening to the music.
When we got back to the hotel to relax and get ready for bed, Kyla found last minute concert tickets so her and Ashley quickly got ready and headed to the concert! They had so much fun as it is one of Kyla's favorite artists and was such a fun spur of the moment outing! Then it was off to bed for the airport in the morning!
And that's a wrap!
Stick shift Opposite side of the road 30 + hours of driving 1 parking ticket 7 days driving around all of Ireland Pretty sure I left the transmission somewhere around the Cliffs of Moher, but we got the good insurance don't worry!
