Ireland: Céad Míle Fáilte!

Unfortunately I waited too long to begin writing this last post about my summer travels. My main excuse is that I was enjoying Ireland so much I couldn’t be bothered with sacrificing time to write all my experiences down. I would like to thank the select few people who kindly pestered me to finish this last post, per my instructions at the begining of my trip. I’m going to do the picture and description layout again for much the same reason as before; I have so many great pictures from Ireland to share, plus I can’t remember exactly what day we did what.

We flew into Dublin and based ourselves there in Abilgail’s Hostel for seven nights. The hostel was in a great location in the heart of Temple Bar and right on the River Liffey. While we enjoyed the attractions and nightlife in Dublin, the best part about Ireland was exploring the beautiful countryside and landscape while driving from one small town to the next. We did a little of this during three different day tours from Dublin and it made us wish we had planned a more nomadic trip around Ireland instead of basing ourselves in one city for the entire time. But, Rachel and I had an amazing trip nonetheless and considered it a fact finding mission for our future trips to Ireland, of which we hope there will be many!

Our first day there is easy to remember because we joined a free walking tour of Dublin led by Eoin (the Irish spelling of Owen) who was a History and Politics major at Trinity College in Dublin. The idea behind the free walking tour was that the guide must provide his followers with the best experience possible and hope to leave a lasting impression that will translate into a generous tip at the end of the tour. Eoin did a masterful job of introducing us to Dublin through Irish history, culture, and what he called Irish logic, the special brand of thinking and problem solving found only in those few who are lucky enough to call themselves Irish. We saw attractions like Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christchurch Cathedral, St. Stephen’s Green, and the Millennium Spire, heard first hand stories about the Queen’s historic visit to Ireland in 2011, and learned a little about the Viking history of Ireland as well as the humble beginnings of U2. 

The same company that put on the walking tour also ran nightly Pub Crawls which started and ended in the Workman’s Club, a pub owned by Bono. Rachel and I and the majority of our Tour group bought tickets for that night's Pub Crawl. We met a lot of great friends that night and had a blast exploring a few of the many different pubs Dublin has to offer.

The next day we had planned to tackle the majority of Dublin’s attractions so that we wouldn’t miss out on anything there because, for the next three days, we had signed up for day trips around Ireland. Considering the events of the night before, we did an admirable job of waking up decently early and seeing quite a few of the sites, including:

Christchurch Cathedral, the oldest church in Dublin and home to a mummified cat and rat

 Dublin Castle, former seat of power for British rule in Ireland. Its negative connotation continues today as it is the current home to the Irish tax collectors.

 Leinster House, home to the Irish Parliament and the building after which the White House was modeled.

Trinity College in Dublin, home to the famous Book of Kells and the Old Library

 AKA the Long Room. Statues,  like the one below, line both sides of the Long room

 We started our 3 day trek around the island with a trip to the Cliffs of Moher. Our tour guide, Bud, ensured that our experience was quintessentially Irish. He related a few Irish legends and introduced us to a number of Irish ballads during our drive to the Southwestern coast.  Bud's dry, Irish wit had us laughing all day and helped me realize that my sense of humor is almost certainly genetic. 

We also visited King John's castle on the River Shannon in Limerick, 

Drove past some beautiful golf courses (AKA Links) and an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean 

 (These two pictures were taken in the town of Lehinch, pronounced very similarly to Lynch)

The Burren, an outcropping of Limestone that made up the seafloor and was exposed during the melting of the ice after the Ice Age.

Corcomroe Abbey, 

And ended the day with a stop in Kanvara, a small harbor town near Galway Bay

Our next day trip was to Galway City, home to the 12 Tribes of Galway (of which the Lynch Tribe is one of the most influential).

(Fresh Galway Bay oysters and a pint of Guinness = the perfect lunch!)

On the same trip we also visited the largest lake in West Ireland, Lough Corrib

Ashford Castle, where Pierce Brosnan was married

And the Abbey and grounds of Cong 

The last day trip we took was to Glendalough, a monastery built between the 6th and 10th century in the Wicklow mountains. 

We stopped in Kilkenny for a few hours to grab some lunch and explore the city

 Kilkenny castle (below) is situated on the banks of the Rover Nore (above)

On our last day in Dublin, Rachel and I visited St. Patrick's Cathedral, 

Kilmainham Gaol,

and took a tour of the Old Jameson Distillery

Where we got certified as "Expert Whiskey Tasters"

Of all the places I visited this summer, Prague was probably my favorite city, but Ireland was definitely my favorite country. It's beautiful landscape, captivating people, and family history make it feel more like home than any other place besides Florida. I can't wait to go back and explore the rest of Ireland in the future!