. . . i r e l a n d . . .
wet . rich green fields and rough cliffs . speckled with sheep . irishman's cheer . guinness & music . in a jolly old pub Ireland is a rough, countryman’s land. Lush, rich, green countryside clad with the most jolly people. We thoroughly enjoyed it and wished we would’ve had more time to experience it. It is a country frequented by rain, the cause to it’s lushness, but if you find romance in a foggy, dark land filled with castles, alongside sunny days this is the place for you. I think it is likely the reason the Irish are considered hardy in spirit; not much keeps them down and we enjoyed our interaction with them as much as anything.
. . . i t i n e r a r y . . .4 Full Days
Ideas for a relaxed tour of Dublin and the West Coast
(Because it frequently rains, I recommend allotting plenty of days in this country to allow for touring on sunny ones)
DAY 1 | Arrive to Dublin Airport in evening, take taxi to hotel downtown
Day 2 | Tour Dublin, Walk streets (Grafton St. for music and shopping), Dublin Castle,
Jameson Distillery Tour (could also do Guinness Tour), The Brazen Head for lunch (Ireland’s Oldest Pub),
Temple Bar area for dinner/ music (Lundy’s Foot)
Day 3 | Pick up taxi, drive to west coast (took direct route to west, but could take
more time and do the route that goes south and around the Wild Atlantic Way).
Settle into our accommodation.
Day 4 | Walk to Cliffs of Moher and enjoy the surrounding farm/ animals,
lunch at LIR Golf Club, Fish & Chips Dinner at local pub (Tubridy’s)
Day 5 | Took a 4hr Gypsy Horse ride along coast & mainlands (Mt. View Horse Stables in
Lisdoonvarna), Dinner at Morissey’s Seafood, walk on beach.
Day 6 | Drop rental off at Shannon Airport for early flight
Courtesy of: thegreenhotel.ie
. . . d u b l i n
The Green HotelWe arrived to Dublin on a Friday evening after visiting Paris. Ireland was the last country on our tour of Europe, before we flew back home through London. (See the rest of the tour linked below). We took a taxi from Dublin airport to downtown, our chatty cab driver telling us all about the history and local news of the city. This was a good impression, we discovered later, on the streets and local eateries, that all Irishman are friendly and lively "chaps" - ready to tell a story and encourage you have a Guinness.
Dublin is the hub of Irelands city culture, a contrast from the majority of the mainlands farms and cliffs, yet still has a cultural style of it's own. There is a luxury to the city and when I think of it I think of plush, jewel-toned velvets and contemporary brass fixtures which is exactly what The Green Hotel portrayed! It is a gorgeous new remodel in an iconic location across from "St. Stephan's Green" park which is a central oasis in the middle of the city. I took a lovely jog here on our first morning.
We ordered pizza in to our hotel on our first night. On our full day in Dublin we walked about the city (through Grafton Street (you know the one Ed Sheeran sings about) which is a place young musicians set up on the streets to play for the public to try and get recognized - and let me tell you, they were wildly talented - we so enjoyed!). Then we walked through the Dublin Castle, took a tour of Jameson Distillery (which was FANTASTIC if you have a whiskey drinkin' man like my own - he loved it!), and stopped for lunch at The Brazen Head (Ireland's Oldest Pub - a great, open-air/ patio atmosphere). We enjoyed an amazing night of classic Irish entertainment at Lundy's Foot in Temple Bar area in the evening, complete with old Irish men singing (Galway Girl and Country Roads included), and dancing (in which I got called up on stage, do not ask for the video). 
The Green Hotel photos courtesy of thegreenhotel.ie
t h e w e s t c o a t . . .
Doonbeg, Co. ClareSunday morning we picked up our rental car, yes I said rental car, the only time we rented a vehicle on our Europe Trip, in the country that most insurance companies refuse to cover because of the narrow roads, common road blocks (i.e. cows and sheep) and inexperience of foreigners driving on the left side, lol. We DID though, since it was really the only way to experience the part of the West Coast we wanted to, while staying with a local farmer in the more remote part of the area. We got ourselves a “little” red car (chose to purchase full coverage - for peace of mind) and Wayne drove like a champ! He said it hurt his brain the first day, but after that it became more natural. (I've had several friends tell me they drove a rental in Ireland with no problem at all- So if you're thinking of it, go for it!)We met some friends of ours for brunch (the ones who got married in Croatia, who were back from their honeymoon and visiting family (she grew up in Ireland)), then went on our way to the West Coast. We chose to take the route directly west, instead of wandering on the Wild Atlantic Way which many people talk about, to maximize our time on the coast. The drive was still lovely and scenic with the common lush green fields you dream of Ireland being. If you have more time, I think it would be lovely to take the Wild Atlantic Way and stop off at some of the landmarks. This blog post is where I got a lot of the information I used in planning. It has wonderful suggestions for that route if you’d like to consider.
We stayed with a local farmer (via AirBnb) in Doonbeg, Co. Clare and arrived at our accommodation in the late afternoon. (I will recommend a couple accommodations in this area, below). It was a gorgeous area right on the cliffs (some say the local cliffs (within walking distance or a short drive) are a better view than the area at the Cliff's of Moher (and you don't have to face the crowds). We took a walk early the next morning just as the fog was lifting off the fields as the sun was appearing for a clear day and ran into a couple farmers moving their cows into the barn for milking. We chatted with one who said he has 100 head, the magic number for making a profit at this time. It was a beautiful sight watching those 100 black and white spotted cows file down the road one by one. No one else was around and it was just so lovely, after we had a cup of coffee we decided to go back out and take a longer walk to the Cliffs. In the afternoon we had lunch at a local country club, Lir, and then relaxed before grabbing fish and chips at the local pub, Tubridy's for dinner.
Tuesday we had scheduled a horse back riding tour of the coast and mainlands on Gypsy's. Wayne used to train this type of horse, a common breed in the UK but a novelty in the States. We were thrilled to learn we could take a 4 hour ride with them. It ended up raining the day we scheduled it, the dark, dreary rain Ireland is known for, and we called to cancel only to learn they don't give refunds for rain days (Those Irishman have thick skin - ha... Actually, we learned it just rains so much in Ireland you learn to work and play in it anyways). So we took the tour and were so glad we did! Five minutes into the ride we got soaked, and Wayne and I were both quietly thinking of how miserable we felt, but then just as soon as we got wet we dried off from the warm winds. It didn't turn out to be miserable at all and we got to see the most beautiful landscapes cladden with a romantic fog. After getting back and drying off, we enjoyed an amazing seafood dinner at Morissey's in Doonbeg - a great last night in Ireland.
We learned that these beautiful stone walls, serving as fencing in pastures all over Ireland, were built during the Potato Famine when work was sparse. The abundance of rocks found in the fields were used to create fencing for the animals and is the reason why the roads remain narrow to this day, as they are maintained as apart of the country’s history.
You can see some of the lush flowers that grow in this wet climate (Fuchsia buses in the wild and some of the most prolific hydrangea I’ve ever seen - these were a common site in most peoples’ landscaping).
Morissey’s - The brown bread here was a favorite of mine in Ireland, a common bread made from oat flour.
t r a v e l r e f e r e n c e sHelpful Apps | (Your Airline App) + Google Translate + Google Maps for navigating in rental
Trip Planning | Blog For Planning Trips anywhere from 5 Days to 4 Weeks
Accommodation | Dublin - The Green Hotel, Recommendations for Doonbeg, Co. Clare - Holiday Cottages (or anywhere with a local on the West Coast - in Galway if you want to have easy access to things, outside of the city if not).
Restaurants | Dublin - The Brazen Head, Temple Bar Area - Lundy Foot (Show up a half hour or so before music starts to get a good seat at any place in Temple Bar or just bounce around from place to place and enjoy the experience! FYI - Temple Bar is an area, not a specific bar).
Co. Clare - Tubridy's Pub, Lir at Kilkee Golf Club, Morissey's (casual to formal) (some of the best seafood around)
Horseback Riding | Mountain View Horse Riding Centre
Attractions | St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street, Dublin Castle, Jameson Distillery 