We spent very little time in Dublin after our first day, and made day trips to The Cliffs of Moher + Galway (Wild Rover Tours), The Ring of Kerry + Killarney (Railtours Ireland – part train, part coach), and Belfast Titanic + Giant’s Causeway + Dark Hedges (Finn McCools Tours).
See/Do
When the lights go on in DublinOfficially The Spire. Unofficially Stiffy on the Liffey!
The Cliffs of Moher
Quite breathtaking. You can take short or long walks along the cliffs. O’Brien’s Tower Beyond the tower…Repeat, because it never gets boring!Dunguaire Castle?
Galway
We spend a few hours walking around GalwayA pretty, pretty place it was.The Galway Girl, in personGalway had a charming Christmas MarketThings were just getting started when we visited
Ring of Kerry
This entire landscape (McGillyciddy Reeks, Dingle Bay, Kenmare Bay, the Killarney National Park, Ladies View, the lakes, as well as the villages – Glenbeigh, Waterville, Sneem) is extraordinarily beautiful in a way that the camera really couldn’t capture. It also seemed a little underdeveloped (relatively) from a tourism perspective, and that’s a good thing.
The Red Fox Inn, situated right next to the Kerry Bog Village Museum, the first attraction in the Ring of Kerry tour. Waterville BayWhitestrand. There was a postcard at every turn.Around Upper Lake, KillarneyTorc Waterfall
Killarney
Killarney is another quaint town that we just wanted to hug! It plays host to the citizenship ceremonies – the final step to becoming a ‘natural’ resident of Ireland.Just so colourful and pretty! Everything you need, packed into a few streetsI thought a famous time machine had malfunctioned, but apparently this is a health initiative.
Giant’s Causeway
There is a rugged beauty to this place.That’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site you’re looking atDifficult to recognise it, but this is Dark Hedges, famous in another world as King’s Road. #GoTGracehill House, built around 1775
Belfast
The most bombed hotel in the world.Titanic Belfast, the place where the ship was builtNow a museum. While that’s done well enough, I admit to being a little queasy about converting a tragedy into ‘Disneyland’. Belfast reminded us more of Glasgow than Dublin.
Eat/Drink
Some great Ice-cream to be had at Murphy’s. This was shot in Killarney.But we had the ice-cream in Galway. This is Whiskey Chocolate. Recommended by our guide for whiskey tastingA good old-fashioned pubHelped me choose the whiskey to buy. D tried the Irish Coffee but wasn’t very impressed. But then, she is neither a whiskey person, nor a coffee person. I think it has its uses. The place we stopped at for lunch during the Ring of Kerry tour. Somewhere between a pie and a stewFish and Chips need no introThe homemade pudding that we absolutely loved.If whiskey is your thing, then a visit to Palace Bar is in your interestSalmon in DublinOur last dinner in Dublin. This was recommended by all the guides as the local hangout. Absolutely loved the vibe and the service. This place is an absolute TARDIS. You would never be able to guess the amount of space it has from the outside. Just goes on and on! What better way to end than a Guinness and an Irish Hot Whiskey.
I thought Ireland had a raw, unspoilt beauty to it, which stands in contrast to the finesse that Scotland’s landscape has somehow acquired. If we do visit again, and we do want to, we would spend a few days each in its smaller towns.
We reached Dublin via Glasgow, and though the Ryan Air lady tried to give us a scare by ‘wondering’ if our UK visa was enough for Ireland, it turned out ok. Asking for a BVIS category specifically in your UK visa application is a good idea. We had pre-booked Aircoach to take us to the Holiday Inn Express on O’Connell Street (the stop is right outside the hotel) and the room was ready when we reached (lucky!), so we got straight into the thick of things, armed with a Flexi tram ticket for the day.
See/Do
The Jameson Distillery Bow St. tour is the right way to say hello to Ireland. Coincidence that we visited on the death anniversary of John Jameson! Going drunk to college has always been a dream. So we went to Trinity College soon after!A path we would take at least once day Guinness Storehouse. This should be your view from the ground when you get out 🙂
Rock of Cashel
We used Dublin as a base and did day trips to different places. Our first trip was with Paddywagon Tours.
The Irish High Cross, and a lovely viewAlso known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick’s Rock,The neighbourhood is picturesque too
Blarney’s Castle
The first view of the castle. Kissing the Blarney’s stone is supposed to give you the gift of the gab, but though we were within kissing distance, we skipped! Ireland’s winter palette is out of this world!Blarney’s Castle is like a fairytale treasure hunt. The tour guide gave us a map and we spent all our time trying to catch the different spots. This was The Seven SistersIf a fairy popped up, I wouldn’t be surprised. The place is magical.Poison Garden. After this D tried to see the Fern Garden and we lost track of each other! These three window towers are all over the place.
Cork
Cork has a lovely small-town charm that was soon to become a signature of many places in Ireland. When we visited, it was all set for Christmas.
Eat/Drink (Dublin)
After our bookmarked places turned snooty, D found this wonderful place – JW Sweetmans, where we began with a cider and a golden ale. Now that’s a bar! Whiskey ChickenThe first of our Irish stewsMooneys was a small place near the hotel. And we tried a different version of the stew. The Temple Bar. Might as well call it a temple given the crowds! Everything is priced higher in this part of town.A peek inside The Temple BarAnother favourite spot in Dublin for the great food, drinks, and most importantly, the service. A little note for the warm water and the warmth. Highly recommended. D had a Bertha Gin, and I tried the first of many local whiskeys. This was Teeling, and the one that I chose to finally buy after sampling many others in later days. For a change, I loved the Tomato Soup. This is a Gaelic Boxty. Irish FilletBeef, Teeling Irish Whiskey, Black Pepper & MushroomCream Sauce, on Boxty Pancake
An epic novel that’s only one part of Rutherford’s Ireland saga. Starting in AD 430 and ending in AD1533, this book traces the story of Ireland using Dublin as a representative. From Dubh Linn to Dyflin to Dublin.
Through the interwoven stories of six fictional Irish families, we see the transformation of Ireland from the land of druids and Celtic High Kings up to the reign of Henry VIII. The fortunes of these families rise and fall during the Viking invasions, the campaign of Brian Boru, the English annexation of Ireland and the rebellion of Silken Thomas, and possibly serve as a good microcosmic reference point for the rest of their kinsmen too.
By juxtaposing actual historic events with the intrigues of fictional families, and by creating a set of very interesting and meticulously detailed characters, Rutherford helps us visualise what Eire must have been like in those times long ago.
PS. ‘Ireland Awakening’ has been on my shelf for almost 3 years now, because ‘Dublin’ was so difficult to get hold of.
