Ireland Trip Recap - Part 1

I am thrilled to share a recap of my incredible trip to Ireland. Back in October, I, along with 13 other family members, had a special trip through the beautiful Emerald Isle. Our trip was a few years in the making, with the first rumblings starting back in 2018. It was always my Mom's dream to travel to Ireland with her siblings and their families in order to honor my grandfather's Irish heritage, and we made it happen!

Our trip was jam-packed! We traveled, saw and did a LOT over the course of our 8-day adventure. From the charming streets of Killarney, to the vibrant streets of Dublin, and many hidden gems in between, we really enjoyed discovering the land of our ancestors.

Because we did so much, I decided it would be best to break the recap of the trip into two parts and to share what we did by day! In this post I am sharing Part 1 of our Ireland trip. I would love to know if there is anything major that we missed that I'd have to put on my to-do list if I were to ever go back.

Day 1 - Arrival

Our incredible Irish trip started upon our immediate landing at the Dublin Airport. We booked a private tour bus through My Ireland Tour and our driver, John, greeted us and walked us to our mobile 'home' for the next week. Our entire trip was planned by My Ireland Tour including hotel stays, tours and even some meals! John was also with us the entire week and was our inside source for all things Ireland. Although I have not used a tour company to book a trip in the past and usually prefer to plan my travels myself, I will say that it was great for a large group. There was a little bit of relief upon arriving and knowing I didn't have to worry about a thing!

We didn't waste any time after loading our luggage into the bus, and quickly hit the road to make our way to Kilkenny. Since we had taken an overnight flight, we were all in need of some breakfast. I found the cutest little breakfast spot, Cafe Le Coco, that served delectable scones, pancakes, eggs and yogurt bowls. The other half of the group opted to head to a nearby pub for a pint and some Irish fare. After fueling up on some food and tea, we were ready to explore the quaint town. A significant landmark in Kilkenny is the castle, Kilkenny Castle. We had tickets to explore the 800-year-old abode and grounds and quickly made our way through. We didn't spend a lot of time in this town and I wish we would have, as it seemed to be a very charming place.

Not long thereafter, we were on the road again, making a short stop in Waterford to check out Reginald's Tower, Ireland's oldest civic building dating back 800 years, before heading to our first hotel of the trip, the beautiful Faithlegg Hotel.

The Faithlegg was my favorite accommodation of the trip, as it was located on a golf course with picturesque grounds as well as a beautifully decorated interior. Each room was named after an important person from the area, which was a special touch. My sister and I stayed in the "Miss Maud's" room and we loved it! We were also treated to a private dinner this night, with impeccable food and wonderful service, which was perfect after our whirlwind of a day.

Day 2 -

Despite our fatigue from a long night of flying and a busy day of traveling the day before, we packed up the bus and started to make our way to Killarney. Our first stop of the day was at theJameson Distillery in Midleton, which is in County Cork. We toured the facilities, learned about the process of turning barley into Whiskey, and even got to taste a few of the elixirs, which for me was the first time - when in Ireland, right?! The grounds of the distillery were beautiful and I highly recommend scheduling a visit if you happen to be in the area.

Following our departure from the distillery, we made our way to the second highlight of the day, The Blarney Castle. The obvious star of this stop was the renowned Blarney Stone, and indulging in the tradition of kissing the famous stone required a trek up to the top of the castle. And yes, we all “kissed it”. You can see me up above - I might have been in a little shock because you do go entirely upside down. Despite the touristy vibe of the Blarney Woolen Mills, we still found the town to be quite quaint. Opting for lunch at a local pub, we discovered that the owner’s brother owned a pub in my hometown of Brewster, New York - small world for sure!

Back to the bus to our final destination of the day, our hotel in Killarney, The Killarney Plaza. Among the "smaller" cities Killarney stood out as one of my favorites due to its walkability, charming pubs and incredible music. A standout moment of the entire trip was the live music experience at The Grand, where we listened to traditional Irish fiddles as well as an extraordinary punk-rock cover band. We loved it so much we went both nights we were there. As for dinner, we had great meals at both The Porterhouse and The Laurels Pub.

Day 3 -

Day 3 took us on a journey around the Ring of Kerry, a scenic route in County Kerry, and our only day of constant rain. The luck of the Irish was really on our side this trip! Our morning kicked off with a damp visit to The Red Fox Inn and the historic Kerry Bog Village, where we got to tour thatched cottages of times gone by and grab a traditional Irish Coffee. We were then treated to a sheepdog demonstration at Kells Sheepdogs, giving us a first hand look into the tradition of sheep herding.

Despite the fog that veiled the landscape, the views in this part of the country were nothing short of breathtaking. As we were mesmerized by coastal cliffs and views of mountains, we made our way to lunch at The Blind Piper Pub. Disclaimer, we were treated to a traditional Irish pub lunch of beef stew and fish and chips and it was my least favorite meal of the entire trip. However, the ambiance was great! Following a brief stop at the Torc Waterfalls, we made our back to Killarney for a relaxing evening.

Day 4 -

We woke up on our fourth morning eager to make our way to Galway, but not without a few stops along the way. First, the small village of Adare, known for its thatched cottages, pictured above, and then to the majestic Cliffs of Moher. The views on the way to the cliffs were also pretty spectacular. While the cliffs are a well-trodden tourist attraction, the panoramic views they offer are truly worth the visit! In all honesty, the pictures don't even begin to do them justice. The sun came out for a bit while we were there and WOW, we were lucky! Our driver instructed us to not eat at the restaurant at the Cliffs, so I am passing that information onto you! :) There is also a small cafe if you want to purchase something to takeaway.

We made two more stops after leaving the Cliffs, The Burren, which is Gaelic for rocky land, aptly named for this vast limestone plateau and a natural spring well with water clean enough to drink, a smaller landmark in County Clare.

After an entire day moving through the countryside, and a quick nap on the tour bus, we at last made it to our hotel, The Hardiman in Galway City. There was no rest for the weary because as soon as we checked-in, we were off on a walking tour of the city. While the opportunity to learn some history about the city was appreciated, the emphasis on some of Galway's darker chapters left us slightly disappointed with the guided tour.

We did, however, thoroughly enjoy the food, so much we had two Italian dinners! The first, our appetizer, were a few pies of the pizza from The Dough Bros, which was recently awarded one of the top 100 pizzas in the world. 10/10 would recommend! Our main meal was at Trattoria Magnetti, a delicious Italian restaurant with yummy handmade pasta and delicious Tuscan wines. You can take the Italian-Americans out of New York, but we're always going to find an Italian joint, or 2! ;)

My only criticism of maybe the entire trip is that I do wish that we had more time to explore Galway City. Due to our late arrival and early departure we didn't have much more than a few hours to really enjoy this fun city. Among all of the cities we "stayed" in, we had the least amount of time here and it seems that there is a lot to do, see, and explore!

Part 2 of the recap is coming soon...be sure to check back!