So…Mike and I just got back from spending a month (well…technically 26 days and 2 travel days) in Ireland. To say it was an epic trip would be an understatement. The best part…it didn’t break the bank, and I planned everything myself.

This did take a bit of work and coordination. We fly standby, so the front and back ends of the trip needed cushion, so I put anything that needed to be thoroughly planned and reserved in the center. I did a lot of research. Books (notably Rick Steves Ireland,) TV shows (several documentaries, including Adrian Dunbars Scenic Ireland.,) and the Office of Public Works (Ireland) website.

We tend to be pretty active travelers, so I factored that into the overall picture. We hiked a lot, trekking 7-15 miles some days. You can’t see and experience some of the things we did from a tour bus.

Ireland is an absolutely beautiful country, with friendly and welcoming people, and we did experience all that. 90% of the people and places we encountered were just amazing. Friendly attitudes on our part meant we were greatly warmly and accepted pretty much everywhere we went.

I wanted to take some time to focus on things I think would be helpful for anyone else planning a trip like this.

Plan well in advance. I waited a bit long, so even in the off/shoulder season, many of my preferred hotels and B&Bs were booked. This is normal. Housing is in a bit of a crisis there, so rooms can be a bit scarce in larger towns/cities. I will highlight some of the gems we did find in the itinerary below.

Pay attention to the time of year. Summer is super crowded everywhere (and space is even more premium, but in the off and shoulder seasons some things may be closed or closing down for the year. We were in Ireland from September 15-October 11, not counting a day in the start and end of travel. This time of year, the crowds are thinner (at most places) but some things may already be closed or services limited. Most of the Tourist Information (TI) places in smaller towns close after the last Saturday of September, and do not open back up until at least Easter the following year. Rick Steves has a section in the book that tells you about festivals that may inhibit (or enhance) your trip.

Pack as light as possible. It is probable that no matter what time of year, you will experience all 4 seasons, sometimes in one day. And it rains; that is a given. A rain jacket that is a windbreaker is essential. Layers are your best friend, and no one cares what you are wearing, so this is where a capsule wardrobe comes in handy. I took one carry on roller board, and one travel bag (which I overpacked.) If you are going anywhere for longer than a week, plan on doing laundry. There are a lot of drop off options so you don’t have to spend time in a launderette, but there is usually a pub close by if you need to do that.

Be Flexible. While I meticulously planned out stops, unannounced closures, and weather, can wreak havoc on plans. One of the places I was most excited for, Mizen Head, closed early this year for maintenance. Even the TI people were unaware. Weather derailed part of our Beara Peninsula day, but we found a silver lining in a fun stop we happened to pass en route to our next stop. The recommended Sheep Dog demo was closed (can’t book in advance) the day we had available, but another one popped up later in the trip and was at a stop we planned anyway. We hiked and did things even in the rain (that’s what those layers are for!)

Always be on the lookout for discounts. We were able to take advantage of the Senior pricing nearly everywhere (well…at least one of us got it more places…some were 60, but there were some that were 65.) That definitely saved a few euros along the way. The best deal was getting a Heritage Card from the Office of Public Works. The Republic of Ireland manages lots of the most in demand sites in the country, and most all the visits came with guided tours (or at least a guiding friendly care taker at the site.) The card is good for a year from the first use date, and can be ordered in advance from the US (takes about 2 weeks to get) which gives you the advantage to book the hard to get tours (Brú na Bóinne/Newgrange and Kilmainham Gaol) as soon as those tickets are released (28-30 days in advance.) I’m sure if you go during a more peak season, there are others that would need advance booking, but the rest I was able to do either day before or day of. The beauty is that even without the Senior pricing, these pay for themselves if you visit Newgrange and 3 other sites. (We visited 15 in total, I will highlight them in the itinerary.)

Driving…on the wrong side of the road. On top of driving on the left, loads of the roads in Ireland and narrow, have no shoulder, and rock walls hidden by hedgerows. But, it’s really not that bad. We had a couple close encounters on narrow lanes, but Mike seemed to settle in nicely (Guinness and whiskey at the end of a driving day was well earned.) Driving gave us the freedom to be more flexible, not have to worry about stashing our bags, and go off the beaten path when we wanted to see something that caught our eye. That being said, there are some proclivities to car hire in Ireland. I used AAA to make the reservation, and was sure to specify an Automatic transmission. While both of us can drive a standard, shifting with a hand you are not used to just adds another level of learning to driving there. Pay the little bit extra and drive easier. Insurance was another thing. We are generally covered by using a USAA credit card, but they don’t cover international rentals. Citi does, so if you have a Costco card, that works, but you need to make sure you get the letter of additional coverage from them. The good news there is that most of the rental cars have some level of scratch/dent from previous drivers, and it is well documented. And unless you really have to, DO NOT DRIVE IN DUBLIN! Which brings us to…

Take public transpiration. This is probably the easiest way to get around in the Dublin/Airport world. The Dublin Express operates between the Airport and the City Center on 3 different lines, and can get you close to where you need to go (see that whole paragraph on packing light.) It is not terribly expensive and can be booked online (senior discount alert!) There are also hotels near the airport that have free shuttles (we stayed at one at the beginning of the trip) but you will need to use the bus to get into the city center or nearby destinations. Transit for Ireland (TFI) offers a Visitor Leap Card (think bus pass) that can be obtained from several stores (notably the Spar inside Terminal 2) and comes in a 1-, 3-, or 7-day (a day counts as a 24 hour period starting from the first use) and is good for the bus, tram, and train. That’s the good news. The not as good news is there is not an inter-country rail system that you can really plan your trip around. There is bus service to most towns now, but might be sparse on some schedules. (Be brave…drive!)

And finally…food. Pub fare and most restaurants (unless you are going high end) is pretty standard. There is nearly always a soup of the day (mostly vegetable or potato leek) or seafood chowder (both served with brown bread and butter) that is substantial enough for a meal. Toasties (a non-greasy version of a grilled ham and cheese) are often served in pubs at lunch. Roasts (a meat/potato/veg type plate) is a pretty sizable portion, but can be ordered most places as a half. Guinness stew and fish and chips are pretty standard. Prices can vary by place, and smaller towns seemed a bit cheaper at times. Not all accommodations have breakfast included (sometimes can be added for a fee.) Everywhere has a kettle, so coffee and tea are almost always available. The kettle was great for making instant oatmeal (available in cups,) add some berries or dried fruit or yogurt, and we always carry some re-usable flatware (packs in a tube, easy to carry and wash.) We found that eating in was a pretty good way to save a bit, and a small insulated bag kept things like ham and cheese for a day or so between times we had a fridge (left in the car overnight, it was cold enough to keep without killing us, although I probably wouldn’t do that in the warmer months.) Picnics on the drive days, with rolls or a half loaf of bread and some mustard for sandwiches, along with apples or whatever fruit looked good tasted quite nice out staring at the ocean. Groceries seemed a bit less expensive, and it’s mostly Aldi and Lidl, so they were familiar. Bottle filler stations are plentiful, so a refillable water bottle is a good thing to pack. Oh, and there are some great convenience store delis…and Apache Pizza was awesome (you can only eat so much seafood chowder….lol.)

And now for the Itinerary!

(Heritage Card use is marked HC)

Arrival-Day 1 (9/16) – You almost always arrive Dublin in the morning. We got sorted, procured Leap Cards, and found our shuttle to the hotel. Took a nap…and met our friend Dara for drinks (The Bald Eagle and then to John Kavanagh – The Gravediggers Pub.)

Day 2 (9/17)– Howth (by bus/train.) After a stop in at the Yacht Club to swap burgees, we made our way around the jetty and onto the Howth Cliff Walk. This is a hike, not a walk. But, a good break in for the knees. Lunched at The Summit Inn, and then back down to the train home.

Day 3 (9/18) – Dun Laoghaire (for another Yacht Club exchange) and Dublin Castle (HC.) We had access to a washing machine at the hotel/apartment, so we did up any laundry we had.

Day 4 (9/19) – Picked up the car at the Airport and headed to Powerscourt Estate Garden. From there, on to Glendalough Visitor Center (HC.) Sleeping in Kilkenny, 2 nights. Cool find Kilkenny Suites, right on the main drag, but not a hotel.

Day 5 (9/20) – Full day in Kilkenny. Kilkenny Castle (HC,) Rothe House, the Smithwicks Experience (brewery history tour,) and St. Canice’s Cathedral. It also happened to be Culture Night, so I hit up a lecture about a famous “witch” named Alice Kyteler at Dublin Castle. Ended up at The Hole in the Wall pub. Fun stuff!

Day 6 (9/21) – Driving day to look at various piles of rocks and churches without roofs. Rock of Cashel (HC) plus the extra tour of Cormac’s Chapel, Kells Priory, Jerpoint Abbey (HC.) Then on to Waterford to sleep 2 nights.

Day 7 (9/22) – Waterford Crystal Visitor Center tour (highly recommend) and Reginald’s Tower (HC.) We intended to bike part of the Greenway here, but the weather was rather uncooperative. Plus, a better start point for that trip is in another town, and there isn’t much to see on the Waterford section. There are a number of great Greenways that can be cycled in Ireland, and you can find them here.

Day 8 (9/23). – Drive to and tour Hook Lighthouse. We opted to take the car ferry at Passage East/Ballyhack for the adventure. On the way to Kinsale, we stopped at Dungarvan Castle (HC) to picnic our lunch and break up the long drive. Sleep in Kinsale for 2 nights.

Day 9 (9/24) – Dropped off the laundry, did one last Yacht Club exchange, and took a fun history walking tour with Barry (of Don & Barry’s Historic Stroll) and then took the Scilly Walk (hike) to Charles Fort (HC.) Picked up the laundry.

Day 10 (9/25) – We were supposed to head to Mizen Head, via the Altar Wedge Tomb and Ballydehob (a 3-ish hour round trip drive,) but when I checked the night before, it had closed on the 22nd for the season. Not really into that (3 hours ish round trip) drive, so we proceeded to Bantry where we had reservations for one night. Ended up touring Bantry House and Gardens, which was pretty cool.

Day 11 (9/26) – The Beara Peninsula…or at least a little bit of it. Went to Glengariff (Maureen O’Hara’s adopted home, more on her on a couple later stops.) Caught the ferry (for a fee) to Garnish Island (HC). Lovely stroll around, saw seals on the way to and from. Supposed to go to Dursey Island, via the only over water cable car in Europe, but the wind was howling and it was raining, so getting stranded on an island with no facilities didn’t sound like a good idea. So, we headed over the mountain to Kenmare, and on the way, found this quaint farm/famine experience called Molly Gallivans (were I was assaulted by some “lambs” I was instructed to feed.) Sleep in Kenmare 2 nights (The Coachman’s Townhouse was very nice.)

Day 12 (9/27) – Killarney National Park. Was hoping for the Rick Steves’ recommended sheepdog demo today, but they close sporadically. So on to Ross Castle (HC) after a short stop at the Kenmare Lace Center. From there, we headed to the Torc Waterfall for a nice long hike. By the time we got back to the car, it had started to rain a bit, so we only stopped briefly at Ladies View and Moll’s Gap before heading back to Kenmare. After girding our loins with some pizza, we headed to the Kenmare Stone Circle (touched the stones, nothing happened, I’m still here.)

Day 13 (9/28) – On to Dingle, via the Ring of Kerry. So, the first stop on this loop is a stone circle fort called Staigue Fort. It is the best preserved of the ones listed, so we figured a good place to check out. Remember those roads I talked about earlier? Those narrow, one lane, no room for anything between the stone walls and hedgerows? Yeah…this was it. But we survived and on to Derrynane House (HC) and the Kerry Cliffs. I have to say, this was less crowded than Moher (more on that later) and had a great view of the Skelligs. Speaking of the Skelligs, we did stop by The Skellig Experience Center, but did not make the trip out to Skellig Michael for a number of reasons (not the least of which is that it does take all day.) Then 3 nights in Dingle (nice enough AirBnB.)

Day 14 (9/29) – Rain…lots of Rain. So lunch, a cool tour of the Dingle Distillery (if you are a fan of gin, I highly recommend theirs) and a jaunt down the road to the South Pole Inn. Shortish, but chill day (maybe we needed that.)

Day 15 (9/30) – Laundry drop off…then onto the boat to Great Blasket Island (Eco Excursion – Billy & Chris are the best, along with the boat dog, Wolf.) This was one of the highlights of the trip. Last tour of the season of this once inhabited island (population peaked at about 180 people) that was abandoned around 1953. Beautiful, barren place, except for the feral sheep. And then, there was Dingle Gin Ice Cream from Murphy’s…wow! (I think they have a location in Dublin if you don’t get to Dingle.) So I had ice cream while Mike picked up the laundry.

Day 16 (10/1) – On the Road Again. Slea Head Loop – lots of scenery on the Dingle Peninsula. A few great scenic stops, and the Great Blasket Center (HC) (to learn more about the island and the people who lived there.) And then the Gallarus Oratory (nee Another Pile of Rocks, but cool.) To break up a longish drive to Ennis, we stopped at Foyne’s Flying Boat & Maritime Museum. Funded largely by Maureen O’Hara (and her estate) and home of the original Irish Coffee (sorry Buena Vista.) Maureen’s husband, BG Charles F. Blair, Jr. (USAF-Ret) piloted the last Flying Boat out of Shannon. The museum has a special section dedicated to her, as well as her costumes, dresses, and most of the set from The Quiet Man house. Sleep in Ennis one night. It was Tuesday…we tried tacos. Sadness ensued.

Day 17 (10/2) – Ennis Friary (HC) (another church with no roof) before heading out to the Cliffs of Moher. I get it, you have to see them. There are lots of cliffs on the Wild Atlantic Way, but this seems to be the biggest draw. We were a little underwhelmed. It’s crowded. Huge parts of the trail were closed (so you could only go about 1 kilometer south, and less than 2 kilometers north) for repairs. But still worth seeing (those little dots near that white tower are people.) To move along our trip, we slept in Doolin at a nice little B&B and visited a few pubs nearby.

Day 18 (10/3) – Feel the Burren! (ok, maybe I’m not that funny.) Our drive today takes us across the unique landscape that is the Burren. First stop is Kilfenora and the Burren Center, a cool community run information center about this barren yet diverse environment. And finally, I get to see my sheep dog demo (!) at the Caherconnel Ring Fort (and also a tour of the fort led by an actual archeologist, who did a great job explaining it.) So, it’s a pretty windy day out on this plain, but we still stopped by the portal tomb Poulnabrone Dolmen before heading into Galway for 2 nights. Remember me saying you don’t want to drive in the cities? This reinforced it. But we had parking at the hotel (cute boutique place called The Lane, only has 18 rooms, on the 3rd floor of an office building.)

Day 19 (10/4) – The Aran Island – Inishmore to be precise. There are several ways you can get there…ferry is the most popular, with trips leaving from Galway and Doolin (in season) and some of those include the Cliffs of Moher as seen from the Atlantic. We opted to fly. Aer Arann Islands does daily flights to the islands in sone cool little planes that hold 8-9 people. The flight takes less than 10 minutes (the ferry, depending on which one, takes 45 minutes to an hour and a half.) They also have a shuttle that will pick you up in Galway (near our hotel) to take you to the airport and return. It’s about double the cost of the ferry, but you beat the crowds and have more time on the island. We hired e-bikes (that took a little practice) and headed out to Dun Aengus (HC) via the coast road (more seals!) After parking the bikes and hiking up the rest of the rocky way, we had the place all to ourselves. The whole place is spectacular. We headed back down, and down the High Road to Joe Watty’s Bar for lunch and Guinness. After some confusing instructions, we decided to try to find the other stone fort (Dun Duchathair – The Black Fort.) E-Bikes are not good on rocky roads, so about halfway up the lane, we parked them and walked. It was a *lot* further than we thought. Did get some good pictures and the scenery was amazing. Hiked back to the bikes, rode back to town, turned in said bikes, and had more Guinness. Time to fly back and shuttle back to Galway. This was probably one of my favorite days on the trip.

Day 20 (10/5) – A partial run of the Connemara Loop, adjusted for weather. Did I mention it rains a lot, and unpredictably, in Ireland? The wind also likes to blow. So we drove to Westport, and started back down the Wild Atlantic Way (going south this time, while we had previously been going north.) Much scenery to see here, with Croagh Patrick (we did not hike it) and the Coffin Ship Sculpture, a stop along Clew Bay to take in the ocean, and then on through the Doo Lought Valley to see the Famine Cross and some beautiful lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and fjords (where they farm mussels!) Stopped at the beautiful Kylemore Abbey, where we did not let the rain prevent us from touring lovely gardens (and the house was quite interesting as well.) Spent one night in Cllifden (which was probably worth more time) and had a lovely dinner of those Killary Fjord farmed mussels at Mitchell’s Seafood.

Day 21 (10/6) – The trip back to the East. Our first stop today was Cong. For those who are still with me on my Maureen O’Hara obsession, this is where they filmed The Quiet Man. The visitor center is closed for the season, but we toured the abbey/old church with no roof and saw the pub and statue. Then on to Athlone, to Sean’s Bar (the oldest bar in Ireland) before heading to our AirBnB in Trim. We wandered the town a bit after getting settled, and ended up at James Griffins Pub, where we seem to have been adopted by the locals…stayed out way past our bed times, and made a date for the following evening before stumbling back up the apartment and getting a pizza on the way.

Day 22 (10/7) – The first of two E-Ticket Days. I originally had it on the schedule to go to Brú Na Bóinne (HC) on Tuesday, the 8th, but they didn’t release any tickets for that day, we I punted and moved it to today. We started out at Bective Abbey (nee another roofless church) and the Hill of Tara (HC) (this is where St. Patrick explained the trinity to the pagans in the form of a clover, forever cementing Irelands national symbol.) We got to the Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Center for our scheduled tour in enough time to grab some lunch before being shuttled first to Knowth (great guided walkabout the outside) and then shuttled on a bus over to Newgrange, where we actually got to go inside the passage tomb. It was fascinating! Back to Trim for our date with our new local friends at the Judge & Jury Pub. Did I mention that one of them is the town undertaker? lol

Day 23 (10/08) – Trim Castle. (HC)..lots of Braveheart and several other movies were filmed here. Cool tour, but we got rained on. Then a trip out. to the Battle of the Boyne Site (HC) to learn more about Ireland’s tumultuous past. Finished up any remaining laundry since we had a washer/dryer at the apartment.

Day 24 (10/09) – Car Drop Off Day. Farewell to driving for the remainder of the trip. Dublin Express to town, stashed the bags since it was too early to check in. Then off to the Chester Beatty Library (free!) and some lunch before taking a round-about walk to the Pearse Lyon Distillery for a tour – in an old church they had to take the roof off of to get the pot stills in!.

Day 25 (10/10) – My pilgrimage to This is Knit to show off my sweater made from their yarn, and of course rescuing some more yarn. Today was also another hard ticket to get, Kilmainham Gaol (HC)...and more of Ireland’s revolutionary past. From there, we headed up to Phoenix Park for a brief stroll before meeting up with Dara again, for drinks and dinner, at The Hole in the Wall (the longest bar in Europe, where Christmas is a major event that lasts from October through January!)

Day 26 (10/11) – The doldrums of the last day. Took a nice walk through St. Stephen’s Green on our way to the National Museum of Archeology. Lunch, then back to the hotel for a pack up and early night.

So, from there, we flew home via San Francisco, and unpacked a lot of memories!