Ireland

Dublin

We were in Dublin with a rather large group that included two children for only one night. We chose Buswells Hotel on Molesworth St, an “old-style hotel with traditional hospitality” that was close to the sites. Some of us had been to Dublin before but others had not, so we decided to keep it fairly low key with a couple of tourist spots that we though newbies would like and that we, who have already been, would enjoy again.

We strolled down Grafton St. that is adorned by high end shops, beautifully colorful flower carts and buskers on every corner. This was a hit with the children to experience the talented street performers, fun distractions and even a leprechaun or two.

Next, we went over to the Trinity College campus and walked around the quad. We checked out the gift shop but decided against entering to see the Book of Kells as none of us had a strong desire to see it.

We opted to have an early dinner at The Old Storehouse Bar and Restaurant in the Temple Bar area known for its cobblestone streets, nightlife and pub music scene. It was a lively 2 story rustic pub/restaurant with décor true to its name. We were all starving, and the traditional fare was just what we needed – cottage pie, beef stew, shepherd’s pie and lamb stew. Atmosphere, service and food were all wonderful.  While in Temple Bar, we spent some time in the actual Temple Bar which we found fun on our last trip as it was again. The locals will steer you away from here saying it is a tourist trap, but our thought is that while in Dublin for such a short time, at least experience Temple Bar.

When we visited Dublin previously, we visited the Guinness Storehouse Experience and the Gravity Bar with its 360° views of Dublin. We had a great time there and recommend that on your next visit.

The next morning our hired bus picked us up at Buswells and took us to Belfast. See the Northern Ireland post for details on that portion of the trip. From Belfast, we rented a van for Jim to drive the eight of us for the rest of our Ireland trip and set off for County Monaghan for the wedding of Steve and Debbie’s daughter, Justine to John Paul.

Castle Leslie Estate in County Monaghan for the Wedding

Castle Leslie

When Steve and Debbie’s daughter, Justine, decided on a destination wedding in Ireland, we decided to make a wonderful vacation out of the trip. This was not just a typical destination wedding, either. The groom, John Paul, is originally from Donegal, and much of his family still lives there. The wedding was inside and on the grounds of Castle Leslie Estate. The immediate family members stayed in rooms in the castle and others stayed in the Lodge which is a beautiful equestrian-themed hotel on the premises overlooking the massive stable area of the estate. The grounds were immaculate, the castle was amazing and the Lodge where we stayed was fantastic. No detail was left out. The castle rooms still had some of the old castle charm, with some of the toilets made of actual thrones!! Too funny!

If you have never experienced an Irish wedding before, our advice is to rest-up! We guarantee there will be singing and dancing through the wee hours, several days in a row. We tried to hang, but we must be out of practice!

The two-nights at the Castle started with the Welcome Dinner. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for both the Welcome Dinner and the wedding were outside on the gorgeous grounds on the sprawling lawn with views of the pond was the perfect backdrop for the events. The dinners were held inside the castle at long tables reminiscent of Kings and their knights in the medieval times, though much more glamorous. The food and ambiance for both events was spectacular. In true Irish form, the Irish contingent spent hours entertaining the rest of us with song and dance late into the early mornings.

The wedding was nothing short of a fairy tale. It took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral just over the border to Northern Ireland, about 45 minutes to an hour from the Castle. A coach bus drove the guests to and from. The bride, who could be a runway model, stunned in a form fitting strapless gown with a sophisticated over-skirt. Justine and John Paul’s smiles lit up the entire church. The music was ethereal.

The reception at the castle was simply perfect – the weather, the food, the cocktails, the service, the company – all fantastic! After dinner, the guests were led to the ballroom where the band played great dancing music, a mix of American and Irish for all to enjoy. Those who could, danced the jig when it was appropriate. We can’t say enough about the generosity of the bride and groom to include us in their special celebration. They are truly two special people.

The next day the eight of us headed off in the van to Galway.

Galway

As always, my fatal flaw is trying to cram as much as possible into our time in another country. My friend, Debbie, is typically my reality check with this. However, I managed to do it again anyway! We spent two nights in Galway, staying in the city center at Victoria Hotel. The hotel was lovely with a nice breakfast included. It had a convenient bar off the lobby. The hotel was located a short walk from Shop Street, the main pedestrian area with pubs, restaurants and shops. It was also close to Eyre Square in the opposite direction which is a green area surrounded by pubs and restaurants. We walked around these areas and visited many of the establishments.

We found great music by using the Galway city sessions page on Facebook for timing of sets. We started with lunch at M. Fitzgerald’s on Shop St. – delicious. Then we found an outdoor venue, O’Connell’s Bar, that was very understated from the front but opened up to an outside adult playground with bars, food vendors and televisions for folks to watch their favorite teams play rugby. To watch Gaelic football, we went down a few doors to Thirteen on the Green and met some fun lads who explained the game to us.

The Cliff of Moher

We took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher, and this was another beautiful day that left us all in awe. The drive was almost as inspiring as the cliffs as the scenery was amazing even if the roads were very winding.

The cliffs are breathtaking from every angle, and the nature walk along the right side is gorgeous. We did not venture up on top of the cliffs, but many people did.

Doolin

From here, we went to the small fishing village of Doolin which was not too far away. We found some of the windiest roads here to drive the van on as well. It is so picturesque, unfortunately my photos don’t do it justice. We walked around the shops here and purchased some souvenirs then went in search of the best fish and chips in Ireland.

Jim and I researched fish and chips on Instagram and decided upon McDermott’s in Doolin as a must try. This little hole in the wall pub was wonderful. The fish and chips were the best we found on our trip according to the fish eaters (I am not) with us. The inside of the pub is very quaint with plaster and wood walls. We were able to eat outside on their back patio because we had exceptionally warm weather. Everyone was happy with their choices at McDermott’s.

I wish we had a couple of more days in Galway as we only saw the small areas near our hotel, other than the day trip to the Cliffs and Doolin. I would have liked to have seen the Salthills area that is supposed to be a beautiful beachfront community that would have been nice to get to. We will have to save that for next time.

Kilkenny

I have heard a lot of wonderful things about Kilkenny from my friend, Ronnie, whose son, Patrick, and his wife, Roisin, live in Kilkenny. We stayed in Kilkenny just for one night at the Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel, a very nice, centrally located hotel with a great restaurant, pub, music and had breakfast included. This hotel is right in the center of the very small city, close to the Kilkenny Castle. The first thing we did was walk up and take a tour. This was well worth the price of admission with beautiful views and gardens.

From here, four of us went to lunch at Matt the Miller’s pub. The food was delicious as were the drinks. That evening, Jim and I broke away from the group to visit Patrick and Roisin at Sullivan’s, an outdoor spot with picnic tables and seating in private sheds which came in handy as this was the only drizzly day we had. It was great to see them and to get some pointers for the rest of our trip.

Steve and Deb then joined us in walking around Kilkenny and trying Kyteler’s Inn – a pub from the 13^th century that was owned by a woman who was later accused of witchcraft. The pub is simply adorable, from the stone and plaster walls to the huge fireplace and décor remembering Dame Alice.

Back at the hotel, we met up with the others and listened to some live music in the pub. The next morning, we were off to return the car at Dublin International Airport as we had a plane to catch to Edinburgh for the last 5 days of our vacation!