The Emerald Isle: West Coast

When I started writing this post, we were half-way through our 7-hour flight from Dublin to Newark. This was one day after Hurricane Ophelia hit the west coast of Ireland, so it was a bittersweet time as we reminisced about all the the exceptionally gorgeous places and thought about all the destruction the hurricane caused in places we had called home just days before. So, even though we’re posting this a little later than planned, we want to send up this prayer from St. Patrick for everyone in Ireland and the U.K. who was affected by the hurricane:

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May the strength of God pilot us
May the wisdom of God instruct us
May the hand of God protect us
May the word of God direct us

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From the moment we caught a glimpse of the vibrant green landscape from the plane, we knew we were in for a memorable adventure. This was Gabriel’s first visit to Ireland, and I couldn’t wait to show him some of the places I remembered from my trip here 6 years ago. We were also really excited to see things that were new to both of us and make some special memories of our own.

Our first stop was in the charming little town of Cork. We stayed in the old Hotel Isaacs near the center of town, which gave us prime access to the shopping and restaurant/bar area. Luckily, the rain held off long enough for us to drop our bags then make our way across the river, into the famous English Market for a quick bite, and into Oliver Plunkett Bar (apparently the most famous bar in Cork). Here, we enjoyed our first real Guinness while we waited for the main attraction of the night: live Irish music and dancing in the upstairs Frisky Whiskey Bar. (Silly name, really cool bar.) It was the perfect way to spend our one night in Cork!

The next day, we got an early start to beat the crowds to Blarney Castle. We got there right when it opened (9AM), and it proved to be the best decision. We felt like we had the entire property to ourselves, and we got to enjoy our moment of kissing the Blarney Stone almost completely alone.

In case you don’t know how kissing the Blarney Stone works, allow me to explain: You walk up narrow staircases to the very top of the castle where two old Irishmen are waiting – one sitting on the ground and one standing by a camera. You lay down next to the sitting man, grab two metal poles attached to the stone behind you, and scoot back until your head is hanging in the gap between the floor and the stone. The sitting man, who is now holding onto your waist, tells you to lean back even more and kiss the Blarney Stone and the other man snaps an official photo. Here’s the proof of Gabriel conquering his fear of heights to do it:

What a unique experience! We both now have the gift of gab…and probably a few thousand new germs… 😉

As we made our way back down through the castle, we realized it was still quite empty. So, we took our time to explore the Poison Garden, the cave and dungeon, and the gardens. Every inch of this property is filled with overwhelming beauty and intriguing architecture, including the Wishing Steps, a Witch’s Kitchen, and the Seven Sisters.

When it was time for us to hit the road, 3 giant tour buses arrived. Perfect. Timing. We thanked our lucky stars and headed back east, past Cork, to the even smaller town of Midleton for a tour of the Jameson Distillery.

Even though we both prefer Scotch whisky, this was a must-do for Gabriel simply because this brand is so iconic. (I had done this tour on my first visit, but it was such a different — I’d even say better — experience because I have an appreciation for whisky now.) Gabriel loved seeing the facility and, per the recommendation of our wonderful tour guide, found an Irish whisky he likes: Yellow Spot.

We spent the rest of the day driving through the lush green countryside toward Killarney. We stayed at The Dromhall Hotel, which is the same hotel I stayed at 6 years ago. It was definitely as beautiful as I remembered, and the Irish Breakfast was just as delicious!

Killarney was the perfect jumping-off point for the Ring of Kerry. This is one of the most famous routes in Ireland that goes through mountains, forests, beaches, and tiny towns. Because it’s so popular, we were prepared for traffic. I remembered how congested certain stopping points were. I also remembered it raining off and on most of the day. We must have had the luck of the Irish on our side that day, though, because we had no traffic, ran into very few people at each stop, and had clear weather the entire day. We drove the route clockwise, so from Killarney down through the National Park and westward from there. Here are a few highlights:

The cherry on top of the entire day was this spectacular view:

From these cliffs, we could see Skellig Michael, which is a tiny island on which an ancient monastery was built, back when this was considered the edge of the world. While we didn’t get a chance to book a tour to the island, we did cross the bridge to Valentia Island to see the Skellig Experience – a museum that explained the history of this fascinating island. Basically, a group of friars fled to this island to escape religious persecution around 600 AD. Over the course of generations, they carved hundreds of steps into the rock that eventually led to their monastery perched at the top. Nobody knows why they stayed – a couple of theories include penance or desire to get closer to God by becoming one with nature. Whatever the reason, it’s quite an exceptional fact that they not only survived but thrived for generations on this desolate and hostile island.

Because that was the last major point of interest on our route, we headed back to Killarney to spend some time enjoying the city. Our first stop was to see the medieval cathedral that was just a few blocks from our hotel.

Then we grabbed pizza and beer at the Killarney Brewery, which was right down the street from our hotel and made our way to the race tracks for a performance called Celtic Steps. Based on the name, we both imagined it was going to be super cheesy. But we really wanted to see more Irish dancing. So, we took a chance…and it turned out to be awesome! The show featured a 5-piece Irish band, an ethereal Celtic singer (who also played the fiddle), and 6 world-champion Irish dancers. The performance was only 2 hours, but we could have watched for at least another 3. That’s how incredible it was!

Alas, it was back to the hotel for us to prepare for another early day so we could explore Ross Castle before heading the Cliffs of Moher on our way to Galway.

The weather in Galway proved to be the most difficult that we experienced in Ireland. It rained on and off (mostly on) the entire time and, being so near the ocean, the wind made it difficult to avoid getting totally soaked. We solved that problem our first night by hunkering down in The King’s Head pub for some comfort food and live music.

Then we spent the next day ducking in and out of the shops and cafes around Shop Street and meandering around the free museum.

By the end of the day, the rain and the wind finally got the best of us and we decided it was time to head back to the hotel (which we were pretty sure was haunted by a banshee and a poltergeist). Naturally, the only way to deal with the exhaustion and ghosts was to watch “Sherlock” on Netflix and toast the first half of our Ireland adventure with some 18-year-old Tomatin scotch.

Our time on the west coast was an amazing whirlwind of adventure! If you get the chance to visit this beautiful area, we recommend at least 2 nights in Cork, 2-3 nights in Killarney, and 1-2 nights in Galway. We were surprised that we actually would have preferred less time in Galway and more time in both Cork and Killarney. There was just so much to do and see around Cork and Killarney that we didn’t get to spend much time in the town centers, which seemed really interesting. Still, we were grateful for every minute!

Next up is Dublin – our official half-way stopping point. Stay tuned!

Big hugs,
Juliette