Ireland | Until We Meet Again

Jul 20

We had a wonderful time in Ireland, but felt we were just getting to the best places on our final couple of days. More than one person had said “Go to the west coast.” Unfortunately we didn’t take that advice and took longer than we should have to get there. On the flip side, we got to see a lot of Ireland and have a more definite plan for what we’d like to see when we meet again.

After a three day stay in Dublin, we rented a cute little Mini Cooper and spent 14 days on the road in Ireland.

Total miles – 905
Total estimated curves – 6335
One lost hubcab
Number of Roundabouts – too many to count
Cities that began with Kil or Bally – Kilkenny, Killarney, Killorglin, Kilmore Quay, Ballybunion, Ballycastle, Ballyhale, Ballydehob, Ballycotton, Ballylanders – the list goes on and on. We were so confused sometimes we didn’t know where we had been from where we were going.
Counties visited – 9 -County Dublin, County Wicklow, County Wexford, County Kilkenny, County Waterford, County Cork, County Kerry, County Clare, County Galway

Driving the countryside of Ireland was a blast. It did take a little getting used to driving on the left, steering to the centerline instead of the hedges on the side of the road, and taking the roundabouts clockwise, but our team effort got us through with plenty of laughs along the way. It really does take two to navigate and remember when making right hand turns to get on the left, left, left! No matter what happens, work together and be flexible – sometimes you find what you didn’t know you were looking for when you are most lost.

Tips for two weeks on the road in Ireland:

Exchange dollars for Euros at a bank, not the airport for cheaper exchange fees.
Most places will take credit cards – ask to pay in Euros with your credit card instead of US dollars – there are less fees that way.
Ask for your check at the end of your meal – evidently it is considered rude in most of Europe to bring your bill to the table – they consider it to be rushing you through your meal. We learned this after sitting long periods of time at the end of our meals wondering where our waiter/waitress disappeared to.
Pack Light! More details in my packing blog.
Check out local dry cleaners for laundry service – they usually have a quick turn around time and are much cheaper than hotel laundry prices.
Ask the locals – the people of Ireland were courteous, kind, gracious, cheerful, and helpful beyond measure! They not only answered questions, but loved to talk and give extra tips about places to see and where to eat.
Include a few “down days”. It does get very tiring to go, go, go day after day. Take some time to hang in one location and just enjoy where you are.
Take your maps and plans for the day, but be open to going with the flow. Some of our favorite stops were found totally by accident. You never know when you’ll find what you didn’t even know you were looking for.

Favorite part of Ireland

The west – County Galway and County Clare
The people – they were amazing – absolutely loved them!
The slang: hen party, low maul, sign posted, on que (in line); pay at the till (counter); ‘tis an old one; arse; traffic calming; straight away; toasties
Time on the road getting lost.

My favorite picture from our travels was of Kylemore Abbey. We liked it so much we hung a 30×40 canvas about our sofa.