Europe ’24 Trifecta: Ireland
Yup, you just KNEW I’d feature those glorious Cliffs of Moher prominently at the tippy-top of this post. They truly are a marvel, and happily (given the fickle Irish rain/high winds in October), I lucked out and had the PERFECT weather the afternoon I visited.
Indeed, with 11 days on the ground in the Land of Shamrocks, I only had a single day of rain (in Dingle)
But let’s back up a tad here, shall we? Why did it take me so long to finally give a nod to the verdant isle of Ireland in my many hops around Europe over all these years? After all, a good many travelers are drawn to it, and rave about its bucolic landscapes. Indeed, especially newbie travelers from my native land are lately flocking there – giddy with the anticipation of experiencing their first-ever “foreign” country – excited to be taking their first steps beyond their comfy, familiar U.S. of A. shores.
Nope, the loos in Mongolia aren’t as spiffy as in Ireland…
And though I can now confirm that Ireland is indeed chock-full of those legendary rolling emerald hills and stunning majestic coastal seascapes, the truth is – for this arguably toughened veteran traveler (i.e. 50+ different countries including pissing in a yak pasture under the stars in the wilds of Mongolia) – it’s long been precisely because of those “comfy, familiar” attributes that attracts folks with their first passport – that Ireland has just never (before) tickled my adventurous travel toes.
But “never” is arguably a harsh word for any avid traveler. And this year – as I was struggling with ambivalence as to where I might head next… it was FOOD (natch!) that led me to finally book an air ticket to the Emerald Isle.
In short, I stumbled upon the annual Food Festival held each October in Dingle (a tiny town situated on a peninsula of the same name along Ireland’s southwest coast) that I’d long heard was idyllic, especially for hiking. And though my dodderin’ age (read: knees) has pretty much ruled out any chance of me scaling the likes of Kilimanjaro, I thought a bit of gentle tramping might be nice – especially if it involved eating a simmering Irish stew and sipping Guinness before and after the trek. And when I likewise discovered that there was also an OYSTER Festival (my all-time favorite food!) in Galway that same month – suffice… the deal was sealed. I would finally take a peek at Ireland – and pretty much eat my way through it!
And so it was…
While the isle of Ireland has plenty of different corners worth visiting, I (wisely) opted to limit my Irish sojourn to only a bit of the southwest coast, along with a dash into Dublin. Just four locales in the 11 nights I had for exploring Ireland proved just about right.
Galway
To make the best use of those 10 days, I arranged my itinerary to initially bypass Dublin upon arrival (from London) at DUB airport and instead, swiftly moved on by (2 hr.) bus to Galway. Somewhat of a close call as the annual Galway Oyster Festival was already in full swing upon my arrival. Nonetheless, with 2 nights there, I was able to get a feel for the town (chock-full of rack-upon-rack of Irish woolens and “Claddagh” ring shops – all a bit too “Irish Disney-esque” for my tastes), and (more delectably) slurp bountiful amounts of my favorite eat in all the World: uber-fresh OYSTERS pulled straight from the cold North Atlantic.
In short – but for those succulent oysters – Galway wasn’t my cuppa tea, and I was happy to move on to the wee (far more sublime) village of Doolin.
Doolin
Population: little more than 300, the tiny hamlet of Doolin lies peacefully perched along the mighty north Atlantic coast. No string of Claddagh ring, nor ubiquitous Irish woolen shops here – (happily) I could barely find a restaurant open for lunch.
And while you can do a group day trip from Galway to gawk at those stunning Cliffs of Moher, Doolin is far more conveniently located for we independent travelers. Indeed, given the fickle nature of October Irish weather, upon my early afternoon arrival in Doolin the sun was shining brightly, so (rather than wait until the following day to hike the near 4 – reportedly a bit strenuous – miles to those wondrous “Cliffs”), I swiftly dropped my rollie at my hotel, grabbed a fabulous bowl of steaming hot seafood chowder, and hopped on a 15 min. public bus directly to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center.
And the views proved spectacular!
Doolin to Dingle
Bus, train, train, bus – and a boatload of fun along the way!
Many (it seems, most) folks rent a car to meander around the Emerald Isle. But driving on the opposite side of the road (not to mention the infamous uber-narrow curvy Irish roads) isn’t my idea of relaxing, carefree travel. More importantly, imho – sealing oneself behind tinted windows in a private tin can isolates one from bumping into (and happily interacting with) the locals in a new land, along with chance meetings and new friendships with likewise adventurous fellow travelers. In short, traveling by private (anything) is pretty much the polar OPPOSITE of the reason I travel at all.
That said, I admit that public transport is often a bit more challenging than renting a private car to hop from place, to place, to place in a new foreign land, and Ireland proved no exception. Especially the convoluted bus, train, train, bus route stretching from Doolin to my next stop, Dingle. Ah, but trust that I enjoyed most every moment of the 7+ hour journey (bus from Doolin to Ennis; train to Limerick; switch to train #2 through counties Tipperary, Cork and Kerry to Tralee; and finally another bus to Dingle). Indeed, I met a boatload of lovely new acquaintances (and especially, a most memorable “matrimonial” adventure with an Irish lad) along the way.
Near my age, the lad couldn’t have had a more Irish name (Michael O’L-something) along with the friendly demeanor of a true Irish gentleman. We bumped into each other at the bus/train station in Ennis. My bus from Doolin had arrived late so I’d missed my bus connection to Limerick. He was likewise on his (solo) way to Limerick, and suggested a train was faster than waiting for the next bus. Furthermore… he explained that as a (married) Irish retiree – not only could he ride any and all the Irish trains for free, but likewise, his spouse could also ride gratis. Long story short? I posed as his “wife” for the next 40 minutes as we laughed and chatted to the clickety-clack of the rails.
Dingle
Parting ways w/ my new Irish “hubby” in Limerick (w/ WhatsApp contact deets exchanged of course!) I continued on solo to my final destination that day: the verdant Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry jutting out into the North Atlantic in southwest Ireland.
Incidentally… I originally had scheduled 3 nts. in Dingle on Oct 4th, 5th, and 6th (the dates of the Dingle Food Festival – the original impetus for my entire near month-long romp in Europe). But then I discovered the Oyster Festival in Galway on the 28/29 September and… that necessarily posed an awkward itinerary detour to Dublin between Doolin and Dingle. So… suffice I modified my itinerary – replacing the interim 2 nts. in Dublin with an extra 2 nts. in Dingle (i.e. giving me 4 full days/5 nts. in Dingle, and 2 final nights in Dublin before heading back to London/home to Ecuador).
That new arrangement proved especially prescient as… After nearly 3 weeks of uber-active fun in 3 different countries – combined with a still painful/lame left arm, and a nasty head cold/cough I’d been nursing since Belgium… Suffice I needed to SLOW-DOWN! So hanging out in sweet Dingle for 5 straight nights gave me the rest that I needed.
Tucked into my private room in a most comfy hostel (my preferred solo travel sleeps) set on the outskirts of Dingle town, I met a delightful mix of fellow wanderlusts from Sweden, France, Argentina and Australia. We stocked up on eats at the local grocer, and shared hearty breakfasts of fried potatoes, grilled tomatoes, eggs and Irish sausage. (Mostly sunny) days were spent wandering around Dingle town and enjoying (gentle) hikes amid the glorious hills and dales of the Dingle Peninsula. And evenings were filled with Irish music in a variety of pubs in Dingle town, and trading travel stories around the fireplace in the common kitchen.
And then there was… the wondrous Dingle Food Festival of course. For $20 you could buy a packet of 6 tickets good for your choice of treats along the “Taste Trail” like:
crayfish tartlets, oysters w/ Dingle Bay gin, soy and yuzu dressing, raclette, Korean BBQ, coconut fish curry, traditional Irish bacon and cabbage croquettes, limoncello spritz, smoked salmon mousse vol-au-vent, pulled-beef sliders, chocolate choux buns, smoked mackerel paté, crab arancini, lobster mac & cheese, and… my personal favorite: my first ever “Sticky Toffee Pudding”.
Um… trust that yours truly bought TWO ticket packets… 😉
Oh, and (as if all that weren’t enough) I nearly forgot to mention – perhaps THE best foodie treat that I found at a Dingle sweet shop: A uniquely swoon-worthy bag of LICORICE FUDGE!
Dublin
Then it was off to my final Ireland destination: the capital. As I mentioned earlier, I’d necessarily cut my (originally 4 nt.) stay in Dublin in half – in order to slow down a bit and spend more time in Dingle. No regrets, but… I must say – I LOVED Dublin, and wished I’d had much more time there. Indeed, I guess I’m truly getting to be more of a “city-girl” traveler these days as I loved the wide variety of restaurants and attractions that Dublin has to offer. The architecture was beautiful and the street art – FABULOUS!
Though I only had a day and a half in Dublin, I made the best use of it. I was able to check-off my top Ireland gotta-dos (gazing at the 1,200 year old “Book of Kells” with my own two baby-blues, and enjoying an excellent dinner with traditional Irish dancing (at “Celtic Nights” in the Arlington Hotel). Furthermore, I even had lunch (shoulder-to-shoulder with the young scholars) in the student cafeteria at Trinity College (founded by none other than Queen Elizabeth I in 1592). And… not only did I find a GEOCACHE in Dublin, but – I stumbled into a fabulous THRIFT STORE and nabbed this wondrously wispy top!
Oh and… on my final afternoon in Dublin, I managed to track down (and blissfully inhale!) a big ol’ plate of the infamous Dublin “Spice Bag”: a unique – and arguably nutso – mix of fries (a.k.a. “chips” in the U.K.), battered shredded chicken and a handful of stray veggies – all smothered in copious amounts of (uber-hot) Chinese spices and curry sauce. In short, it was DIVINE!
Whew! Nearly 2,000 mots here on Ireland (and a full 6,000 for this entire “Europe ’24 Trifecta”). In sum – for me – while Ireland doesn’t land among my top 10 (or even 30) countries that I’ve been privileged to visit, nonetheless I’m awfully glad I finally made it there.
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About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
