Have you been dreaming about a vacation in Ireland? If you have, you know this country is known for its lush green landscape. As well as it’s thrilling adventures and plenty of opportunities to drink a pint or two of Guinness.

One of my team members, Jen, took a trip to Ireland with her husband back in May. Today, she is sharing her adventures with you, so you can see what’s possible during your vacation in Ireland!

An Exhilarating Vacation in Ireland

Hey, everyone! I am so excited to share everything my husband and I did while on our exhilarating vacation in Ireland. This was one of my husband’s dream vacation destinations (and mine), so we made sure we told Tracy everything we wanted to experience. She made the entire planning process simple. If you have never had her plan a trip for you before, stop procrastinating! She’s amazing and you won’t regret having her on your side for every vacation you take.

Anyway, keep reading to see what we experienced during our trip to Ireland.

Weather in Ireland

First, I must be honest with you about the weather in Ireland. It can be rainy and cloudy most days of the year. Therefore, I recommend you pack accordingly with layers, raincoats, waterproof shoes, and umbrellas.

However, it is also best to be prepared in case it is sunny and warm during your vacation in Ireland.

Thankfully, we were prepared, because the day we arrived, it was sunny and in the mid-seventies. We were told by the locals that it was the first time the sun had been out in months. All the sheep were running around like crazy in the fields, because it was the first time they had been allowed outside in quite some time!

We were blessed with sunny and warm weather for our entire trip. It only rained a couple of times. And we were inside anyway during those rainy times, so we never truly got soaked like we thought we would.

Transportation in Ireland

There are numerous ways to get around Ireland. You can take the bus in Dublin. Taxis and Ubers are available in the major cities too. Renting a car is another possibility.

My husband and I thought about renting a car for our trip. However, after considering driving on the opposite side of the car, on the opposite side of the road, we decided against renting a vehicle. (Let’s just say we know our limits and embrace them for our own good)

Our choice of transportation ended up being taking a phenomenal tour throughout Southern Ireland via bus. This was a wise move on our part. Especially after seeing what the roads were like throughout the country.

In Ireland, the roads are very narrow. They were designed for horses and carriages, not cars. The turns from one street to another are very tight. There was one turn our bus driver made that was especially terrifying. At that corner, one person’s job is to sit outside and look for buses that are trying to make the turn. When they see a bus, they stop traffic at a specific point. The bus can then make the turn very carefully. The turn is so tight, you can see where the buses have hit the building on one side of the street. Pieces of that building are actually chipped away and missing.

I highly recommend not driving in Ireland unless you really want to. And if you do choose to rent a vehicle, make sure you add on insurance. It’s expensive but you will definitely need it!

Our Bus Tour of Ireland

As I mentioned above, we chose to take a bus tour throughout Southern Ireland. Tracy found one that offered everything we wanted and more.

Our tour was one of the smaller tours that are offered. There was a total of 28 people in the group, and everyone was wonderful. We made a couple of now lifelong friends on our trip. We only wish they lived closer to us, so we could continue to see them all the time. But that’s what future vacations are going to be for!

Day One: Flight to Ireland

We left our house midday to head to the airport to start our journey to Ireland. We flew from our local airport to Newark, where we then had to wait until our international flight left later that evening.

FYI, international flights normally take off at night, so you arrive at your destination early in the morning. This is excellent, because you don’t lose daytime hours up in the air.

While we didn’t sleep on the plane, we were more than ready to start exploring when we arrived in Dublin early the next morning.

Day Two: Dublin

 

We were met by our tour guide at the airport in Dublin. He took us to our hotel, so we could drop our luggage off. Our rooms weren’t ready yet, which was a slight bummer. However, we had dressed properly, so we could just head out on a walk to see some of the nearby sights. After all, we were quite excited to begin our vacation in Ireland!

We checked into our hotel room a couple hours later. After a quick shower and change of clothes, we grabbed a quick snack, and my husband had his first Guinness. I had wanted Pepsi, but most bars carried Coke products. We ended up going to gas stations and grocery stores, so I could get my Pepsi fix throughout the week.

We met up with the rest of our group late in the afternoon for a quick bus ride around Dublin. Our guide shared lots of information about the stunning Georgian Squares, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College, and much more during our drive.

The floozy in the jacuzzi was the funniest part of this drive. The statue is of Anna Livia Plurabelle, who was featured in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. While the statue used to be on O’Connell Street, she now resides within Croppies Memorial Park.

Dinner was at our hotel as a group. Most of us ate quickly and headed to our rooms for some much-needed sleep.

Day Three: Dublin, Kildare, Cashel, Limerick, and Ennis

When you take a tour in any country, you need to be prepared to stick to the schedule you are given. For this particular trip in Ireland, we knew we would be changing hotel rooms almost every single night. That meant placing our luggage outside our hotel room’s door before seven every morning. Which meant we needed to be up early to get ready and have the suitcases packed.

Breakfast was usually around seven. And breakfast almost always included a complete Irish breakfast. An Irish breakfast is scrambled eggs, sausage, ham (which they call bacon), roasted tomatoes, and black pudding.

After our breakfast buffet, we boarded our bus and headed to Kildare to the Irish National Stud. This horse farm breeds some of the best horses in Ireland and around the world. After learning about many of the champion stallions throughout racing history, we had time to wander through the nearby gardens.

Next was a drive to Cashel to see the Rock of Cashel and eat lunch. After lunch, we walked around a little before driving to Limerick. In Limerick, we drove by St. Mary’s Cathedral, King John’s Castle, and the Treaty Stone.

Bunratty Castle

Everyone had free time in the evening, but most of us signed up for the medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle in Ennis. If you have never attended a medieval banquet, especially in a castle, you must add it to your vacation in Ireland itinerary!

We arrived at Bunratty Castle and climbed up the stairs to the reception area. Everyone was given a glass of honey mead before being led to our tables.

We were all seated at long tables. In front of us were a wine glass, water glass, bowl, plate, sharp knife, and a napkin. Remember, we were pretending to be in medieval times and forks were not a thing back then!

Dinner consisted of pureed vegetable soup, which we drank from the bowl. Next was barbecue spareribs, roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli and carrots. Yes, we ate all of that with our hands. Well, some of us stabbed the food with our sharp knives.

I don’t recommend making the same mistake I did and wearing a white button-down shirt for this meal!

Dessert was rastin, which is a Bramley apple and cinnamon crunch served with Chantilly cream. It was delicious and they gave us a spoon to eat it with!

A Little Extra Fun at Bunratty Castle

My husband ended up being one of the stars of the show at Bunratty Castle during our medieval dinner. The main person of the show came to sit with us for a few minutes and was asking my husband questions. He ended by asking him his name.

We didn’t think anything of it at the time, but then the person went up on stage and said there was a scoundrel in the room, and he was going to name the person. I immediately grabbed my phone to video what was happening, because I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence.

My husband was sent to the dungeon and had to sing in order to be released. It was an incredible addition to an already fun night. And I was quite happy it was him and not me!

Day Four: Ennis, Cliffs of Moher, and Galway

This was probably the most anticipated day of our tour of Ireland. First, we didn’t need to switch hotels this morning, so we got to sleep in a little bit. Second, it was the day we were all waiting for. Our drive to the Cliffs of Moher!

Unfortunately, after two days of gorgeous, sunny weather, the clouds, fog, and rain moved in. The result was blocked views of the cliffs.

We were all bummed, but remember, you can’t change what Mother Nature has planned for the day.

After our disappointing views, we drove in the rain to Galway to do a little shopping and eat lunch. Galway is quite touristy, especially in the area we visited.

After our time in Galway, we headed to Rathbaun Farm to see the sheep and learn how to make scones. This was supposed to be the part of the trip my husband was dreading. And yet, it ended up being his favorite part!

We watched a puppy sheep dog herd sheep. Pet the baby lambs while I asked if I could take one home. And then it was time to eat the scones we made when first arrived. They were quite delicious. Especially when paired with rhubarb jam with a hint of ginger.

Day Five: Ennis, Ring of Kerry, and Killarney

Every morning of our vacation in Ireland brought new adventures. We were getting tired of being on the go every day, so we were kind of happy that today’s itinerary included a drive along part of the Ring of Kerry.

The bus driver drove us to Killimer to board the ferry to cross over the Shannon estuary. We stopped at a local business to try a traditional Irish coffee. They offered coffee with whiskey and coffee with Irish cream. My husband approved of the Irish cream coffee, so we will be stocking up on that this winter. It will give him something to look forward to after being outside shoveling snow!

The rest of the day was ours to explore Killarney on our own. We took advantage of one of the extra excursions and went on a jaunting car ride. This isn’t your typical car ride though. It is a horse and carriage ride through the local forest to yet another castle.

Day Six: Killarney, Blarney, and Waterford

Day six is the day I had been waiting for the entire trip! It was finally time to visit Blarney and kiss the Blarney Stone!

As soon as we arrived in Blarney, we headed straight for the castle. I knew my husband would not want to wait in a really long line, just so I could kiss a stone.

We were one of the first groups there, so the line wasn’t too bad. When it was our turn, I was a little nervous. In order to kiss the Blarney Stone, you must lay on your back, grab a rail on either side of you, and lower yourself backwards to the stone. Thankfully, there are two people there to help you. And there are rails under you, so you can’t fall all the way to the ground.

I recommend purchasing the pictures afterwards, because trying to get a picture at the right angle is difficult.

After kissing the stone, we headed across the street to the largest store in Ireland. The World of Blarney Woollen Mills is three stories, and it is packed with anything you could ever want. I had to restrain myself from purchasing one of everything. Unless I wanted to purchase another suitcase or five.

Although, I am still kicking myself for not getting a wool blanket. I decided it wasn’t worth it since it could only be dry cleaned.

I thought about that blanket, while showing off all the other goodies I bought on the drive to Waterford. The House of Waterford Crystal was another highlight of the trip I couldn’t wait to see.

During our tour, we got to see how the crystal is made from start to finish. And while I wanted a crystal tabletop Christmas tree, I knew I shouldn’t spend the hundreds of dollars it would cost.

Day Seven: Waterford, Kilkenny, and Dublin

Day seven of our vacation in Ireland had us driving to Kilkenny. This is one of the quainter towns in Ireland. It was so quiet and not very touristy. Our guide recommended a coffee shop to us, but we couldn’t figure out where the door was to enter the building. We stood there waiting for people to either enter or leave, but everyone seemed content to stay inside.

So, we grabbed coffee and a pastry at another bar after walking around and shopping. We also wandered around the outside of Kilkenny Castle.

This was a low-key day with us arriving back in Dublin around lunchtime. We grabbed a bite to eat at a local restaurant. My husband ordered Guinness beef stew, which he said was the best meal he had had all week. Then we walked around the campus at Trinity College before heading over to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

We were exhausted by the time we checked into our hotel. At first, we were going to order room service, but decided to venture out for a meal at the restaurant next door. Before we knew it, we collapsed in bed, fast asleep.

Day Eight: Dublin and Flight Home

This was a bittersweet morning. We had a really early flight, so we couldn’t say one last final goodbye to our new travel buddies in person. Our guide did wake up early to make sure we had everything, take us to the bus, and say goodbye. I was hopeful we could request him for future tours, but I guess it doesn’t work like that. Which is a shame, because he was amazing. If you have Tiarnan for a tour of Ireland, know you are in good hands!

We loved every minute of our vacation in Ireland. However, there is one thing we would have changed if we knew what we know now. That one thing is we would have arrived at least one or two days earlier. This would have given us time to adjust to the new time zone. And to do a couple more things on our to-do list that weren’t included in the tour.

We aren’t dwelling on that though. Instead, we are embracing the time and adventures we had during our vacation in Ireland, as well as our new friends. And we are currently having Tracy plan our next adventure, which is an Alaskan cruise.

Are you ready to head out on an adventure of your own?

If you said yes, contact Tracy today for a personalized planning session. When you click this link, you will be taken directly to her digital calendar to schedule a time that is convenient for you.

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