- Irish Luck?
- Drinking in Dublin: Part 1
- Drinking in Dublin: Part 2
- Poorly Conceived Road Trip!
For unknown reasons, we plotted our course as though we would enjoy good weather and the luxury of traveling Ireland’s narrow, winding, country roads at warp speeds. Mistakes were made. Nevertheless, we saw lots of beautiful Irish countryside through our rain-soaked rental car windows, and I got a front row seat for the driving extravaganza as Diego mastered shifting from the right-side of the car while frequently repeating, “left, live.” Also, two-lane roads are barely the width of a single lane back home and there are no shoulders. Related: Xanax would have greatly improved our road trip. Perhaps also a smidge of realistic planning…
Our Route
- Day 1: Dublin to Glendalough to Kilkenny to Youghal
- Day 2: Youghal to Cork to Kinsale to Youghal (cheap digs)
- Day 3: Youghal to the Ring Road of County Kerry to Killarney
- Day 4: Killarney to Doolin to the Aran Island of Inisheer
- Day 5: Inisheer to the Cliffs of Moher, and then back to Dublin
Dating Ireland
The first bit of our road trip was like speed dating Ireland. We saw a lot of beautiful places, but I sort of forgot about them when I met and fell madly in love with Days 4 and 5. I am going to let Days 1 through 3 speak for themselves through their photo captions and then gush a little about the glorious days we spent on Inisheer and at the Cliffs of Moher. That point in the trip sorely needed sunshine, so Mother Nature certainly influenced my vote, but Days 4 and 5 were my very favorite in Ireland. But first…
Glendalough & Kilkenny
Cork & Kinsale
Ring of Kerry & Killarney
Falling in Love
When I think about Ireland’s charm, my mind conjures forth a country farmhouse with an adorable freckle-faced redhead playing on the porch. My preconceived notions were very pleased with Inisheer of the Aran Islands. It’s a place of slow food, long conversation, and few distractions. It probably also enjoys long walks on the beach. We took the ferry from Doolin and followed our host’s instructions to reach our homestay from the island’s tiny harbor.
The Island of Inisheer
We meandered past Tigh Ned’s, the local pub, where we picked up a pint for the road; we stopped to talk to the spotted horse on the corner where we made a left; and then we turned right at the yellow water fountain (actual instructions excluded talking to Lefty, the name I gave the horse). As we stood gobsmacked by the functional antique water fountain, we ran into our host and her sassy little mini-me. I fell in love immediately, obvi. And then she told us to head into the house since it’s never locked and to choose any room we’d like — and that was the moment when I realized that I was someplace truly special.
Inisheer is only home to about 260 people year-round and at less than 2 square miles, it is the smallest of the Aran Islands. The locals speak Gaelic, which was the only place in Ireland where we heard it spoken regularly. It was great fun to meet them, and it was a relief to figure out that they were not, in fact, speaking English. Ha! There are only a few cars on Inisheer so bicycles, horses, and feet are the primary modes of transportation. Available activities are few, but deeply enjoyable. We spent our afternoon “hiking” up to O’Brien’s Castle for a view of the island, and listening to the waves lap the rocky shore while we stared at the sun setting over the uninterrupted horizon.
We returned to Ned’s for the evening at the advice of the bartender we had met earlier, Jack Daniels (his actual given name). The largest Irish music festival was in full swing in nearby Ennis and that meant great music for mainland Doolin as well. We were hoping for the same fortune at Ned’s since the ferries back and forth to Doolin stop running in the early afternoon. Jack had told us that an excellent act was scheduled to perform, but he wasn’t sure what to expect due to a celebration that had kicked off earlier that day involving island hopping and a lot of drinking. Apparently the locals were celebrating the culmination of their annual Currach Regatta, an inter-island race between traditional fishing boats.
Unfortunately the music was a bust, but the evening certainly did not lack entertainment. My synopsis is that we are not cool enough to hang on Inisheer. Diego only recalls that those were some very strong tables the “kids” were dancing on. We decided to tuck our geriatric selves in for an early night.
Too Legit to Quit…
Our stay was short, but we wanted to make the most of it so we decided to squeeze in a trip out to the shipwrecked Plassy on the far shore before the ferry took us back to Doolin. Off we went, fueled by an incredible “full Irish breakfast” prepared by our hosts. We hit a snag when we got to the bike rental shop and realized that the bikes were already gone for the day. We only had an hour before the ferry would be leaving so we needed bikes. Undeterred, Diego mounted the only remaining full size bike and I saddled one meant for someone about 3 decades younger than me. I peddled my little heart out and we had an absolute blast.
The Cliffs of Moher
Fresh off my Aran Islands high, we decided to forego our plan to swing through Gallway and spend the day hiking from Doolin out to the Cliffs of Moher instead. We had seen the Cliffs from the ferry, but we really wanted to get a better look at them. It’s an easy “trek” that treats you to stunning panoramic splendor nearly the whole way. The rugged cliffs stretch on for about 5 miles along Ireland’s west coast, and the path runs alongside lovely farms spotted with yellow wildflowers. To be honest, I was worried that Iceland had ruined me for ever again being impressed by another ocean view. I’m delighted to report that I was wrong. Also, the Cliffs make an appearance in The Princess Bride so now I like that movie EVEN MORE!
It was just one of those absolutely perfect days – you know? I’m not sure how to describe it, but it was the sort of day where my soul was able to breathe completely unabated. We topped it off with an ice cream cone before hopping back into the car to head to Dublin airport.
We were Israel bound!
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2 thoughts on “Poorly Conceived Road Trip!”
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Your best entry yet.
Awww – thanks friend 🙂 Send me an email and tell me why so I can do more of it!