Day 1: Dublin, Ireland
After a 12-hour travel day, Jeff and I landed in Dublin at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning and picked up our rental car. For those who don’t know: in Ireland the driver sits on the right side of the car and they drive on the left side of the road. Absolute CHAOS. Eventually we arrived at the Lyndon Guesthouse, our home for the evening.
First stop: Flanagan’s, a cute Irish restaurant. I ordered the Alaskan salmon and to my surprise was brought a small plate of cold, raw salmon smothered in raw onions and capers. Needless to say, I ordered a side of fries…
I made reservations for the evening at the Arlington Hotel for Celtic Nights Dinner & Dance Show. Mid-show, one of the band members asked who was celebrating their 26th birthday. My jaw DROPPED and I immediately pointed to Jeff. The band made him stand up and the WHOLE BAR sang him happy birthday! During their next song, one of the Irish dancers came and pulled Jeff from the crowd to get on stage with her. Everyone in the bar was clapping and cheering him on! This was a memory we will NEVER forget.
The night was still young so we made our way to one of the most famous bars in Dublin: Temple Bar. We bar hopped our way through pubs and rooftops, listened to live bands at every spot and made new friends along the way.
Day 2: The Blarney Stone
We packed up the car and headed south to Cork to plant our lips on the Blarney Stone. We arrived at Blarney Castle & Gardens to take the steep trek up the twisting castle stairs through many tiny doors and chambers all the way to the top.
When it’s your turn you must lay on your back, reach your hands over your head to grab the steel rails and kiss the stone upside down. Why? Well, it’s the only way to reach it! Another item off the bucket list!
We enjoyed a walk through the rest of the castle as well as the poison garden and stumpery before heading to our next destination: Limerick. We stopped for dinner at La Piccola Italia.
Our last stop for the night was our Airbnb in County Clare, only 5 minutes from the famous Cliffs of Moher. We checked in and raced to the cliffs to catch sunset. We enjoyed the breathtaking view with a handful of other travelers. It was so peaceful!
Day 3: Cliffs of Moher
We started our morning at the Cliffs of Moher (yes, again!) This time, we took the trek up the trail to the south side for a different view. I found a pin in the visitor’s center and we got coffee at Puffin’s Nest Café.
We made a pit stop at Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara. After a few shenanigans on the way to the top, we enjoyed a view of the landscape from the tower.
Next stop: Galway! The streets were packed with tourists, street performers, souvenir shops and Irish pubs. We had lunch at the King’s Head Pub in the Latin Quarter.
Day 4: Giant’s Causeway and Giant Shells!
Our day started at the Giant’s Causeway. Created 50-60 million years ago when lava oozed through cracks in the Earth’s surface, the molten rock cooled and contracted into a series of 40,000 columns. We climbed rocks, found tiny creatures in the tide pools and watched the waves crash into the shore.
Along our drive around the coast we stopped in Ballymena for lunch at Bob & Burt’s. I tried a BBQ chicken baked potato smothered with cheese and bacon: 7/10.
Next stop: Portavogie! I have been excited to visit this small fishing village since we planned the trip. Why? Shells! Portavogie Bay Beach is home to millions of scallop shells washed up on the shore. We hunted up and down the beach for the most perfect treasures (and maybe stuffed a few in my purse.. shhh!)
Day 5: Museum Day!
Our morning started at Titanic Belfast, an interactive 9-room museum located where the Titanic herself was built. This incredible experience told the story from the ship’s ambitious beginnings to its tragic end.
Our second tour of the day was at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. We explored eight floors with a different experience on every one. First, we learned about the ingredients and brewing process. Once we mastered the art of brewing we entered the tasting room! It was filled with aroma pods to enhance the senses and we participated in a crash course on drinking Guinness correctly.
Floor four: THE GUINNESS ACADEMY! Our group surrounded the bar as we received a lesson on how to pour the perfect Guinness. One by one, we all stepped up to pour ourselves a beer. Our guide chose one lucky person who poured the best Guinness to win another pint: ME! We earned our certificates and enjoyed our beers in the Gravity Bar on the top floor.
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