A:
Ireland is amazing. It’s one of my favorite places.
Ireland is, well, everything I thought it would be. The green scenery, beer everywhere, and the people are some of the most welcoming you will find in the world. They randomly burst into song at pubs, which is such a cool, where-tf am I experience.
Dublin is where I’m guessing you will start, but you need max 2-3 days there. It’s v cool (Must dos: Trinity library at the University, irish stew and some brews at Brazen Head (Irelands oldest bar), and of course learn to pour a proper pint at the Guinness factory!). For nights out the Temple Bar area is fun. Touristy, and cliche-y (not a word) Irish, but still fun.
Okay, okay... I have a lot more Guinness photos.
To really see Ireland, you are going to rent a car (ready to drive on the other side of the road??? lol). I will recommend two places, Dingle and Cliffs of Moher. They are on the west coast, and definitely could be hit back to back. (Maybe about 4ish hours from one another).
But watch out for cows in the road.
You're also going to need a car to go castle hunting. No, seriously. Castles. Lots. O'. Castles.
Dingle is a funky little port town on a peninsula. It doesn’t have a ton of foreign tourists (Dublin is crawling with Americans- yawn), but lots of Irish and British tourists. People go there for stag and hen parties bc there are tonnnnsss of pubs and restaurants. I need no recommendations here- just walk around and follow the live music :) There is a scenic drive around the peninsula as well which you gotta do. It takes about an hour. “The Atlantic” post is from this drive.
Cliffs of Moher are the reason you go to Ireland. Have you seen Leap Year? If you’re going to Ireland you definitely should. The scene at the end where they kiss and live happily ever after- that’s the Cliffs of Moher. They also filmed Princess Bride here. I will send a pic I took. The town Doolin is where you stay- there are 3 pubs- but don’t let that fool you. They get down. This was my favorite place in Ireland. For me, this was Ireland. The Cliffs are maybe the most beautiful thing I have ever seen- drive up and see it standing on them, and then also take the ferry and see them from below. The pubs and the people will fill your heart with so much love you will ask yourself if moving to Doolin and opening a B&B is possible. Am I talking it up too much? Haha.
Ahhh okay. this is a novel. I have one more thing I want to tell you about though and that’s where to stay. Normally when I travel, if I’m staying somewhere more than a few nights I Airbnb it. I like to have a kitchen as eating out gets old. However, the hard part about Airbnb is meeting the people, checking out etc etc, not as easy as a hotel. So for a night or two stay, really not worth it.
The cool thing about Ireland are the rooms above the pubs. Like hotel rooms, most will say en suite- so it’s just like a hotel with a room and bath. All the pubs have them, and they are usually rented the day of, (although we did rent our Dublin one prior). They are older, and homey, and have actual keys (no scanning machines here!), and give you a true Irish experience. Doolin is all B&B’s. We would just check out reviews online, walk in and ask for a rate. For two people, most were around 40-50 euro a night. Dublin was more. There are no Marriotts! haha.
There's no rush here on the Emerald Isle. Stop and smell the wildflowers, even if it's rainy. (How do you think it stays so green?!?!)
What am I missing? Make sure you call your credit cards and let them know where you’ll be so they don’t get shut off, and the best rate for money exchange is to withdraw from an Irish ATM once you get there.
I’m sure this is more information that you need, but I just love love Ireland. It’s going to be CRAIC! (Irish for a great time) Let me know any other questions.