Ireland

Summary

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Last year (2023), Sam and I were discussing where we wanted to travel to in 2024. I had previously been to Ireland in 2015 and really loved visiting so I suggested we do Ireland for our fall trip. I must have done a good job describing the beauty and wonder of the country as she agreed to it. So, in February of 2024, we booked our flights and made a very loose plan around what we would do. I thought two weeks would make sense and give us enough time to visit a number of locations but prevent us from needing to move every day. One of the things I remembered from my first visit to Ireland was that all of the major towns you want to visit generally require a semi lengthy (1-3 hours) drive between them. Well, our timing ended up being a bit weird because of a lot of changes going on for us in Seattle but we stuck with it (mostly)! While our visit was from the beginning to middle of October, we didn’t have to deal with too much rain (but definitely not none). Ireland remains a very beautiful and quiet country with a diverse array of food options and very friendly people.

Travel and Location Map

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High Level Itinerary

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Detailed Itinerary

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1. Departing Flights - Overnight

   Flight

   This was our flight path to Ireland:

   • Delta from Seattle to JFK leaving at 11:15 am arriving 8 pm
   • Delta from JFK to Dublin leaving at 9:40 pm arriving 9:15 am
2. Dublin - 2 Days

   Stop

   While in Dublin, we stayed at the Hyatt Centric The Liberties located in The Liberties neighborhood in central Dublin. This ended up being a great location as far as how close it was to the major things we wanted to see and restaurants we were eating at and was a well run and well maintained hotel as well. We actually enjoyed this hotel so much that when we decided to change our return late in the trip, we booked another stay at the Hyatt Centric when we came back to Dublin. Excellent breakfast at the hotel.

   Places we ate around Dublin:

   • JR Mahons - Lunch
     • I went here years ago and remember the chowder being great. Chowder is quite prevalent in Ireland and this was a great first stop for Guinness and chowder.
   • L Mulligan Grodcer - Dinner
   • Little Dumpling - Lunch
     • We tried to go to a fish and chips shop but they were full up. I had put Little Dumpling on my list after doing some initial research for Dublin so we ended up here. This place was tiny and great. A wide selection of dim sum with quite a few duck options.
   • Piglet Wine Bar - Dinner
     • Had some wonderful Cacio e Pepe, some delicious charcuterie, and some very subpar deviled eggs.
   • Breakfast at the Hyatt Centric
     • While not likely to be featured on any “best of” lists, I have to call out the wonderful breakfast at the hotel. Specifically, they did a phenomenal job day over day with their Ham and Cheese omelet.

   Activities, sites, and visits:

   • Ha’Penny Bridge
   • Trinity College and the Book of Kells
     • Definitely a must visit if it’s your first visit to Ireland. Reservations recommended.
   • Christ Church Cathedral
   • Dublin Castle
   • Temple Bar Neighborhood
   • Guinness Storehouse
     • Another must visit. This was probably the best brewery tour experience we’ve ever been to. Reservations recommended.
   • St Patrick’s Cathedral
   • Teeling Distillery
     • Many people visit the Jameson Distillery, also in Dublin. Teeling, while a newer distillery, was a very cool experience and, having done Jameson the first time I was in Ireland, I’d recommend this one over that.
3. Donegal - 1 Day

   Stop

   From Dublin, we picked up a rental car from Avis and drove northwest to the North of Ireland to the town of Donegal. We checked in at Lough Eske Castle where we stayed for one night. After checking in, we jumped back in the car and drove over to the town center.

   Places we ate around Donegal

   • Olde Castle Seafood Bar - Lunch
   • Cedars at Lough Eske
     • We had dinner and breakfast at Cedars. The dining building feels like an odd extension of the castle itself. It’s perfectly fine but felt more out of place than anything else.

   Activities, sites, and visits:

   • Donegal Castle
   • Hanna Hats of Donegal
     • When I first visited Ireland, I had a very hard time finding a hat that fit my head. Who knew that not having hair would make this a challenge. In a shop somewhere, I finally found an Irish cap that fit and Hanna Hats of Donegal was the maker. Since we were in Donegal, I had to take advantage of stopping in to get another hat. Friendly service and lots to choose from (in all sizes).
   • Abbey of Donegal
4. Cong - 2 Days

   Stop

   From Donegal we drove down to Cong. Along the way we made a stop at the ruins of an abbey and a distillery (both noted below). Cong probably isn’t the first place anyone will tell you to go, except for it being home to The Magnificent Ashford Castle. This alone makes visiting Cong worthwhile and you absolutely can stop for tea, falconry, or a number of activities. Of course, you’ll want to have reservations for something there vs showing up. That said, if you are looking for THE castle experience in Ireland and are willing to splurge, look no further. I’ll highlight some of the specific things we did at Ashford Castle below but also plan to write a separate article and will link back to that as soon as it’s live.

   Places we ate around Cong:

   • George V Dining Room - Dinner
   • Afternoon Tea at the Connaught Room
   • George V Dining Room - Breakfast
   • The Drawing Room - Lunch
   • Cullen’s at the Cottage - Dinner
   • Prince of Wales Bar - Drinks

   Activities, sites, and visits:

   • Sligo Abbey
     • This was one of our stops on the way from Donegal to Cong. This were the remains of a Dominican priory dating from the 1200s. Very accessible, right in the town of Sligo, and well preserved.
   • Lough Mask Distillery
     • Also called Loch Measc Distillery, this distillery is located just a short way from Lough Mask (it’s a lake). We didn’t actually organize a tour before arriving but the lady running the place was nice enough to give us a tasting and a quick tour. Super fun stop and the drive along the lough is incredibly scenic.
   • Falconry at Ashford Castle
     • Ashford Castle is home to Ireland’s School of Falconry and you can book numerous activities with the birds when you visit. Sam and I did a private hawk walk which mean we both got gloved up and had a hawk sitting on our hand while we walked through the woods with a guide. We spent about an hour flying the hawks through the woods and then having them return (and eat). This was an amazing activity and seeing the birds in action is astonishing. I’d highly recommend this activity at this location. The specific birds we worked with were Harris’ Hawk.
   • Hound Walk at Ashford Castle
     • Several mornings each week, you can join the resident hounds for a walk through the woods. This is an organized event (the castle even offers wellies and rain jackets for inclement weather) and run by the guy that owns the dogs. You learn quite a bit about the dogs and Irish Wolfhounds specifically (there were three wolf hounds on our walk and two other dogs). Another highly recommended activity.
   • Wine Tasting at Ashford Castle
     • The wine cellar at Ashford Castle is as amazing as you’d expect it to be and they offer private wine tastings with a sommelier. After a thorough tour of the cellar (long ago the castle’s kitchen), our somme from France, took us through a tasting of Bordeaux varietals. This was a great experience and we learned more about what life is like at Ashford Castle from the somme than from any other point during our stay.
5. Galway - 2 Days

   Stop

   From Cong, we drove to Kylemore Abbey to see the abbey and gardens. From there, we drove to the small town of Clifden for lunch. In Galway, we checked into Gleno Abbey Hotel and Estate. We’d originally booked Glenlo because they participated in Small Luxury Hotels which had been connected with Hyatt. Since then, SLH has stopped partnering with Hyatt and now partners with Hilton. Given our current focus on staying at Hyatt properties, and Glenlo being a nearly 15 minute drive from town, we’d probably stay in town if we went back to Galway.

   Places we ate around Galway:

   • Kai - Dinner
     • Originally we weren’t going to make it to Kai but friends of ours who were in Ireland back in the Spring came back and raved about it so we made a reservation fairly late in planning. The inside of Kai reminded me of a cuter small pub in Ireland. We shared starts and mains with everything we ordered being seafood focused (they did have non-seafood items). Everything was delicious though the stand out for me was the cured mackerel. We also had a bottle of wine from Languedoc which we liked so much we reached out to the winery afterwards and discovered there is a wine bar in south Seattle which specializes in wine from that region and even imports wine from that winery. All in all, Kai was excellent and we would absolutely return if we visit Galway again.
   • O’Connor’s Famous Pub - Drinks
   • éan - Breakfast
     • I think I found éan on a food website list of restaurants in Galway. We decided to try it out for brunch on Saturday. While they didn’t have the squid sandwich I was excited about when I saw their online menu, they did have a fish katsu sando which was delicious. Great brunch. Wish we’d had a chance to return for another meal. The server was kind enough to point us in the direction of the nearby market (farmers and craft) that was running that day.
   • Sheridan’s Wine Bar and Shop - Wine and Charcuterie
     • We just happened upon Sheridan’s while walking through the above mentioned market. At first we walked through the downstairs which is mostly a cheese shop (and oh did they have a lot of cheese) when Sam noticed a sign for a wine bar upstairs. This was just after éan so we decided to check it out later. We did return and through a separate door to the left of the cheeseshop we went through stairs up to the wine bar. Some delicious wine and charcuterie was had. We actually tried going to a Sheridan’s in Dublin when we returned at the end of the trip but found it was just the shop and without an accompanying wine bar. Definitely a great place to while away some time while watching people at the market below.
   • Aniar - Dinner
     • One of the first reservations I had made when we sorted through our timeline for when we’d be in Galway. Aniar has one Michelin Star which is more often than not the amount of stars Sam and I prefer. While Kai might be considered rustic and fully at home in Ireland, Aniar, despite meaning ‘from the west’ and specifically using items made in west Ireland (even the concrete tables with seashells in them), it could have been anywhere. It actually reminded us quite a bit of Maz in Tokyo both in terms of it being a space outside of it’s surroundings, plating, and general motif. None of that is to say the meal wasn’t exceptional, delicious, and very well executed. I think the highlights for me were the oyster that wasn’t an oyster (completely edible, shell and all) and trying sparkling wine made in Dublin. I think I’d sooner go back to Kai if I was doing another dinner in Galway but this was a delicious meal. I also have to call out the poems that accompanied a number of the dishes..
   • Mitchell’s Seafood Restaurant in Clifden - Lunch

   Activities, sites, and visits:

   • Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden
     • Potentially out of the way depending on where you’re going, this still working abbey includes a very impressive restored abbey building, gothic church, and large Victorian walled garden. Worth a visit.
   • The Spanish Arch
   • Galway Cathedral
     • A short walk from the main center of Galway. A very beautiful church with a very impressive wooden ceiling inside.
   • The Latin Quarter
     • Home to an assortment of shops, restaurants, pubs, and bars. Great people watching if you grab a seat at one of the establishments.
   • Galway City Museum
6. Dingle - 2 Days

   Stop

   From Galway, we drove south to Dingle. Along the way we stopped at the infamous Cliffs of Moher. We made a more questionable stop at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Finally, we stopped in the cute town of Adare for lunch. In Dingle, we checked in at Heaton’s Guesthouse, the only bed and breakfast we stayed at in Ireland. Once in Dingle, we visited a number of pubs before settling on The Dingle Pub for drinks and trad music. The next day we did a drive around the Dingle Peninsula, which is an amazing drive full of things to see and do. I’ll likely write a separate article about our trip around the peninsula. It was around day two in Dingle when we realized we were pretty tired and started to consider ending our trip early. The last morning we woke up in Dingle we changed our flights to fly back a day early, called to shorten our stay in our next destination, and booked another night in Dublin so we could head to the airport right from the city and not have to deal with a long drive on our last morning.

   Places we ate around Dingle:

   • Pat Collins of Adare - Lunch
   • The Dingle Pub for drinks
     • There are quite a few pubs in the Dingle area but we ended up at the Dingle Pub a few times. They had live music and it didn’t start very late. Additionally, we were actually able to get a spot at the bar both times and the bartenders were very friendly and spent extra time on Sam’s cocktail when she ordered something somewhat complicated and did it with a smile.
   • Out of the Blue - Dinner
     • Great selection of local seafood. Standouts were the grilled oysters and monkfish.
   • The Fish Box - Lunch AND Dinner
     • Primarily a fish and chips shop, we originally went to The Fish Box for lunch after a long morning / early afternoon across the Dingle Peninsula. We shared the easily shareable Sharing Box which included samples of an assortment of their fried fish items and chips. We really enjoyed it so when dinner proved hard to figure out, we actually went back to The Fish Box for dinner as well. I’d probably plan better than eating at the same place twice without being really intentional but if you’re in the mood for fried fish and chips, this place has you covered.
   • Murphy’s Ice Cream - Dessert
     • Murphy’s is famous for having Brown Bread Ice Cream (amongst other flavors). I knew I had to try it while we were in town. Thankfully, on the last night, we remembered to stop by. We both got cones with two scoops and, sadly, my bottom scoop fell off in mid lick. The real travesty was that was the Brown Bread scoop. Maybe next time.

   Activities, sites, and visits:

   • Cliffs of Moher
     • Arguably one of the most famous attractions in Ireland. They’re cliffs. I do appreciate the folks that run the place leaning into it with signs for the lifts of Moher and gifts of Moher. A pretty cool geological formation that you should definitely see if you’re in western Ireland.
   • Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
     • It’s a castle with a bunch of period appropriate homes and buildings. Probably not really worth stopping by unless it’s on your route and you have time. That said, the staff do lean into the recreation. Also, we were there fairly early on a Sunday so it’s entirely possible it gets more exciting at another point in the week or season.
   • Dingle Peninsula
     • This requires it’s own article and I’ll get to that eventually. In short though, there are a few things worth seeing including the Fahan beehive huts, Counenhole Beach, Dunmore Head, Dunquin Pier, and Gallarus Oratory.
   • Dingle Distillery
     • A local distillery created by the folks behind the Porterhouse Brewing Company in Dublin, they started with the goal of making whiskey and made gin and vodka during the three years and 1 day (mandated by Irish law) that the whiskey had to wait in the barrel. We did a tour of the distillery (very walkable if you’re staying in town like we did) and sampled both the gin and vodka as well as two of their whiskies. While they don’t sell their spirits at the distillery (at least not as of October 2024), we were able to find their stuff in quite a few stores.
7. Kenmare - 1 Day

   Stop

   After two days in Dingle, we left to drive further south to Kenmare. Along the way we stopped at a few locations including: Inch Beach, Ross Castle, Muckross Abbey, Muckross House, and Ladies View. Finally, after arriving in Kenmare we checked into The Landsdowne Kenmare. The Landsdowne was another Small Luxury Hotel we booked through Hyatt when SLH was a partner. Our plan WAS to spend a second day in Kenmare driving around the Ring of Kerry which would have been a comparable drive to the Dingle Peninsula. Since we only had a day, we made plans to see a few things right by town and have dinner before we left in the morning.

   Places we ate around Kenmare:

   • P.F. McCarthy’s - Lunch
   • No. 35 Kenmare - Dinner
     • This was on our short list of places to try to get to for dinner while in Kenmare. They only take reservations by phone and I didn’t get around to calling them but, luckily, while walking by earlier in the day there was a lady setting up tables and she was happy to take my reservation. We sat upstairs for dinner which was quite warm but the food was delicious and service very friendly. The baked fillet of hake special was a stand out.

   Activities, sites, and visits:

   • Inch Beach
   • Ross Castle
     • They were only doing group guided tours when we were there so we just walked around the outside. We prefer to move at our own speed.
   • Muckross Abbey
     • We parked at a lot on the side of the road (not at Muckross House) to walk to the Abbey. It was probably a 15 minute walk but took us to the very cool and still holding it together remains of an abbey.
   • Muckross House
     • If you park by the roadside to walk to the Abbey, you could continue on walking to the House or you can park much closer to the house. The grounds are quite expansive and fun to walk through if it’s not raining heavily (like it was when we were there). The house is the main attraction though. Picture Downton Abbey and you won’t be far off. The house and artifacts inside seem to be in very good condition so you can really get a feel for what it would have been like years ago.
   • Ladies View
   • Cromwell’s Bridge
   • Kenmare Stone Circle
8. Dublin - 1 Day

   Stop

   After moving our plans up by a day, we jumped in the car and made the long drive back to Dublin from Kenmare. Much of the drive was on the highway so no real highlights along the way. Once we got back in town, we checked back into the Hyatt Centric The Liberties and were treated to an upgrade to their Terrace Suite.

   Places we ate around Dublin (Part Two):

   • Loose Cannon Wine and Cheese - Wine and Charcuterie
     • After looking around for a place to stop for a snack, we found this natural wine bar not far from the Temple Bar area. Friendly and knowledgeable service, a cute shop, and delicious wine.
   • Daruma - Snacks
     • We’re pretty big fans of Japanese food so when I saw there was an izakaya near by and we had time to kill before dinner, we stopped by. The beef tongue and chicken thigh skewers were delicious. The sake was crazy expensive (probably due more with cost of importing than trying to overcharge).
   • Las Tapas de Lola - Dinner
     • A fun tapas place I had found on a food website for Dublin. Very tasty and good variety. When we first showed up I was a little worried as it wasn’t very busy but by the time we finished, the place was packed.
9. Returning Flights - Same Day

   Flight

   This was our flight path back to Seattle:

   • Delta from Dublin to Atlanta leaving at 11 am arriving at 3 pm
   • Delta from Atlanta to Seattle leaving at 4:20 pm arriving 6:49 pm

Tips

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• Local Pubs vs Tourist Pubs
  • In some towns, there will clearly be a difference between pubs that are visited by more tourists and ones that are mostly more locals. This was noticed mostly in Dingle and Kenmare. Don’t be deterred though, the service is just as good.
• Tipping
  • If you’re from the US and you’re used to US tipping culture, Ireland is a little different. This is not the land of never leave a tip but 10% is considered good and 15% is generally pretty exceptional. Bartenders generally don’t expect a tip if you’re just getting a drink. Many restaurants will have a service charge where you don’t need to worry about it at all. Many places (i.e. when getting a beer at a pub) won’t ask you / give you an opportunity to tip so you’ll have to ask them to run it for however much you want the total to be (i.e. tip included). There were a handful of places we saw that said they weren’t allowed to do this and tipping had to either be done in cash or they’d have a separate app you could tip in. I never got clarity on this.
• Driving
  • Yes, they do drive on the other side of the road here. If you haven’t done it before, it’s not that much of a challenge. Just take it slow and don’t get flustered. I highly recommend reserving an automatic vehicle if you’re not used to both driving on the left and manual driving. The spot I found it easiest to get screwed up was at flat roundabouts (i.e. nothing in the center but flat pavement). Again, go slow and think about what you’re doing.
• Bed and Breakfasts
  • While we stayed at quite a few hotels and castles, Ireland abounds with B&Bs. Since we recently made the pivot to focusing on Hyatt loyalty, we decided to use points for quite a few of our stays. This was easier because Hyatt had been partnered with Small Luxury Hotels which has a number of places in Ireland. Now that they aren’t, if we returned again, I would probably book more B&Bs.

Highlights

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It’s impossible to not say the whole Ashford Castle experience wasn’t the top highlight on the trip. They do such an amazing job there from food, to service, to the grounds and activities. Beyond that, the Guinness Storehouse really was well done. The Dingle Peninsula was also a wonderful experience with the hike to Dunmore Head. I can easily see a lot of the Peninsula and some of the activities at Ashford Castle being less fun if it had been overly rainy though.

Lowlights

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Towards the end of the trip we did get quite a bit of rain though thankfully we moved up our return so we didn’t really feel like we lost a day not being able to do things because of the rain. If we had planned this trip again, we probably would have fully skipped Donegal (sorry Hanna Hats) and either done another day somewhere further south (Kinsale or Kilkenny perhaps) or just kept the trip a little shorter.