Magical Ireland

Ireland is a beautiful country with so many exceptional places to see. It was not our first time here so we skipped sightseeing Dublin as we did it before. But if you haven't been here yet we seriously recommend exploring Dublin for at least day or two.

At the airport we were picked up by our family and brought to a beautiful countryside of Louth close to Tallanstown. Once you drive arround the Ireland in spring you become aware why it's called a green country. Absolutely incredible beauty of the nature.

For the first day we didn't plan much but went for a walk arround the place to the nearby village Tallanstown. It's very cute small place with charming old school building and lovely center.

Second day we decided to visit the famous prehistoric monument complex of Brú na Bóinne also called the Boyne Valley tombs. This UNESCO World heritage site is dominated by the passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. Access to the Newgrange and Knowth neolithic monuments is through the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre. From the Visitor Centre shuttle buses transport visitors to Newgrange and Knowth, where we found on-site guide that led us arround.

Newgrange is a Stone Age (Neolithic) passage tomb in the Boyne Valley constructed about 5,200 years ago which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza. This prehistoric UNESCO World heritage site is famous for the illumination of its passage and tomb during the winter solstice sun.

The Great Mound at Knowth is a passage tomb similar in size to Newgrange and is surrounded by 18 smaller satellite mounds. The Knowth site contains a third of the of megalithic art in all Western Europe for during the excavations over 200 decorated stones were found. Many of the motifs on the stones are typical like spirals and concentric circles. The whole site is absolutely fantastic and definitely worth visiting.

After lunch and some rest we drove to the nearby Castle Slane, one of the most exciting historic buildings on the island. Since 1981, the grounds of Slane Castle have been used to host rock concerts known as the Slane Festival. One can book a castle tour, an afternoon tea or special dining events. But coming here we had something completely different on our minds.

We booked ourselves a whiskey tour. Slane Irish Whiskey is a world-class working Distillery and state of the art visitor centre. It is located opposite the Castle Courtyard, in a restored 18th century stable yard. The Distillery is open for guided tours. We went on SLANE IRISH WHISKEY DISTILLERY TOUR & TASTING that included tutored tasting of Slane Irish Whiskey & Slane Extra Sherry Wood. Amazing experience and highly recommended if you like whiskey of course.

Today we made a one day excursion to the most northern part of the island, actually to the top of the Republic of Northern Ireland. There is one of the most famous natural attractions known as a Giant's Causeway. The starting point is in Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre. In the Centre you can learn all about this wonder from science to myth. And buy the tickets of course.

From the Visitors Centre the path lead us arround the Bay of the Cow, a very beautiful nature scenery with wild bushes in full bloom.

Just around the corner we saw the most unusual and unique nature's wonder. The huge piles of the hexagonal vertical stone pillars in various sizes and hights. Absolutely stunning and beautiful. You can't help but to climbe them up and down like on giant grown-up playground. The legend said that an Irish giant named Finn McCool created a causeway to get across the Irish Sea to face his rival, the Scottish giant Benandonner. Following their fearsome meeting, Benandonner ripped up the causeway as he fled back to Scotland, leaving what you see here today.

The Organ is a hugely impressive basalt cliff formation that looks like the form of huge church organ pipes. This spectacle is just a short stroll from the Giant Causeway. From there we climbed up the wooden stairs to the top of the cliffs.

The way back to the Visitors Centre we walked the path over easy walking terrain of clifftops. The path is a part of the much longer Causeway Coastal Route (about 50 km) and offer a breathtaking views over the sea, cliffs, bays and inland green pastures.

After an exceptional experience we went to the close town Ballymoney. Very charming and colourful place. We headed to the Holestone restaurant for an excellent meal and beer.

Today we are having an easy day that we started with tasty breakfast in a cute café near Dundalk. Strandfield is a café, florist and grocer based within the farm yard grounds of Stranfield House in Ballymascanlon. The café offers breakfast and lunch with freshly baked scones, cakes and wheaten breads served daily.

Next we drove to nearby Carlingford, a magical village, full of character. It is one of the best preserved medieval villages in Ireland. We enjoyed strolling through the old streets with colorful houses.

The weather wasn't very nice but it did not stop us to visit the old Carlingford castle dating from the 12th century. The castle dominates the town and overlooks the lough harbour.

On our way we spotted the interesting place a cozy pub Ma Bakers. It was a time for refreshing and a pint of beer.

Dundalk is the county town of County Louth. The most significant building is a neoghotic Church of St. Patrick known as town Cathedral. We had a walk through the city and went in Marshes Shopping Centre to buy some things. It is located in a building that looks more like a Town hall than a shopping mall.

This wonderful day we finished with a splendid dinner in a Fitzpatrick's Bar & Restaurant. Cannot say whether it's more interesting the interior of the restaurant or the exterior. Fabulous ideas and originality. And the food was amazing. Specialy famous fish and chips! Our absolute favourite. Must visit!

The second part of our Ireland tour lead us to the opposite part of the country, on the west. Half way west we stopped for a brunch in a nice family restaurant Browne's on the Green.

On our way to the west we drove through the part of Connemara Region along Connemara's National Park. The region is famous for its wild terrain and soft colours. The nature is really beautiful and special.

We stopped at one of the Ireland's top attractions, the Kylemore Castle. The entrance ticket includes visiting the castle, church and gardens. Located by the lake in a stunning green surrounding it is a really enchanting place to visit.

The castle was built in 1868 as a wedding gift from Mitchell Henry to his wife Margaret. Interior of the building is well preserved and furnished. For the last 100 years was a Benedictine Monastery founded in 1920. The nuns ran a farm on the estate and used to have a boarding and day school for girls.

The Estate includes large walled Victorian Gardens. The Benedictine nuns have restored the Abbey's gardens in order to be a self-sustaining estate. The gardens include a Kitchen Garden and a flower garden. We walked through the gardens enjoying the variety of plants and design of the garden that shows its full beauty in spring.

Just a five minute walk from the Abbey, along the shores of the lake lies Kylemore’s enchanting neo-Gothic Church. This elegant building is a lasting testament to the love of Mitchell Henry for his wife Margaret.

After a short drive we reached our western destination in the lovely town Clifden. We checked in the Alcock & Brown Hotel, a nice accommodation in the centre of the place.

We went out to find a place to eat and were recommended to go to the Mannions Restaurant. That was excellent choice for they serve traditional and local food for reasonable price and everything tasted delicious. Besides there was a bonus! We were having a live traditional Irish music that play here every evening.

After a great meal we went into a pub for some night drink. We were recommended to go to the Lowry’s Bar in the centre of Clifden. It is an Iconic Irish pub, famous for its warm and friendly atmosphere with legendary Irish Music. Also for couple of years it is a winner of the “Best Traditional Bar in Ireland“ at Ireland’s prestigious National Hospitality Awards. The spectacular day we finished in this pub attending a live concert of famous Irish singer Padraig Jack. That was iconic!

The morning we strolled through the streets of the picturesque Clifden. We were enchanted with the imagination of the shop window decorations.

Sky Road is a panoramic road that starts and ends in Clifden. From Clifden the road heads west and soon we reached a junction between Lower Sky Road and Upper Sky Road. The upper path gradually rises and at the highest point we reached a car park. The view from up there over Clifden Bay and the offshore islands in the Atlantic Ocean is breathtaking.

Taking the Lower Sky Road we ended on a small beach Eyrephort with lots of various rocks, plants and wooden parts brought by the ocean tide, and small ponds of sea water with seashells. Strolling around and searching for random things evoked a child in us.

Soon left the west coast driving east towards Galway. We stopped just before it to check in the amazing Glenlo Abbey Hotel.

The Glenlo Abby estate beside hotel and Pulman restaurant consists of Glenlo Abbey Golf. We did not have any golfing experience so we found this opportunity challenging. We went on the course with beautiful scenery and tried our best to kick the balls in right direction, not on the field of course.

In front of the hotel there are two former carriages from the Orient Express and each with their own distinct history and style. Now they are home to the Pullman Restaurant as one of the most unique dining experiences one can enjoy. The dinner and the whole atmosphere were the best of all.

The hotel room was incredible. We felt like royalty. The breakfast was served in classy oval room with very stylish design. The food and the service were amazing.

Today we planned to see another most famous attraction in Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are among the most visited tourist sites in Ireland. We drove southwest from Galway to the Visitors Centre to buy a tickets. The Centre is very interesting building almos all under the ground and with grass on the top reminding of the irish prehistoric tombs.

Cliffs of Moher are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of Ireland. They run for about 14 kilometres and at their southern end they rise 120 metres above the Atlantic Ocean and 8 kilometres to the north, they reach their maximum height of 214 metres. We walked the safe, paved pathways and viewed the famous Cliffs and spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean and the Aran Islands.

O'Brien's Tower is a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs that marks the highest point of the Cliffs of Moher. The tower was built on the cliffs in 1835 by local landlord Sir O'Brien as an observation tower for the English tourists.

On our way back we stopped in Galway, bohemian city with a love of traditional music. Street performers were everywhere playing Irish music. The atmosphere is vibrant and charming.

Enjoyed another night in this excellent hotel.

After good breakfast we packed and check out. We drove to Dublin to go home.

With our souls full of wonderful experiences we had to fly back home.