Ireland: Where the Grass is Greener

You will likely fly into Dublin and arrive in the morning after an overnight flight. After collecting your bags, make your way into the city of Dublin, where you can check in and leave your bags, freshen up, and begin exploring the city.

Depending on where you are staying, I recommend seeing a couple sites, such as Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, or taking a tour of Dublin Castle.

After touring, a trip to a pub for fuel is essential. I recommend The Shack, right next to the famous Temple Bar Pub. Not only will you get to enjoy being in the middle of the lively bar scene, but the food is also traditional Irish cuisine and top-notch! The main goal for today is to stay awake until about 9 pm (or 21:00). This will help with jet lag and resetting your internal clock quickly to your new time zone.

Today is all about getting out and exploring more of Dublin. If you can, I highly recommend booking a city tour. There are so many hidden-in-plain-sight historical elements to the city that a tour guide can give insight into. Our guide, Jon, was fantastic and was able to tell us stories about how the city operated in the 13th century and the notable pop culture icons who have called Dublin their home.

If you choose not to book a tour, all of these sites can also be seen on your own. A few notable places to be sure to visit are Temple Bar, Trinity College and the Book of Kells Library, Chapel Royal, and Dublin Castle, as well as Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral (if you did not get to them on your first day). You also must get your obligatory tourist picture with the Molly Malone Statue.

Today is the day to travel outside of Dublin to see a portion of the Irish countryside. Whether you choose to take a day tour or drive yourself, sights like the Hill of Tara, Trim Castle, and the Bective Abbey ruins are a few notable places you can visit.

The Hill of Tara dates back more than 5,000 years and is not only a historical burial site, but also a place where many rituals took place under the reigning Celtic king at the time. Trim Castle is the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland and is incredibly well-preserved. Seeing the castle’s interior living and entertaining spaces, as well as the exterior defensive system, gives great insight into the way of life during the 12th century. Bective Abbey is also incredibly well-preserved. You truly feel like you’re walking in the footsteps of the monks from the medieval era, especially because this site has not been commercialized in any way—there are no ticket counters, gift shops, roped off areas, or guides waiting to show you around (unless you have a driver associated with a tour company). The abbey’s passageways and tunnels are free for visitors to explore at their leisure. A plaque at the abbey’s entrance gives a short description of what the days were like for the monks at the self-sustaining abbey.

These are just three of the numerous sites in the Irish countryside that allow visitors to step back in time and see the remnants of what life was like centuries ago. A visit to Ireland is not complete without venturing into the countryside and experiencing the history of the region.

If you’re not a drinker, then feel free to move on to day five, but if you are interested in libations, then a trip to Dublin is not complete without a trip to the Guinness Storehouse and The Jameson Distillery. Both are iconic Dublin tourist attractions, and they offer tours of their facilities so that you can learn exactly how each drink is made—from seed to the liquid in your glass. You can choose to book each of these tours separately or you can book a tour that includes both, as well as a stop along the way to learn more about the history of Dublin.

Tomorrow, I recommend departing Dublin for Galway. Since it is your final night in the city, having a prebooked reservation for dinner after all of the Guinness and Jameson tastings would be ideal. One final authentic Irish restaurant or trip to your favorite Temple Bar Pub would cap off the time in Dublin beautifully.

The rail system in Ireland is extremely efficient, and there are several trips to Galway throughout the day. Leave in the morning and after a quick two-and-a-half-hour trip, you’ll arrive in Galway! The morning commute ensures that you’ll have plenty of time to explore the city. It is significantly smaller than Dublin, but not at all lacking in history. Many buildings and portions from the original settlement have been preserved and worked into the establishments we frequent today. If you prefer to skip the historical bits, there is plenty of seafood to be eaten, pints to drink, and shops to visit. Spend the rest of the day in Galway familiarizing yourself with the layout and recuperating after a busy several days in Dublin.

After spending the afternoon in Galway, today is for getting out in the areas surrounding the city. Like the countryside surrounding Dublin, the Connemara region is beautiful and unique, with several historical sites to explore, including Aughnanure Castle, Kylemore Abbey, and the Sky Road. Each of these places has a different appeal to them.

Aughnanure Castle is an old fortress built by one family in the 15th century. The main structure is, for the most part, intact, but the walls surrounding the castle have fallen to ruin. The tour guide does a fantastic job explaining what the estate would have looked like when it was originally constructed.

Kylemore Abbey was originally built in the early 1900s by a visiting physician for his wife. The story of its founding is a bit of a love story; however, it sadly ended when the mistress of the home passed away while traveling abroad. The abbey was then gifted to Benedictine nuns and is still currently serving as a Benediction monastery.

The Sky Road is not so much a place as it is an experience. Traveling on a narrow path with green hills on one side and Galway Bay on the other gives way to a truly unique view. While driving through the countryside to these historical sites, you’ll notice the many sheep grazing alongside the road—these are a staple of the Connemara region, and you can’t say you’ve visited the area until you’ve gotten out of your vehicle and petted these fluffy guys.

The Cliffs of Moher may very well be the most visited attraction in the country of Ireland. On a clear day, the cliffs are breathtaking due to their sheer size and magnitude. On a clear day, one can stand atop the cliffs and gaze for miles over the Atlantic Ocean. The Aran Islands are also visible from the cliffs on a clear day—they are only able to be reached by ferry.

There are a few options to get to the Cliffs of Moher and two ways to view them. You could either schedule a day trip from Galway or Dublin, during which your driver will have no problem navigating the winding roads leading to the cliffs. You could also drive to the cliffs yourself, allowing the opportunity for multiple stops off the beaten path to explore local fishing villages and castle ruins. As far as viewing the cliffs, you can either stand atop them and navigate the paths to view the edges or you can board a ferry that gives you a view from the water. Both offer beautiful views on a clear day and a different perspective of one of Ireland’s most beautiful landscapes.

Another fun stop in this area is the Ailwee Caves. The caves were discovered in 1940, but the geology and history are over 330 million years old. Several fossils and bones have been found in the cave, including a bear skull that dates back 10,400 years. There is an organized tour that takes you deep into the caves, allowing you to see stalagmites and learn about how the caves were formed long ago.

I suggest capping your day off with a pint and dinner at Gus O'Connor's, an extremely delicious Irish pub in Doolin, before heading back to your home base in Galway.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and this tour of Dublin and Galway has concluded. But this does not necessarily mean that your time in Ireland has to come to a close. There are so many more regions to explore—cities like Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny, and Waterford are just a few places that you could add to your travel plans.

If you do choose to return home, you can either go directly to the Dublin Airport via personal driver, train, or bus, or you can take the train directly to Dublin and spend the rest of the day in the city. The latter would be my recommendation—it allows more time for a “no-rush” morning and is an easy 15- to 20-minute taxi or Uber ride to the airport.

If you are spending your last day in Dublin, soak in all things Irish that you can during your last hours here. There is no better place to do this than at Temple Bar. Spend the evening pub-hopping—having a pint here, a small bite there—and enjoying all of the authentic Irish music that you definitely won’t hear once you’ve returned home.