June 11, 2018

The Knows & Lessons Learned About Ireland

Ireland, Ireland, Ireland. What I would do to go back!

I highly encourage anyone thinking about going…to book your flight and start planning now. There is so much to see and so much to do in the country. A week is a good period of time, but not nearly enough with the amount of driving and travel you COULD do. If you can make it happen for longer than a week, do it; otherwise, stay for at least one week. If I could have stayed in Ireland, I think I may have. The desire is strong to go back – I have Dublin, Belfast, and the Aran Islands to explore. AND SO MUCH MORE!

As I look back on pictures and think of the memories of our trip to Ireland, I can’t think of a single thing that I would change…well, maybe except the Ring of Kerry 🙂 But altogether, Ireland was lovely, perfect, and full of surprises. Here are my “need to knows” if you ever decide to travel to Ireland.

Keep in mind, my family and I only had the opportunity to travel the southern part of Ireland. There is far more to explore beyond what we had the chance to see. When I return, you can bet I will be sharing with y’all!

Overall Tips

Tour the country on your own – don’t settle for a group tour. [See Driving Tips below.]
- My mom suggests having international data coverage for GPS. I saw “go old school and read maps!”
Stop at EVERYTHING – everything you find interesting, looks amazing or simply catches your eye. Stop at all the cliffs, look-outs, museums, everything and anything!
Things close in Ireland much sooner than they do in the states. Even pubs! Make sure you plan to get to dinner before 9 PM.
Hold any lamb you can. I get that it’s a “tourist trap”, but it’s kind of FUN.
- Have your euros ready.
Talk. Communicate. Engage! You can learn a lot about someone or some place by communicating with others. (This is with everywhere you go!)
Go into every pub possible and listen to as much live music as you can.
Breathe in the fresh air. Take in every shade of green. Eat all the scones you can get your hands on. Memorialize the landscapes and scenery. Enjoy every second of your time in this lovely, amazing country.

What To Bring

Ireland is on the “chilly” AND windy side – at least when we went (in May). Luckily, before we left, I looked at the weather to find out what to expect. I planned for “cold/chilly” with long-sleeves, jeans, a light jacket and a raincoat. For the most, I was pretty well-equipped when it came to clothing. There were definitely times I wish I had a thicker jacket, for example, at Cliffs of Moher and the hikes to Star Wars locations. But when I felt it was colder than usual, I just layered up all m clothes.

Ireland’s 50/60’s aren’t quite like American’s 50/60’s. I feel like their temperatures are a tad bit cooler. And yet, that makes no sense! It should be noted that some locals even said May was “their summer” – brrrrr!

I highly suggest having a good pair of walking shoes. We did a lot of walking, when we weren’t driving. So, a reliable, comfortable pair of shoes is exactly what you need for all the uphill battles.

Other Things to Consider Bringing

A jacket and sweaters
Camera or cell phone – mainly just to take pictures
Your basics: toiletries, etc.
A backpack; this would act as a cross-body purse but offers more room for carrying items
Sunglasses
Comfortable and athletic clothing (for hikes and such)
Carry-on luggage, which means you will wear the same thing multiple times; this saves on space in the tiny car and allows you to keep your luggage with you on the plane

It’s a given you need your passport – don’t think I need to mention that 🙂

Wish I Left at Home

Nothing really. I wore almost everything in my suitcase, multiple times in fact. I could have left my running shorts and tanks, but did end up making those my bedtime clothes.

I didn’t bring these, but don’t think about bringing:
- Fancy clothes, unless you have a nice dinner planned.
- High heels
- Bathing suit – there was NO use for one during the chillier months
- Warm weather clothing, with the exception of a few short sleeve shirts

What I Wish I Brought

A heavy sweater and/or sweatshirt
Tad bit more of a variety of clothes – I wore everything I had at least two times, if not 3 times! Can’t hang out with the very attractive Irish man in basically the same clothes. Oh wait, that happened!
Possibly gloves and a scarf

The Musts of Ireland

As mentioned before, there is so much to do and see in Ireland. I think everything we did, saw, and ate was worth it. And I would did it all over in a heartbeat. Of course, I had my favorite things – but who doesn’t?

Here are my top choices. [Let me know when you think.]

Must Do and See

Drive the Dingle Peninsula.
Visit Killarney.
Tour Killarney National Park and Muckross House.
Talk to locals.
Drink beer in as many pubs as possible. Yes, I don’t drink; so if you don’t, just visit as many pubs – with live music!
Eat fish-n-chips, rack of lamb, “bacon and cabbage”, scones and sticky toffee pudding at least once during the trip.
Hold a lamb – one that preferably didn’t crap on itself.
Try out the driving thing – see my tips below.
Stay in hostels or Bed & Breakfasts, not hotels.
Visit the Cliffs of Moher.
Learn about the Vikings and Waterford Crystal, in Waterford.

Worth Skipping…

The Ring of Kerry, if you drive the Dingle Peninsula.

Driving

Of course, driving in Ireland is much different than driving in the states. But it is all about the experience – and it is totally worth trying it out. It’s a little scary at first, but just like riding a bike, you get the hang of it pretty quickly. So get out there and rent your tiny, reliable vehicle for those tiny, winding Irish roads.

Keys to driving “wrong” [aka. on the left side of the road, on the right side of the car]

Left side of the road. Look left!
Get a small car. The roads are narrow and winding – I can’t imagine driving in anything bigger!
Follow the signs. Ireland does a fantastic job of getting you from one place to another.
Line the right side of your car with the inside lane; just like in America…you just are lining up on a different side, haha. Tough concept, I know.
You do need insurance – check with your car insurance company before leaving.
Relax and have fun with it!

After every trip, there is always something to learn. So, what did I learn in Ireland?

Lessons Learned

Never drive 8 hours to take a direct flight. It is not worth the sacrifice.
Traveling with your family is different. Know your limits and make sure you have an outlet.
There is so much to do and never enough time.
Have some “hot spots” tentatively panned out, but don’t stress about your schedule. Let things happen as they should – Just go with the flow!
Talking to the locals gets you a lot further. By doing so, we found some amazing places to eat and I got to see some things I would have never known about. Shoot, I wouldn’t have been taken back by the very, very attractive Irish man 🙂
Learn what battles to “fight” and don’t argue with your mother. Mom knows best – haha.
Ireland is big, yet oh so small. You can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. Just don’t forget to take it all in!

Now that my trip and posts are finished, I live for the day I get to return to Ireland. As much as I love to explore and see the world, I would find it hard that I would never return. But until then…these are my top five highlights from the entire week-long Ireland trip. Hope you enjoyed my posts as much as I enjoyed reliving Ireland.