Ireland has always been one of my bucket list destinations and after many years of planning and several delays, my cousin and I finally made it to this beautiful country. We knew we wanted to experience both the city life and culture of the Irish people and explore the countryside and gorgeous coast line of Ireland and a road trip was the perfect option to do both.
We started in Dublin, made our way across to the west coast to Galway, then headed south to Killarney and Cork, and then went back to Dublin. This may seem like we spent a lot of time driving but each drive was scenic and there’s quite a bit to see on the way from one city to the next. We made impromptu stops at whiskey distilleries, castle ruins, and beautiful viewpoints.
What we Saw
We landed in Dublin, early in the morning, and after checking in to our hotel, we wasted no time and started exploring this lively city. It was supposed to rain the whole time we were there, but we got lucky and got warmth and sunshine.
We started our day with a breakfast of champions – a pint of Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse. This is a must visit when in Dublin. You can tour their museum on how Guinness is made and its history, which is more of an interactive experience, and then grab a pint at their rooftop bar with 360 degree views of the city.
After a quick nap, we got ready for a night out, pub-hopping. We went to Dublin’s most famous (and most touristy) area for pubs – Temple Bar. I will say the Irish drinking culture is everything that you may have heard and a little beyond that. We had such a fun night meeting locals and other Europeans on vacation. Most places also had live music which we sang and danced to.
The Irish people are some of the friendliest I have ever met. I have never had so many people make an effort to talk to me beyond the polite small talk. They are also incredibly helpful which was much appreciated, especially when we hit the road.
The next day we took a walking tour of the city. We saw Dublin Castle, the Christ Church Cathedral, and learned the history behind Temple Bar and some of the city’s oldest pubs. We also saw the Molly Malone statue and chuckled at the legend behind it. The tour ended at Trinity College where you can see the Book of Kells (ticket is separate and not included in the tour).
We were going to come back to Dublin at the end of our trip so left a couple sites for then. We picked up our rental car the next day and started the drive over to Galway. The majority of this drive was on the highway so not a lot to see right off the road but we did take a big detour and stopped at Kilbeggan Distillery and Clonmacnoise Castle. This was an early Christian site along a river.
Once we got to Galway, we set out to explore the city before dinner. The city is beautiful with lots of parks and greenery, especially compared to Dublin. With the sun out, we enjoyed a long walk along the River Corrib. Our walk took us to Galway Cathedral and the University of Galway. The campus has breathtaking architecture and was surprisingly empty, which was great to take photos. We stayed in the Latin Quarter on Quay Street which is full of pubs, restaurants, and cute shops.
The next day we started early to go to Connemara National Park. This hour drive is one of the most scenic drives I have taken. It goes through the mountains and waterways that make up the west coast of Ireland. At the national park, we did the Upper Diamond Trail. As the name suggests, this trail takes you up the summit of Diamond Hill where you get views of the Twelve Bens mountain range and Kylemore Abbey. This isn’t a lengthy hike but the elevation gain is substantial. Our legs felt dead after this hike, but the views were totally worth it.
On our way back to Galway, we stopped at Kylemore Abbey, an old castle that was converted into a nunnery. The castle is set on a lake creating a stunning visual. There’s also a massive garden that you can tour. The whole site is quite spread out and we thought we’d spend an hour or two here but ended up staying closer to three hours.
We hit the road again the next day to go to Killarney. On the way, we stopped at the Cliffs of Moher, one of Ireland’s most famous landmarks, and for good reason. I still can’t get over how majestic this coastline is. The sheer size of these cliffs can’t be captured in a picture (but I tried my best). We walked along the coast and grabbed hot dogs from a street vendor. Couldn’t have asked for a better view while eating a hot dog. I could have sat there staring off into the ocean for hours.
Killarney’s a smaller city than Dublin or Galway and much quieter. We wandered around town before and after dinner and explored the local stores but everything closed pretty early. Since we had some active couple days, we called it an early night and attempted to watch a scary movie back at our hotel.
The next day we had breakfast at a cute café and packed up some sandwiches for lunch and made our way to Killarney National Park. This park’s landscape is beautiful and the hike we did ended in a small waterfall. We also toured the grounds of Muckross House and made a little picnic near Muckross Lake.
We only stayed one night in Killarney and from the national park went straight to Cork. Walking around and exploring Oliver Plunkett Street, it felt similar to a college town. The crowd’s a little younger and the restaurants and pubs are catered for them. It was a nice throwback to our college days.
We spent the majority of the next day at Blarney Castle. This place is famous for the legend of kissing the Blarney Stone which gives you the “gift of gab”. We both felt that we could use some more wit, so stayed in the two-hour line to climb up the castle tower and have someone hold us while we gave the stone a solid smooch. The wait time is long but you get some great views from the top of the tower and it’s a fun experience.
The gardens surrounding the castle are worth exploring too. We spent several hours wandering the grounds. There are a few natural formations that have legends associated with it scattered around, like the witch’s staircase.
The next day, we made our way back to Dublin to drop our car off. We spent our last couple days exploring St. Patrick’s Cathedral, seeing the Book of Kells and its exhibit, visiting the Jameson Distillery, and walking along the river. I felt like the Book of Kells was a little underwhelming since we didn’t have the in-depth history of it. The exhibit walks you through the history and the importance of the text, but I’d recommend having a guide take you and explain in more detail.
What we Ate
Ireland is famous for beer, whiskey, and potatoes and that holds true, although this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Irish cuisine.
In Dublin, we ate at Gallaghers Boxty House known for their potato pancakes. I also had a delicious espresso martini here. On one of our walking tours, I took a pit stop at Joy of Cha and had the most amazing quiche, the custard was creamy and the crust was perfectly flaky. It hit the spot when I needed a mid-day snack.
While walking around the city, we happened along a seafood restaurant and made a split-second decision to try it and wow, it did not disappoint. I just wish I had more room in my stomach to eat more. It’s called The Seafood Café by Niall Sabongi. We had the crab on toast and the scallops with risotto. Both were *chef’s kiss*.
In Galway, we discovered the wonder that is Murphy’s Ice Cream. This ice cream shop started out in Dingle and now has several locations open across Ireland. They have flavors that are inspired by local ingredients, like Irish Brown Bread, Dingle Sea Salt, and Chocolate Whiskey. My favorites were Kieran’s Cookies and Honeycomb Caramel. The most interesting one was Gin. Let me tell you, this ice cream tasted just like gin and not in a bad way. We were absolutely blown away. Once we discovered Murphy’s, we went every day in every city.
We also tried fish and chips at McDonagh’s on Quay Street. This was really good but it’s a heavy meal. To wash it down, we had our first Irish coffee at one of the nearby pubs. We had no warning before, but this is incredibly strong, though very tasty. Even though we shared one over an hour, I had to call it a night after that.
In Killarney, we had an incredible seafood dinner at The Mad Monk. We got the squid, fish cakes, prawns, and mussels. My favorite was by far the mussels, the broth was so creamy and to-die for. We even requested more bread so we could soak up all of it. For dessert, we got the sticky toffee pudding and Bailey’s cheesecake. Trust me, stop by this place if you’re in Killarney. They have a location in Cork as well.
We had breakfast at Luna Coffee + Wine where we got a sausage roll and a slice of banana bread. The sausage was perfectly cooked and juicy and the pastry was flaky. We also picked up some sandwiches from here for our hike which made for the perfect picnic.
In Cork, we had dinner at The Oyster Tavern and of course, had fresh oysters. Their gin and tonics were also delicious and paired well with the food.
Overall, I had such an amazing time in Ireland and can’t wait to visit again. The best part of the trip was how friendly and kind the people were. Our trip wouldn’t have been the same without all the incredible people we met along the way. I hope to bring even a fraction of the cheerfulness that I experienced back home with me.
If you’d like any more information or have questions about my time in Ireland, feel free to drop a comment or reach out to me on Instagram!
