And Here’s the Rest of the Story…Ireland’s West and North Coasts
- psandgren509
- Jul 2
- 10 min read
As a preface to this post, I want to take a minute to recognize the fragility of life and gratitude for all we’ve been given. One of my best long-time friends was recently diagnosed with cancer, and I am overwhelmed with concern and worry. My heart hurts. At almost 70 (!) we understand that we are in our last chapter(s), but as friends and family reveal major health issues and surgeries, it is a time when I feel even more grateful and appreciative for love of friends and family. There is always something to be thankful for, but sometimes you have to look harder for it than others.
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Now, it’s time to continue my trip around the rest of the Island…the West coast and the North (Antrim) coasts have so much variety and beauty, not to mention great pubs and Irish music. ( Is there anyplace in Ireland, really, that doesn’t have that?)
From the Ring of Kerry (County Kerry from the last post), we traveled on to the Dingle Peninsula…It’s rugged and more sparsely populated than the Ring of Kerry area. Start at Inch Beach…a wide, flat, beautiful place that begins the drive around the Dingle Peninsula…
ACCESSIBLE
It is hard-packed sand, so my scooter was able to drive on the firmest parts. This was a treat as beach accessibility is one of my toughest challenges.
On one of our trips with a friend from Indy, we stayed at a small VRBO across from the beach and next to the sheep. Driving around the peninsula, we always stop in the town of Dingle, right on the water at one of the great pubs, restaurants, and shopping. Our favorite restaurant, right on the wharf, is The Boatyard (duh!). It’s casual, like all the spots in town, and has simple pub fare with a perfect water view. The Main Street is lined with great pubs…Benny’s, Murphy’s, Spillane’s, Paudie’s…anyway, throw a rock and you’ll hit one. (That is unless you have had too many Guinness, Jameson, or Smithwick’s.) Drive on around the vast peninsula for more coastal scenery…this is the area that looks like the drive of Big Sur…high cliffs, vast pastures rolling down to the very edge. and beautiful beaches far below. We stayed in a B&B owned by a small family who’s sheep could roam to the “falling off” point, save a fence. Because as they say, if one sheep goes over the edge, they all follow. Horrible thought, though. Anyway, it was a perfect spot to spend the evening/night.
At the very tip of the peninsula is a spot If you’re a pottery buff, and frankly who isn’t; an artist named Louis Malcahy. Teapots, bowls, candlesticks, vases, sinks…but his designs are less “folksy” than other pottery with some pretty sleek pieces. We have one of their bathroom sinks on our list of home upgrades someday, IF we could afford the shipping.
One of the most famous stops in Ireland is next, and that is the Cliffs of Moher…it’s in a town called Doolin, south of Galway and again known as a prime spot for authentic music and fish & chips…repeat, repeat, repeat…however this really was a very cool place to hang for dinner at the end of the day.
The Cliffs themselves are stunning, an overwhelmingly powerful sight. You can go to the visitor’s center at the top for the history and stroll along the cliff’s edge…just don’t look down. However…..
ACCESSIBLE
One excursion that isn’t as well advertised (ven in Rick Steves’ guidebook) was one of our favorite excursions in Ireland…we took a boat (accessible with ramp ínto boat) from the dock in Doolin to view the cliffs looking upward from the Atlantic. If you have a foggy or drizzly day, or day of rough seas, you won’t see much…from above or below…but when the weather is clear, it is spectacular. The conditions were perfect that day with sunny blue skies and seas that were rough but passable.
ALL OVER IRELAND
Please investigate VRBOs, Air B&Bs and all other accommodations to get a variety of stays. We like to shake it up and have different experiences, and that evening in Doolin…after our boat trip, pub food and music, we found a really homey and comfy B&B…The woman who owned it was delightful, and the next morning we ate, probably, the best breakfast we’ve ever had.
ACCESSIBLE
Almost every pub has a way to access the entrance with a wheelchair…if there is a step or two, sometimes they and some of the stores, have a portable ramp to bridge the step.
For VRBOs and other lodging accommodations, wheelchair access is very TRICKY! Make sure you read all the detailed information in the online website and send specific messages to the owners/management to ask questions about your own particular needs. Clues: look for anything specifically stating wheelchair accessible, but for most local B and Bs, look at the photos for steps, placement of rooms (second floor), or other barriers. In hotels and other more public venues, look for a specific wheelchair emblem and/or “upper floors accessible by elevator.”
Driving on up the West Coast be ready for wind and rain…near Donegal on the northwest tip, we were actually in gale-force winds (upwards of 90+ mph), where we were like cartoon-characters leaning 45 degrees into the wind to get to the gas station toilet. One interesting but tragic story from that storm however was that the storm actually blew a Swiss woman’s campervan off the cliff while she slept in the middle of the night. Those howling winds are as damaging as our tornadoes in Kansas, but with the addition of cliffs and crashing seas.
On a very positive note, however, make sure you stop for at least a night or two in nearby Westport. We visited with some of our great friends from St. Louis last September…the town is charming with great shops and stops. We were only sorry that we didn’t plan for an extra night.
Donegal was our next stop in September 2024. It was mild and beautiful as opposed to the hurricane visit as few years ago. We had a “home exchange” house that overlooked the ocean in a cute village on the peninsula. It was a fantastic large house with a sunroom and direct water views, that is If you discount the facts that the toilets didn’t flush well and there were spiders.
NOT READILY ACCESSIBLE
This little town is full of hills and slopes, with a beach that is beautiful but has soft sand. The wonderful guys with us insisted they could push, pull and lift my chair to the water’s edge, but it because so frustrating for me, that I opted to sit back from the water’s edge on firmer ground. The view was still amazing, even if my toes didn’t make it to the very cold edge of the Atlantic waves. Sometimes, even if I CAN do something with extra help, it isn’t worth the trauma of trying to do it.
SIDE BAR: WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY
In life there are times when you just can’t find the right phrase in response to a person or situation. Sometimes its just a fact that you can’t HEAR.
My late grandfather used the phrase “is that right” when he couldn’t hear anyone. He would use that phrase for every single comment…because it works for every situation. My husband fell and broke his leg…”is that right.” I just won the lottery and am traveling the world…”is that right?” My dog just died…”is that right?” It’s a very safe phrase to use when you either a) can’t hear, or b) don’t understand someone’s accent, or c) just don’t know how to respond.
But I digress…back to the NORTH COAST
All along this Antrim Coast is stunning scenery…just like the travel brochures illustrate in the “come to Ireland” commercials…Wild Atlantic Ocean, ragged dramatic cliffs, ridiculous green hills and even a 1400s ish castle that lost it’s kitchen in the sea. Spend lots of time just roaming, stopping, and soaking in the ambiance of the place.
Portrush and Portstewart are two towns on the edge of the rugged North Atlantic coast…think Maine coastline. Portstewart has tons of great places to stay whether a bit out of town across from the ocean in a VRBO (as we did), or in the heart of the town by the wharf. There are numerous restaurants seaside off Strand Avenue and you can’t go wrong. The one we chose had really high-quality food, including a GIANT fish pie, also shaped like a fish (every bit and bite of local fish included under a mound of mashed potatoes) and one that my hub ate all by himself.
The main attraction on the Antrim Coast is Giant’s Causeway, a… UNESCO World Heritage site, and here’s the story. The cooling lava from volcanic activity 50-60 million years ago formed enormous hexagonal basalt columns stacked and nested together all along the coast. It is so bizarre that it looks impossibly perfect, and is a wonder to see.
According to legend, the causeway was built by a giant. The myth is that the Irish Giant (Finn MacCool) was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Scotland is within sight from the Causeway and only 13 miles away. Finn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel in order to meet. There are many versions of the story, so I invite you to look it up and decide which one has the best ending for you.
ACCESSIBLE
The Visitor’s Center is ultra modern, chocked with information, and fully wheelchair accessible. It is one of the BEST places I’ve ever traveled for accessibility…ramps everywhere, accessible toilets, and a shuttle (but only for disabled) that will drive you all the way down the very long hill to the basalt columns and water’s edge. As we flew by the tourists trudging back up the hill, it was one of those noted travel times when having MS is an advantage!
SIDEBAR: Manifesting what you want….
Years ago, around 2008, our development office hosted the first Elmhurst College (now University) trip, and we chose Ireland…2 weeks. We hired Colette Tours for the bus, guide, and activities/reservations. There were 14 of us as part of Elmhurst alumni and/or staff, and we were on a bus of 45 people from other parts of the country. A big hello to our friends from the North Carolina Historial Society.
Our bus was driven by Big Greg from Cork, Ireland, and as you might imagine, he was a giant of a man, funny, warm, and a really good driver on narrow lanes and one-land bridges (akkk!). At the end of each day, he would go to the pub, down 6-8 pints of Guinness, and be up and alert the next morning for our next drive. On our visit to the Antrim Coast that I just described above, we were all standing outside in front of the bus looking at the wild Atlantic Ocean crashing on the walls of the cliffs. Greg decided it would be hilarious to blow the bus horn at that moment, breaking the serenity and peace of the “Old Ireland.”
Anyway, I jumped back on the bus, and announced to the entire 45, “I’m getting married in Ireland.” They all said, “Oh, who’s the lucky guy?!). I said, “I don’t know, I’m not even dating anyone.” Three years later I met Ken….my Irish husband. We thought about getting married in Ireland, but I decided marrying an IrishMAN was better than an Irish wedding.
Back to the story from the North:
ACCESSIBLE
We drove on to Belfast for a brief visit, and of course went through the Titanic Exhibit. It is architecturally stunning and modern, and it is well worth spending time. Because the Titanic was built in Belfast, much of the museum was info regarding ship building…it was interesting but I was disappointed in the more limited (than I’d imagined) actual Titanic memorabilia. The best part was the last room where some of the stories and voices of the passengers were heard. Some have experienced an encounter in the museum where they were assigned a passenger name at the beginning and then discovered whether they were part of the survivors (or not).
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SIDEBAR
The fortunate and unsinkable Molly Brown’s legacy is the premise of The Brown Palace in downtown Denver. As an aside, High Tea in the Victorian lobby is a treat and a “must do” for the ladies in your life. Some of my family and I in Denver now have an annual tradition to celebrate Mother’s Day with scones, dainty sandwiches, and plenty of tea—it is an invaluable time with these wonderful young women as we dress up and live the life of royalty for the afternoon.
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We haven’t spent much time visiting sites in the past on our drive back to the Dublin area, but one location that it really worth it is Newgrange.
History Lesson:
Newgrange consists of a large circular mound with an inner stone passageway and burial chamber…burnt and unburnt human bones, and possible grave goods and offerings, were found. The monument is ringed with engraved stones with megalithic art. The mound is also ringed by a stone circle of which numerous were also found in places in the Irish countryside. Most believe Newgrange had a religious significance and aligned with the winter solstice shining through a “roof box” that flooded the inner chamber with light, only at the time.
Its initial period of use lasted around 1,000 years, then Newgrange gradually became a ruin, but still with rituals performed. Through Irish mythology and folklore, it was said to be a dwelling of the deities, particularly The Dagda and his son Aengus. It is regarded by the prehistorians as the “great national monument of Ireland” and as one of the most important megalithic structures in Europe.
ACCESSIBLE (with effort)
Even with a long gravel hill to the entrance, steps down into the tomb, and a narrow and low passageway into the inner chamber, I made it with the help of my scooter, a push from my husband, and walking sticks. Well worth the effort…don’t let the challenge stop you!
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On each of our trips, we pick and choose which areas to visit or revisit, based on the company we keep. Every trip eventually gets us back to Dublin fly home, but always a visit family (Ken’s sister lives in Bray, just south of Dublin).
It’s the end of June as I write this, and our favorite times of the year to visit are May and September…before school ends and before it begins. The weather is usually pretty warm and pleasant, a mix of rainy (rainbows!) and sunny days, and the crowds and prices aren’t ascrazy as in mid and late summer.
As I’ve said before, if anyone is interested in chatting with us about specific itineraries and suggestions, we always love to do so. Ken is our local tour guide with color commentary and visits to distant cousins for tea, so he can answer any questions you may have.
If you’re hesitant to travel internationally (or at all), Ireland is a GREAT place to start. It’s pretty direct from the US, the people are warm, the language is English (if you understand the accents), and the pace is relaxed.
Happy July 4th to everyone…USA!
Next up: We’ve visited both New Zealand and Iceland so far in 2025, so those adventures are to follow. Iceland in particular (we just got back) is a great “theme” for the heat of our summer, since a highlight was a boat tour on a glacial lagoon among the icebergs and seals….
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