The Emerald Isle…Adventures in Ireland
- psandgren509
- Apr 14
- 8 min read
Ireland has to be my first Travel Blog…
Most of you know my husband, Ken is from Ireland, and since we met in 2012 we’ve been to his home country 5 times together. It now feels like my second home; his Irish family members have welcomed me like one of their own.
But that’s normal for the people of Ireland.
Ireland is magical…it far exceeds even the highest expectations.
My “tour” is not a complete Ireland itinerary, but will include my favorite places and experiences. I can certainly give you a “best of Ireland” travel itinerary, however. Here we go around the Isle…
Dublin
This city has endless activities and sights…a few absolutely “don’t miss” include:
1. Trinity College Book of Kells and the famed Long Library…
2. Any pub with live music, Guinness, and fish and chips
First stop…The town of Bray
Ken’s sister lives in the town of Bray on the Irish Sea south of Dublin. We always stop to see family when we visit and normally crash our first night at his sister’s catching up, drinking tea, being spoiled, and diving under the duvet early in the evening. (Side note…most of places we stay in Ireland only have a duvet as your cover on the bed…what happed to top sheets? We’re either smothering or freezing.) The family always has the best brown bread, muesli, marmalade, fruit, French press coffee and yogurt waiting on the table when we wake up. (Wait, is it 2:00 a.m. or did I sleep through to noon…you know the feeling).
The Bray seashore has a miles-long paved path, complete with a brisk breeze and sea spray and we definitely go to Butler and Barry for dinner, our fav restaurant right on the beachfront with amazing views. Another “best of” is the Fish and Chips stand, getting a “take-away” crispy hot order wrapped in newspaper. We grab a seat on the sea wall and get the “rough times on the Irish Sea” vibe.… It’s usually chilly, windy, and gray most of the times I’ve been there, but that adds to the local ambiance! (We have been know to enjoy that gourmet delight sitting in the car to stay warm.)
Accessibility
Definitely! Any wheelchair or other mobility device can easily go miles on the seawall paved path along the shore.
Our favorite restaurant, Butler and Barry is on the Strand..right on the beach…and has an elevator and ramps for accessibility.
Stop to Shop on the way to County Kerry at Avoca Handweavers…
This is a shop of fine Irish woolen clothing and scarves and blankets of every color combo, Irish jewelry and unique and quality Knick-knacks (Nicholas Moss Pottery), gourmet foods and an incredible cafe with irresistible fresh-baked brown bread, soup, and pastries. Not to MISS! We go there every single time I visit…(last year tomato basil soup and brown bread with Irish butter.)
Enniscorthy (Irish Farm)
A visit to Ireland wouldn’t be complete until you visit an Irish farm with cows and a border collie in a small village with very narrow lanes. We are fortunate that Ken’s cousin has just such a farm with rolling green fields and a house that dates back…way back. They are one of the most genuine, hospitable and welcoming people I’ve ever met. Next to the house is the son’s home (built by himself and looks like acastle with turret), and down the lane is their daughter’s home. Every time we visit we eat dinner (feast) at her house with all the family…every single thing you can think of is prepared and laid out on the table. Stretchy pants.
The best night’s sleep I’ve EVER had was when we got off the plane in Dublin, drove to their farm, slept in a comfy bed with a fluffy comforter with the windows wide open, and cows mooing in the fields. Can you see it? Smell it (the grass not the cows)? Feel it?
Southwest Ireland
Waterford, Blarney, Kilkenny, and Cork are all worthy places to visit on the way, but I am skipping those for now and heading straight to my favorite county..Kerry.
County Kerry
This county is in the southwest of Ireland and in my opinion, and is the best of Irish scenery, towns, and villages. If you can only spend a week in Ireland, head to this County. There are a couple small towns, Kenmare and Kinsale that can’t be missed on the way to Killarney (is that a song?) and are on our list to visit each trip.
Kinsale
It’s a perfect-sized town on the Irish seafront with incredible history with a tangle of narrow streets fulls of shops, music, and restaurants. It is a picture-perfect town, and watching the sunset from outside a pub can’t be beat.
Yes, it can be very crowded because the cruise ships and tour buses stop here…but if you are out early in the morning when the shops first open, or the end of the day when the tourists leave, you have elbow room. Still, it’s worth visiting for a couple days.
We’ve taken many American friends over the years and met distant Irish cousins for dinner.
While many say Irish food is only about root vegetables, fish and chips, more potatoes, and lamb, that hasn’t been the case for us. Kinsale is actually to be considered a top gourmet town in the country. Fresh seafood is plentiful, and one of the favorite restaurants of most people is “Fishy Fishy,” and of course there are typical Irish pubs with Celtic music.
A couple places to stay while you’re in Kinsale…outside of town over the river, there is a bed and breakfast with a sweeping view of the town and river, and all summer hydrangea bushes lining the property that are as big as a melon.
In town, there is a wide variety of places…we stayed at a very quaint boutique hotel right in town with a café and bakery downstairs….yum!
You hear Irish “craic ” (conversation) in every pub, and impromptu music and Irish dancing. Keep going back in the evening during your week, and you will hear something different every night.
One of the best stories (true, too!), is one a distant cousin told us.
Did you know magpie birds don’t usually congregate, but are seen most often singulary? Well, this cousin received a very clear message from God to move from the upheaval of Northern Ireland in the 1970s to the Irish Republic. When he ignored the messages many times, he started seeing increasing numbers of magpies at every intersection, and on and on…He was a Chemistry teacher and scientist and he kept asking God for a scientific “sign.” God gave him magpies. He reluctantly moved, and the following week the area where he was in living in the North was bombed by the IRA. He also then met his fabulous wife.
Lesson: When you’re given guidance and a clear message, pay attention.
Accessibility
The town has quaint streets of cobblestone and narrow footpaths. Using my motorized chair, I could easily roll along on the main areas, but as I navigated through the narrow back streets, it was difficult. Those streets, however have my favorite shops…Kinsale Silver and Handweavers. My chair was unstable on uneven and cracked sidewalks; my chair barely fit and was frequently veering into the street. But, I found a way!
When you’re there and if you have mobility issues, scope the shops you really want to visit and have someone with you to help navigate, and guide you through. Another big issue is that the vast majority of shops are way too small with narrow aisles and no ramps. Thank goodness for my friends and family over the years who have stayed with my chair outside a shop and waited for me to make my way in with walking sticks. Some shops are just worth it.
Kenmare
Anidyllic seaside town right on Kenmare Bay…known for whale watching. We did take a small boat down the inlet to the colony of sea lions. The streets are lined with the painted buildings, stores and restaurants, and the best music session we heard in the country was at a corner pub in town. That evening along with fish and chips, there was a young musician playing the button accordian. Yes, I know, accordian…but you’ve never heard anything like this! He was captivating, and we stayed for both sessions…and ordered more food/Guiness to hold our table. After a couple songs, and older (very old) gentleman sitting at the table next to us started playing “spoons” on his leg. He had clearly done that before…he never said a word, but then again he didn’t have to. It was really an Irish special. Next to the bar area was a connecting dining room…the little kids could see in the bar but couldn’t come in…so they lay on the floor, chin in hands, and watched without crossing the “line.”
Search the area…there are a few peninsulas, including the main attraction, The Ring of Kerry” and a plethora of VRBO options.
Another Kenmare Bay VRBO story….
On one trip, a few of my girlfriends and I roped Ken into being the “husband” for the week and we rented a VRBO house on Kenmare Bay, in the tiny little village of Sneem. I haven’t had any problems over the years and multiple VRBO properties I’ve rented, but this one gave us a pretty big fright.
We followed the directions outside Sneem, down a lane for miles, and then found ourselves driving along the Bay on a very narrow “path” on short and narrow peninsula. It was evening, we were ready to crash, and we kept passing house after house, not finding our address. We finally got to the end of the road…the water. And all we found there was an old Irish stone cottage that was a crumbled ruin. I just knew we’d run into our first SCAM. Back tracking, we finally found our home tucked away, and it was a magnificent home right on the bay, with a property full of hydrangeas (they’re everywhere) and an unreal view.
Another favorite stay was on the water, a small peninsula, in the tiny one-pub town of Tuosist. We stayed in a s sprawling one-level home with some of our great friends from St. James church, and spent the first evening next door at the owner’s pub. Our friends made it their mission to test every seafood stew/chowder Ireland had to offer, and their family recipe won first place. While we were in this pub as big as your living room, some locals showed up with their fiddles, pipes and bhadram (drum) to jam. What a treat! And speaking of…now for the most important part of the meal. Lemon Tart. I had a personal mission to test those whenever they showed up on a menu. Again, it was so amazing (we were back there twice), the owner gave us her recipes for the seafood chowder and the lemon tart.
Next up, I’ll take you into the town Killarney, to The Ring of Kerry, and Dingle Peninsula, and up the southwest coast to the Cliffs of Moher near Galway.
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