Irish Itinierary

Some thoughts and observations about planning our trip to Ireland.

 It wasn't a solo adventure.

I was traveling with a friend; someone I've traveled with before so I knew we'd be compatible,

well, as much as two strong personalities ever can be.

She has mad navigating skills, still practices the ancient art of reading a map 

and is a voracious reader of other sorts as well
(print and social media as well as literary works).

She can tolerate periods of silence and isn't dependent on 'chatter' to fill the space.

She's more of a shopper than I am, but what can you do ... 

accommodations have to be made!

The decision was made early on that I would be the designated driver
and she the navigator.

We'd get an automatic car (so in case of an emergency, she could drive) 

and, while we'd have a general idea of where we wanted to go, 

we'd be open to getting lost, 

seeing something along the way that piqued our interest

 and allow for diversions.

We had no set reservations for accommodations - 

other than our first days in Dublin 

and our last night, also in Dublin - 

to facilitate a landing place when we first arrived 

and an easy shuttle ride to the airport for an early AM flight home.

This was my first trip to Ireland; it was her 3rd, 

but she'd never explored Northern or Western Ireland 

and those were my main areas of interest.

Travel to Ireland from where we live is an all day affair.

There are no direct flights from our airport anymore.

We have to fly from St Louis to an international hub 

and then, after a lengthy layover, it's another 6-8 hour flight overseas.

Our trip was 2 full travel days and 14 days on the ground in Ireland.

We both shared and read travel guides about Ireland to get a sense of what we wanted to see.

I purchased a Michelin driving map of Ireland 

and, despite also renting a GPS from Hertz,
we couldn't have done without the map.

Ms Thomasina (the female version of Tomtom) was an absolute bitch; 

a true diva who only worked when she was in the mood. 

She would have happily sent us careening down mountain cliffs, 

off on the wrong exit of the roundabouts and even turning into the sea at one point. 

She didn't even recognize a major highway we were already on for a few hours!

The Michelin map, along with back up from Google maps on a cell phone, 

was the only way we survived!

The plan was to stay in B&B's,
start driving after breakfast the next morning, 

seeing whatever we had marked on the map
or whatever looked interesting until around 3-4PM,
then look for another B&B and grab dinner for that night.

And I must say, our plan worked beautifully.

We lucked into some wonderful small places,
run by charming hosts 

who were all eager to talk to us about their homes, their areas 

and "WTH was going on in America!?"

The map below shows where we stayed on which nights 

and the stars represent high points of interest, 

both planned and unplanned.

At the beginning of our planning, 

I read that Ireland is roughly the size of Indiana
which, for me, 

helped put the map in perspective. 

If I had 2 weeks to drive all over Indiana,
would I have seen every single sight in Indianapolis, Gary, Santa Claus,
New Harmony, Bloomingdale, Terre Haute, etc?
Obviously, not. 

But I do think I would have gotten a sense of what the state had to offer, 

 some of the highlights 

and enough information to say
where I wanted to go again next time I visited.

Here's what ended up being our itinerary:

Days 1, 2 and 3 -
Dublin, Castle Hotel

 It was perfectly situated for us,

close to the heart of Dublin but on the quieter end

and only 1 block away from the hop on/hop off bus!

Days 4 and 5
Shelleven House

We picked up a rental car at Dublin airport and headed North;

staying at a B&B about 10 miles from Belfast in Bangor.

We were able to take the train into Belfast for a day of sightseeing.

Day 6 - Portrush

Beulah Guest House

Day 7

Rowanville Lodge in Grange

I realized I have no picture of the lodge because the scenery surrounding it was so spectacular!

Day 8

Kylemore Pass Lodge

Day 9

Carrabawn House in Adare

Days 10 and 11

(thanks to Hurricane Ophelia)

Willow Lodge in Kenmare

 The perfect place in which to weather the storm;
a gracious host, cozy surroundings
and wonderful conversation.

We couldn't have been luckier.

Day 12
Fanad Guest House in Kilkenny

again, no picture of where we stayed.
 I was too busy trying to soak up all the 'Ireland' I could get in the last few days!

Day 13
Summerhill House

 This was the ONLY place in the 2 weeks
that I have any complaints about
and wouldn't recommend.

Location was great
(right outside Powercourt Garden on the outskirts of Dublin)
and who doesn't love a forest glen with fairy lights?)

But we had to change rooms (x2) before getting one with adequate working outlets;
I slept on a box spring with no mattress
and their housekeeping standards were very lax ...

vacuum cleaner left in the hallway all night,
(I guess to convince people they actually cleaned)

and a laundry trolley and chair left on the elevator
impeding guests from bringing luggage on -
until I removed it, placed it at the end of the corridor -
where it remained all night into the next day!

Complaints to management barely were noted.
Definitely NOT worth the money.

I would recommend going into the small nearby town of Ennisberry and getting a place there.

Day 14
Holiday Inn Express at Dublin Airport.
Didn't even bother with a picture - because all Holiday Inns the world over
are exactly the same.

That's the where ...
the coming posts will just be images from each day
with some commentary or thoughts on some of the highlights.

The history of Ireland and its sights takes up volumes;
I have neither the knowledge, time or ability to do it justice.

I can however show you a country I fell in love with;
how its mercurial nature matches my own,
how its typography spoke to both the wildness and openness of my heart
and how the color and small touches of domesticity seemed like home.

Hope you'll stay tuned!

I'm 'processing' all I saw -
while getting caught up with all the charms of home!