In – Part 1 – I talked about north vs south Ireland and the history of Ireland In – Part 2 – I discuss the people, best time to visit, planning a road trip and what to do in Belfast and Derry.
Dromagorteen stone circle
From – Derry – we drove up to – Donegal – to see the most northern part of Ireland and then we cut back across Ireland to the southern capital, and the biggest city in Ireland – Dublin. You need as much time in Dublin as you can spare. Lots to see and lots to do. A city walk is a must. A visit the the Guinness brewery – another must. Temple Bar area, a stroll along the River Liffey, the book of Kells at Trinity College and St Stephens Green are also on the list. You will fill every day you allocate to your time in Dublin. For more on what to do in
Dublin follow – this link.
We left Dublin and cut back west taking in the – Curragh – where we saw horses galloping across the plains. We spent the next few nights in Galway, the third largest city in the south. While based in – Galway – we took a ferry to the – Aran Islands, drove through Connemara area and along the beautiful coastline looking out for – killer sheep. Claddagh Bay is the place to buy a – Claddagh ring – which is an Irish token of friendship and love.
Harp players at Bunratty Castle
From Galway we drove south via county Limerick and stayed at a guest house near – Bunratty Castle. I was determined to experience a medieval banquet at Bunratty despite the steep price. Bunratty has a park that you can explore before heading into the old castle. Inside it’s decorated in 15th century furnishings and lit by candles.
Staff, dressed in 15th century outfits, ply you with mead and bread then escort you to tables where you enjoy a 4-course meal. The staff take breaks from feeding you to sing ballads, dance and play the harp. Some of the lyrics were quite racy. It’s all tongue in cheek and lots of fun. I was more than happy with my vegetarian meal.
English Market Cork
From Bunratty we went south taking in the – Cliffs of Moher – which, much like Giants causeway, attract millions of visitors a year. Most of these places are a bit of a walk from the car park, and you have to pay to get to a viewing point. We took our lunch break there. It’s also possible to see the cliffs by boat, but we had lots to do and see, so that wasn’t an option.
Next we made our way toward county Kerry. We drove the – Ring of Kerry in an anti-clockwise direction. They say that tour buses do the trip counter clockwise, so to avoid being stuck behind slow, scene blocking buses, cars should travel clockwise. You decide. It’s hard to find words to describe how unbelievably beautiful the towns and bays in Kerry are.
Leprechaun crossing in Kerry
We missed out on Newgrange stone circle outside Dublin but our hosts at – Druid Cottage – in Kenmare pointed out a few in the region. I have a particular interest in both stone circles and Celtic mysticism. Druids have always fascinated me. The same guesthouse had a book about the Romans accounts of druids. Druids never kept records. Their craft was passed on by learning rhymes and comitting their lyrics to memory. I was horrified to learn Druids would disembowel humans and ‘read’ their entrails to predict the future.
Temple Bar area in Dublin
Next on the agenda was – Cork, the second largest city in the south. We loved Cork too. The English Market is an absolute must. Cork has a lovely atmosphere and great foodie scene. We went strolling along the River Lee and got lost simply walking around. We also did a drive out to Blarney Castle. No way in hell was I going to hang unside down off that top of the castle to kiss the – Blarney Stone – so sadly, I did not acquire the gift of the gab. Try to allow two days in Cork if you can.
After Cork we went via – Waterford – up toward Rosslare where we spent our last night. I wouldn’t visit Rosslare but we had to be close to it as we took the ferry early the next morning. The ferry arrived in Fishguard in Wales and that was the end of our Irish holiday.
Connemara
This is a mantra for me by now, but no matter how much time you budget for a holiday, it’s never enough. We thought two weeks would be ample. But no. The thing is once you get going, you pick up on places you never knew about and hadn’t planned to see. It’s not like we could pop back. It’s now or never. Before we knew it, we were cramming it all in. By the time our holiday was over, we were shattered and needed a holiday to get over our holiday.
But it was worth it.
If you are looking for videos on Ireland find a link here to – Ireland on video.
Cliff of Moher
And by clicking – here – you can visit the Travel Archive Page which has more on other destinations.
Last week in – Part 1 – I spoke about north vs south Ireland and the history.
Ireland is a whole lot more than it’s dramas. Irish people are down to earth, yet feisty. They have a wicked sense of humour and something they call – craic. A good sense of fun. Colourful characters abound in Irish history like the canny brewer – Arthur Guinness – who had 21 children. Apparently his dark stout gave him and his wife stamina. Oscar Wilde was a character and half. His quotes are legendary. My favourite is vegetarian writer – George Bernard Shaw – who died at 94 after he fell off his ladder while trimming the trees outside his house.
Guild Hall Derry
Modern Irish celebrities like – Bono – and – Bob Geldof – are equally flamboyant and have a lot to say for themselves. These two Irish men have changed the course of history with their activism. Ireland has a lot to be proud of.
Ireland is full of magic and folklore. We heard it in the songs they sang at Bunratty, saw references to – Druids – magical powers at the stone circles and we saw warnings for us to beware of – Leprechauns.
Queens University Belfast
Ireland is called the Emerald Isle. There is a reason it’s so green. It rains a lot. Make sure you pack an umbrella and a light raincoat. You will use it. The best time to visit is mid season. July and August are when the European schools take their holidays. You may find screaming kids and exasperated parents a bit much. The favorable £ vs € exchange rate means Brits can pop across for an affordable family holiday.
Roads in Ireland are good and in the south road signs are in English and Irish. In the cities, as in most European cities, having a car was a bit of a nuisance but we left our car at the hotel or guesthouse and used public transport.
St Stephens Green Dublin
To plan our road trip, We took a map and kind of carved the country into quarters. We intended to find a base in each quarter and then do road trips radiating out from our base to key areas and attractions. We did a sort of E shape across Ireland but made sure we didn’t back-track and took in as much as possible. Here is a summary of our road trip. I can say – hand of heart – we put a lot of thought into it and I reckon we couldn’t have done it better.
St Mary’s Church in Dublin – now a bar
We hired a car from – Enterprise Car Hire – in Scotland and drove down to Stranraer. From Stranraer we took a ferry to Belfast where we spent a few nights at – Ibis Hotels. Starting in – Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, we did a walking tour of the city taking in the usual things such as museums, important buildings and cathedrals. We saw the Titanic, the – Albert Memorial – or leaning clock tower, the botanical gardens and Queens University.
Look out for – wall murals – in Northern Ireland which have clear Loyalist and Republican themes.
We found well priced and – surprise – vegetarian food near Queens University. And that’s a tip worth mentioning. You are far more likely to find budget friendly, healthy food near universities. Maybe students are more open minded? For more ideas on what to do in Belfast – click here. Allow around two days in Belfast.
Old wall around old city of Derry
We left Belfast and drove north taking in – Giants Causeway – which is described as “40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption”. If unique geology interests you, then you will love it. It’s a busy tourist attraction and requires a bit of walking. Follow – this link – for more on what to see and do in Northern Ireland.
Leaning clock Belfast
Next stop was – Derry. We loved Derry. Derry is the second biggest city in Northern Ireland and one of the oldest cities in Ireland. The old city is walled with ramparts that are still remarkably in tact. A person can easily imagine knights on horseback charging about. Derry is also where ‘The troubles’ began and here you will see wall murals that I mentioned. The Irish people are surprisingly open about their past and happy to talk. It happened not that long ago and many of them have been profoundly affected. Allow two days – if you can – to explore Derry.
Next week in – Part 3 – I give ideas for what to do in Dublin, Galway, Aran Islands, Kerry, Cork and mention the druids.
Hanging backwards off the side of Blarney Castle to kiss the stone
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
I’ve written our Irish road-trip in three parts. Next week and the week after I will continue the series.
You hang out from the top of Blarney castle to kiss the stone
We’ve seen a fair amount of England and Scotland. And a bit of Wales. But we hadn’t been to Ireland. Ireland is right next door to Great Britain but somehow, we just never got there. First, we considered doing a canal boat holiday but decided against it as the canalised area is small and wouldn’t allow us to see much of Ireland. On advice from a few people we chose to do a driving trip around Ireland. Turns out that’s what most people do. It was important for us to see both Northern Ireland and
The Republic of Ireland.
Loyalist area Derry
Northern Ireland – is part of Great Britain, has pound sterling (£) as currency, they fly the Union Jack and are subject the all the protocol that eminates from the United Kingdom.
The Republic of Ireland – is a member of the European Union, their money is the Euro (€), their flag is the tricolour and they have their own goverment, parliament and rules.
Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland are two different countries. I did not know that and when you travel from north to south there are no border posts.
Aftermath of a car bomb
We did this trip in 2010 and it was painfully obvious Ireland was having a financial melt down. The owners of the guest houses we stayed in were furious with their finance minister and government for getting the Irish people into such a mess. The newspapers were lampooning Irish politicians. We heard all about the boom era when the – Celtic Tiger – loomed large. On our road trip we saw big fancy country houses, the sort you see in American soap operas – except they were abandoned. Clearly people had over extended themselves and were unable to continue with their lavish lifstyles.
Loyalist wall mural Derry
And -‘The Troubles’ although mostly over – are not forgotten. We couldn’t help but notice buildings that had been ravaged by bomb blasts and boarded up. They stood in sharp contrast right next to buildings that had been re-built and restored. This was more evident in Belfast and Derry (Londonderry).
The reason Derry (Londonderry) has two names is a hangover from Loyalists (Northern Ireland) who are pro Britain and call it Londonderry and the Republicans (The Republic of Ireland) who are pro independance and call it Derry.
We saw kerbstones painted red, white and blue in Loyalist communities. And just two blocks away kerbstones were painted orange, green and white in Republican neighbourhoods. A car bomb exploded outside a furniture shop in Derry while we were there, but the damage was contained. And to be fair, these incidents are rare today. I think the reason the tensions don’t erupt as much anymore is testament to the will of the Irish people. They really want to move on from their difficult past.
Celtic crosses on Aran Island
I was fascinated by the history of the Irish people and found the similarities between the displaced people of Ireland not unsimilar to what happened in my home country South Africa. The Loyalists, mostly Catholics, are the indigenous people of Ireland. They were displaced by the Republicans, mostly Protestants, who were British settlers.
Medieval crockery for banquet at Bunratty Castle
We learned that a million Irish people died of starvation in the – Great -Famine – while food was being exported across to Britain. Horrific. Over a million Irish people emigrated from Ireland to avoid certain death and many Americans have strong links to Ireland.
We encountered lots of Americans at the breakfast tables in the guesthouses. On our night out at Bunratty Castle we met people from just about every American state. Americans come over to explore their roots and do much what we did, a mad dash across Ireland. Nearly every president of the USA has Irish ancestry. America played a part in the liberation of Ireland from Britain. Read more about Irish American presidents here
Giants Causeway in Antrim
In – Part 2 – I chat about people, best time to visit, planning a road trip, Belfast and Derry and in – Part 3 – t talk about what to do inDublin, Galway, Aran Islands, Kerry, Cork and mention the Druids.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
Am coming to the end of my second month in the UK. Just arrived in Derry or Londonderry as it is also known. Spent the last two nights in Belfast. I always wonder when I come across a place name in the UK that has a counterpart in South Africa, did the settlers originate from those places? South Africa has a Belfast, an Aberdeen, a Dundee, East London, and loads more British place names.
I took a photo of Mc Clure Street in Belfast. My great grandfather came from Belfast and was a Mc Clure. Could he have walked here?
Belfast and Londonderry or Derry are well know for the violence during the time of “the troubles” in Ireland. We often think in South Africa we are the only ones who have ever had problems. It’s sobering to see photos taken during the time when life was not so great in this part of the world. These two cities resembled war zones. Our troubles in SA didn’t take as much of a toll on our buildings and homes.
A lot of effort has gone into repairing the old structures and rebuilding these two cities. There is a strange juxtaposition of boarded up shells of bombed buildings and untouched, repaired or brand new buildings. Even more effort has gone into repairing the soul of a war weary nation. People here want you to like them. They so badly want to put the past behind them. And you can’t help but want that too.
I hope we are like that.