Shopping in Ireland

They have some great wool sweaters, caps and hats. The best will be from a shop in a small town rather than a chain store in a mall.

I don't know about any specifically plus size shops but they may have them. I do know that most of the good shops that sell woolen items - sweaters, shawls, scarves etc - usually do have large sizes. For sweaters they often have unisex styles that work for both men and women and come in larger sizes. I'm a plus size and I bought a hand knit Aran sweater cardigan many years ago that I still just love. Good items will last a long time and make practical souvenirs. I would google for kids/toy stores in Dublin as I'm sure they have some dedicated shops for them, most European cities do.

I enjoyed visiting and lunching at Avoca on Suffolk St., Dublin. I love their woolen scarves. Whenever looking at Irish locations, I check if there is an Avoca nearby just in case.

If you go to their website, they seem to be focusing on their food, so hit the Shop Online section and go to scarves, for example, and scroll and scroll to see all the wonderful colorings. There is a small kids' section with scarves and hats. Cute.

Can't wait to go back. I know I could spend a bit of time there again.

I found tons of cute books for my niece and nephew (seriously, I had to control myself so that my suitcase wouldn’t get too heavy). If you see an Aran Sweater Market (I know they’re in Dublin & Killarney), check it out. They had a lot of sizes and variety.

I think there is an Ulla Popken store. This is a chain that is comparable to Lane Bryant. Also, Evans, which is a UK chain. If you just google "plus size clothing," you can usually find the smaller independent shops.

I enjoyed visiting the woolen mill in the town of Avoca. I assume it’s still open. Avoca is where the British TV series Ballykissangel was filmed and about an hour from Dublin.