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Best little village in Ireland...Slane

After touring all over Ireland, we finally chose to be close to Dublin for the last week of our trip. We plopped ourselves in the little village of Slane after finding the perfect AirBnb home (The Garden Mews) a 5 minute walk from the village. Each night, we end our day at Boyle's Pub where we watch soccer, have a pint with the locals or listen to Irish music. Whatever is happening in the pub is happening with us. We were welcomed immediately and became family and friends before we knew it. Tonight we will head back to Boyle's and Andrew, the owner, will accommodate us with the New England Patriot's game on the big screen. Andrew enjoys American football as well.

For a wonderful lunch in Slane, try Hugo's Farm Shop which specializes in local and organic produce and products. Hugo's sandwiches are wonderful and made fresh daily. For dinner, the only choice was the local hotel and we were not disappointed. Its a small village with more than enough to offer. From Slane you can visit many wonderful attractions in the local area and beyond.

This is a village you won't be disappointed in.

Posted by
545 posts

Thanks for the note.

After five visits to Ireland, my favorite village is Cloghane, Kerry, on the Dingle Peninsula. A lot of Americans and Europeans have visited Dingle, but they usually go to Dingletown on the South Coast along Dingle Bay and bypass the charming villages. Cloghane does not get a lot of visitors because it's on the North Coast along the Atlantic Ocean and sits in the shadow of Mount Brandon, the eighth tallest in Ireland. A couple years ago, I spent a night in the Benagh Bed and Breakfast in Cloghane as part of a 100-mile-long hike on the Dingle Way trail (http://www.dingleway.com/).

I was worn down after a day of hiking about 15 to 20 miles, including up and down Brandon, and didn't look forward to walking one step more, even to a place for dinner. My hosts understood without asking and drove me to a restaurant for dinner. Prior to dinner, I had a 20-minute conversation with the bar tender, who treated me like President Roosevelt because I was American. My hosts had instructed me to call them after I was done with dinner. I felt like I was imposing, but called them as instructed, and they were in front of the restaurant five minutes later in the car. That evening, the lady of the house and I talked for at least two hours while watching TV. She never tired of the chattering American. I had noticed on the trail that I had gotten a tick in my leg and couldn't remove it, so the next morning my hosts drove me 10 miles to a physician. Cloghane is warm and friendly and has breathtaking views of the Atlantic.

I'll keep Slane in mind for my next visit to Ireland. If your hosts had had the Chicago Cubs on the TV, I'd be there tomorrow.

Posted by
346 posts

Thank you both for these recommendations. Sounds like two places we will visit on our next trip to ireland.