Just returned from seven sunny(ish) days in Ireland!
My wife and I had a week off in February and last fall, I asked, "how about we go to Ireland for our break in February?" To my surprise my wife was ALL in. She always said that Ireland was on the tops of her bucket list, so why after 25 years years together was I surprised?!?
We took a flight leaving Thursday night from SEA--Dublin via Heathrow on British Air. Flight left Seattle late, so we missed our connection at Heathrow. British Air did a fantastic job of getting us to Dublin with tickets waiting when we got off the plane. Arrived in Dublin a bit later than planned and caught an aircoach into the city (8E/each). We stayed the night at Trinity Townhomes between Trinity college and St Stephens Green. We dropped our stuff at the hotel and went to find a quick bite. This being Friday night, things were a bit busy.
Next morning, we ate a lovely breakfast (!) at our hotel and then took an uber to the AVIS rental near the jail. Picked up our automatic car and headed towards Dingle. We were glad NOT to have rented a car Friday night as there would have been MANY challenges--sleep deprived, RH drive, LH of the road, busy city streets.
Drive to Dingle took better part of our day. We did stop at the Obama gas station--what a weird deal that is! Got into Dingle late afternoon, driving through Connor Pass in dense fog. We stayed at Dingle Garden Townhomes and loved it! It is a 200 year old school house that has been updated into a beautiful, modern B & B. Wonderful staff and GREAT breakfasts every morning. Dingle is an absolute dream- it is everything Rick says it is. Saturday night was ripping a bit as schools were apparently out the week before. Pubs were hopping with lively music and lots of people having fun. We grabbed a late lunch at the Reel Dingle fish and then spent the night at Dick Mack's.
We explored the town on the 18th and as people left, it sure slowed down! The 19th we did the Slea Head drive--fantastic day trip. On the 20th, we left for Galway via the Cliffs of Moher. We often say that there are few places that exceed the sites on the Oregon Coast but the Cliffs have to be one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. I think we could have stayed somewhere nearby (Doolin?) and been just fine with an additional day there! Instead, we finished the day in Galway, staying at the Hardiman.
We weren't initially blown away by Galway but the longer we stayed, the more it grew on us. We walked the town on the 21st, exploring the tourist area. Ate at Ard Bia by the Spanish arch and LOVED it! Spent the night at Tig Coili again listening to great local music.
On the 22nd, we headed back to Dublin--a quick 2+hour trip. We did the part one Dublin walk--a bit long but hits a LOT of the sites. Ate dinner at Davy Byrnes. The 23rd, we started our day at EPIC with an appointment with a genealogist. We didn't make the connection to Viscount Mountjoy that we were hoping but I will keep working on it! We did the museum and thought it was very well done--about a two hour visit. We then did the day 2 Dublin walk up O'Connell street. We stopped at the Jameson Distillery Bow St. for a couple drinks but did not do the tour. Ate at O'Flaherty's Pub and listened to still yet more music.
Flew direct back to Seattle on Aer Lingus on Saturday--the sun chased us all day!
Closing thoughts. 1) We loved everything about our trip. The weather was absolutely perfect--we heard the rain at night and saw a bit from the car but NEVER felt it on us--Quite an accomplishment in February! 2) Car was essential for our plans--it isn't that big a deal to actually drive in Ireland. 3) We liked the pace of our trip. We have learned that we need to go a bit slower than some--so staying 2-3 nights instead of moving nightly is essential for us to get the most out of trip.