Part 1: Ireland
Our trip started off in with 10 days in Ireland at the end of June for my sister-in-law’s wedding. My husband and I did almost all the trip planning, as my in-laws traveled with us, along with our two year old son. We flew from Seattle to London on Virgin Atlantic, and then flew to Dublin on Aer Lingus. I was really impressed with Virgin Atlantic. The plane was comfortable, the meals were decent, and the crew was fantastic. Though I was nervous about flying for that long with a two year old, he did a great job and exceeded my expectations. I don't want to get too wordy about flying with a toddler, but feel free to ask if anyone has questions!
We arrived in Dublin in the late afternoon and picked up our rental car at the airport. We had rented a minivan which was perfect for our group of 5. My husband did all the driving, and he maneuvered us into Dublin and we found our Airbnb. It was very warm when we arrived in Dublin, around 80 degrees. After dinner at a pub and a few pints of Guinness, we all crashed early as we all got very little sleep on the flight.
The next morning we drove across Ireland to Doolin, where we would stay for the wedding. We spent 3 nights in Doolin and the wedding was on the Cliffs of Moher, with the reception in Kilfenora. The wedding was stunning and the weather was mild and overcast, which was a relief! Most of our time in Doolin was spent on wedding festivities, but we enjoyed the beautiful area and made it out to a night of live music at one of the pubs (thanks to my in-laws for babysitting!).
After Doolin we drove to Dingle (via the route with the ferry) for 3 nights, which I absolutely loved. We all did the Slea Head drive using the guided tour in the RS Ireland book, went to the playground daily (fantastic), visited the Oceanworld aquarium (especially fun for the 2 year old) and checked out a few pubs. Dick Mack’s was quite the raucous place, but my favorite was O’Sullivan’s Court House pub due the relaxed vibe and great music. After Dingle we started to make our way back to Dublin, with a one night stopover near Kilkenny. We spent a night at the Lawcus Farm Guesthouse, and my only regret is that we didn’t stay there for two nights (or longer). It was by far my favorite place we stayed (the rest were Airbnbs). The farm is beautiful, the animals were a hit with our son, and Mark and Ann-Marie were two of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. We enjoyed exploring the farm and hearing the history of the property. We also explored Kell’s Priory and visited the Kilkenny Castle before hitting the road back to Dublin to return the rental car.
We capped off our time in Ireland with two nights in Dublin. This was the rainiest part of our trip, but we enjoyed the Trinity College walking tour and Book of Kells, as well as catching up with an old friend who had just moved there.
Final thoughts on Ireland:
I had never been to Ireland, and truthfully I was not expecting to love it so much. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined, the people were incredibly friendly, and it was a great place to travel with a child. We had nice mild weather most of the time, with some days very warm, and some rainy days. Packing a variety of clothes is key. We stayed mostly in Airbnbs due to the size of our group, and they were fine. If we went back, I'd love to stay in small, family run hotels and BNBs. I liked Dublin, but truly loved exploring the smaller towns. Having a car worked really well for us, especially traveling with a child. I cannot wait to return someday!
After Ireland, my (brave and absolutely wonderful) in-laws flew home with our two year old son, and we flew to Rome and then London!