RS Best of Ireland, Aug. 11-24

Saturday in Dublin: We had a long ramble around the central city, led by a loquacious historian (“Irish history is an argument without end”), a highlight of which was a visit to Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells. Popular place, indeed. I loved the Long Room, from which the thousands of books are being “decanted” so the place can be made more atmospherically suitable for aged volumes. To a book lover, it’s stunning. (All the books have now been removed.)

Along the way, we passed a spontaneous shrine to Sinead O’Connor, and after our history lesson concluded, I walked back to the hotel, passing the famous Molly Malone statue, which many people seem to enjoy groping as they’re photographed with it. Huh.

I walked over to the nearby, free archeological museum to gawk at some Viking jewelry and survey the “bog bodies.” At this point, my brain rebelled, and I recharged with a lovely, leisurely, late lunch at Etto, a small restaurant with stylish and delicious food and a fine curated wine list. Also, a wine tap! After an alcohol-assisted nap, I started packing for Sunday’s morning departure. Later, I found some tour folks in the lounge and wrapped up the day with conversation, a glass of Syrah and a tasty cheese plate.

Exiting Dublin, Sunday: We left early for a visit to Kilmainham Gaol, and a sadder place it’s hard to imagine. The Office of Public Works guide was a good storyteller who brought the prison’s long history to life. The “modern” part of the prison has been featured in movies, and it’s a grand Victorian panopticon structure with an ornate spiral staircase. That’s balanced, or, more accurately, overcome, by the tiny old cells that housed the leaders of the 1916 Rising and the prison yard where firing squads brought an end to their lives, and others’.

Whew. On we went to the Rock of Cashel, which is a gorgeous ruin with a long and layered history. Chieftains, kings, bishops, politics, the usual suspects.

The end of the day brought us to Kinsale, a beautiful seaside village in County Cork, with upscale shops for the yachting and golfing visitors, a few pubs with live music and restaurants that range from tandoori takeout to Michelin starred. It’s charming and colorful, with winding streets and a harbor with a 10-foot tide that leaves boats stranded. The village is trying to win Ireland’s “tidiest town” competition, so there are lots of planters overflowing with flowers and everything is spruced up. After dinner, some of us spent a little time in a rowdy pub for drinks and some music that included my least-liked song of all time. Yes, Sweet Caroline. With singalong.

Our hotel was Friar’s Lodge, a little dated but sweet and nicely located. The proprietors put out a decanter of sherry in the lounge for guests, and breakfast was nicely done.

Kinsale, Monday: We had a wander through town with Barry Moloney, a charming local history buff and storyteller, and learned a lot about Kinsale, including its connection with the Lusitania. (It went down just offshore and the inquest was held here). There’s a staircase tribute to the pirate Anne Bonny (born in Charleston, btw), a little faerie door, a small mountain of empty beer kegs and the historic nearby Charles Fort. We went for the first of many visits we’d make to forts in ruins. Kinsale is famous for the 1601 siege that ended in England’s victory and domination of the chieftains who’d later leave the country in an event remembered as the Flight of the Arrows or Flight of the Earls. It’s a seminal event that would come up again as we traveled. I was frequently reminded how little I knew of Irish history aside from the Potato Famine and the Troubles.) Lunch was a delicious lobster roll at a food shack once called the Lusitania Grill. (It’s called Food U, down at the pier.) Lovely town, this.

We discovered the next morning that five tour members – three retired school teachers from California and a couple from Kentucky – were not continuing, because Covid. They wouldn’t be the last to leave us.

Tuesday, to Dingle: We set out for a long day of travel and learned we’d lucked into the annual fair day at nearby Kenmare, so we made an unscheduled stop and spent about an hour wandering. This fair dates to about 1760! In the old days it was a two-day affair, with livestock on the first and food, etc. on the second. There’s still some livestock and the usual street fair tchotchkes.

Onward, to the sheep farm for a demonstration of herding by a very determined border collie named, I think, Glenna. She’s guided by whistles from her owner, and she ran a group of black-faced Scottish mountain sheep around on command. We also saw a sheep shearing and learned the price of wool is way, way down. This puzzled me, as there were so many sheep around, so I did some googling and learned that many of them are bound for EU supermarkets and butcher shops.

Next, we stopped at Muckross House for a wander through its beautiful Victorian gardens and optional tour of the house itself. Apparently the family spent itself into bankruptcy preparing for a visit by Queen Victoria, thus the house was donated to the government. I liked seeing it, as, unlike castles, it’s easy to imagine people actually living in it.

After a stop at Inch Beach (photo opportunity and a chance to revel in the glorious weather), we reached Dingle, where we’re staying in a beautiful bed & breakfast. I was in Castlewood House, and others were next door at a similarly elegant B&B. They’re owned by brothers. After dinner together, our guide surprised us with a brief house concert by two local musicians. A full day and more.

Wednesday, Dingle: We began the day (after a fantastic breakfast) with a visit to Dingle Crystal to watch a master craftsman demonstrate the transformation of plain crystal into cut crystal. He’s been doing this since he was a teenager, first at Waterford and now in a family business. With a great display of willpower, I did not buy any of his beautiful glasses, vases and whatnot.

Next, we collected our local guide, Tim, a former policeman, for a trip along Slea Head Drive, a long and winding (and very narrow) road with breathtaking scenery and lots of history, especially regarding what Tim called “The Great Hunger,” that is, the potato famine of 1845-50. There are lots of stone walls and other projects the government organized as make-work. They paid a penny for a day’s effort, hence the many enduring “penny walls.” Also, Ryan’s Daughter was filmed here in the late ‘60s, and scenes from a Star Wars movie more recently.

Onward to the Blasket Centre to learn about Great Blasket Island and the generations who scratched out a living by fishing and farming until the last few people left in 1953. The island has a robust literary legacy, though I confess this is my first inkling of the place. Finally, one more stop to see the Gallarus Oratory, a small stone building discovered in 1756. There’s no consensus as to its origin, but it’s remarkably well preserved. By now, it was 2 p.m., and I was tired and hungry. So, lunch, a lazy afternoon and then a very Dingle dinner (fish and chips at the bar of John Bennys, a local pub). The weather was glorious (unusually so, according to the locals). There’s rain and wind in the forecast.

Thursday, Dingle, last day in this lovely town: This is the typical RS free day; I’d booked an archaeological field trip with Mícheál O Coileain before the trip, which was a good thing, as the little van was full and several people on my trip were unable to join. He’s a teacher-turned-archaeologist and the son of Tim, our guide the day before.

We began at Burnham House, now a boarding school for girls that teaches everything in Irish (Gaelic), once run by nuns. It was the estate of a British family who took up residence here in the wake of Oliver Cromwell’s assault on the Roman Catholic locals in the name of the king and Protestant rule. Long, painful story that’s referenced frequently as “colonialists” cast such a long shadow. Just down the lane, there’s a collection of stones (discovered elsewhere and planted here) that speak to the earliest days of written language, a series of symbols that represent letters. They’re called Ogham stones.

On we went, along the narrow winding Slea Head Drive, stopping at an overlook and then crossing the road to a third-generation farm that is home to a number of beehive huts and baby lambs for the petting. The huts are very old, built without mortar and reminded me of the sassi I saw in Alberobello in April. The building technique is called drystone corbeling; as the stones are laid, the opening narrows until it can be covered with a single flat stone.

Mícheàl was a fine storyteller and fearless driver, zooming around curves with elan! Our last stop was the Reask Monastic Site, of which little is known. They think a small number of religious men and/or women lived here, in isolation.

The beautiful weather is a thing of the past; today is blustery and spitting rain now and then.
I’d made a dinner reservation for Fenton’s and bundled into my rain jacket to make my way into town for what turned out to be a fine dinner. For dessert, I had a pavlova that was outrageously sized and absolutely delicious. Two French children seated near me were agog as it was brought out.

Next, we head to Galway, by way of the Cliffs of Moher. Forecast: Irish weather, cloudy, windy and rainy. Carry on!
Oh, and our traveling group is now down to 17, from the starting 28. Covid. I’m feeling fine, but this is a sobering reminder. Ireland doesn’t have any restrictions but the Rick Steves policy is that anyone testing positive on tour must leave. You also have to be fully vaccinated.

Friday, to Galway via the Wild Atlantic Way: We hauled out of Dingle early for a long day of travel on narrow, winding, two-lane roads along the coastline. First through Tralee, then crossing the River Shannon by ferry, then to the spectacular geologic formation that is the Cliffs of Moher. Said to be the most popular such site in Ireland, it was packed with visitors. I walked both steep, windy paths to see the cliffs from both sides, then retreated to the very busy visitors center for a bite and a break.

Next we traveled through the Burren, a long stretch of limestone formations along the seaside that reminded me a bit of the lava fields around Kona. There were a couple of wild mountain goats climbing the rocks where we stopped and, of course, a couple of boys trying to pet them.

More narrow, twisty roads led us to Galway, our way station for tonight and the next. We stayed at the House Hotel (along with other, larger tour groups). We took a seriously rainy walk to a nice restaurant for a group dinner and then called it a night. Saturday we’re off to Inishmore, one of the Aran islands. Forecast is wind and rain. Ah, Ireland.

Saturday, Galway and Inishmore, Aran Islands: We awoke to pouring rain, and I expected the worst, but once again, Ireland surprised me. We drove along Galway Bay and admired the jumble of whitecaps and the occasional sighting of a Galway hooker (that’s a boat) then detoured down a little road to see ruins of a barracks and a pier. Lots of seaweed that used to be harvested and processed to yield iodine.

On to the ferry for a notably rough ride of about 45 minutes (a crew member walked around offering seasick bags; none actually used, thank goodness), landing at Inishmore, the largest of the three Aran Islands. We split into two groups and piled into vans to tour around the island. It wasn’t raining!!

We raced (really!) to our guide’s favorite lunch spot to beat the crowd. (It worked; when we left, there was a long queue.) I had an Aran crab salad, which was fresh and delicious, and a piece of dense, rich chocolate cake. Fortified, we set off to climb the long rocky slope up to Dùn Aonghasa, the remnants of a cliffside ring fort. The views are spectacular and the footing treacherous, with so many stones poking through the grass. The Arans are of the same geology as the Burren. One young couple climbed onto a ledge to take photos, a dangerous pursuit in such gusty and strong winds. I mentioned it to a staff member as I left; he shrugged and said, “They’re adults.” I said, “Natural selection?” He nodded.

On we went with Tom, our local driver/guide. A character, as you might expect. Things he told us: Inishmore has 800 residents, four schools, one bank open one day a week, four pubs, three Catholic Churches, one priest. Along the way we stopped at the ruins of seven churches, drove the winding thread of the seaside road, spotted a few seals lounging on the rocks, heard about movies filmed here and more. It’s a lovely remote island that’s inundated by visitors during travel season.

The return ferry ride was smoother, and we found Galway on Saturday evening to be humming with people out and about for a good time. Many of us headed to a nearby Italian restaurant for pizza and red wine. A little souvenir shopping, and I called it a night. I liked Galway and could easily have spent more time there.

We’re heading to Westport, minus two sisters who’ve tested positive for Covid. The same thing happened to them last year on a RS tour; if you ask me, the universe should give them a break. Our group size is now 15.

Sunday, to Westport: Today’s excellent Irish adventure started with a visit to tiny Cong, famous as the filming site for The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara (note to self: watch) and beautiful Ashford Castle, now a super swanky hotel. Its grounds are gorgeous; it was once owned by a Guinness who was in love with trees and planted a bunch of them. But I digress! There’s a falconry school, and we all got to fly an amenable Harris hawk. Her name is Putog, Irish for black pudding. It was an amazing experience. Cong also has a beautiful modern church with three Harry Clark stained glass windows. I’d missed other chances to see his work, so this was a treat.

On the way Westport, we stopped for a pub lunch along Ireland’s only fjord, then stopped to admire a waterfall and finally a brief look at the haunting famine memorial.

At our family-run hotel (Clew Bay Hotel, again a bit dated but fine), we learned a bit about the history (and excellence) of Irish whiskey and then had a lesson on making proper Irish coffee. Finally, an Irish dinner (boxty and beef stew) and a good night.

Monday, on the move: We loaded up and left Westport early for a long, full day on the road. Driving toward Sligo, we listened to an actor reading Yeats (synonymous with the town, as shown by the Yeats Gastro Pub, his burial site, etc.) Later in the day, we’d hear some Seamus Heaney poems. We stopped for a coffee break and discovered that gas stations have mini-laundromats, and crisps (potato chips to us) come in astonishing flavors. Huh.

Onward, we once again went “off piste,” as our guide liked to say, taking a detour through the beautiful little village Mulloghmore, where Lord Mountbatten summered in a castle built by his father-in-law, Lord Palmerston, and where he ultimately was killed by an IRA bomb remotely triggered in his fishing boat. We stopped at the cliff overlooking the castle, the sea, some amazing geological formations and some grazing sheep for morning shots of Bailey’s in a gale-force wind. Super fun.

Now to Donegal town, famed for the “Flight of the Arrows,” or end of the old Gaelic order, when two earls and 90 followers went into permanent exile. It’s complicated, as is all of Irish history. At least to me. Anyhow, Donegal is also famous for its tweed and history of hand weaving this beautiful fabric. There are two posh shops here with beautifully tailored clothing and sweaters. I’m now acquainted with both of them. Donegal also has a very nice, not very big castle that you can see in about 20 minutes and some imposing churches. Plus organic eateries and pubs. Lovely place, indeed.

More driving, and we landed in Derry for a few hours and a tour with a young city guide who sees her hometown through rose-colored glasses. The various murals at places marked by heartbreaking violence during The Troubles are striking, as are the Peace Bridge, which I walked, and the Guild Hall, I.e. city hall. Note to self: Must watch Derry Girls.

Our overnight stop is the shabby seaside town of Portrush, host of the 2025 Open Championship, which we nongolfers call the British Open. The town has a very nice beach, but that’s about it. I awakened Tuesday to the sounds of screeching seagulls, which is kind of nice. This is the last year tours will stay at the Portrush Atlantic Hotel, and that’s a good thing. I didn’t care for the town, or the hotel, which was hosting a Very Big Tour Group as well as us. This was also our only significant bag drag, as the hotel hadn’t cleared a spot for the bus when we arrived.

Next, we head to Belfast and the last two days of the trip. We’re holding at 15 people, with nobody claimed as Covid tribute for two days.

Tuesday, on to Belfast, by way of the Giant’s Causeway and another castle ruin: We left Portrush without looking back (we’ll all have comments about this in the tour surveys) and hurried to the Giants Causeway to be the first group there. It’s an incredible formation of basalt columns that time and varying temperature have molded into heptagons and octagons and smaller stones with convex and concave surfaces that are nicknamed balls and sockets.

We’ve seen so many beautiful coastlines as we’ve circled Ireland. This one stands out for the unique forms and cliffside positioning and utter scale. Some people climbed way upon the columns (you can move from step to step) but I took the safer, less likely to tumble) path. The place was jammed with people as we left.

Off we went to Dunluce Castle to wander around its ruins and imagine life there long ago. From there, a short drive to the utterly charming seaside town of Ballycastle, where many of us settled in at the Marine Inn for bowls of seafood chowder. OMG. We also stopped at a scenic overlook from which you can see Scotland, about 11 miles across the Irish Sea.

That nice lunch made us all rather sleepy for the ride into Belfast, where we took a slow turn through the sectarian neighborhoods to see the fences and murals that call back to The Troubles and their enduring impact. I can’t help thinking that if Catherine of Aragon had borne a son or two (who lived) to Henry VIII, England perhaps would have remained Catholic and the long road of Irish division and subjugation might have been avoided. or maybe not, because Spain was out there salivating over Ireland’s strategic location.

Anyhow, that’s for keener students of history to argue. We arrived at our nice big hotel, (Europa) a welcome change from what we experienced in Portrush, had dinner as a group and were treated to a private concert and performance by two lovely step dancers. I’m quite taken with the concertina. Super cool instrument.

Tomorrow’s all about Belfast, first the Titanic museum and then a walking tour with a guide who grew up here and finally one last dinner together. Our hardy group of 15!

Wednesday, last day in Belfast: An early start saw us stepping into the gigantic Titanic Experience, which is multiple levels of exhibits about Belfast’s industry, lots of detail on the building of the ship, including reproductions of cabins, and incredible detail on the fateful voyage, the survivors and rescue attempts and the search for the wreckage. The audio and video are great, and I’m reconsidering my status as a person who has never seen the movie.

Moving on, we took one last ride with Mark, our driver, and met up with Lynn, who’s from Belfast and is both a city guide and a Rick Steves guide, for a walk through the oldest part of the city. She’s also the only authorized Van Morrison tour guide in the city, so we had a chat about him and his music.

We visited an organization devoted to the Ulster Scots, who were Presbyterians “planted” in Ireland hundreds of years ago and learned that many of them emigrated to the States and played big roles in our history— signatories of the Declaration of Independence, for example. Dolly Parton has Scots-Irish roots! We made a spontaneous stop at a one-room museum to learn about the city during World War II and wrapped up at city hall, an enormous pastiche of architectural styles, then headed our separate ways for the afternoon before gathering for a final dinner together. We also took a brief diversion, as our guide Joe liked to say, to the top-floor bar of a high rise hotel to admire the city from above.

I called it an early night because I had to catch a 5:40 a.m. express bus to the airport in Dublin, which has a US preclearance facility, meaning you go through passport control and customs before you get on the plane. Very convenient!

Our guide was a heady and eclectic fellow who talked about things like subconscious socialization, the Protestant ascendancy, psycho-geography, inter-connectivity, the psychological imprint of the past. I’d kept a list (language lover here) and read it to the group at the final dinner.

Best of Ireland is a good tour that covers a lot of ground and offers an overview of Ireland’s complicated, layered history and the lingering effects of long-ago events. Our group was congenial, our guide memorable, and the weather suited me just fine. I like a cool, cloudy day.

If you’ve made it this far, many thanks. Happy to answer questions and welcome your comments.

Thanks for an excellent report that had me reliving my past trips to Ireland. Sounds like you had a wonderful time, but oh, all those poor people who got Covid. You must have been counting your lucky stars that you didn’t get it.

Fun report! I took this tour in 2008, it had a mostly similar itinerary and you even had some of the same local guides (Barry Maloney was a definite favorite). Kinsale is apparently always trying to win the tidy town contest! Interesting to read about the COVID impact since I have a tour coming up. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Excellent trip report! Thank you for taking the time to put it all down. Ireland is so rich in history. And yes, those poor tour members who had to leave the group. Covid just won’t quit.

Great trip report! It brought back memories of a long ago trip to Ireland. Hoping to go back in 2025.

Thank you for your report. While I have not taken this tour, I love Ireland!🇮🇪🇮🇪. I’m sorry your tour was impacted by covid. Just reinforces to me why I will not take an RS tour if there is a chance to be dismissed.

Super interesting to read your itinerary. I have done Dublin and Northern Ireland/Donegal but nothing else in the Republic. Really want to see the south and western coast. Aran Islands sound amazing but I would have to be fully loaded up on seasick meds to make that voyage. Would love to get onto one of the national heritage trails for a few miles on one of the days that the tour allows free time. Donegal was gorgeous and I really enjoyed our time there when we crossed over to that area from where we were staying in Derry. Your report very much makes me want to return. Don't feel like I've seen nearly enough of Ireland.

I took this tour in 2017 and it was so fun to relive it through your eyes. Thanks for the great report.

What a wonderful trip report! We will be traveling to Ireland for the BOI tour beginning August 11th 2024. Reading your report makes me even more excited about our trip. Thank you so much for sharing the details, weather, sites, restaurants and hotels. I very much appreciate it. Linda, TX / Nam

Just reinforces to me why I will not take an RS tour if there is a chance to be dismissed.

Me, too. We did it last year, and it put a damper on the tour because of that fear (I'm not faulting RS for their policy, because they need to do what they think is best for them and their tour members).

Great report! We did Ireland in 2019 with a smaller tour group (13 of us in a van with most of really sick in the immediate days after we ended the tour). We hit a lot of the same sites, but hiked a lot, too. The Irelands are a beautiful vacation destination.

Stellar report. Thanks for sharing. Brought back wonderful memories of my visits to NI and Eire.

Yes, to drink the Nectar of The Gods you need to let it settle.

Slainte

Thanks for this interesting report. I did the same tour, with the same hotels (but different guide and driver) in May 2022. I think we had better weather than you did in August! But we started and ended with 26 members, thankfully.

Thanks for the effort of doing such a complete trip report. It does certainly makes the longer Irish tour look great. I vacillate between the two they offer thinking I would fill in with more time in the Republic on my own as well.

Can I ask if people started masking during the bus time after the first Covid drop outs? That was an incredible % of people affected on 1 tour. Glad you made it through.

@Lyndash After the first Covid exit, many of the remaining tour members did mask on the bus and in crowded indoor situations, but not everyone, and not consistently as the days went on.

Very enjoyable and well-written report! Reinforces my regret at not doing the full Ireland tour back in 2017 when I did the shorter 8 day version. It was excellent but only covered the Republic portion.

Sorry for the heavy impact of Covid. My Southern England tour, 4/24-5/06, lost 2 people to Covid. Actually only 1 woman tested positive but her travel companion mother left the tour also. I’m leaving tomorrow for the My Way Alpine tour, 9/18-9/29, and hoping for completely good health for me and all tour members.

I enjoyed your tour report. We did this tour last year. I am glad to hear that they are ditching that dreadful Portrush hotel and location. Hopefully the replacement will be better. I am sorry you had such poor weather but it is Ireland as you say. We were fortunate to have sunshine with a couple of exceptions - the ferry back from Inishmore and one night in Galway. Our guide Lolly told us that we had used up all of Ireland’s sunshine and that her next tour group would get nothing but lashing rain. LOL! We lost four tour members to covid last year on that tour. I am surprised we didn’t lose more. You lost half your group. I am glad to know that you made it through without getting sick. We did four RS tours last year and lost 6 tour members in all to covid. This is a good reminder that covid is still with us. We have all gotten a bit lax about masking. We will all be vaxxing for a long time I’m afraid.

I enjoyed your report, and yes, do watch Derry Girls - it's great!

What a wonderful detailed report! I hope you enjoyed re-living as much we can enjoy reading!

It is certainly sobering that your group was all but halved by Covid. The number of tour reports citing similar situations surprises me - which just shows how naive I am, I think.

I traveled through three countries in Scandinavia in July. Two of us, public transport, trains, multiple airplanes, taxis. We stayed fully healthy, not a sniffle or cough. Earlier this year, I was in Asia and have had multiple stays away from home in various US locations, solo or with one family member. No illness. Apparently the continued exposure to the same folks on a tour with a shared bus and meals is more likely to lead to a covid situation? I've never done a guided tour, are outbreaks of colds/coughs/flu common?