Hello! I am in the States at last. I concluded my summer of European travels with a 2.5 week solo road trip through Ireland. This trip definitely broke the bank a bit (just renting an automatic car here costs around 1,000 Euros per week), but the daily magic that I experienced made up for it.
This country feels so cozy. It has just over five million inhabitants, sweater shops on every corner, and takes only two hours to drive across. It is full of meandering, narrow scenic drives along the coastline. You can look up, thinking you’re completely alone, only to realize that you’re surrounded by grazing animals. I initially came mainly for the lush landscapes, but I fell in love with the kind, warm people who took me under their wing as I traveled from city to city.
I felt like I could safely be myself without judgment here, a sentiment shared by many other travelers, and especially, travelers of color (thanks Caroline for sharing). I fell in love with Ireland, especially after learning about Ireland’s fight for independence from England and ongoing support for Palestine, the Black Lives Matter movement, and more.
For this trip writeup, I’m going to try organizing by day instead of by city. Enjoy!! 🙂
Saturday, August 27th
I landed in Dublin past midnight and took a taxi to the Jacobs Inn Hostel. My driver gave some advice about driving here, like how you actually have to obey the speed limit signs because there are hidden road scanners everywhere and only the taxi drivers know where they are.
I learned that it’s particularly expensive to stay in Dublin this weekend because tens of thousands of people have flown in to watch the Nebraska vs. Northwestern football game.
I got up, walked across the bridge, and stumbled upon Books Upstairs, Dublin’s oldest independent bookshop. You walk up a few flights of stairs to reach a cute cafe with big bay windows, and a bit more to reach their bathroom. I read Station Eleven without concern for the time, listening to the city wake up, then picked up a copy of Rachel Cusk’s Transit.
I wandered with a piping hot cornish pastry in hand from the Temple Bar area, swarming with Nebraska fans, to Saint Stephen’s Green , a park south of Trinity College full of beautiful floral arrangements. There, I noticed Pigeon Patrick sitting in a grove, with dozens of pigeons hopping on and around him. I sat down next to him, and he had me place some slices of bread on my lap to convince the pigeons to jump on me, too. A swan couple, mated for life, was resting nearby.
I got up and went to Beanhive Cafe, which has won awards for latte art. Their owner looks like the dad actor from Everything Everywhere All at Once. I befriended a meditation teacher from Nebraska, David, who was sitting next to me at the cafe. He walked me to my viewing appointment for the Long Room (which contains 200,000 books) and the Book of Kells.
The lack of sleep was starting to hit me, so I went back to the hostel to rest before grabbing some pho and meeting up with my friends Jasmine and Ian for a pint.
Sunday, August 28th
I’ve wanted to visit the village Howth since I read Ulysses this summer with friends. There’s a passage in the last few pages where Molly remembers her decision in Howth to say yes to go on a date with Leopold, her future husband.
I found a tour company called Shane’s Howth Hikes from this article.
I got up early to take a 30-minute train to Howth. I joined a mom and daughter, a solo traveler woman, two beautiful dogs, and our host Paul. We trekked through magnificent hills of heather and gorse, foraging for wild blackberries and crawling into megalithic burial monuments along the way.
I grabbed a massive garlicky hot dog before heading back to Dublin and spending the afternoon relaxing in my room.
I closed out the night with dinner at Kimchi Hophouse, a Korean restaurant inside a traditional Irish pub that Jasmine and Ian recommended. I tried their divine bibimbap, sipped on some Korean beer, and listened to my favorite, Olivia Rodrigo.
Monday, August 29th
Originally, I was supposed to leave Dublin today for my road trip, but Caroline, who studied abroad in Dublin, convinced me to stay one more day, to go with a tour bus up to Northern Ireland. I’m so grateful that she changed my mind.
I went with Wild Rover Tours, because they let you take a Black Cab Taxi Tour in the morning, and then see Giant’s Causeway in the afternoon, with a stop at a picturesque castle in between.
The black cabs in Belfast are the People’s Taxi. They came about when public transit was stopped in Belfast 50-60 years ago, and some men borrowed black taxis from London. They drive around without a sign on the roof, and their maximum fare is 1.90 Euros. Many taxi drivers were murdered during conflicts, since a lot of them were ex prisoners against British rule.
In addition to providing affordable rides around the city, many drivers give tours of the murals and peace walls from the Catholic side of the walls. Our guide for the tour was amazing. He had only started giving tours a few weeks ago, because he hadn’t been emotionally able to talk about his years in prison and fighting for Irish independence until then.
On this tour, I learned loads of information about the complex history of Catholic and Protestant conflict in Ireland, from someone who lived through it. Our guide helped me realize that I am really interested in alternative histories, that tell stories of the people instead of the conquerors and colonizers, so I borrowed a copy of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States after the tour.
In the second half of the day, I took a long trail down to the Giant’s Causeway, an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns. I walked out to the edge and sat amongst the columns, listening to a guide explain the legends behind the rock formations around us, like of the giant Finn McCool.
Tuesday, August 30th
Today, I went to an early morning spin class at Echelon, grabbed some mushroom toast at Tang, then checked out of the hostel.
I walked to the rental car pickup, only to realize that I had rented at a place that doesn’t allow drivers under 25. I felt panic setting in, since most of my reservations were nonrefundable at this point. But Jillian at the front desk saved the day. She gave me a map with her favorite places in Ireland circled, then handed me a slip of paper with the contact info for her friends at Sixt, which does rent to drivers under 25.
I took a taxi to the airport to go find my new car. My taxi driver, who has two daughters my age, decided to adopt me as his American daughter.
Sixt hooked me up with a nice car for my troubles. After a few minutes of getting adjusted to the reversed gas and brake pedals, I was off to Galway! I’m so grateful that my car had lane assist and Apple CarPlay. For the first thirty minutes, the lane assist kicked in every few seconds, because I was used to driving on the right side of the road. Despite swerving around and navigating some tricky highway on ramps, I got used to driving on the left pretty quickly. I made it to Galway in one piece.
I checked into the Kinlay Hostel, where I signed up for their daily pub crawl with the other hostels in town. I attended lab for my climate change class with Terra.do, then headed out to explore.
I grabbed early dinner at Papa Rich and talked about sneakers with my waiter, who noticed my New Balance Protection Packs. Then I stopped by a board game shop Dungeons & Donuts, where the owner also makes game-inspired donuts. I tried walking up the stairs to a joke shop, but the joke was on me, because the joke shop was closed for the week.
I made it back to the hostel for our 7:45 PM pub crawl meetup. The group was eclectic, and I felt a mix of exhausted and super awkward that night. But, I decided to lean into it, to share stories and be authentic. At one bar, I was craving grapefruit, and the kind owner gave me like twenty free slices of grapefruit. I met a really cool small-scale farmer from Texas who talked about defending his right to water on his land, and how he is thinking of moving to Ireland because climate change is so negatively impacting his crops. I headed home after checking out our sleepy last stop, and stayed up late reading thanks to an earlier mug of Irish coffee.
Wednesday, August 31st
I set out early to drive to Rossaveel for a tour of Mungo Murphy’s Seaweed Company, which produces seaweed and is the only abalone farm in Ireland. We were supposed to be a group of five, but I was the only person who showed up. Sinead walked me around the coastline, stopping to introduce me to delicious halophytes, which are salt-loving plants. We talked about the boom in dairy production in Ireland since the abolition of milk quotas in the EU in 2015, which has led to increased algal blooms, water pollution, and methane emissions.
We walked from row to row of their abalone farm, where she explained their climate adaptation strategies. She painted a picture of potential futures for Ireland. Like how Ireland could shift to more diversified crops and local food systems and could move away from farming fish that need space to move, like salmon, to farming more suitable sea-life like abalone, and embracing plants that thrive in the salty coastline. And how the grid is in serious need of updating, because they can’t run their wind turbine when the grid goes down.
Sinead and her mother, who started the farm decades ago, prepared a multi-course tasting for me, including little cooked pieces of abalone meat and tempura sea lettuce. Around the picnic table, they shared more about their work to clear up myths around seaweed farming, and to reincorporate seaweed and other halophytes into the Irish diet, since these foods were branded as “famine foods” after the Great Hunger and fell out of favor in Irish kitchens.
As a parting gift, Sinead gave me the brilliant shell of the abalone I had eaten, along with recommendations for my next stops in my journey.
Then, I began my drive north to see the Kylemore Abbey. On the way, I noticed cars stopped on the side of the road. I pulled over as well and joined a group of Spanish tourists admiring a group of grazing sheep. I also stopped to take in the majesty of the Killary Fjord at the cafe The Misunderstood Heron.
Once at Kylemore, I immediately felt the deep peace of the place. I walked from end to end, learning about the all-girls school that used to be here, and snorting along with other visitors and two noisy pigs in the gardens.
I wish I had time to do the Diamond Hill hike in Connemara National Park, but I decided to push onwards to drive the scenic Sky Road loop. It looked liked a Microsoft Windows screensaver, bursting with color. I stopped at this viewpoint and stayed for over an hour. Two horses were hanging out nearby, so I fed them some grass and gave them some pets.
On my way back to Galway, I noticed my car was bouncing around a lot more. I passed it off as the road just getting bumpier, until my steering wheel started shaking a lot, and I realized I had a problem. I pulled off to the side of the highway amidst heavy smells of rubber. Through the smoke, I saw that my front left tire had completely exploded. Another driver noticed the smell of rubber right away and pulled over, lending me his phone to call roadside assistance.
He told me I was lucky, because if I had stopped a bit earlier, I could have pulled into a surprise ditch and flipped the car. He kept me company until we confirmed that someone would drive out to replace the tire. I spent the next two hours throwing rocks into the bog and watching them disappear, doing a Peloton Core workout, and calling Nick. A log trucker stopped by to check in because he had seen me an hour ago.
As the sun started to set, I grew more anxious, not wanting to drive on these poorly lit narrow roads in the dark. Right after I started to cry, a woman pulled over. She told me she was going to wait with me until the mechanic Tom arrived, because her daughter got a flat a few weeks ago in Dublin, and nobody had stopped to check in for over thirty minutes. We were wearing the same pair of On running shoes, and our conversation helped calm me down. Tom came, and we made a fun little crew, swatting away hordes of midges and shining flashlights for Tom to see. Tom followed behind me in his truck the whole drive home, to make sure I got back safely.
I got back minutes before an artisanal burger shop closed. Oh boy was that chicken sandwich good.
Thursday, September 1st
I took the morning nice and slow instead of driving far away to see a sheepdog demonstration, since I needed to stop by the auto repair shop to patch a second tire. I strolled to Ard Bia, a restaurant that Caroline recommended. I ordered crazy good breakfast tacos and pancakes. After I ordered, a waitress bumped into my table, which was actually an upcycled desk, knocking the drawer open. Inside, I found dozens of letters from since the restaurant first open over ten years ago. It’s called The Secret Drawer. Some messages were funny, like one dedication to PopEye’s fried chicken, while others were full of lessons about solo travel and finding yourself. I must have looked through the messages for over an hour, luxuriating in how connected they made me feel to other people. Smiling, I scribbled my own message onto a torn-out page of Transit and left it on the top of the pile.
So full that I had to open two jean buttons, I waddled under the Spanish Arch and onward to Sweater Shop. I picked this shop out of many options because its online catalog coincidentally featured photos of my friend’s older sister. I grabbed a beautiful blue sweater. Then, I went to Kindf_olk nearby and grabbed an iconic duck sweater and a rain jacket, to prepare for the upcoming week of rain.
As the cherry on top of my time in Galway, I headed to Juice Genie for a wake me up smoothie. We chatted about how it’s really tough to start a new food business without capital due to rising food costs and higher rent. Their team was experimenting with a popup brick-and-mortar store for the summer, but decided to return to a stall at weekend farmers markets only. A bakery around the corner that just won an award is closing permanently because it ran out of money. Despite their own struggles with money, the owner Claire gave my smoothie to me for free after hearing about my tire explosion ordeal.
Brimming with gratitude for the kindness of so many strangers, I left town, stopping briefly to fix my other tire before beginning a meandering drive to Doolin.
My first stop was Hazel Mountain Chocolate, which Sinead from the abalone farm recommended. I picked up a few delicious truffles and admired their beautiful cookbook before heading to the Burren Perfumery, Ireland’s oldest perfumery. I only found out about the perfumery from a road sign, but it was on the way! The women working in the shop walked me through all of their perfume lines. I grabbed some rose-hip essential oil and a few perfume samples to take home. Then, I strolled through their small garden and drank some tea while looking at a book about Irish wildflowers.
My next detour was to the ruins of a church, a few minutes off road. As I pulled up, I noticed a solo kitten perched in front of a tombstone. I got out of the car to try and pet it, but it hopped away. I was still really happy to see it, though, because I had wished a few days ago to meet a cat during my trip.
Soon after that, I came across dozens of cows and their owner. He was trying to move them to a different section of field, but instead of listening, they surrounded his truck, blocking him in. He got out to yell at them to move, but they just stood there, tails swinging, in no rush.
Kilshanny House was my last stop before reaching town. I almost passed it, but when I smelled it, I did a U-Turn and stopped to eat. I’m glad I stopped, because I ate an incredible dinner of crab claws bathed in garlic butter sauce, with french fries on the side.
During this dinner and on the way to the Airbnb, I felt inspired to pursue environmental freelance journalism in the future. I found a class on Catapult about profile writing and considered signing up.
Feeling content with my day, I bathed in the golden sunlight emanating through each room of my Airbnb, gazing out at the Doonagore Castle and the five donkeys in its backyard.
Friday, September 2nd
Today was an early morning, starting with a toastie from the Cheese Press, where I also picked up a beautiful pair of red earrings.
I met up with my tour group to walk the Cliffs of Moher, and we began our hike in some light rain. Our guide Lee moved to Ireland at the start of the pandemic, and is engaged to an Irish guy who is part of a touring folk band.
I love how one farmer convinced all the farmers with land that touches the Cliffs of Moher to open up the edges to the public for hiking. We got to walk so close to the edge. I get why it’s dangerous to hike here in the winter, when wind speeds really pick up. Near the end of our walk, we met a group of horses and fed them many rounds of grass. One albino horse got too excited and bit a girl in my tour group, but she survived.
Lee recommended that I check out Ennistimon next, so I drove there for dinner after the hike. Although the crepe place that I wanted to hit wasn’t an option, I did discover the other Cheese Press location. At this Cheese Press, I found ANOTHER pair of beautiful earrings! And the cafe worker let me bring my mug of coffee to the beautiful falls that run through the middle of town.
Interlude: Mikie gave me a free bang trim at his barber shop. Thank you Mikie!
The cafe worker recommended that I eat at Pot Duggans for dinner, so off I went. I enjoyed some yummy shawarma and decided to sign up for the profile writing class.
Saturday, September 3rd
This was such a special day!
In the morning and early afternoon, I took a tour to the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inisheer with Ollie’s Tours. We picked up toasties from a small stand at the pier, then took a short ferry ride. Our group was small, just me and two older ladies who are best friends and love to travel together.
On the island, tons of kids were skateboarding around. There was a beautiful pink ramp right next to the water. Ollie said he stayed here every summer when he was a kid. We picked up some bikes and began a ride to the church at the top of the island, then flew back down to check out stone walls that used to be homes.
We finished the tour with some mid scones in a cafe. Ollie recommended the West Cork podcast to me, about the 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in an Irish village.
After I returned to the mainland, I drove back to the Burren National Park area to hike the Lough Avalla farm loop. The farmer Harry Jeuken opened his farm to the public in 2011 via a magical 6 km trail. I can only describe the experience as pure magic. I loved passing through rows of goats and squeezing past cows who were blocking the exit path. You get to pass through a holy well where people have left trinkets over the years. You can drink the clean water, but I missed my chance.
Around halfway through, it started to rain, making the rocks slippery. Even with the assistance of a hiking stick, my left foot started to hurt because I had left my tennis shoes at home on accident and was wearing Converse platforms.
At the end of the hike, you get the chance to meet Harry in his tea house, where he or a helper serve tea, coffee, brownies, and other delicious baked goods. The price is free, but you can leave a donation at the end. When I arrived to the tea house, I was soaking all over and in pain. Harry immediately helped me get out of my wet outer layers and gave me a mug of coffee, along with some homemade apple pie and whipped cream, to heat me back up.
I talked with Harry’s two neighbors, a mother and daughter, about my plans for the week in Ireland. They recommended that I take the ferry from Killimer to Tarbert to save around an hour’s driving to Dingle. After they left, Harry showed me some articles about his project, a book about beautiful goat breeds that a farm visitor had gifted him years ago, and a neat farm sustainability magazine from the States. He left me to read while he kindled a fire in his hut. When I got to the hut, he fed me a few cubes of cheese from his goats. I dried all my clothes and warmed my feet. He even gave me some calendula ointment for my foot!
On my way out, he showed me his favorite parts of the farm, with his dog Leila trotting beside us. First, a fresh ripe fig from a tree. Then, an old stone ring where people lived thousands of years ago. He told me that his cattle will go here to shelter during a storm. I could feel the peace and energy pulsing through the space.
I ended the night with fish and chips from Russell’s, a glass of wine, and the rest of Rachel Cusk’s Transit.
Sunday, September 4th
I woke up early to pack, then I drove to my first stop, Hugo’s Bakery, right as it opened. I grabbed a fresh almond chocolate croissant and coffee, eating them in my car while watching a mysterious child rub his face all over a misty window.
I zoomed to Spanish Point next, which is where a group of swimmers called Snamhai Sasta meet every morning year-round to plunge into the Arctic. On Sundays, they play music and provide some food afterward. Ollie from Ollie’s Tours recommended that I come here. Another case of Irish magic!
I felt nervous at first, but I got talking to two Marys, who became friends through the swim group and are over 70 years old. They told me that I had to stay in the water as long as they did. It hurt at first, but once I listened to them and put my whole body in, I got warmer. As we stomped through the waves, they introduced me to everyone as ALLISON FROM MISSOURI.
We got out nearly twenty minutes later. My skimpy traveler’s towel was not keeping me warm, so I put on more layers before joining the group again for breakfast. A man handed me a hot dog with a special secret ingredient. They said I just had to eat it, no questions allowed. It was really yummy. Later, I found out it was black pudding.
After the music faded away, I continued my journey, taking the ferry from Killimer to Tarbert. It costs 20 Euros but is super pretty when the weather is nice.
I made it to the Dingle Peninsula early for the West Kerry Sheepdog Demonstration. Here, we got to see a sheepdog in training creeping around on the ground, responding to different whistles and calls from his owner Seamus to precisely guide the movement of the sheep. They demonstrated one move that is the most challenging part of competitions, where you have to bisect a pack of sheep. This is challenging because sheep really don’t like to be separated.
After the demonstration, our group fed many hungry baby lambs bottles of milk. I got to pick up a sheep, which was surprisingly light. The lambs loved to get their necks scratched.
I did the demonstration with a tour group called Driftwood. Their driver Rhys recommended that I go to Kennedy’s Pub in Dingle and The Black Pig in Kinsale.
The farm queen Bridget told me to drive Conor Pass today, and to tackle Slea Head Drive early the next morning, because a storm was going to start around noon. I heeded her advice and took Conor Pass to town, stopping in the pass to do a little hike up to a beautiful hidden lake.
After checking into my cute hostel (The Grapevine) in Dingle, I went to Murphy’s to grab some delicious strawberry ice cream. The ice cream lads and ladies also recommended Kennedy’s Pub, clearly a fan favorite!
So that night, I ended up at Kennedy’s. I felt shy at first and was sitting in a corner reading. But then Rhys from the tour bus showed up, and he told me to try sitting at the bar. I’m so glad he came, because once I got to the bar, everyone was so friendly and chatty. Lots of people moved to Dingle from all over the world, saying there was just something special about this place. I ended up staying for a few hours. My favorite part was getting to peel all the wax off of several wine bottles that are used as candles.
Monday, September 5th
I started the Slea Head Drive to try to beat the noon storm. I ended up spending most of my time at a pet farm and fairy fort that became a highlight of my whole trip. You pay just 2.50 Euros to enter, and in exchange, you get a bucket of food for tons of aggressively hungry animals. One large sheep hustled up to me so quickly that I ran away from it, in fear for my life. The animals made me feel like a star walking down a red carpet.
Here is a stranger’s accurate review of this establishment.
As I was heading out, I saw that one goat had jumped up on the ticket booth platform. The manager of the farm said that he does that a lot, and that he will also jump on top of the donkeys.
I continued onward to the beautiful Coumenoole Beach, where I ran into Rhys and his fun Driftwood tour group again. We took the stairs down to the ocean. At one point on the staircase, it feels like you could jump directly into the sea.
You can also hike to Dunmore Head, the westernmost point in Europe. I took my shoes off and ran through the hills laughing. I decided not to go to the very end of the hike, because the wind was picking up a lot and blowing me around.
When I got back to my car, a couple stopped me from leaving because I had a flat tire. It was the same flat tire that I had patched a few days before, but there was a hole that we must not have noticed the first time. The couple tried to use a tool to re-inflate the tire, but no dice. I started crying in my car and called roadside assistance to come again. I was nervous because the storm was picking up, with rain pouring down and larger gusts of wind.
After I got off the phone, though, I looked to my right and saw someone with a cool camper van, Mickey. He had an awesome bookshelf on the dashboard. I hung out with him a bit in his van, and he showed me his video projects, where he films bugs with a macro lens and adds audio voiceovers of various spiritual gurus. He said that he used to be a videographer for the BBC, where he was taken hostage once years ago, but that he has been driving around in his van for the last few years, exploring his spirituality and doing freelance video work.
While I waited for roadside assistance to come, he offered to drive me to a nearby cafe, Caife Na Tra. As we walked inside, other visitors raved to us about the scones and flat white coffee. We listened to them, and they were right!! Ireland magic strikes again!! The time passed much more quickly than my first flat in the middle of nowhere. I loved the view from the cafe. We picked up some beautiful cards with pressed flowers on the front, then headed back to the beach to meet roadside assistance and fix my car (thank god all these tire flats were completely covered by Sixt, they ended up costing me over 500 euros).
With my car fixed, I resumed driving around the peninsula. I stopped at another lovely beach with Mickey, where we met a man with a tiny terrier dog as the sun came out. He walks along the peninsula every day, from village to village.
After that stop, I cut the drive short to head back to Dingle for some soup. I grabbed the next book in Rachel Cusk’s trilogy, Kudos. Then, I headed to Kingdom Falconry for a falconry tour. It was a much better deal than other places I saw in Ireland, only 20 euros for over an hour, where you get to feed the birds as they jump onto your hand.
Tuesday, September 6th
I got up early once again to drive from Dingle to Killarney in the rain, to make it to my day long ADVENTURE TOUR at 10:20. By the time I arrived at our meetup point, Ross Castle, the rain was clearing up.
I joined an Irish couple here on a long weekend trip in a horse-drawn cart on a seven-mile journey up and over the Gap of Dunloe, and through the Black Valley. Our driver Mary was such a girl boss. She lives in the Black Valley and has been driving horses for over fifty years. She passed all the other carts with ease. Everywhere we looked was stunning. This area was the last in all of Ireland to get electricity, only in the 1970s.
We came across a real-life shepherd in the mountains, working with his sheep dog to drive them over a mountain ridge. You could hear his voice echoing through the valley. What a cool experience.
We finished our ride at Lord Bandon’s Cottage, where we all stopped for lunch. I got Mary a cup of soup to reward her for her excellent driving skills. I had soup and some lovely rhubarb pie.
I learned that Lord Bandon built a tall tower here to apparently trap his wife, but that didn’t stop her from having a scandalous affair with another man. The current owners keep some sweet goats around the tower.
After a relaxing lunch break, we got into a boat with Dux and his two beautiful golden dogs. He guided us through the five lakes of Killarney. Dux has also been working here for over fifty years. He said that they used to paddle the tour boats manually, with three men and around thirty passengers. It’s insane that this tour is over 250 years old.
Glowing from such a beautiful trip, I checked into the esteemed Black Sheep Hostel, where I spent the night exploring their garden and chicken coop.
Wednesday, September 7th
It was too rainy to hike Carrauntoohil today, so I got some coffee at the cafe in our hostel instead, reading with the hostel owner’s three sleepy wiener dogs nestled around me.
Locals recommended that I see Torc Waterfall and Muckross Abbey on a rainy day, so that’s what I did! It felt so rewarding to see the raging waters of the Torc Waterfall after ascending almost an hour of stairs on the Cardiac Hill trail. Muckross Abbey was a great place to stroll around, especially to explore the nooks and crannies of the old abbey.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, aside from a great lunch special at Khao Asian Street Food. I did watch a really great documentary on vegan athletes, called The Game Changers (another Veronica rec). Still debating when to go vegetarian.
Thursday, September 8th
Today I mountaineered Carrauntoohil, Ireland’s tallest mountain! I went with a guide Cesar, and I’m glad I did, because it was way more technically complex than any hike I’ve done before. To ascend, we basically climbed a waterfall, also known as Devil’s Ladder because several hikers have fallen off of it to their deaths. All the rocks were slick with water, but Cesar knew the best route up.
It was foggy for most of the hike. We encountered curious sheep and wild mountain goats that silently emerged from the mist. As we began the final section to the top, the clouds miraculously cleared away, giving us a tiny window of warmth and sunshine while we ate lunch and peeked over the edge. I got to try my first bag of Tayto chips at the top of Mount Carrauntoohil!!
After the full-day hike, I came back and rested in the hostel.
I found a last-minute reservation at a whiskey bar nearby and tried a flight of five whiskeys. When I was four whiskeys deep, I heard whoops and cheers around me. The queen of England had just died! It felt cool to be part of that historical moment.
Right before bed, I decided to drive the Ring of Beara instead of the Ring of Kerry for the following day, FOMO be damned. It seemed like there would be less traffic in Beara, and I had already seen most of the highlights on the Ring of Kerry.
Friday, September 9th
I left early to drive the Ring of Beara, which starts and ends in Kenmare. I stopped by the famous Ladies View before grabbing coffee and a DELICIOUS scone at Bean & Batch in Kenmare. I learned how the owner is cousins with the son of the guy who took me on the boat tour of the Killarney lakes. Small world in this country. Also, the inside of the store is made from what used to be the Ladies View cafe. I got to go to the back to see all the vintage machinery.
I stayed longer than I’d planned to at the coffee shop chatting, which left me a bit anxious the rest of the day, since I needed to be in Kinsale by 4:00 for a mead tour. I got out a few times for photos, but my only extended stop on the Ring of Beara was the Dzogchen Meditation Center for lunch. While there, I meditated in their lovely meditation gardens. I also caught up a bit with Mickey, who I met a few days earlier during the storm. He was at the center for a three day workshop on healing relationships that looked awesome. I picked up a beautiful green journal as a souvenir with the same shell design that’s all over Dzogchen. Content, I headed straight to the meadery.
The tour was super interesting. Kinsale Mead Co. is Ireland’s only meadery, and the first commercial meadery in around 200 years. Ireland used to make tons of mead because of the Vikings. It used to be heavily forested as well, but then many trees were cut down to make way for agriculture, reducing the influence of bees. In Viking times, I learned that there used to be bee laws. For example, if a bee stings a person, then that bee owes that person a certain amount of honey from its hive. We talked about how those ancient bee laws are being re-imagined today, since Ireland has started making national pollinator plans to save the bees. The mead itself was pretty good, but a bit sweet for me.
To finish my day, I checked out The Black Pig (Rhys the tour bus driver recommended it) right as it opened. It’s a wine and cheese bar. They made beautiful cheese flowers using a special tool that I devoured, along with a glass of wine and a decadent cheese board.
Saturday, September 10th
It was a brilliant day, overcast but with no rain. I savored breakfast at my Airbnb, sipping my coffee while watching the chickens in my host’s backyard.
This morning, I opted to take the the Scilly Walk up to Charles Fort and back. I brought my binoculars and found a beautiful round robin sitting in a tree. I also nibbled on some blackberries and blackcurrants (blackcurrants are NOT the move when eaten raw, too biter for me). Near the end of the walk, I talked to some hiking elderly men who are part of the Men’s Shed Association.
Then, I hung out with some people at a coffee cart with beautiful tiling that was parked in front of Charles Fort. One guy Rowan invited me to his fish grilling session near the Bulman Pub in the evening.
I took the High Road back to check out some beautiful homes, including a few dry-stacked brick walls. Then, I read at an aviation-themed cafe before making the long drive to Dungarvan for a spa afternoon at Solas Na Mara.
The spa is right next to a beautiful paved waterfront trail. You can also see fishermen docking and at work nearby. The water was such a wonderful light blue that day.
I left the view behind for an hour in a seaweed bath. I had been looking all over Ireland for a place to take a seaweed bath, because I had heard about how soft it makes your skin. A lot of places are only open in the summer, so I felt lucky to find this place on one of my last days in Ireland.
I got in and covered my whole body with seaweed. Slowly, it drifted off of me as the bath filled. The seaweed left a clear residue that felt like aloe vera, reverting me to baby. I alternated between the bath, a chair, and a one-person sauna contraption for the hour.
After the bath, I received an essential oils facial from Jaclyn that left my skin feeling plumpy, bright, and silky for a week.
When I drove back, I felt so much calmer. I finally felt zen with driving on the left side of the road, no longer flinching when oncoming traffic passed by.
I pulled up to the fish grilling session in front of Bulman’s, where Rowan and a few other lads were stationed. They said this was a great community gathering spot. Several families with kids were nearby, jumping into the water under the last minutes of sunlight. I got to try sea bass, more blood pudding, scallops, and some homemade kimchi. We tried feeding the kimchi to the seagulls, but they refused.
During dinner, Rowan told me that he teaches at the permaculture school in Kinsale, and that it is one of two permaculture programs in the world, with the other being in Byron Bay, Australia. We talked about avian flu being especially devastating this year. The others showed me the Kinsale Facebook group, which was full of incoming university students desperately looking for housing, because it is practically nonexistent across Ireland.
Sunday, September 11th
I woke up to pounding rain and wind outside, so I decided to scrap my morning plans to kiss the Blarney Stone and tour the gardens. Instead, I took the morning slowly, enjoying breakfast at my Airbnb and getting some work done while my host’s cat slept on my lap.
Then, I drove straight to Kilkenny, checking into the Kilkenny Tourist Hostel. I grabbed a passionfruit pastry at Cakeface next door, sheltering from the light rain in their outdoors space. After that, I walked through old cobblestone streets, starting at St. Candice’s cathedral, following the Medieval Mile trail to Kilkenny Castle, and ending with the Canal Walk along the River Nore.
I spent the evening reading in a book store (a manifestation and the hostel room, listening to the music drifting out through pub windows.
Monday, September 12th
I finished my trip with an early morning run through the canals of Kilkenny and a 1.5 hour drive back to the Dublin Airport. Returning my car was stressful because the airport is disorganized with few signs. Checking in also took over an hour, so make sure to get to the airport at least three hours before your flight leaves. I made it to my gate a few minutes before boarding started, with a warm cup of porridge in tow.
tielqueen 