Ireland Countryside...

The reason it's taken me so long to post about our trip is because I procrastinated since there just so much to describe and talk about...I still want to tell you about the Ireland countryside...so here it is!

As we left Dublin, we rented a car which Nick drove...on the right side of the car, on the left side of the road...weird!  I was pretty freaked out at first, but he quickly got the hang of it and did a great job!  A few turns the wrong way and some very close calls against some roadside fences, but mostly great!

Our first stop was Killarney...say it in an Irish accent!  The Muckross house is there which is a historic Victorian House at the start of the Killarney National Park...both are incredibly scenic.  When I say Ireland is green...i mean GREEN...like the greenest grass and plants that you've ever seen.  The Killarney park really exemplifies this fact.



Muckross  House Lake



Muckross House Lake 2 with a horse drawn carriage in the picture



Old Victorian Muckross House

It was here that we also started our trip around the "ring of Kerry"...a road around the Kerry Pennisula.  The "ring" winds around the coast along cliffs and countryside, hillsides and through little towns.  It's exactly how Ireland looks in the movies.  It was a beautiful day but since we had left from Dublin that morning and it takes about 8 hours to drive from Dublin all the way around the ring, we did half of it in sunlight, half of it after dark...which means we didn't get the full scenery...bummer.  But you can't do it all.  What we did see was gorgeous...an ancient fort ruin and views over the coastline that are to die for.  We made sure to listen to traditional Irish music on the radio the whole way.   Throughout the trip, I was the navigator along with the GPS which wasn't fully up to date...dicey situation.

Killarney National Park

more Killarney National Park

typical nick :)

Killarney National Park....natural Ireland.

Mountainside of Ireland is full of ancient rock walls and sheep!



what a view.

Staigue Fort in Sneem, Ireland built between 300 and 400 AD

Nick overlooking Kerry County countryside

That night we arrived in Dingle, a small fishing village on the Dingle Pennisula.  We stayed at a B&B...very nice people and quite cozy!  We had a delicious seafood dinner at the nicest restaurant in town and heard some traditional live music.  Dingle is known for being cute and quaint, great seafood, and awesome live music...every night pubs have musicians playing...I loved that.  This was by far my favorite part of our trip...there was a guy playing the fiddle and another with the acoustic guitar just jamming out song after song.  We made some friends with another couple that night who were from Manchester, England.  After the traditional musicians stopped playing, a guy in the back of the pub started playing his guitar and rocking out cover songs.  Everyone was dancing and singing including us...turned into a late but very fun night.

Enjoying a pub in Dingle

   

"a small bridge" pub...awesome traditional music!



our bed and breakfast and part of Dingle town

The first time I went to Europe I was surprised by all the American music so I wasn't as surprised this time, but I did take notice of how many American started companies are international.  From beer, cars, clothing, music, food, chain restaurants...it's really amazing.  The world has gotten so small and so much of it starts in our country.  There really aren't that many Irish companies that are internationally branded besides Guinness, Waterford Crystal, Jameson, Bushmills...now i'm done.  Although I envy the European lifestyle of a month long holiday with leisure and family before work....Americans are incredibly accomplished and it has a international impact.  During my first trip to Europe it annoyed me to see and hear American food, brands and music because I wanted to be immersed in the country I was visiting.  This time I could appreciate the tradition and history of the country I was in while knowing that the world today is incredibly connected and made smaller by international businnesses.  Here is a prime example:  a German guy in Ireland wearing all Nike clothing and Reebok shoes while on his Apple iPhone drinking a Budweiser and listening to an Irish band play a Coldplay song.  We saw this...not a lie.  This doesn't go without saying that obviously other countries have numerous international brands and musicians that we know and love, but the American lifestyle isn't limited to the States.

The next day we woke up to cold rain..yuck. (I asked myself, why didn't we spend this $ to go to a tropical island??) We had a traditional Irish breakfast, eggs, bacon (ham), and toast. One thing Ireland is not known for is it's food...  We drove around the Dingle Pennisula to see the coastline views, ancient churches, and a ridiculous amount of sheep.  We then grabbed a seafood lunch in Dingle on our way out.

more stone wall mazes

cliffside sheep

me in Dingle

traveling the Dingle Pennisula

Dingle Pennisula Beaches and the Atlantic Ocen

  Then we drove through the countryside to catch the ferry in Tarbert over the River Shannon.  After we arrived in Killimer we drove to the Cliffs of Moher...wow, what a site!  beautiful natural cliffs over the Atlantic Ocean.  That evening we left and drove through the countryside again to make it to Galway.  When I say we drove through the countryside...let me paint you a picture...one lane road with land on either side as far as we could see, sheep everywhere and stone walls making a maze along the hillside.  All the roads have stone walls covered in bushes and grass that brush up against your car as you drive.  If you see a tractor coming you better figure out how to reverse, pull over as far as possible or into a nearby driveway.  I think I could live in the Irish countryside...it's so peaceful.

Ferry across the Shannon River

in front of the River Shannon

typical road we drove



Cliffs of Mohr

We arrived at our B&B in Galway and the couple who live there were so nice!! The man, Mr. O'Neil has family who live at Smith Mountain Lake in VA and he said they go every year to visit and shop!  He said "all of our clothes are from Virginia!" haha.  We went out to dinner and to the pubs in Galway that night and LOVED it.  That's where we visit again if we ever go back.  It's a small college town where Ireland National Univeristy of Galway is located.  The downtown area is pedestrian only with cobblestone streets and small alleyways with pubs and restaurants at every corner.  We ate pizza at a fun little spot called Fat Freddies Pizza on Quay St (pronounced key).  Afterwards we visited an awesome bar called Kings Head Tavern.  It dates back to the 1500's and the name comes from a tavern regular who executed King Charles I.  The tavern had a really cool area for a band....it had stone walls and the band played rock cover songs...if I were in a band it would be one of the coolest venues to play.

Kings Head Tavern...cell phone quality



Nicholas in front of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Galway

The next day we were up early to drive back to Dublin and catch our flight...as Mr. O'Neill said to us..."next time you have to come back and not run around on a New York schedule!"  I hope there is a next time in Ireland because we loved it and would love more time to just relax....but who am I kidding, the reason we cram it all in is because you just never when you'll be back! 

I have some great vidoes and more photos from our trip...some traditional pub music that I tried about a million times to upload here and couldn't get the video to load.  So I'll post the link to them soon.