We rented a car for the rest of our time in Ireland in order to see the countryside and stay in three other locations: Galway, Kilarney and Wexford. Here are the things we were able to see and do.
Oh, a reminder that we keep a map of our travels so click here to see pins where we’ve been and our currently location (bouncing pin)
Glendalough
Glendalough is an hour south of Dublin. We stopped here before heading to the West Coast. This is another big tourist location, but also for locals. The beautiful setting of an ancient monastic settlement, now mostly in ruins, though the round tower and a stone church have been restored. Founded by St. Kevin (yes, that was his name) in the 6th century. There are trees, lakes and walkways through the area so it is a fine place for a picnic and a stroll through history.
The Irish Workhouse Center
The Workhouse system ran from about 1840 to 1920. This was the government’s idea on how to keep the poor fed. Those who were destitute could come to the workhouse, though they had to give up all their property to do so. Life was regimented and bleak in the workhouse. Residents were separated by age and sex to live in different parts of the facility, which meant families were divided. The most practical way to eventually leave the workhouse was to immigrate to England, Australia or America. If you have Irish ancestry, they might have passed through this grueling system.
Since we had a car for this portion of our trip, we could stay out of town. We stayed in Middle Third, about 20 minute drive from downtown Galway. Our cottage sat in front of a thatched house and overlooked a bay. The cottage was purpose-built by the house owners as a rental. One large room with a bathroom and kitchen facilities and a nice bed and couch. The view out the windows was awesome. We spent a fair amount of time just watching the tide go out and in. We also took a walking tour of the vibrant college town of Galway (and yes, different sites of Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” video were pointed out).
We took some drives near the coastline, visiting a castle ruins, a viewpoint (rained out) the National Park with a nice visitors center explaining history of bogs in Ireland, life in the bogs. We went out to do a walk up the mountain but the rain made that an uncomfortable option.
Kylemore Abbey
The weather relented for awhile and visited Kylemore Abbey and park. Built in the mid 1800’s by a rich politician (Mitchel Henry) for his family. Later gifted to Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in WW I. They still run the place. We even attended their vespers that evening.
The drive home took us through a wild landscape area, with rain and wind and sheep on the road. So nice to be in a warm, dry car that evening.
Cliffs of Kilkee
On the way to Killarney we took a stroll along the Cliffs of Kilkee, which are very impressive.
The Ring of Kerry
We spent a day driving the Ring of Kerry, which is a loop from Kilarney around the Kerry Peninsula.
Bog village. On recommendation from our host, we stopped here, along with about a dozen tour buses. Nice small family-run example bog village, but pretty much a tourist trap. 14 Euros not well spent, but that happens sometimes. Moving on…
We drove out to Valentina island and the end of the Kerry peninsula beyond access of the tour buses, to the wild coast. We climbed Bray Head up the steady grade to the viewpoint with grand vistas of cliffs, including the one we were standing on, and out to Skellig island, now famous as a set for one of the later Star Wars movies as the island where reclusive Luke Skywalker lived.
Our google-recommended restaurants were hosting a private event that day so we found a local pub for some fish and chips and chowder in pub. The pub isn’t even on Google Maps. However it was some of the best fish and chips and chowder we have ever eaten.
The Skellig chocolate factory appears to be a family run business with reasonably good chocolate at a higher price than justified. Another tourist-driven business. But, you know, we had to try it!
The Gap of Dunloe
One day we walked the Gap of Dunloe. What a wonderful walk up a glacier carved valley with lakes along the way. The narrow road is also trafficked by cars, horse drawn carts and bicycles.
The town of Killarney is quaint, but seemed pretty overrun with tourists. We heard a lot of American accents while walking in town.
We stayed in a quiet BnB outside our town where our hosts made wonderful breakfasts every day. Susie became a big fan of scones.
The weather was blustery and very changeable. Rain, clouds, sun, clouds again, all with varying amounts of wind. Rain coats (or a mac) and umbrellas are the first thing displayed in the local sporting goods store. We had good fortune during our hikes and walks avoiding the rain, but it did rain quite a bit at other times.
On the way to Wexford:
The Rock of Cashel, in County Tipperary (cue music: …it’s a long way to Tipperary….”)
Traditional seat of power for the Kings of Munster, donated to the Catholic Church in 1100. Sacked by the English in the 1600’s, roof razed by an Anglican Bishop in the 1700’s. Did I ever mention that there is no love lost between the Irish and the English?
Wexford
This is a quaint city, not really a tourist destination, which was nice for a change. Just regular people walking and shopping on the one main street it town. We came to visit the Irish National Heritage Park. Very interesting outdoor reconstruction of Irish buildings, from the stone age onward in at least 16 different stations. We walked around with a guide who explained what life was like in those different time periods.
Driving….
It took some time to feel comfortable again driving on the left side of the road. This was the full experience, with manual transmission often on narrow two-way windy roads. It took a lot of concentration to drive, at speed, between oncoming traffic on the right, and rock walls on the left with only a couple feet to spare. Some roads are so narrow that only one-way traffic is possible, so you have to find a spot to pull over to allow the oncoming traffic to pass. Vines and twigs from vegetation rub along the left side of the car from time to time. That’s just how it works.
What’s Next?
Yeah, that was a lot to cover. Next up, a ferry ride from Dublin to Wales and some exploration of Northern Wales!
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