Ireland: Your Next Vacation?

This is the complimentary beer I received at the Guinness Storehouse with a shamrock in the foam. I guess it's just their way of saying, "May the luck of the Irish be with you"!

Last week I was fortunate enough to join my boyfriend, Nate, and his family on their vacation in Ireland. We filled each day of the vacation with fun-filled activities and learned more about the country than I could have imagined.

We were stationed at a beautiful hotel in Dublin, Ireland and found many great things to do there. For the majority of the family, it was not their first time in Ireland, so we had a list of spots to make sure that we didn’t miss compiled before we arrived.

To get an idea of the layout of Dublin, we took a bus tour. You can get on and off of the bus as you wish, so we used it to get to some of our destinations. The tour shows you all of Dublin and stops at the main attractions. It is educational for at least the general background information on these main attractions, and it clues you in on some little known facts about the area.

Another tour that took us around the city of Dublin was a Rebellion Walking Tour. This tour had an incredible guide who moved at a quick pace and was very, very knowledgeable. The Easter Rising of 1916 is the primary event discussed, but the tour also mentions more of Irish history.

Kilmainham Gaol is another good place to visit in Dublin. It is a former prison that is now a museum. Touring here is very interesting and helps to give a better picture of Irish history. It is the spot in which many leaders of the Irish rebellions were imprisoned, and some even executed.

One of the most known (and joked about) so-called pastimes for the Irish is that of drinking, (drinking a lot) and only of the best! That is why we made sure to stop at both the Guinness storehouse and the Old Jameson Distillery for educational tours as well as complimentary drinks.

There are so many great restaurants, cafes, and pubs in Dublin that it would be a daunting task to list all of them, but everywhere we went had spectacular food. Some of my favorites places right in the heart of Dublin were the Lemon Cafe for coffee and breakfast, Gallagher’s Boxty House for a traditional Irish boxty (potato pancake), and Carluccio’s for Italian food (especially pasta) that is actually to die for.

A fun way to get to know Ireland and its pub life a little better (and to get a little tipsy along the way) is to do a musical pub crawl. You travel to three different pubs, walking, or crawling as the title suggests, in a group (unless someone in your party knows the way from a previous pub crawl and accidentally leads some of the group temporarily astray). Two musicians serve as your tour guides and play tunes at each stop as they teach of traditional Irish music and its influences on contemporary music. There is also a literary pub crawl offered that Nate’s family has done before and really enjoyed.

Traditional Irish music is an important part of the culture there, so anytime you get the chance to listen, you should! We went to see an Irish folk band, Kila, perform at the National Concert Hall located in Dublin. I noticed during the show that the audience seemed to be all Irish, except for us, meaning that we had an authentic experience and a chance to see something not all tourists do. While we were in Dublin, we also saw Bruce Springsteen perform. Although this wasn’t exactly an authentic Irish experience, it was interesting to attend a concert of that magnitude with the Irish and hear them belt out “Born in the U.S.A” with more energy than I’m sure many Americans do!

We made a point to travel outside of Dublin for some time, which I thought was fantastic. You certainly get a better feel for a country by exploring different places and even by seeing more of it while in transit.

We got on the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and spent an afternoon in Howth which is a suburb of Dublin. It is on Dublin Bay and features the Howth Lighthouse and Howth harbour. There are some cute shops and restaurants along the water that continue to give Howth a village feel. We ate at a place called Aqua which had incredible sea food. As we trekked to the lighthouse we even got to see a seal taking a midday snooze! Howth is a gorgeous place to go for a walk, even if it drizzles for a little bit!

Another thing to do to see more of Ireland is a tour through Railtours Ireland. We went on one that takes you through Cork, Limerick, and Galway in a day. You travel by train and bus and stop at big attractions such as Bunratty Castle and Folk Village, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren. It is a jam-packed, incredible day for those who are excited to see more of the country.

I think that the most important part of traveling abroad is to really get a sense of what the country offers. You have to pay close attention to the people themselves and capture the general feeling you get from them. You have to be careful not to overlook important aspects of the culture or history of the country, and take the time to seek a window into that culture and history. We really did that in Ireland, and I hope that if you visit you will do the same!