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Ireland 2023
Tommy
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Happy 2024! I meant to get this post out before the new year, but you know life happened and this post will be a marathon. 2023 was finally the year for international travel as I visited Peru and Ireland. My parents and I have been talking about wanting to visit Ireland before the pandemic since we are the O’Brien clan and we were finally able to go in 2023. Ireland is known it’s green scenery, Saint Patrick’s Day, Guinness, and Conor McGregor. It’s called the Emerald Island because of it’s green scenery and it was incredibly scenic! We went during the offseason because like the US National Parks, overcrowding is a huge problem in Ireland so definitely keep that in mind when traveling to the country. Ireland is also known for its narrow roads and driving on the left hand side. So with these things in mind, Ireland did require some planning.
Planning
I have been following Earth Trekkers for years and I tend to plan my trips around them. I will probably never visit all of the countries that they have, but I love their content! For this trip, I also used The Irish Road Trip, mainly for restaurants/pubs around the country, who was also a great source of information! We used Get Your Guide, which is essentially a travel agency and acts as a third party to the tour operators (exactly like Howlanders). Get Your Guide worked out well.
Ireland is apart of the European Union and uses the Euro € for their currency. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom and uses the British Pound £. Make sure to bring a credit card that has no transaction fees. I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) the entire time I was in Ireland.
From everyone who I have talked to and everything that I’ve read about, everyone says to spend a few days in Dublin and then rent a car to drive around the island. And that’s exactly what we did. We planned our trip to go during October, which is the offseason when compared to summer and that was a great choice as everything was not as crowded. Most of the pubs and towns were very small so I couldn’t even imagine how crowded it would be during summer. I think the crowds would have been horrendous and it would have been much more expensive over summer. For value and to save vacation days in the banking world, I always book a Spring Trip over Memorial Day Weekend and a Fall Trip over Labor Day Weekend or Columbus Day Weekend. Funny thing is that the WSJ just wrote an article about this. I have been doing this for years ever since I joined the real world.
Due to traveling around Ireland, this trip took a little bit more planning than usual. The first things we did were book the flight and the rental car. Accommodations are typically booked last as there are usually a lot of options. I would say there were a lot of options in Dublin and Galway, but there were less options in Killarney and Dingle. So keep that in mind when booking.
I would recommend booking some tours in advance. We used Get Your Guide for most of the tours. I’m not a huge tour guide, but since there is a big age gap between me and my parents, we compromised and thought it would be best to do the tours to avoid driving. The tours that we signed up for are listed and links are provided below. I will explain more of the experiences down in the post.
- Trinity College: Book of Kells & Dublin Castle Tour: This tour was organized by LetzGo City Tours Europe. It is a popular tour and will sell out in advance as the Book of Kells is one of Ireland’s most popular attractions. We had a full group of about 20 people on a Saturday in October and it lasted about 2.5 hours.
- Guinness Storehouse Self-Guided Tour: This is an extremely popular tour and it will sell out in advance. There were very limited times available while we were in Ireland. You can also book directly with Guinness. Prices through Get Your Guide were about €33 and prices through the Guinness Storehouse were €24.
- Viator Ring of Kerry Private Tour: This was the best tour of the bunch, which was kind of expected, since it was the most expensive. However, I thought it was good value given it was a private tour with no other people and it was an all day experience.
- Gap of Dunloe, Boat Tour, & Ross Castle: This tour was organized by Gap of Dunloe Tours (O’Connell’s Pub in Killarney). I actually booked this tour within 24 hours for a Tuesday as they provided transportation to the Gap of Dunloe. The tour was not full whatsoever and I think there were about 8 people on it and the capacity was probably 40 people.
We decided to stay 2 nights in Dublin, 3 nights in Killarney, 1 night in Dingle, 2 nights in Galway, and 1 night in Dublin. I thought this was fine and I am glad that we only stayed in Dublin for 3 nights. Similar to Hawaii, Dublin is like Honolulu where it is a tourist trap and where all of the corporate business is. The North Shore of Hawaii is real Hawaii and that is exactly how Ireland was as Killarney/Dingle/Galway felt more local.
Renting A Car in Ireland
Renting a car in Ireland isn’t the most budget friendly, but it will definitely give you the most flexibility with your travel plans to really explore Ireland. We went with Hertz at Dublin Airport. It was relatively easy to get the car and we booked a small SUV as we had 3 people and 3 large suitcases. Hertz gave us a Peugeot 2008 and it drove very nicely. Although it was definitely small from what we are used to in the United States.
I would highly suggest booking the rental car far in advance, especially if you want to get an automatic car, because they do sell out and they will definitely sell out during the peak travel times. The other thing that we did was rent the car when we were going to leave Dublin not when we arrived at Dublin. This not only saved us money since we wouldn’t be using the rental car for a few days, but then we didn’t have to deal with driving downtown Dublin and deal with parking.
The other thing about renting a car in Ireland is that everyone talks about rental car insurance. Yes, the roads are narrow in Ireland, and yes I would highly advise getting insurance. We ended up going with the super Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) as we felt the most comfortable with that. I looked into using the Primary Rental Car Insurance CDW with my CSR. A few things that I found out after research and I will rehash here. Ireland on a Budget has a nice blog post about credit cards and using the CDW.
- Yes, you can use the primary rental car insurance using the CSR (up to $75,000) or Chase Sapphire Preferred (up to the actual cash value of the car). Both have no deductible.
- You do need to request a proof of insurance from Chase as the rental car company will require it. It was very simple to get and I just called Chase Card Services. The call lasted for about 10 minutes and they emailed me it immediately.
- You need to add drivers to the car rental agreement to be covered, which costs money. You always need to do this anyways, but this is just a reminder.
- The car rental company will place a hold on your credit card in the THOUSANDS of dollars, like $5,000 minimum. If there is any damage to the car, then they will charge you for it. Then you have to file a claim with Chase’s insurance provider to get reimbursed. I had to file a claim using my trip delay insurance. It was a hassle as you had to gather a ton of information while dealing with a lot of parties within a short time period. But if you know how to do it, then it’s worth it. This is definitely something that needs to be considered and is the main reason why we decided to just buy the insurance instead.
- Super CDW: €25-€60/day. Brings the deductible down to €0.
- Regular CDW: €15-€30/day. Typical deductible is €1,000 – €2,000.
Driving in Ireland
Driving in Dublin actually wasn’t that bad as I am used to driving in Chicago and I would say it’s very similar to driving in London. I haven’t driven in London, but London is also extremely narrow/busy and it would be a good comparable.
Driving on the left side was definitely different, but again, I didn’t think it was too bad. It definitely took a little time getting used to. Right hand turning was definitely the biggest issue to make sure you didn’t accidentally turn into the wrong lane. We only did this once and it wasn’t busy, but one local definitely gave us a “damn you stupid tourist” look… Left hand turning wasn’t bad as it’s like making a right turn in the states.
I thought majority of the roads were in very good shape, especially the highway system. Below is how Ireland’s infrastructure system works:
- M: Similar to an Interstate Highway. These were 2 to 3 lanes and the widest of roads. We took M7/M8 out from Dublin all of the way to Killarney.
- N: Similar to a State Road. We took N73 from Cashel to Killarney and N23/N86 from Killarney to Dingle. These roads were decently wide, but definitely more narrow than the M roads.
- R: Probably means regional. These were definitely tight, but they were paved. These roads are where you can definitely get your rental car beat up if you are not careful. You will definitely be driving a few of these and they are pretty hard to avoid.
- L: Probably means local and they are mostly single lanes. These roads were extremely narrow and mostly gravel roads. I think we only drove one of these and it was because we missed a turn. You can definitely avoid these roads and won’t be driving many if you follow this itinerary.
- Roundabouts: Europe and Ireland are definitely notorious for their roundabouts and they have started coming to the United States. Just see Chevy Chase and European Vacation. Indiana has a ton of them now so I have been used to them. The ones that were weird were the ones in the small towns where there was not a concrete structure for the round about. There was just a small symbol in the road and you had to be careful of not going straight through the roundabout and actually use the roundabout. You can pretty much tell where they were given the directions of the road and GPS. But definitely use common sense and always yield when approaching a roundabout. You don’t need to stop unless you have to yield!
On the country roads, the huge tour buses/trucks don’t give a f*ck so that is why you should be covered by insurance. You can easily be hit by one of them and there is really nothing you can do besides pulling over and let them pass. We only had to do that once during our trip, but again I can see this being a lot more common during the peak travel season as it’s a lot busier.
Since Ireland isn’t the United States, parking in the smaller cities/towns can be a little hard to find. All of our accommodations had parking included, which is something to think about when renting a car and driving in Ireland.
Driving Times for this itinerary:
- Dublin to the Rock of Cashel: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Rock of Cashel to Killarney: 2 hours.
- Killarney to Dingle: 1 hour.
- Dingle to Cliffs of Moher via N86 & N69: 3 hours and 27 minutes. Please note that this route includes a ferry. More information can be found below.
- Cliffs of Moher to Galway: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Galway to Dublin: 2 hours and 18 minutes.
Day 1 & 2: Fly to Dublin
We took a red-eye flight on United Polaris from Chicago to Dublin, which left at 21:30 and arrived around 11:10 the next day in Dublin. We got to the airport early so we could experience the new United Polaris Lounge at O’Hare. The only way you have access to this lounge is if you fly a transatlantic or transpacific flight in United Polaris. There are 6 locations in the US, Chicago – O’Hare, Houston – IAH, Los Angeles – LAX, Newark – EWR, San Francisco – SFO, and Washington Dulles – IAD. So this was definitely a treat!
The United Polaris Lounges also have their own restaurants in the lounges, which is a first. The Old Fashioned was good, the burger was bad, and the cookie with ice cream and peach cobbler were awesome! The burger was extremely dry and not juicy. The bacon and the potato wedges were solid though. Even though the burger was bad, it was definitely worth experiencing if you have to time since it’s pretty neat.
The buffet food and drinks were top notch and right up there with the AMEX Centurion Lounges. I had some charcuterie and a few of the small sandwiches. The lounge was MASSIVE! There were so much space and places to sit. A good amount of restrooms and that is an issue that I have with the Centurion Lounges. This was definitely the nicest lounge that I have ever been too!
Once we got into Dublin, we went to the taxi stand to head downtown Dublin to our hotel. The airport was about a 30-40 minute taxi ride to downtown. We stayed at the Hampton by Hilton Dublin City Center and were able to check in immediately. The best part about the hotel was the location as it was close to everything. It was a 10 minute walk to the Temple Bar neighborhood and a 20 minute walk to Trinity College/Grafton Street.
The area to the northwest was mostly vacant land and still being developed. So not the best area of town and I would avoid walking to that area. Essentially anything northwest of the Jameson Distillery. But the area to the east was very well developed and it looked like a large shopping area.
Overall, I felt extremely safe in Dublin. But like any big city, there will be crime and bad parts of town. As always, I try to always be open and transparent. There was a stabbing and the worst riot Ireland has seen in decades a month after I visited. Unfortunately, this is nothing new of what I experience in Chicago.
Once we got settled into our hotel, we were just going to take it easy and walk around the Temple Bar neighborhood. Our first pint of Guinness was at the Brazen Head, which they tout as Ireland’s Oldest Pub and is just west of the Temple Bar area. They had indoor seating where you could eat dinner and a heated patio outside that was open seating. It was a very cozy vibe and they played live music later at night. Since the queue was long for dinner, we were able to grab beers and grab a table outside.
After beers, we ended up walking around the Temple Bar neighborhood and we ended up grabbing dinner at Porterhouse Temple Bar. We were able to get seated right away and they brewed their own beer. Their beer was actually pretty good and the food was good. I thought it was pretty Americanized, but everything was good and they had live music at 21:00. The band was very good and I actually thought they were the best live music we heard during the entire trip. 3/5.
Pro Tip: One thing I learned from our tour guide for our Trinity College tour the next day was prices of beers will go up every hour over a night of drinking in the Temple Bar area. Per another article, Temple Bar area charges €10 for a pint of Heineken. The only beer I had in the Temple Bar area was from Porterhouse and the beers were about €7 for a pint. So I didn’t quite experience this, but I did avoid the Temple Bar area. I could definitely see this as the Temple Bar area is a notorious tourist trap.
Day 3: Exploring Dublin
Day 3 was a busy day in Dublin so we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. We had a tour of the Book of Kells at Trinity College and Dublin Castle at 12:00 and our self-guided tour at the Guinness Storehouse at 16:00. After breakfast, we walked through the Temple Bar area to see it during day time and then met our tour guide at Trinity College.
Trinity College
The Book of Kells at Trinity College and Dublin Castle Tour was about 2.5 hours. The tour operator was LetzGo City Tours Europe and I thought our tour guide was really good! We met our tour guide in front of Trinity College and he was holding up a sign where we checked in. The tour was about €62/person and it was a full group of about 20 people.
Seeing the exhibits at Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and the Long Room were extremely neat to see due to all of the history as it dated back to the 10th century. Similar to the Mona Lisa, taking pictures of the Book of Kells were prohibited so they could preserve it.
FYI, the Old Library at Trinity College is to undergo renovations, but will be open to visitors from Autumn/Fall 2023 to 2025. The Book of Kells will remain on display.
After the tour of Trinity College, our tour guide led us through Grafton Street, where we saw the Molly Malone Statue, and then we headed over to Dublin Castle. Our tour guide gave us the history of Dublin Castle and showed us the Dubh Linn Garden, but we didn’t go inside the castle.
After our tour, we grabbed a quick bite at the Silk Road Cafe at the Chester Beatty Library. Then we walked over to the Guinness Storehouse, which was about a 25 minute walk from Dublin Castle.
Guinness Storehouse
We bought the Guinness Storehouse Experience, which is the self-guided tour and you can buy the tickets online. I would highly recommend to buy tickets in advance because time slots do sell out. The self-guided tour includes a pint of Guinness at the Gravity Bar and it takes about 1.5 hours. You can also purchase the Guinness Storehouse Experience + Stoutie, which is explained below. Or you can purchase the Guinness Storehouse Experience + Guinness Academy, which is where you learn to pour a Guinness. All experiences include the Self-Guided Tour and a Guinness at the Gravity Bar. So the Stoutie and Guinness Academy have an additional pour of Guinness. Prices are listed below:
- Self-Guided Tour: €24
- Self-Guided Tour + Stoutie: €32
- Self-Guided Tour + Guinness Academy: €36
When we were at the Storehouse, we passed by the area for Stouties, which is where they take a picture of you and they put the photo in the foam of the pint of Guinness. We ended up paying for the Stoutie, which was €8 per Stoutie and it was well worth it! You can also purchase a ticket that includes the Stoutie online. There were some seats in the Stoutie area, but they were full and we ended up walking out to the floor where we found some open seats.
The Gravity Bar was pretty cool with nice views of Dublin. Although it was very loud, very crowded, and good luck finding a seat unless you get there early or go during an off time.
The Guinness Storehouse was definitely something that you should go to and experience to cross off the bucket list! Although, I didn’t really care for the self-guided tour as I am not a huge tour guy. We probably spent about 1.5 hours at the Storehouse as we went through the self-guided tour pretty fast and spent more time at the Stoutie experience and the Gravity Bar. The Guinness Storehouse felt like Disney World as it’s a complete tourist trap. There were a ton of people here and it is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Ireland. The price isn’t too expensive at €24 for the self-guided tour and €8 for the Stoutie. The Stoutie was definitely my favorite part of the experience and I thought it was worth getting!
After the Guinness Storehouse, we grabbed some dinner and then went back to the hotel. The Rugby World Cup was going on when we were Ireland so I decided to go out to a pub and watch the match. I ended up going to the Bankers Lounge near Grafton Street since I am a banker. It was a cozy little pub with a good amount of TVs to watch the match.
After I had some pints in me, I went over to BAMBINO for a pizza review. The place was named after the Great Bambino, Babe Ruth, and it served NYC slices. There was a massive line around 23:00, but it moved pretty efficiently and I waited about 15 minutes. Bambino was the perfect drunk food.
Rating:
Crust: 7
Cheese: 9
Sauce: 7
Toppings: 7
Overall: 7.5
Day 4: Driving to Killarney
The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and then took an Uber back to the airport to go pick up our rental car from Hertz. We ended up getting a Peugeot 3008, which was a small SUV, similar to the Mazda CX-5 or Honda CRV and we bought the maximum CDW insurance. It ended up adding about €400, but it gave us the peace of mind in case anything happened.
Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel is a historic site that served the Kings of Munster back in the 12th and 13th centuries. It’s about 1 hour and 45 minutes drive from Dublin and it was definitely worth a quick stop to see some historic architecture. We skipped the tour of Cormac’s Castle as it lasted about 1.5 hours and we wanted to head to Killarney. It wasn’t too busy on a Sunday around 2pm.
You can buy tickets online in advance here, but we ended up just showing up and paying cash at the door. Admission was about €8 and parking was about €3. There was a small shop for food, souvenirs, and a restroom.
After the Rock of Cashel, it was about a 2 hour drive to Killarney. We arrived around 16:30 and checked into our Bed & Breakfast at Earl’s Court House. We ended up grabbing dinner at The Laurels Pub & Restaurant. It’s a casual pub with your typical pub food and some Americanized items. They had a backroom with a lot of TVs and they were playing Monday Night Football. I ordered the seafood chowder and potato cakes, which were average at best. Overall, the Laurels is a good pub to have a beer and watch some sports, and I would pass on the food. 3/5.
Day 5: Ring of Kerry
The next day, we had a private tour of the Ring of Kerry through Viator, which was on a Monday. Our tour guide was Billy, who was awesome, and he picked us up around 09:00. It was a beautiful, crisp fall day and it was going to be cool and sunny. Our first stop was about a 10-minute drive to Torc Waterfall. It was about a 5 minute walk from the small parking lot and we spent about 15 minutes there. It was quiet and scenic; however, I have seen some very magnificent waterfalls so I didn’t need to spend much time here. You can also hike up to Torc Mountain, but we skipped this as it was a long day ahead.
The next stop was the Muckross House, which was extremely beautiful and historic. This is a must do when you visit Killarney National Park. We didn’t stay for the tour, but we walked around the grounds, which was very cool.
After the Muckross House, it was about an 1.5 hour drive to Portmagee and we made a quick stop at Rossbeigh Beach where you can see Dingle on a clear day.
After Rossbeigh Beach, we headed to a scenic spot outside of Portmagee. You can see Skellig Michel far in the background and that is where they filmed Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
It was around noon so we stopped at The Moorings for lunch, which was a traditional Irish pub. Portmagee is pretty much one of the farthest west towns in Ireland and it’s right on the Atlantic Ocean. So I ordered the Seafood Chowder and this was by far the best chowder of the entire trip! Super fresh seafood and the meat chunks were huge. The soup had great flavor as well!
After lunch, we headed over to the Kerry Cliffs. The Kerry Cliffs might have been my favorite part of the trip. They were spectacular! They were way less crowded and they are actually higher than the Cliffs of Moher. We had a gorgeous day, which definitely helped the experience. Admission was about €4-€6/person and it was well worth the admission. There is a steep hill to reach the top of the cliffs, but it’s easy for most and there are handrails. It was very windy at the top of the cliffs.
After the Kerry Cliffs, we stopped at another scenic viewpoint called Cúm an Easpaig. The view was more of the farmland and mountains, but you could go down and view the Atlantic Ocean. After that, we started heading back to Killarney. We drove through St. Finian’s Bay, Ballinskelligs, Waterville, and Sneem, on our way back to Killarney. This drive took about 1.5 hours. Our last stop of the tour was Ladies View in Killarney National Park, which overlooks the Gap of Dunloe and it was beautiful!
The Viator Ring of Kerry tour lasted all day from 09:00 to 17:30. Billy was an awesome tour guide! He was friendly, knowledgable, and he tailored the tour to what we wanted to see while giving us suggestions. So we would highly recommend the Viator Ring of Kerry Private Tour.
For dinner, we ate at Salvador’s & Robertino’s, which was an Italian spot. The espresso martini was strong and pretty good. The pasta was pretty good as well so the food hit the spot. Service was average, but the ambiance was nice. 4/5.
After Salvador’s, we went to John M. Reidy to have a pint. This was a cozy pub and it had a sweet shop and market in the back. It was definitely different, where you don’t see a pub and shops within the same building.
Day 6: Killarney National Park
The next day, I planned to hike the Gap of Dunloe and visit Ross Castle. I booked the Killarney Gap of Dunloe tour the day before. This was great because it provided me with transportation so my parents were able to keep the rental car with them and they didn’t have to drop me off/pick me up. I walked up to downtown Killarney and a bus picked me up at O’Connor’s Traditional Pub, who was celebrating their centennial year. The tour lasted about 6 hours.
In order to hike the Gap of Dunloe, there are two starting locations, Kate Kearney’s Cottage and Lord Brandon’s Cottage. Both points had shops for food and restrooms. However, Lord Brandon’s Cottage only accepts cash. I got off at Kate Kearney’s Cottage and I started the hike.
The Gap of Dunloe is a 7-mile hike and it would take about 2.5-3 hours to hike. The terrain was slightly hilly and easy for me. The elevation was about 840 feet. You could also hire a jaunting car at the start for about €140 or €35/person up to 4 people, which would take about an 1.5-2 hours. Also, you could drive through as it was a road, but there were some parts that were gravel roads. I didn’t see many cars driving, but there were a few during my hike. The toughest part was battling the elements of the weather. It was windy, cold, and wet so I brought a lot of warm and water-resistant clothes. The temperature was about low 40s Fahrenheit. So you should definitely be prepared for significant weather changes.
I arrived at Lord Brandon’s Cottage and I grabbed a bite to eat. At 14:00, we would depart from Lord Brandon’s Cottage via boat and head to Ross Castle crossing the Lakes of Killarney. Riding on the boat was windy, cold, and wet, but it was awesome! The views were spectacular and it was definitely a fun experience.
As you can see, the views were spectacular! I thought the views looked like Scotland and reminded me of the views in the James Bond movie, Skyfall. Ross Castle was pretty meh. After watching Game of Thrones, Hollywood likes to make the castles seem massive, but the castles that I saw in Ireland were pretty small. We spent about 1 hour at Ross Castle and there wasn’t much to do there. There was a small exhibit, guided tour, and a small shop where you could get snacks and coffee. After Ross Castle, the bus took us back to O’Connors Pub where I had a few pints of beer before heading back to the bed and breakfast before dinner.
For dinner, I suggested that we go to Bricin Restaurant and Boxty House as I read it was one of the best restaurants in Ireland for authentic Irish food. It was a Tuesday night and it’s only open Tuesdays through Satrudays from 18:00 – 21:00. We arrived just past 18:00 without a reservation. A gentleman greeted us warmly and I believe he was either the owner or manager. He asked if we had a reservation and we told him that we did not, but he was able to seat us immediately. I would highly recommend making a reservation because it was a small place and it’s very popular. So we got lucky! The ambiance was extremely cozy and it felt like a bed and breakfast.
Since we were there early, we got their early bird special, which 2 or 3 courses for €27-€30. We all ended up getting this and splitting the Bruschetta. The seafood chowder was extremely flavorful and it had good chunks of seafood in it. It was the second best seafood chowder behind the Moorings. My Dad ordered the Hake and I had the Irish Stew Boxty. Both of the entrees were amazing! My Mom ordered the Banoffee Pie for dessert and it was to die for.
Prices were relatively cheap since we ordered the 2-3 course early bird specials. Our waitress was great too. This was by far the best meal that we had in Ireland! 5/5.
Day 7: Dingle Pennesula
It was another rainy day and we were on our way to Dingle. This was one of two rainy days that we had in Ireland and we got extremely lucky with the weather. The drive to Dingle from Killarney was about an hour.
We left Killarney in the morning and headed to Dingle to drive the Wild Atlantic Way on Slea Head Drive around the Dingle Pennesula. The first stop was Inch Beach, which we didn’t stay for too long since it was rainy/cloudy and you couldn’t really see anything. Our second stop was the Beehives, which was €4-€6/person for admission. These were cool to see because of the history and they were in Star Wars.
Coumeenoole Beach was the next scenic stop and it was beautiful. We stopped by the Blasket Centre, which was a visitor’s center to get some information and use the restrooms. We didn’t stay too long and drove the remainder of Slea Head Drive.
In total, Slea Head Drive took about 1.5-2 hours. We went pretty quickly due to the weather and we probably stayed about 10-30 minutes for each stop. We would have stayed longer if the weather was better. The views were amazing, but I thought the views of the Ring of Kerry were better. The Dingle Pennesula had more views of the Atlantic Ocean, while the Ring of Kerry changed up the terrain of it’s views between forest, farmland, and sea.
After Slea Head Drive, it was around noon and we went to the Fish Box. The Fish Box is rated as one of the best seafood restaurants in Ireland and it lived up to the hype! It’s a casual restaurant and it’s very small with about 10 tables. We went right at opening and we got a table, but it was full while we were there.
We ended up ordering the fish box to share and it was lot of food. It came with Goujons, Calamari, and Scampi, which was fried to perfection. It was all delicious! The chips were also very crispy, salty, and tasty. This was definitely my favorite fish n chips on our trip. The curry sauce and the tartar sauce were very good!
Prices were about €15/entree and the service was great! The Fish Box was delicious and well worth a stop when you are in Dingle! 5/5.
Dingle is a small, quaint, sea town with lots of restaurants and small shops. After lunch, we did some shopping and then we checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Dingle Benner’s Hotel, which was nice.
For dinner, we ate at Ashes Restaurant, which was decent. The service was good, but the food was a tad expensive and was only ok. It was a warm, dimly lit ambiance, which was a nice change of scenery.
We went over to Murphy’s Ice Cream, which was amazing! It was very rich and I shockingly enjoyed the Dingle Gin ice cream. Definitely stop by Murphy’s Ice Cream if you are a fan of ice cream and they have locations in Galway and Dublin as well.
I ended up pub crawling after dinner and I stopped at Foxy John’s, Kennedy, and Neligans Pub. Each had their own feel, but I enjoyed Kennedy the best as it was warm, cozy with a fireplace, and the bartender, Olhn, was awesome! Definitely the friendliest/funniest French guy I have ever met. Reminded me of a younger version of the French commander from the movie, The Patriot.
Day 8: Drive to Galway & Cliffs of Moher
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and we had a long drive through Kilrush to the Cliffs of Moher and onto Galway.
Since we had to go through Kilrush to visit O’Brien’s Bar, we ended up taking the ferry on our way to the Cliffs of Moher. The ferry runs from Killimer every hour on the hour (07:00 – 19:00) and from Tarbert every hour on the half hour (07:30 – 19:30) on Monday – Saturday. On Sundays, the ferry runs from Killimer (09:00 – 19:00) and from Tarbert (09:30 – 19:30) The ferry took about 20 minutes and it cost €23, which you just paid on the ferry. We arrived about 20 minutes ahead of time for the 11:30 ferry. We were probably about the 10th car in the queue. The ferry was big and could hold about 50 cars. There was a long queue behind us and the ferry was at max capacity when we departed so you need to keep that in mind. Arriving early definitely helped us not get delayed on our trip. If we didn’t make the ferry at that time, then we would have to wait an hour in Tarbert.
Cliffs of Moher
After O’Brien’s Bar, it was about an hour drive to the Cliffs of Moher. We arrived at the Cliffs around 13:00 and there was a small queue to get into the parking lot. The price of admission was €7-€10/person and parking was included. You can book online and save some money. The parking lot was very big and it was very crowded on a Thursday, but not at capacity.
The visitor’s center was extremely crowded and there were long queues for the restrooms and to buy food/coffee.
I ended up hiking about 1 mile south to walk the cliffs and then I turned back. We spent about 1.5-2 hours at the Cliffs of Moher. You can hike the entire Cliffs of Moher, which is about 6.5 miles (11 km) one way and it would take about 5-6 hours to hike round trip. The visitor’s center is in the middle, Hag’s Head is to the South, and Doolin is to the North. Hiking is an alternative to parking at the Cliffs of Moher and paying the admission fee.
The Cliffs of Moher had spectacular views and we lucked out with amazing weather! O’Briens Tower was cool to climb; however, the bugs were horrendous. They were horrendous everywhere and you really had to watch out to not get bitten or accidentally eat them or get into your eyes.
The Cliffs of Moher were amazing to see, but if you know me, then you know that I dislike the crowds because it takes away from the experience for me. And this was the case with the Cliffs of Moher. It was extremely crowded and this wasn’t the peak season. The crowds were bad and it would be about 100x worst during summer. However, visiting the Cliffs of Moher is a must stop during your visit to Ireland and they were spectacular!
After the Cliffs of Moher, it was about an 1.5 hour drive to Galway. We checked into our hotel and then walked around downtown Galway. The main areas of Galway are Eyre Square, The Latin Quarter, and University of Galway. The main area of attractions are near Eyre Square and The Latin Quarter as there are a bunch of shops and restaurants/pubs.
For dinner, we went to The Dough Bros pizza, which is rated as one of the best pizzas in Ireland. We arrived around 18:30 on a Friday night and there was an average sized queue. It’s a sitdown fast casual restaurant, where you stand in line and place an order. They assign you a table and then bring the food to you. It was a nice system as it was very busy.
The pizza is Neapolitan style and it had a super soft crust. It was almost perfection and probably would have been if I liked Neapolitan style so it’s a 9 instead of a 10. Cheese was good, but it needed some more on the pie. Sauce was also very good too. The pie were loaded with pepperoni and the candied jalapeños were excellent as they had some sugar or honey on them to make it super sweet. Both pies were very good overall! Definitely worth stopping by when in Galway.
Rating:
Crust: 9
Cheese: 7
Sauce: 8
Toppings: 9
Overall: 8.25
After pizza, we walked around some more and we stopped at 13 on the Green pub for some drinks. They played some live music so it was a nice way to end the night.
Day 9: Explore Galway
The next day was a free day to explore and walk around Galway. I ended up doing the Long Walk and seeing the Spanish Arch. Both were worth seeing, but I didn’t spend much time at those attractions. I walked around the city to do some more sightseeing. I walked past the Galway Cathedral and around the University of Galway. Galway is a pretty small city and very walkable with a population of about 85,000.
After sightseeing and walking around the city, I decided to go on my own pub crawl around Galway. I checked out the Front Door, Tigh Neactain, and The Dail. Then we checked out Taaffes, and Tig Cholli at night. My favorite pubs were probably Tigh Neactain, Taaffes, and The Dail.
Handsome Burger is rated as one of the best burgers in Ireland and it definitely lived up to the hype! The place is pretty small with a very casual contemporary atmosphere. I arrived around 17:30 on a Friday night and I was able to get seated right away. There were people already there and somewhat busy. Prices were relatively cheap at less than €25 for burger, fries, sauces, a coke, and tip.
The potato bun was super soft and fresh. There was absolutely no seasoning on the burger and it was cooked to medium well perfection and it was super juicy. Toppings were so good and the bacon was to die for! The sticky onions, pickle, and handsome sauce had great flavor and was very well balanced. Fries were seasoned and crisp to almost perfection. Garlic aioli was very good.
Bun: 9
Burger: 10
Toppings: 9
Overall: 9.33
Fries: 9
Sauces: 8
Day 10 & 11: Back to Dublin & Fly Home
On a Saturday, we would head back to Dublin from Galway. Galway was a very nice city and it felt more local than Dublin. It seemed like there were not many things to do there besides eat and drink. Another option was to leave the city and go visit Kylemore Abbey or the small towns of Connemara/Clifden. The drive back to Dublin was about 2 hours and 18 minutes. We didn’t hit any traffic until we got into the city around the airport. We then took a cab back to the hotel in Dublin. This time we stayed at The Morrison Dublin by Hilton.
Once we checked into the hotel, I checked out a few pubs as the Rugby World Cup was on. Unfortunately, Ireland lost to New Zealand, later that night in the knockout stage. I checked out Neary’s Bar, which had a cozy, nice pub upstairs and I watched the Argentina & Wales match. After the match, I went to The Long Room and had a whiskey. The Long Room was very cool with vintage decor. Then I went to Leo Burdock’s to have a final fish n chips before leaving Ireland. It was an ok fish n chips as it was a huge portion size. But the chips were not crispy and the fish was overly fried where you definitely needed the tartar sauce.
The next morning, we took an Uber to the airport and headed back to Chicago.
Accomodations:
Dublin:
- Hampton by Hilton Dublin City Centre: Updated rooms, but very small (very European). Beds were insanely firm. Great location within walking distance to everything. The hotel was modern and the rooms were small, but nice. However, the elevators were extremely small and thus were very slow. Everyone who we spoke had the same issue as well. The breakfast buffet was actually very good and had a huge selection, but the queues were extremely long during peak breakfast time. Literally, good luck trying to find a table at 9:30 on a weekend and this was during the non-peak travel season. I would pass on this hotel due to the small elevators and busy breakfast.
- The Morrison Dublin: 5-star hotel with spacious rooms. The hallways were undergoing renovations as of October 2023, but the room was extremely nice. Amazing location right within walking distance of everything. This hotel was definitely the best hotel that we stayed at and I would stay here again.
Killarney:
- Earls Court House Hotel: Really more like a Bed and Breakfast. Rooms were old, but very spacious. Bed was a little too firm. Cute place, but not my cup of tea. Breakfast was pretty good. I really enjoyed the pancakes and the Irish Breakfast. Service staff was very sweet and friendly. There was a small parking out front. Location was about a 15 minute walk to downtown Killarney. I would stay at a hotel or a more modern Bed & Breakfast next time.
Dingle:
- Dingle Benners Hotel: 3-star hotel with spacious rooms. It was relatively modern. The bed was cozy. French Toast and bacon for breakfast were amazing! I think this was some of the best bacon I have ever had, literally. Limited parking in the back. I would stay here again.
Galway:
- The Galmont Hotel & Spa: 4-star hotel with spacious rooms and fast elevators. Great location and walking distance to Eyre Square and The Latin Quarter. Big parking garage. I would recommend staying here as it’s your typical American hotel.
Restaurants & Pubs:
Dublin:
- The Brazen Head Pub: Located west of the Temple Bar. One of the oldest pubs in Ireland. Old school pub feel and a historic pub. 4/5.
- The Porterhouse Brewing Company: Located in Temple Bar. Food was typical pub food and they brewed their own beer. Live music on Friday night. 3/5.
- The Banker’s Bar: Located east of Temple Bar near the Molly Malone Statue. Small pub and good to watch sports and to socialize. 3/5.
- BAMBINO: NYC style quick service pizza near Grafton Street. 5/5.
- Copper + Straw: Coffee shop just northwest of Temple Bar. 3/5.
- Butlers Chocolates: Chocolate shop with good hot chocolate and tasty chocolates. The chocolate was really good! 5/5.
- Neary’s: Vintage pub near Grafton Street. 4/5.
- The Long Hall: Really cool pub decorated with filigree-edged mirrors, polished dark wood and traditional snugs. 4/5.
- Leo Burdock: Multiple locations in Dublin and rated as some of the best fish n chips. Fish n chips were ok with huge portions, so great drunk food. 3/5.
Killarney:
- The Laurels Pub & Restaurant: Cozy pub and a backroom for dining with lots of TVs with your standard pub food. 3/5.
- John M. Reidy: Cozy pub with a cafe & bakery and market for groceries. 3/5.
- Salvadors & Robertinos: Irish/Italian spot that serves pasta and pizza. Pasta was pretty good. 4/5.
- O’Connors Traditional Pub: Cozy pub who celebrated their 100 year anniversary in 2023. 4/5.
- Bricin Restaurant and Boxty House: Amazing restaurant with authentic Irish cuisine and the best meal of the trip! 5/5.
- Murphys of Killarney: Cozy pub with pub food. I would have liked to try their food as it looked and smelled better than The Laurels. 3/5.
- Luna Coffee + Wine: Cute coffee shop with good coffee. 4/5.
- Lir Cafe: Modern coffee shop with good coffee. 3/5.
- Others: Flesk Bar & Restaurant, The Taproom at Killarney Brewing, The Mad Monk by Quinlans, Porterhouse Restaurant,
Portmagee:
- The Moorings: Casual pub with great seafood chowder.
Dingle:
- The Fish Box: Casual restaurant with amazing seafood. 5/5.
- Bean in Dingle: Cute coffee shop with very good coffee in Dingle. 5/5.
- Ashes Restaurant: Cozy pub with decent food, but nothing spectacular. 3/5.
- Murphys Ice Cream: Really good ice cream! I ended up getting the Kieran’s Cookie, but try the Dingle Gin and Chocolate Whiskey that both have alcohol in it. I didn’t think I would like the Dingle Gin, but it tasted like a sorbet ice cream. 5/5.
- Foxy John’s: Cozy pub in a hardware store. 3/5.
- Kennedy: Cozy pub with a fireplace. Olhn from France was an awesome bartender. Buy him a shot of Jager as that is his favorite! 5/5.
- Neligans Pub: Cool pub with a pool table and live music. 3/5.
- Others: The Charthouse, Doyle’s Seafood, O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub.
Galway:
- The Dough Bros: Great casual pizza place in the Latin Quarter. 5/5.
- Thirteen On The Green: Nice pub with live music located inside a hotel. 3/5.
- Grind Coffee & Food Hub: Cute coffee shop and great breakfast! 5/5.
- Coffeewerk + Press: Modern/hip coffee shop with very good and strong coffee. 5/5.
- The Front Door Pub: Cozy pub with lots of seats and TVs to watch the game. It’s connected to Sonny Molloy’s, which is a whiskey bar. 4/5.
- Tigh Neachtain: Really cool vintage bar. Very small with limited seating, but a nice outdoor patio. Seafood chowder smelled amazing. 5/5.
- The Dail Bar: Nice pub with a fireplace on the bottom floor and a nice upstairs. Good food! 4/5.
- Taaffes Bar: Old pub with a decent amount of seating and live music. 4/5.
- Tig Choili: Small pub with live music. 3/5.
- Others: Aniar Restaurant, Ard Bia at Nimmos, Dela Restaurant, McDonaghs, The Quays Bar & Restaurant, O’Connell’s Bar, The Crane Bar, An Pucan, Meltd.
Summary:
Ireland was an absolutely beautiful country with lovely people! There is so much to do in Ireland where you can make multiple trips. I would love to make another trip to go hike at another national park, play golf, stay in a castle, visit Skellig Michel, visit the small towns (Waterville, Portmagee, Kilrush, and Cobh) and check out Northern Ireland & Scotland. Our weather was incredible and we definitely lucked out. We skipped Cork and the Blarney Stone as I heard it was the biggest tourist trap in Ireland. But visiting Cobh would have been cool. Spending another day in Dingle would have been fun. This was a spectacular vacation and I wouldn’t have changed a thing!