We flew on United Airlines from Denver to Newark and then on to Dublin, which ended up being a very streamlined path with little waiting or delays. Our only fault was that we were betting on being upgraded to business class for our overnight flight, but ended up not getting it. Luckily, the flight from Newark to Dublin was 6 hours or less and we were able to get an hour or two of sleep before arriving in the morning. We rented a car at Dublin airport and set off on our first full day in Ireland. Along the way, we stopped briefly in Dublin, hiked through some woods in Ballinastoe, and then made our way to the small town of Cashel.

We checked in to Bailey's Hotel in Cashel and went out to our first Irish dinner. We headed for a local pub called Feehan's but soon found out the weren't offering food. Feehan's suggested a new restaurant right around the corner called Ember and Stone. It turned out to be very good and we enjoyed some seafood chowder, a salad, and homemade pasta with truffle and mushrooms. Full from our meal, we headed to bed for the night, happy to have made it through the first day with very little sleep!

Guinness Storehouse

The historic brewhouse of Arthur Guinness started when he signed a 9,000 year lease of the property which is proudly displayed at the start of your tour when visiting today. From then on, the Guinness brand grew to its worldwide recognition today, soaring in popularity across Ireland and the UK for its stout beer. Today, you can visit the Guinness Storehouse in the historic St James neighborhood of Dublin. Very popular amongst tourists, it is recommended to buy your tickets ahead of time.

We weren't sure of what we would do in Dublin, so ended up buying tickets for the 11am time slot shortly after landing at the airport, with only a few slots left. We had wanted to visit a few other historical landmarks but found most of them to be closed such as the Dublin Castle (closed until Jan 2027), the Dublin jail (no tickets remaining as of a week before our visit), or the Trinity College library (books all currently removed). The Guinness Storehouse visit was a bit over dramatized for the price (24 EUR per person) for what you get but you are able to learn some history of the brewery as well as enjoy a pint of Guinness at thier impressive top floor bar where you can experience 360 degree views of Dublin.

Ballinastoe Woods

About an hour drive south of Dublin, the Ballinastoe Woods features a trail and walkway that winds tightly through a dark, eerie, and incredibly mossy forest floor. When the sunlight filters through the twisted pine canopy, it creates a mystical, cinematic effect which many refer to as something out of a Lord or the Rings movie. We weren't sure if we had pulled off into the correct small parking lot but after looking it up again, realized the boardwalk was only a short bit away.

After taking a brief but much needed nap in the car at the parking lot, we headed out down the trail and soon made our way into the woods. It was indeed quite special with a wooden boardwalk making its way down into the forest. There were very few people on the trail and we were able to enjoy the scenic surroundings. We discovered a few species of mushrooms and soaked in the quiet dark woods before heading back to the car.

After enjoying a full nights rest, we woke to some Irish rain and got ready for the day. After checking out of the hotel, we walked to a local bakery called The Bake House, where we sampled the local quiche and pastry with coffee. After that, we drove to Cashel's most famous landmark, the Rock of Cashel. We spent about an hour exploring the Rock of Cashel and the nearby Hore Abbey. After which, we got back in the car to make a few stops along the way to out next destination of Cork.

Cork is a rather large city and after checking into our hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn, we headed to dinner at Quinlan's Seafood Bar, which we had heard was one of the best in the city. They were able to squeeze us in at the bar but were otherwise fully booked! We had an excellent dinner with a generous mixed seafood chowder, garlic prawns, and excellent mussels in white wine sauce. After dinner, we stopped by the Oval Bar which was packed with locals and a fun environment to have another pint of Guinness.

The Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel is one of the most visited historic sites in Ireland. Located in the small town of Cashel, it was once home to kings from the 5th and 6th centuries. Later, it was given to the church and a gothic cathedral, chapel and tower were built. It is said to have been visited by St Patrick when he came to baptize King Aengus and is also said to have been the place where the famous High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, was crowned.

Today, you can visit the Rock of Cashel on either self tour (~8 EUR) or a guided tour for a few extra Euros. We opted for walking around on our own since the guided tour wouldn't start for another 30 minutes. Much of the buildings only have the outer walls and partial interior walls remaining, but it makes for spectacular photos and an eerie feeling, leaving the rest up to your imagination. From there, you can also see the ruins of Hore Abbey, a 12th century monastery, down below.

Lismore Castle and Gardens

When driving through the small town of Lismore, you can't help but notice the large castle on the hillside. Originally built in 1185 by King John, it has traded hands with several other notable men in history such as Sir Walter Raleigh and Richard Boyle. It has most recently been owned by the Devonshire family, and the castle itself remains a private residence. The castle gardens are extensive and can be visited for ~12 Eur per person. They have an extensive collection of plants, trees, a large vegetable garden and feature a small art gallery. We also thought it was interesting that they had two pieces of the Berlin wall hidden amongst the lower garden. You can catch a few glimpses of the castle from the outside while enjoying the garden.

Balleysaggartmore Towers

The Balleysaggartmore Towers were constructed for an Irish landlord in the early 1800's. They were meant to be elaborate entrance lodges on the way in to his property where he would supposedly build an even more elaborate home. Over the years, the towers have fallen into disrepair, with their roofs open to the sky and the surrounding forest taking over. The towers are only a few minutes outside of the town of Lismore and can be visited for free via a walking path. Doing the entire loop is about a mile and a half walk. We enjoyed exploring the tower ruins and walking on the path where we saw a lot of mushrooms and blackberries.

Town of Cobh

Cobh is a small seaside port town on the South coast of Ireland. It has much historical significance as a port town. Almost a third of all Irish emigrants to America embarked on their journey from this town. It was also known for being the final port of call for the Titanic before it headed out into the Atlantic. There is a Titanic museum in town as well as a memorial to the Lusitania, a British passenger oceanliner that was sunk by a German U-boat around WWI.

Today, Cobh is a tourist desintation and is known for its colorful "deck of cards" houses that line a steep street leading down to the port. We sought out several views of the houses as well as visited the large cathedral in town before sitting down for a pint of Guinness in Kelly's Bar on the seaside. Cobh is worth a visit and is nearby to the larger city of Cork.

We had a long day ahead of us as we would make our way from Cork and drive 2/3 of the way around the Ring of Kerry. We started off our day with a walk in Cork where we stopped for coffee and to visit the English Market. After that, we drove to the nearby Blarney Castle where you can easily spend a few hours exploring the castle and grounds. We stopped in Killarney for a late lunch, which put us a bit behind schedule but was worth it. The town was super cute with a ton of restaurants and shops. We ate at JM Reidy's and highly recommend it for the atmosphere and history of this old merchant building. There were a number of rooms and outdoor courtyards to explore with relics from the past.

We had wanted to drive over the famous Dunloe Gap road but upon arriving, discovered it is not really open to cars and only walking or horse drawn tours. The road is supposedly extremely narrow and allowing cars would cause it to be backed up and unsafe for the other modes of transportation. We drove over a different pass with scenic views to reach the Ring of Kerry road which took us along the coast on the Wild Atlantic Way. We checked in to our hotel for 2 nights, the Wild Atlantic Pods. A very new small grouping of A-frame style pods looking out over the bay of Portmagee. The pods were very comfortable and modern and it was a nice touch that they offered yogurt, cereal, milk and coffee, as well as a few snacks for you to enjoy.

Cork English Market

The English Market is a large covered market area in downtown Cork and a popular place to visit for both tourists and locals alike. At the market, you can find a wide variety, from fresh cheeses, produce, sandwich shops, to a number of butchers and fresh fish stalls where locals do their shopping. The market is open daily and is definitely worth a visit when in Cork. We also stopped by the market on the previous evening where they were having a special event with tasting menus. It was packed and difficult to even walk around! The morning atmosphere was much calmer.

Blarney Castle

The Blarney Castle is a medieval fortress built in the mid 1400's which features an expansive estate with gardens. The grounds now host the very large Blarney House which was built later in the 1800's. The house is still occupied as a private residence today. The castle is most famous for the Blarney Stone, upon which you wait in line to bestow a kiss. The stone is placed at the top of the tower with a sheer drop off below (protected by bars of course). You can wait in line while you make your way through the ruins of the castle tower, learning a bit of history along the way. You navigate up a steep spiral staircase before reaching the top.

There is someone to assist you with laying on your back to kiss the Blarney Stone, and they also clean it between each use. The stone is said to give you the "gift of gab, or eloquence". There are several stories about how the stone came to be there but one of them claims it was Jacob's pillow when he was dreaming of the ladder to heaven. After finishing with the castle, we spent some time walking the grounds which feature many different kinds of gardens such as the Poison Garden, with numerous poisonous plants, the Jurassic ferns, an old ice house, and the estate food garden. Entrance to the Blarney estate is 25 EUR per person.

Ring of Kerry / Wild Atlantic Way

The Wild Atlantic Way is one of the longest coastal roads in the world, stretching for 1,500 miles on the western coast of Ireland. There are many different subsections of this road and the Ring of Kerry is one of them. The Ring of Kerry takes you around one of the several large peninsulas that stretch out into the sea from the coast of Ireland. The driving loop usually starts from the town of Killarney and it is recommended to drive in a clockwise loop to reduce traffic. Many of the roads are very narrow and passing of cars sometimes requires pulling off to let the other go by. We enjoyed the drive and views as we made our way to the town of Portmagee.

Skellig Michael Islands

There are only a handful of tour operators, as visits to actually land on Skellig Michael island are limited, making it a special place to visit. Unfortunately, it is very weather dependent and we read that up to 35% of the days, the island is closed. They send a scout out each morning to determine if the island is safe for landing. Otherwise, you can take a 2.5 hour boat ride that only goes around the base of the islands. If you're lucky, you can hike to the top of the island, taking the boat out and back with 2.5 hours to spend walking around, for a total of 5 hours. On the island you can see nesting bird colonies, an old monastery, as well as ancient beehive huts. Sadly, we were canceled on both days that we attempted to visit the island.

Kerry Cliffs

Nearby Portmagee there are some dramatic cliffs with excellent views over the Atlantic and Skellig islands. The Kerry Cliffs tout themselves as the best cliff views in the Kerry region. Entrance is 5 EUR per person and you will walk up a gravel path that takes you to two lookouts over the cliffs. There were a fair number of tourists there when we went but more than enough space to see the views. We enjoyed the cliffs and flew the drone while there. They also offer camping for tents or RVs on the property nearby the cliffs.

Valentia Island

Across the bridge from Portmagee is Valentia Island. We spent a few hours wandering around by car and came across a number of interesting sights. First, we stopped to learn about the first Transatlantic Cable. From this very spot, the first comminication was sent across the Atlantic to Newfoundland, Canada. The first telegram was exchanged between Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan in 1858. There are several hikes you can do on Valentia and we chose to drive near the top of Geokaun Mountain. It was 8 EUR per car and you can park and walk to see the Fogher Cliffs as well as visit the top of the mountain where there are numerous signs pointing out interesting things around the island.

From the signs, we learned about a special sight where there are fossilized tetrapod tracks in the rock by the ocean. We drove down to visit them, because where else can you visit a spot where the first vertebrates walked onto land ~385 million years ago? Back then, Ireland's land mass was located close to the equator. It is said that all vertebrates on Earth today evolved from these tetrapods that were once amphibians that learned to walk on land. There is also a large slate quarry, with the slate from Valentia Island famously used in the Paris Opera House, and London's Parliament. Lastly, we visited the nearby lighthouse to learn a bit of history about the lighthouses and their keepers that kept the seas safe in the mid 1800's. Entry to the lighthouse was 8 EUR per person and included an interactive and interesting display about lighthouse life and communications.

We got up extra early, hoping for our boat trip to Skellig Michael, but again found out only that it was canceled and the island was closed for the day. We debated taking their boat trip around the outside of the island but opted for a short nap before getting on our way, as we had a few stops along our drive. We stopped at Inch Beach, a very long beach near where the Dingle and Iveragh peninsulas meet. We experienced a sunny and calm walk on the beach. People were even swimming, and it made us sad that our boat trip had been canceled on such a nice day. We stopped in the town of Dingle for lunch at Paul Geaney's where Bryan tried some authentic Irish beef stew.

After lunch, we made it just in time for a tour at the Dingle distillery before continuing on. We had several more very scenic stops at beaches and cliffs overlooking the ocean. We made it to our destination, the Hotel Ceann Sibeal, in the very small town of Ballyferriter. The town offered a few small pubs but our hotel restaurant seemed to be the most popular, so we ate there, having salmon and a cottage pie with a Guinness of course.

Dingle Distillery

The Dingle Distillery is a small independent distillery that has been in operation since 2012. They proudly distil gin, vodka and whiskey and were funded by personal investors who pooled their money to get the company started in return for a cask of whiskey once it was produced. The Dingle Distillery has won many awards, including the World's Best Gin award. They offer small tours of their facility (25 EUR per person) which includes a few small tastings along with explanations. Our enthusiastic tour guide made the 1 hour tour fun and informative. We'd recommend this tour as a unique way to experience a local Irish business built from the ground up.

Dingle Loop Drive

The Dingle Loop Drive, also known as Slea Head Drive, is a scenic ~25 mile coastal drive around the Dingle peninsula. After leaving the town of Dingle, we continued onto narrow roads along the coast. It is recommended to go clockwise to assist with traffic. We made several stops along the way. The first was Coumeenoole Beach, a small beach surrounded by jagged cliffs. We noticed that a bunch of Blue Jellyfish were washed up along the beach.

Then on to the Dunquin Pier which has a steep walk down to an old pier and scenic coast views. We made our way to the small town of Ballyferriter and took a walk on their wide beach at sunset. The following day, we drove back through Dingle town and over the Connor Pass. With spectacular views and narrow winding roads, the Connor Pass is a fun drive. There is also a small waterfall before you make your way back down toward the coast.