It’s awesome to be able to travel again outside of Canada and to our favourite destination - Europe! Weeks leading to our travel we heard about horror stories of flight delays, cancellations, and baggage losses. In fact, at one point Toronto Pearson International Airport has been labelled as one of the worst airports in terms of flight delays. It has been what the authorities call a perfect storm - huge volume of travelers for summer, staff shortages, long hiring process for additional staffing and complexities brought about by Covid checks. We are grateful that by the time we traveled, the Canadian air transportation services have been under the microscope enough and pressured to make the necessary improvements. Still, our group made precautions of adding travel insurance in the eventually of any issues. Thank God, the whole trip was smooth with acceptable delay times on some flights. Similar to previous European trips, we aim for total 10 days of travel. Journey with me as I share what we’ve covered in Ireland for four full days. I’ll have a separate blog covering our Scotland leg of the trip. Day 1 Dublin: We usually time our flights to be in the evening so we can sleep on the plane and still have a day to start off with our tour. By the time we landed, we availed of the visitor pass valid for 24 hours. There is up to 3 days visitor pass but we had booked a tour the next day so we only opted for the 1 day. They have buses - mostly double decker that take you to the airport to the city centre where our hotel is. Our first impression of central Dublin is that it can be overwhelming. First there’s right hand driving so can be a bit disorienting. Second, the roads are smaller and it’s amazing how buses and cars fit together at most times inches apart. Third, the crossing of the road sometimes can be anybody’s judgment. Fourth, some of the areas especially in the O’Connell Street is not as clean with unpleasant smells in several areas. This is just one part of the city (the busiest) and later we’ve seen especially in the financial district, it has a different atmosphere - cleaner, less crowded, and more upscale. After checking in at The Academy Plaza (thank God our rooms are upgraded to King beds, more comfortable stay for us), we went out to make use of our visitor pass and rode the bus to Dublin Castle. It is closed that time because of the 100th year event by the police force. We then went to Guinness Storehouse. We opted not to go in on a tour as our group have been into several brewery tours before. Next, we headed to Temple Bar district, and this is already early evening. We witnessed the lively Irish atmosphere with pubs everywhere and you can hear singing and just a camaraderie of fun and entertainment. They play their traditional guitar that makes Irish music unique with lyrics that tell captivating stories. We ate at one of the pubs and I tried the Guinness black beer and the Irish dish beef stew. We enjoyed the beat of the music and just the pleasing atmosphere. We walked off the food we ate by strolling around the area and finding Ha’penny bridge (first iron bridge in Ireland, opened in 1816). We explored the riverfront and the stretch of O’Connell street and our landmark is the needle like structure called the Spike where our hotel is located nearby from there. Day 2 Cliffs of Moher, Gallaway: One thing I am most impressed is how organized the tours are. We booked via Viator one of its bestseller day trips. We left at 7am and our first stop - Cliffs of Moher that took our breath away. What a wonderful sight of majestic cliffs and rock formations overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The water, the greens, sight of the cliffs are all a beautiful combination. After Cliffs of Moher, we had lunch at this family run restaurant at the Village of Doolin and one of the best meals I’ve had - good seafood chowder, smoked salmon salad and friends got fish and chips. The scenery of the countryside is a sight to behold with its rolling hills, green pastureland filled with well-fed cows and sheep. No wonder there are a lot of famous movies shot in various locations of Ireland’s breathtaking countryside. We had a quick 10 minute-stop at this place called Burren, famous for its rocky limestone exterior. Next we went to the city of Gallaway. We checked out the Latin Quarter that had a similar vibe as the Temple Bar district in Dublin - very lively, entertaining with lots of boutique shops selling Celtic jewelry and other creative trinkets/objects.
When we arrived back to Dublin, as the night is young, we explored Grafton Street, shopping district and came across the statue of Molly Malone carrying a cart. This is to commemorate a traditional song which has become an unofficial anthem in Dublin. Don’t be surprised if tourists rub her large breasts in the low-cut dress. We thought at first tourists are being naughty and they explained to us that it is for luck and so we followed suit just for the fun of it. Day 3: Dublin city. We got ourselves the 24-hour visitor pass again so we can maximize all transportation available. We went to the financial district. Started at the famous Samuel Beckett bridge, along the way, learned more about the famine story, checked out briefly the EPIC museum that covered the history of the Irish diaspora and immigration to other countries. We went to St Patrick’s church, Dublin Castle, College of Trinity, and the famous exhibit of the Book of Kells (9th century manuscript and part of the book is contained in a covered glass maintained at strict temperatures to preserve this ancient masterpiece). Note that you need to pre-book as it is a popular tourist destination. The exhibit describes in detail how the monks intricately designed/created this illustration of the four gospels of the New Testament. The library looks like the halls of Hogwarts and it houses literary works of great authors and philosophers. It also showcases the 14th century Irish harp which has been adopted by Guinness as its logo/symbol - found in all of its products and packaging. We once again explored Grafton Street and are entertained by buskers/street performers from solo to band performances. We got ourselves gelato and enjoyed it as we sat in one area of the St Stephen’s Green. This is a lovely park to just rest, relax and hang out.
Ireland trip won’t be complete without trying their famous whiskey. One friend gave a treat to the group of a package of 3 samplers of Redbreast single pot still. It is all triple distilled – one is aged 12 years, another aged 15 years and another one called Lustau (sherried style). Another friend bought pastries to pair with the whiskey. We also added fruits we got from the hotel. It was a memorable evening of chilling in our hotel.
Day 4: Giant's Causeway, Belfast, Dunluce Castle. We took another day tour covering Giant’s Causeway and the Titanic Museum. Included in this tour is the visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland, part of United Kingdom. On the way, we learned about the turbulent past between Republic of Ireland now and Northern Ireland. There was a fierce fight between Catholics and Protestants. Sad to note that both profess Christianity but were proponent of extreme violence and division. Watch the recently released movie Belfast to get a glimpse of how it was. Good thing that’s put to rest and Belfast is now becoming a progressive city. In Belfast stands the tall Titanic Museum. Titanic was built in Belfast at the Harland & Wollf (H&W) shipyard. After it was built, it was brought to Southampton for its first voyage to New York. The simulated ride showing how the men worked on building the ship was one of the highlights for me. Another one (though a bit creepy and sad) are the last radio transmissions and the actual footages of the expeditions exploring the Titanic shipwreck.
On the tour’s next stop, Giant’s Causeway would heighten your awareness of Irish deep love for myths and legends. The scientific explanation of this place: 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. Mythical explanation: columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant Finn MacCool as it challenged Scottish giant Benandonner for a fight. All to be taken in for jest and creative imagination. These formations are truly one of a kind.
Next attraction - Dunluce Castle which is the real-life House of Greyjoy from the "Game of Thrones". Now thank goodness for modern technology that this can be transformed from ruins to a full/completed castle in movies. As we explored the halls, it’s columns, walls, one can imagine its grandeur during its prime.
We had buffet breakfast at the hotel, and I enjoyed Irish full breakfast composed of bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, beans, mushrooms and get this white and black pudding. The white pudding includes oatmeat or barley, stuffed into sausage casing. The black pudding is the same content except for the addition of blood. We’re all stuffed that our next meal is late lunch or early dinner.
Learning about the rich history of Ireland with all the struggles this nation has overcome, gives me high respect to its people. Amidst challenges, they know how to preserve the community spirit and camaraderie. The people are very warm, friendly, and just know how to have the best time. With the Irish immigration across the globe, I have a deeper appreciation of the St. Patrick’s Day which highlights the celebration of Irish heritage wherever they are in the world. It’s big here in Canada. Remember those parades, green beer and in Chicago they even dye the river green in celebration of this day.
It would have been great to discover more of its countryside - just rent a car, drive, and explore but that’ll be an adventure for another day.
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