Sponsored by Globus Journeys
For me, journey is about accumulating reminiscences and moments, and in the event you don’t know what to do in Eire to create these memorable Eire journey experiences as a first-time customer, I’m right here to assist!
I lived in Dublin for 12-months again in 2003 and explored Eire extensively then, and most not too long ago did an 8-day Eire journey known as Inexperienced With Envy in partnership with Globus Journeys that coated a pleasant mixture of prime cities together with Dublin and Galway, smaller cities, plus historical past, tradition, unbelievable surroundings and the addictive pub scene.
Eire is perhaps a small island however there are many enjoyable and distinctive issues to do in Eire, a spot well-known for its wealthy historical past, vibrant cities and small cities, rugged shoreline, historic castles, pub tradition, and inexperienced rolling countryside. I nonetheless really feel like I’ve solely scratched the floor.
Most of the experiences listed beneath I used to be capable of do on my latest tour of Eire, and in the event you’re inquisitive about a tour with all of the enjoyable and not one of the overwhelm and stress of planning your individual impartial journey, take a look at my 8-day Eire tour with Globus, the group tour specialists who make journey straightforward!
Take pleasure in a Pint of the “Black Stuff” (Guinness)
Let me begin right here, with one in all my private favourite issues about Eire. Few nations are as intrinsically linked to 1 drink as Eire is to the black stout by the identify of Guinness, it’s a giant a part of what makes up the tradition of Eire.
From humble beginnings in 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 YEAR lease on St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin, and it’s undoubtedly change into one of many world’s most iconic beers.
Whereas you will have sipped on Guinness in your place of origin (it’s brewed in 49 nations) there’s nowhere like ingesting Guinness than in its residence and indulging in at the least one pint throughout your Eire trip is likely one of the unmissable issues to do in Eire.
Belief me, it tastes so a lot better in Eire, and I acquired the style whereas dwelling in Dublin. There’s even a examine that claims to scientifically show that Guinness doesn’t journey nicely, and the freshest Guinness is the best-tasting Guinness!
This darkish, creamy alcohol was born in Dublin and is now so iconic that the Guinness Storehouse is probably the most visited of the Eire sights (see extra about this beneath).
Sipping on a pint of Guinness, in an Irish pub, paired with Fish ‘n Chips or a Beef & Guinness Stew whereas listening to conventional music, is as quintessential as Eire will get.
St Patrick’s Day in Dublin
The Irish are all about having good craic (an excellent time), and there’s few different celebrations all over the world that collect as a lot participation from different nationalities as Eire’s St Patrick’s Day, and to expertise St Patrick’s Day in Dublin is a enjoyable and distinctive expertise!
Whereas they don’t dye the river inexperienced in Dublin (like they do in Chicago), nor do they communicate in limericks, however you’ll expertise vibrant shade, track, dialog and celebration.
Top-of-the-line methods to expertise Dublin on Eire’s nationwide vacation is to hit the streets and take in the ambiance and watch the parade, as I did whereas dwelling in Dublin in 2003.
The parade route is lined with households, guests and locals in each shade of inexperienced, foolish hats, and waving tricolors. And afterwards, hit up one of many native Dublin pubs to proceed the social gathering!
Stroll alongside the Cliffs of Moher
Any tour of Eire shouldn’t be full and not using a stroll alongside the Cliffs of Moher, the second most visited vacation spot in Eire (behind the Guinness Storehouse).
Rising 700 ft vertically above the ocean and operating alongside the coast of County Clare for nearly 8 miles, the gentle shale and sandstone cliffs provide spectacular views of the Atlantic. Shaped over 320 million years in the past, they’re part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO International Geopark.
Top-of-the-line issues to do in Eire is stroll alongside the paved pathways (there’s a security fence in place) and discover totally different vantage factors of those well-known Eire cliffs.
Faucet Your Toes To Stay Conventional Irish Music in a Pub
There’s no higher technique to get pleasure from good craic than listening to conventional Irish music in a neighborhood pub, ideally with a pint of Guinness in hand.
Irish conventional music will be traced again hundreds of years. It embodies the spirit of the individuals of Eire and their music is sort of a language – a continuous celebration of sound and storytelling.
The primary conventional devices are the fiddle, Irish flute, tin whistle, Celtic harp, uilleann pipes, and the bodhrán, and I dare you to withstand the urge to faucet your toes and slap the desk together with your arms, or, higher but, leap up and dance round.
My favourite night time of my Irish tour was on the iconic Quays Bar, some of the widespread pubs in Galway for stay music, and I’m guessing this may change into one in all your favourite Eire journey reminiscences too!
The most important conventional music pageant is the annual summer season occasion Fleadh Cheoil. Different notable locations embrace Ennis in County Clare with its half-dozen music pubs, and I had a tremendous time in Doolin manner again in 2003 which has a cluster of well-known music pubs.
However nearly each Irish pub in each city may have stay conventional music, and sometimes simply the locals gathering collectively to play just a few tunes!
Style Irish Whiskey
Other than Guinness, Eire is known for that different beverage, Irish Whiskey, and the phrase ‘whiskey’ comes from the Irish uisce beatha, which means water of life.
Irish whiskey is usually triple-distilled whereas scotch is commonly distilled solely twice. And Irish whiskey tends to have a smoother end versus the smoky, earthy overtones frequent to Scotch whisky. Additionally, Irish whiskey is all the time spelled with an “e”.
Well-liked manufacturers embrace:
- Jameson
- Bushmills
- Kilbeggan
- Connemara
- Inexperienced Spot
- Redbreast
- Teeling
- Tullamore Dew
- Tyrconnell
On my tour of Eire, we loved Whiskey tastings on the Roe & Co Distillery in Dublin, and on the Kilbeggan Distillery (the oldest licensed distillery in Eire) in County Westmeath.
In case you love whiskey, or need to get one other style of Eire, I extremely suggest you are taking a tour of a distillery to be taught in regards to the historical past and the distilling course of. Take a look at this tour of the Jameson Distillery, the Teeling Whiskey tour, or the Irish Whiskey Museum.
Drive the Wild Atlantic Method
West Coast Eire’s surroundings is breathtaking, and the easiest way to take all of it in is to drive a part of, or all of, the Wild Atlantic Method, a coastal route that stretches 1,600 miles from the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork.
It’s divided into 14 levels for simpler orientation and all up is likely one of the premier highway journeys on this planet, and highlights embrace Malin Head in Donegal, Clifden within the Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher, Mizen Head in Cork, the unbelievable Dingle Peninsula and the well-known Ring of Kerry!
One other favourite expertise on my latest Eire journey was visiting Achill Island, Eire’s largest offshore island and one of many jewels within the crown of the Wild Atlantic Method.
Take pleasure in Fish n’ Chips
I wouldn’t essentially classify Eire as a foodie vacation spot, besides on the subject of Fish ‘n Chips. Eire is in fact an island and surrounded by water, and plenty of critics say the perfect fish and chips in Europe will be discovered within the Emerald Isle.
So, you’ll be able to’t go to Eire with out ordering, at the least as soon as in your Eire journey, traditional Fish ‘n Chips (fries). And take it from me, they’re finest ordered in a comfortable pub, with a facet of conventional music, and washed down with a pint of the “black stuff”.
After all, like every seafood, the perfect fish and chips is the freshest and comes from the coastal cities who’ve shut entry to the recent catch every day. Among the finest seafood cities in Eire embrace:
- Dingle
- Wexford
- Kinsale
- Dundalk
- and Galway
Well-liked Fish ‘n Chip retailers in Eire embrace:
- Leo Burdock’s in Dublin
- McDonagh’s in Galway
- Wharton’s in Kenmare
- Luigi’s in Limerick
- Harry’s Shack on the Antrim Shoreline
- Superfry in Portstewart
- Beshoff Brothers in Howth
You’ll want to set foot in a chipper (fish ‘n chip store) or a neighborhood pub for one in all Eire’s favourite meals!
The Guinness Storehouse
Talking of Guinness and the significance of freshness, it doesn’t get any more energizing than right here, and there’s a motive that is ranked primary out of all of the locations to go to in Eire.
Once I mentioned there’s no higher place to drink Guinness than in Eire, the perfect pint of velvety black stout might be poured on the Guinness Storehouse facility on the historic St. James’s Gate Brewery!
This 7-story museum is likely one of the finest issues to do in Dublin because it offers an enchanting perception into the historical past of Eire’s favourite drink, how it’s made, the 6-step ritual behind the proper pour, and the affect it has over the world.
Afterward, don’t miss going to the Seventh-floor Gravity Bar to drink within the 360-degree metropolis views over Dublin as you attempt an ideal pint. Get your entrance ticket right here. Sláinte!
Historic Eire
For the reason that first human settlement in 6000 BC, Eire has had some fascinating historic durations and occasions. The wealthy historical past and heritage has helped to form the nation and it’s one in all my favourite issues about exploring Eire.
Steeped in historical past, historic locations will be discovered everywhere in the nation, and a few of the prime historic sights, locations and artifacts that offer you a novel perception into the historical past embrace:
- Rock of Cashel – one in all Eire’s most historic sights and the seat of the traditional kings of Eire. St. Patrick baptized King Aengus right here in 450 AD.
- Trinity School – Eire’s oldest and well-known College. Its alumni embrace a few of the nation’s most esteemed authors and poets.
- The E book of Kells – Written in 800 AD, that is an illuminated manuscript Gospel guide in Latin, containing the 4 Gospels of the New Testomony along with numerous prefatory texts and tables. At present housed at Trinity School.
- Kylemore Abbey – constructed within the late 1800s by a rich businessman, at present owned and run by the Benedictine group who’ve been in residence since 1920. Magnificent property.
- Glendalough – based within the early sixth century by St. Kevin, who sought an remoted place for non secular reflection.
- Christ Church & St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Christ Church is the elder of Dublin metropolis’s two mediæval cathedrals. It’s formally claimed because the seat (cathedra) of each the Church of Eire and Roman Catholic archbishops of Dublin.
- Kilmainham Gaol – constructed within the late 18th century. Housed lots of the outstanding revolutionaries concerned within the 1916 Easter Rising.
- Dublin Citadel – an necessary constructing in Eire’s historical past. Till 1922 it was the seat of the British authorities’s administration in Eire.
Discover on Foot
This nation is a superb highway journey vacation spot, however Eire will be finest explored on foot. Strolling in Eire will be so simple as a stroll alongside a canal, or mountaineering alongside spectacular sea cliffs, distant islands, or alongside one in all its 43 waymarked long-distance trails.
All you’ll want is an efficient pair of waterproof mountaineering sneakers, respectable health, some meals and water, and, inevitably, a rain jacket.
Among the finest walks in Eire embrace:
- The Causeway Coast (Antrim’s north coast) – the ultimate 10 miles from Carrick-a-Rede to the Big’s Causeway will be executed in a day and is likely one of the best coastal walks in Eire.
- Wicklow Method (close to Dublin) – one in all Eire’s hottest long-distance walks for its outstanding surroundings and accessible begin and end factors.
- Carrauntoohil (County Kerry) – the perfect mountain hike and the very best summit, at 1040m (3412ft).
- Howth Summit – finest brief hike close to Dublin.
- Muckross Lake Loop Path (County Kerry) – akes in a few of the most photogenic components of Killarney Nationwide Park.
- Slieve Bloom Mountains (County Offaly) – nice walks for households
Might-September are usually the perfect months for mountaineering and once you stand the best likelihood of dry climate and fewer likelihood of midges.
Sip on an Irish Espresso
In case you love espresso and whiskey like me, mix them and also you’re in heaven. And in the event you’ve by no means had an Irish Espresso, why not begin right here, in its residence of Eire.
Invented in County Limerick in 1942, the substances of an Irish Espresso are whiskey, sizzling espresso, brown sugar, and heavy cream frivolously whipped on prime. If, like me, you try to make Irish coffees at residence however can by no means get the cream to take a seat on prime, simply let the specialists in Eire make it for you.
You may just about get an excellent one in any pub or restaurant, however when in Dublin, head to The Brazen Head for the final word conventional Irish expertise. Garavan’s within the coronary heart of Galway metropolis can be famend for his or her Irish Espresso. And naturally, you should attempt an Irish espresso within the place the place all of it started – Foynes in County Limerick.
Discover the Small Cities
Whereas most vacationers flock to massive cities like Dublin, Galway, and Belfast, one of many nation’s finest options is its small cities and villages.
I don’t know if anybody does a small city a lot better than Eire, and it’s right here you’ll discover true allure and character, historical past, quaint structure, and gorgeous areas.
Suppose rows of colourful buildings, pubs with stay music, quaint villages with colourful thatched-roof cottages, and a few of the finest meals. Eire’s small cities present a peaceable and intimate glimpse into Irish historical past and hospitality.
Among the finest small cities for Eire journey experiences embrace:
- Westport – picturesque malls at its coronary heart operating both facet of the Carrowbeg River, and the well-known peak of Croagh Patrick gives a stark backdrop.
- Kinsale – referred to as “the prettiest city in Eire,” and well-known for its colourful brightly painted rows of retailers.
- Doolin – one in all my private favorites. Small city allure and nice stay music scene in a few of the coziest of Irish pubs. Shut by are the well-known Cliffs of Moher.
- Dingle – a ravishing Irish-speaking fishing city and the quintessential Irish city in all its colourful magnificence and launch level to drive the unbelievable Dingle Peninsula.
- Clifden – completely located for exploration into the Connemara Nationwide Park.
- Clonakilty – bustling city and a hub for tourism in West Cork.
- Killarney – a captivating city and the gateway to the fabulous Killarney Nationwide Park.
- Cobh – Titanic city: the ultimate port of name for the RMS Titanic earlier than its fateful voyage. Charming waterfront city.
- Kenmare – Harry Potter followers will know Kenmare as the house of the “Kenmare Kestrels”. In any other case referred to as tranquil with colourful historic retailers, quaint streets, and rolling inexperienced hills.
- Kilkenny – a number of atmosphere, stay music, colourful retailers, a winding River Nore, and Kilkenny Citadel.
See a Gaelic Soccer Sport (or Hurling)
Searching for distinctive issues to do in Eire? Top-of-the-line stay sporting matches and cultural experiences I’ve ever seen was the All-Eire semi-final Gaelic soccer match between Donegal and Armagh at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin in 2003.
With a sea of brightly coloured orange and inexperienced jerseys and crew flags madly waving within the crowd, the ambiance was electrical with followers on the sting of their seats screaming and cheering with each play of the ball. It was continuous thrilling motion!
In terms of sports activities, Eire is passionate, and in the event you’re in search of a cultural sporting expertise in Eire, the Gaelic Video games of Gaelic Soccer and Hurling, Eire’s very personal indigenous sports activities, are the place it’s at.
Gaelic Soccer is the preferred sport in Eire with over 2.6 million registered gamers. The sport is performed with a small ball, much like a handball, and was launched to Eire by the Scots and Irish immigrants.
Hurling is the nationwide sport of Eire that was performed by the Celts hundreds of years in the past, and has been handed down from era to era. It’s performed on a pitch with a big ball and a small ball. The purpose of the sport is to get the small ball by way of the sliotar into the objectives.
Step Alongside to Some Irish Dancing
Eire is synonymous with Irish dancing which has been round for hundreds of years, however you will have first change into conscious of it within the 90’s as a result of manufacturing of Riverdance which introduced Irish Dancing to the world stage. A go to to Eire isn’t full with out taking in some stay Irish dancing.
Away from the glamor of exhibits similar to Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, there stays in Eire a deep love of conventional dance and the historical past and heritage it represents.
Kinds have advanced over time, however, usually, they embrace step dancing (characterised by the inflexible higher physique and complex footwork of its performers), jig dance, sean nós dancing, céilí dance, and Irish faucet dancing.
As a part of my Eire tour with Globus, we took in an evening of conventional Irish dancing and singing inside Eire’s largest thatched roof pub at Taylors Three Rock. Different locations in Dublin to see dancing embrace:
Different locations round Eire embrace:
Beef & Guinness Stew (or Guinness Pie)
I really like beef, and by now you recognize I really like Guinness, so this mixture is a wedding made in heaven for me! It’s usually the straightforward moments that convey me probably the most pleasure and filling up on this traditional Irish consolation meals in a neighborhood pub brings me a number of JOY.
And when in Dublin, you will discover me having fun with a hearty Beef & Guinness stew at one in all my favourite Irish pubs, The Stags Head.
In case you don’t know, Guinness is a tasty addition to stews and casseroles, because it helps tenderize the meat and provides its distinctive malty taste to any dish. Take a look at this checklist of issues you’ll be able to cook dinner up utilizing Guinness.
After all, the Beef & Guinness Pie model housed in a pastry is one other favourite different, and I loved this HUGE pie on the Achill Islands at Gielty’s Bar throughout my tour of Eire with Globus.
With out the addition of Guinness, in fact conventional Irish Stew (Lamb Chunks with root greens, child potatoes and recent herbs) remains to be one of many nation’s most well-known dishes and luxury meals.
Most pubs and Irish eating places are more likely to serve their very own variations of this dish, however in Dublin take a look at the Oval Bar, the Bushy Lemon and JW Sweetman for hearty stews.
The Pub Scene
Eire is a rustic of pubs, and the pub is a necessary a part of the tradition. While you go to Eire it looks like there’s a pub on each avenue, at the least in each city, and there are over 7,000 pubs in Eire, and 700+ in Dublin alone!
Irish pubs are like second properties for locals, and so they grew to become mine too whereas dwelling in Dublin, and it’s inside a pub’s partitions the place you’ll be able to actually really feel the friendliness of the individuals, the place for good craic, and the historical past and character of the pubs simply draw you in.
And as nice because the beer is, you’ll be able to nonetheless immerse your self within the pub scene with out ingesting beer, merely pop in for a hearty pub meal and hearken to conventional Irish music.
However in the event you do fancy a pint, right here’s a fast run down of widespread Irish beers:
- Guinness – Stout (Dublin)
- Murphy’s – Irish Stout (Cork)
- Smithwick’s – Pink Ale
- Harp – Lager
- Galway Hooker – IPA
- Kilkenny – Cream Ale
Only a few of the highest pubs in Eire from a really lengthy checklist embrace:
Drink in Eire’s Oldest Pub
While you go to Eire, don’t miss the prospect to have a drink within the oldest pub, Seans, that dates again to 900 AD. Not solely is it the oldest in Eire, however Guinness E book of Data is but to search out one older wherever on this planet!
This historical bar in Athlone options sloping flooring, peat fires and many music. Simply strolling by way of the door into the pub with its low ceiling and low gentle, you’ll be able to sense the historical past and character and immediately really feel such as you’re stepping again in time.
I loved a morning Irish espresso right here throughout my Inexperienced With Envy tour with Globus and look ahead to returning for a Guinness or Whiskey!
Black Cab Tour of Belfast
Certainly one of my most shifting and tense Eire journey moments was doing a black cab tour of Belfast for a novel perception into Belfast’s and Northern Eire’s troubled previous.
We discovered in regards to the complicated historical past and harrowing tales and the way it has formed the current day from a educated information who drove us round to a few of the metropolis’s most-famous political murals, peace partitions, and each side of the divide in a London-style black cab.
If this pursuits you, take a look at this one hour black taxi tour of Belfast which has a whole lot of nice opinions.
Kick Begin Your Day with a Full-Irish Breakfast
One factor I beloved about our London journey this 12 months was my morning Full-English Breakfast, there’s nothing like an excellent fry-up to kick begin your day, particularly within the cooler months.
The identical rang true for me in Eire who’ve their very own model, a Full-Irish Breakfast, which usually consists of a mixture of bacon, sausages, eggs, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, white and black pudding (pork meat with oatmeal and blood sausage respectively) and baked beans.
Get fueled up to your day of exploration, and particularly good as a hangover treatment after an evening on the Guinness. You will discover these breakfasts in most motels and eating places.
Different Meals Experiences
What can be the purpose of touring to Eire with out sampling some genuine Irish delicacies?
Irish meals will be finest described as hearty, and nearly all dishes contain potatoes, cabbage, and meat (particularly lamb and pork., however with a robust emphasis on utilizing recent native substances.
Meals in Eire isn’t simply in regards to the style; it’s in regards to the place, the expertise, and the individuals who created it. When visiting one of many native eateries, don’t simply keep on with Fish n’ Chips or Irish Stew, contemplate one in all these different conventional dishes:
- Bacon and Cabbage
- Cockles & Mussels (immortalized within the Dublin’s unofficial anthem, ‘Molly Malone)
- Smoked salmon
- Seafood chowder
- Potato and leek soup
- bangers & Mash
- Soda bread & Irish Brown Bread
- Ulster fry (bacon, eggs, sausages and black pudding)
- Colcannon (mashed potatoes blended with cabbage or kale)
- Boxty (Potato dumpling, potato pancake and potato bread are all descriptors)
- Black and white pudding
For extra Irish meals experiences, take a look at the English Market in Cork, the Temple Bar Meals Market in Dublin and the St George’s Market in Belfast. As for meals excursions, take a look at this meals strolling tour in Dublin.
Temple Bar District
The taking place Temple Bar District in Dublin is like no different place in Eire. It’s the place nearly each customer head to for good craic and some pints in one in all its many vigorous pubs. And though it might be the middle of Dublin’s nightlife and thrives day and night time, it’s not simply in regards to the beer!
This district on the southbank of the River Liffey can be one in all cobbled streets, a big number of eating places, cafes, markets, artwork galleries, exhibitions, theaters, motels and extra.
However truthfully, most vacationers come right here for the beer and the social gathering. One of the best-known pub is the namesake Temple Bar, simply acknowledged by its purple exterior, fairy lights and hanging baskets. Different widespread pubs right here embrace the Quays Bar and Oliver St. John Gogarty’s.
The entire pubs are inclined to get crowded, particularly within the evenings, and sure it’s stuffed with vacationers and vacationer costs, however in the event you’re in search of a vibrant ambiance and a enjoyable introduction to Eire, that is the place!
Store on Grafton Road
The principal purchasing avenue on the southside of the River Liffey in Dublin is Grafton Road, a pedestrian avenue lined with boutique shops containing the creations of Eire’s fashionable designers, plus cafes, bars, and eating places.
Positioned between Trinity School and St Stephen’s Inexperienced, this bustling thoroughfare is one in all Europe’s busiest purchasing streets, and because the Eighties has change into internationally identified for its avenue leisure, significantly busking, with musicians, poets and mime artists generally performing for buyers.
There wouldn’t be many streets in Eire as well-trodden as Grafton Road, and even in the event you’re not into purchasing the individuals watching and the buskers are well worth the stroll.
Marvel on the Big’s Causeway
Comply with within the legendary footsteps of giants at Northern Eire’s iconic World Heritage Website. The Big’s Causeway is really spectacular and distinctive, as hundreds of basalt columns tumble down into the Atlantic Ocean, with a whopping 40,000 hexagonal-shaped steppingstones shaped some 60 million years in the past.
The story of this website is about an Irish big who picked a struggle with Scottish massive man Benandonner. Legend has it that the giants loathed one another. And so sooner or later Fionn constructed a path to make use of as stepping-stones to achieve Scotland, which was then ripped up by Benandonner. The end result was the Big’s Causeway.
A brief stroll brings you right down to the Causeway itself, the place you’ll be able to jump over the stones, discover the encompassing hills, or simply sit and ponder the puzzling geology of one in all Europe’s most outstanding pure websites.
There you’ve got it. An inventory of Eire journey experiences to place in your checklist for a go to to the Emerald Isle. In case you didn’t know what to do in Eire, now you recognize! What exercise or expertise would you get pleasure from most?
And don’t overlook to take a look at the Eire itinerary I did with Globus in the event you don’t gained’t to go it alone and have all of the enjoyable with out the trouble!
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