The day is here!

First leg is done; MSP to BOS. Mission is to change seats so we can sit together from BOS to DUB. We met two adorable elderly women that were on our MSP flight and now DUB. We are trying to make ourselves tired so no better way than a cocktail.

Love you all.

Day One

Today was a long day.We arrived in Dublin Tuesday morning, got our rental car and began our way to Kinsale. We stopped at Kilkenny, which is about 2 hours outside of Dublin. Beautiful town. Took us forever to figure out parking but found a spot and walked the town. Had a little something to eat, at of course, a pub.

Got back into the car and then the adventure began. The roads narrowed, encountered a detour and not great cell service, which we used for our maps. Oh and rain. Fixed the cell service by upgrading our service for a week. \240Drove through beautiful hill country. The closer we got to Kinsale, the narrower the roads got. We have never experienced anything quite like the narrow roads.

We arrived into Kinsale, which is on the southern coast. Checked into our adorable B & B across the street from the pier. Freshened up and walked to a pub for a beer and dinner.

Kinsale

Day 2 ~ Old Head & Kinsale

We started the day teeing off at Old Head at 8:30 a.m. We were fortunate to have good weather for golf at Old Head; cloudy, mist, fog and no rain. We ate lunch at the club recapping the golf. It was nothing we ha e quite experienced.

After golf we came back to our B&B to change and figure out our afternoon. We decided to walk Kinsale then drove to Charles Fort which sits at the opening of Kinsale harbor. \240Fabulous views of Kinsale and the harbor.

We walked back into town had a beer at King Kinsale Pub then walked to Kitty O’Se’s Pub for Irish Stew and live Irish music. A perfect ending to a great day.

Day 3 ~ Dingle

Today started by having breakfast at our B&B then we began our drive to Dingle. We made our way through the beautiful Irish countryside. Rolling hills, small roads lined with sheep and cattle meandering in the fields. We stopped half way to take in Torc waterfall in the Killarney National Park. It reminded us of the north shore. Followed by Killarney for lunch at Laurels, yes a pub. After lunch we continued to make our way to Dingle. More beautiful countryside along with rain.

Arrived in Dingle. Cute, quaint town on the far end of the Dingle peninsula. Checked in to our B&B and had a quick nap. Freshened up and walked into town to scout out, yep pubs.

Day 4 ~ Dingle

Woke up to sunshine. After breakfast we got in the car and drove the Dingle Peninsula loop (30 mile loop). Looping \240the far western tip of Dingle Peninsula. The first stop was to check out the beehive huts. Steep walk but fascinating to see. Continued on with a couple pullovers to take in the views. \240We did stop to hike Clogher Head. Spectacular views of the three sisters and Sybil Head (where scenes from Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot). \240The drive took 2.5 hours.

Walk into town for a cup of soup and a new pub. The walked to Dingle Distillery for a tour. \240Just voted best gin in the world. We are sold.

Back to our room for a nap before another pub for dinner. Walked into town, had a beer before dinner at Foxy Lady. Every mans dream, a working hardware store and pub. Walked across the street to the Dingle Pub for some stew and Irish music.

Day 5 ~ Dingle to Galway

Today we got an early start, knowing we had a long day of driving ahead of us. We did a quick detour to Inch Beach, just outside Dingle. First leg was Dingle to outside of Limerick at one of the oldest Irish Pubs for lunch - Durty Nelly’s in Bunratty.

Next stop was Lehinch Golf Club. Fun to see. It is where the Irish Open was played this year. Great to see many women members playing on a Saturday.

Off we went to Cliffs of Moher. Spectacular to see.

Continued our way to Galway. Not the same as being in the Irish countryside. Found parking the car, checked in and stayed close to hotel for dinner. Went to a recommended pub for pizza! Believe it or not.

Day 6 ~ Galway

We slept in and took our time getting up. We woke up to sunshine again. We sure have been fortunate. Once we got ready, we left our hotel with no plan. We walked to Quay Street which the area where the pubs and shops are. Found a yummy bakery for a coroissant, scone and coffee. We walked down by the river and Spanish arch. Followed the Corrib River to Galway Cathedral and Galway University. We couldn’t get into the cathedral since mass was taking place. Walked back to the Quay area for lunch at The Kings Head. Watched rugby and had a bowl of vegetable soup and of course a beer. We head back to our hotel for a quick nap. Since it was beautiful out, we walked back to the cathedral. We walked in on a service commemorating the 40th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit. The bishop was performing the mass. We stayed for a position of the mass to take in the beautiful cathedral. Off to dinner and guess where? Yep, a pub, Sonny Malloy’s. We have yet to repeat one. Each one is unique and have many multiple bars within the pub. When entering the front door one would never know this.

Day 7 ~ Galway to Dublin

It is our final trek to our final destination. Today we are not so lucky. Rain and more rain. Had breakfast in our hotel and we were on our way. It is over a 2 hour drive but all on the motorway, which is much easier to drive then the country roads we have been on. We broke the trip up by stopping at Tullamore DEW Distillery in Tullamore. Took a tour and whiskey tasting. Another fascinating tour. The distillery is from 1829. It is located on a channel that runs from Galway to Dublin which allowed easier shipping.

We arrived in Dublin in pouring rain. First thing was to turn the car in. We are getting to be a good team navigating the roads but the rain made it challenging. We are happy to report, both mirrors were attached upon return. Yeah! Took a cab to our hotel, dried off, napped and unpacked a little. Our hotel is in the temple area which again is where all the pubs, etc are and the famous Temple Bar. We walked into town to Quay’s Pub. Listened to Irish music, the had dinner upstairs. It wa still raining so we decided to head back to the hotel.

Day 8 ~ Final Day - Dublin

Our final day. Hard to believe our Ireland adventure is coming to a close. We have seen and done so much. Pictures don’t capture all we have seen.

Today we woke up to cold, wind and rain. But, we made the best of it. Bundled up in rain gear and off we went. We walked along the River Liffey. We walked to two iconic bridges, Ha’penny Bridge and Samuel Beckett Bridge. The bridge is designed to look like a Celtic Harp. We then walked to Trinity College to visit the Books of Kelly’s and the Trinity Library, home to 200,000 books. We proceeded to Graften Street which is the shopping district. Made a quick walk through the area onto DublinCastle, then back to our hotel to dry off. We walked over 4 miles this morning in the rain, wind and 52 degrees. Needless to say we r soaked. Shortly we will leave to our Guiness Tour. We are hoping the rain will stop. We have a mile walk each way.

The Finish - Dublin

After a morning of rain and a quick lunch at Dollard and Co. ( fresh market/cafe), we tried to dry off and the headed back out for a long walk to The Guiness Store House for a tour and yes, tasting. Another fascinating tour that ending in their Gravity Bar, on the 7th floor with 360 degree, floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the city having a Guiness. The walk back was much better, no rain, but still a cold wind.

Our last dinner, what a better place than at the oldest pub in Ireland, The Brazen Head. A great end to a great trip!