Ireland: Dublin, Cork and The Cliffs of Moher
Updated: Aug 19
Capital: Dublin
Largest City: Dublin
Population: 5.38 million
Currency: Euro
Language: English, Irish
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In northwestern Europe in the Northern Atlantic, the country of Ireland sits. Despite the population only being 5.38 million, the country has a lot of influence. They are well known for Guinness and St. Patrick's Day. The capital and largest city, Dublin, has a lot of bars and museums that tourists travel for. Outside of Dublin, cities such as Galway, Cork and Limerick are other notable places that people come to. The country also has sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean and countrysides with sheep roaming that give you breathtaking views.
Arriving in Dublin
In November of 2024, my husband and I went to Ireland on a non-stop flight from Washington D.C. using Aer Lingus. Our flight was a red eye, and we lost most of our nights sleep. We arrived in Dublin at 8:30 a.m. and to fight off jet lag, I had a full day in Dublin planned. It would be an easier day with not too much information overload.
Our taxi driver, who drove us from the airport to our hotel immediately made us feel like we were in Ireland with a mouthful of curse words and Irish slang terms. Our hotel in Dublin had a central location which was a 20-45 minute walk from every attraction.
For our first stop in Ireland, we went to The Temple Bar neighborhood. The Temple Bar neighborhood has a number of pubs including the popular The Temple Bar Pub. It was decorated from floor to ceiling for Christmas. It was overly touristy, but I enjoyed my 11 euro pint and the music that I could barely hear over the crowd.
Our next stop was McDonald's for lunch for that Irish McDonald's experience. We had a small lunch there and then headed to tour St. Patrick's Cathedral. St. Patrick's Cathedral is the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. The cathedral was massive and happened to be only a few blocks from our hotel, so we ran into it multiple times while wandering around Dublin. An interesting fact that we learned about St. Patrick's Cathedral was the grandson of the founder of the Guinness beer helped fund a major restoration in the 19th century, so the cathedral had Guinness souvenirs.
Once finished with the cathedral, we went to Marsh's Library down the road. It is the oldest library in Dublin that opened in 1707. It's the lesser known of the two libraries in the city, but we personally enjoyed it more.
After Marsh's Library, we stopped at the hotel and did our best to avoid dozing off in the lobby before the hotel finally let us check-in. We did not spend long at the hotel as we had a tour planned at the Kilmainham Gaol. It was near freezing at the prison and it was not heated, but we still enjoyed our time learning about its history and the political prisoners despite being very cold.
Our final stop of the day was at The Brazen Head where we enjoyed dinner. The Brazen Head dates back to 1198 and claims to be the fifth oldest pub in Ireland.
Final Day Exploring Dublin
On our second and final day in Dublin, we had a full day planned. To start the day, we had a hearty Irish breakfast. With our stomachs full, we went to see the Book of Kells.
The Old Library at Trinity College is the second library we visited and the most popular of the two libraries. It also had significantly more people. Both have old books to see. The library also had a small, overly crowded museum with information on the Book of Kells.
Our next museum stop of the day was at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. This museum was way less crowded. It was expensive, but after seeing rave reviews, I could not pass up the opportunity to check the museum out. It was an enjoyable museum with information about immigrants who came to Ireland.
Once finished at the museum, we had a quick stop at Starbucks for lunch and then went to our next stop at the home of Guinness for a self-guided tour. It was crowded but I did learn a few interesting facts about the beer. At the end, we got a pint of Guinness. My husband drank half of mine as I was not a big fan of it. Once finished at Guinness, we went back to our hotel as we had an early rise the next day.
Exploring the Cliffs of Moher and Galway
Our guided bus tour began bright and early at 6:30 a.m. with a very awake, very hyper early 20s tour guide. Our first stop on the tour was at the Barack Obama Plaza in Moneygall where one of the former president's great, great, great grandfathers came from. It was odd to see a plaza dedicated to a former U.S. president in Ireland.
After the plaza, we headed to the Cliffs of Moher. Ireland had a storm the day prior that left overflowing water in the roadway, so our bus had to contend with flooded roads. It was also still very windy from the storm.
As we learned upon arriving at the cliffs, the Atlantic Ocean can be just as wild as the Pacific Ocean. There was 38 mph wind with gusts up to 60! The cliffs, though, had great views and really blew me away (literally). When going to get a different view of the cliffs, it started hailing on us, and we got completely soaked. We gave up with the cliffs and went inside to see a museum and 4D film about the cliffs, and enjoy a dish of Irish stew.
Once finished at the cliffs, we had a quick stop at The Barren which gave views of rock formations and more of the wild Atlantic.
Our last stop on the tour was in Galway. My husband was not feeling well during our short time exploring Galway, so he sat inside a McDonalds resting while I saw Galway and had a dinner of fish and chips.
Cork and Kissing a Stone
After a train ride from Dublin using Irish Rail, we arrived in the city of Cork. We dropped our bags off at the hotel and had help from a few locals help direct us to the proper bus to Blarney.
After a 45-minute ride, we arrived at Blarney Stone and Castle. On the tour to the Cliffs of Moher, I was seeing castles along the highway, so I was even more excited to see a castle up close. At the top of the castle, I was able to kiss The Blarney Stone. To kiss the stone, you lie on your back and slide forward to lean your head back and kiss the stone. It feels like you are going to fall from the castle. After I survived, we explored the gardens and area surrounding the castle.
To go back to Cork from Blarney, we sat at the top of the double decker bus, which may have been my husband's favorite part of our whole Ireland trip.
Final Day in Ireland
Our final day in Ireland consisted of a guided tour around the Ring of Kerry. The guide was more mature and older than the other tour guide we had, which was an immediate plus. The tour began in Killarney National Park. The guide offered an optional horse and carriage ride. It costs extra, but I figured it would be quicker way of seeing the park with the time constraints. In hindsight, it was a good idea as we would not have gotten as far as the horse did and the park had flooding that the horse had an easier time walking through. Killarney was a beautiful park overall.
Once finished with a short visit to Killarney, we did a round-trip around the Ring of Kerry. The ring has scenic views of sheep, the Irish countryside and cute villages. While seeing the ring, I told my husband, "Pennsylvania has mansions in the hillsides. Ireland has sheep in the hillsides."
We had a stop at Kerry Bog Village, which once again was an extra cost. It recreated an 1800s village in Ireland. We also had an Irish whiskey at the bar next to village, which was well-worth it.
Another brief stop we had was in Waterville, which is most notable for being home to Charlie Chaplin's vacation home, but also our lunch stop.
Once arriving back in Cork, we had a quick dinner stop and then took a train back to Dublin. We stayed in what seemed to be the world's smallest hotel. Our final morning in Ireland was a quick breakfast and then a bus ride to our 13th country.
Final Thoughts
Prior to going to Ireland, we were not sure what to expect. Once leaving Ireland, we absolutely fell in love with it, especially my husband. We both felt like Ireland became a part of us after we left. We both added Irish music into our playlist. My husband follows the Irish news now every day.
Seeing how popular the country is, it is hard to say why exactly we and many others completely fall in love with the country. The food was great. Dublin was a bit dirty, but still had that Irish charm with the numerous pubs and European feel. Overall, it may be just that Irish charm (or maybe they sprinkle endorphins in the food).
"When I die, I may not go to heaven ... I don't know if they'll let Yankees in. If they don't, then let me go to Ireland. Ireland is as close as I've been!"