At the end of May, we spent a week exploring the southern part of the Republic of Ireland by car. We booked our car rental and hotels ahead of time. We made many of our booking choices based on TripAdvisor recommendations and then created a southern loop route to and from Dublin. We booked all our hotels with Expedia.ca. We hoped to see as much of the countryside as possible while travelling reasonable driving distances each day.
Our overnight WestJet flight was on time, and we easily picked up our car rental at the Dublin airport. We booked through SIXT. Craig sorted out the left-sided controls and manual transmission quite quickly. He also managed the Irish roads successfully despite jet lag and many roundabouts. We soon discovered that many Irish roads are narrow and winding, with posted speed limits that seemed unwise. It always took longer to reach our daily destinations than our GPS app predicted.
Dublin to Leighlinbridge and Kilkenny
Our first stop was the Lord Bagenal Hotel in the village of Leighlinbridge, near Kilkenny. Our first pub meal was in their carvery. It was delicious, home-cooked food. Many locals also enjoyed their meal there. Luckily, we were able to check in early. This was greatly appreciated as we had flown overnight and needed a nap! The staff were friendly and accommodating. The hotel was beautifully furnished with many cozy corners to sit and enjoy the river view.
After our nap, we drove into Kilkenny to explore the castle grounds and enjoy the views. We had a tasty Indian meal at Indique. We sampled the local brew from Smithwicks and then returned to the Lord Bagenal Hotel. It was at this time that we learned about a local pub. To enter the pub we had to walk to the back of the grocery/convenience store. When we opened the door, we entered a nicely appointed pub and the locals were watching an Irish Football (GAA) game. GAA looks like a mix of soccer and rugby. We enjoyed a fresh Guinness and then called it a night.
The next morning, Craig tried the full Irish breakfast, which included bread pudding and various meats. Our large breakfasts fortified us for our big day ahead.
Leighlinbridge to Cobh, Cork and Skibbereen
This big driving day took us to Cobh the port town where the Titanic departed from, (It was previously called Queenstown). Many Irish immigrants left this port for places like Canada. We stopped over to walk along the harbourside and admire the cathedral and the steepness of the hilly roads!
We made it in time for lunch in the city of Cork. It’s the second largest city and it was bustling! Cork is the home of Murphy’s beer (our favourite stout) and has lots to see and do. Hurling is a popular sporting activity in this part of Ireland. We learned a little bit about it, but did not get to see a game. Since we were driving through, we enjoyed walking along the river and ate our lunch at the lovely River Lee Hotel.
Our destination for the night was the West Cork Hotel in the town of Skibbereen. We had a beautiful view of the River Ilen from our room and the friendly staff made our stay enjoyable. The full breakfast included in our room rate was delicious! We had a delicious meal at the Church and enjoyed another home-grown Murphy’s. One of the best parts of this town was that there were few tourists!
Skibbereen to Killarney to Dingle to Tralee
As Canadians, we expect to travel 233km in a couple of hours, yet this route took most of the day because of the narrowness of the roads and the trailer, tractor and bus traffic. Driving to Killarney required driving up the mountain and through a narrow pass. There were several parts of the drive where the road was a single lane. The scenery was stunning despite the treacherous driving!
The drive through Killarney National Park was beautiful, and I could see why our Killarney Provincial Park in Ontario is named after it. The town of Killarney reminded me a bit of Jasper; busy with tourists. We walked around the city to stretch our legs and then continued our drive on to Tralee.
We arrived in Tralee and checked into our hotel, The Ashe. It was another stunning place with great amenities and excellent service. We hopped back into the car to drive out to the Dingle peninsula as the weather was clear!
Dingle is another popular tourist destination, but we were able to find parking and navigate to the centre of town easily. We strolled along the harbour and stopped at a cafe for an afternoon coffee and a chocolate stop.
We returned to Tralee to explore the city. Our hotel was in the centre of town, so we could explore on foot. We enjoyed a tasty meal at the Pikeman Bar. The world-famous Rose Garden in Tralee is worth visiting.
Tralee to Nenagh
After a delicious breakfast, we set off for a much shorter drive day. We arrived at Abbey Court to drop off our bags early and explore the town. There was an Irish Dance competition at the Hotel with many excited dancers milling around.
We walked into town and learned about the history of Nenagh Castle. The tour guide was happy to answer our questions and fill us in on the history of the castle and its reconstruction. The restoration of this castle from the 1200s allowed us to go to the top and view the city. It was very windy at the top, and the views of Nenagh were excellent. Nenagh claims to be the home of hurling.
We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Abbey Court and then walked back into town in search of some live music. We did not find any, but we were welcomed into a pub. We watched a rugby game with a few locals and heard the play-by-play in Gaelic. We stayed for a Guinness, chatted with a few residents and enjoyed learning more about the place. We also answered a few questions about Canada.
Nenagh to Dublin
We drove the short distance out to Killaloe and GarryKennedy to enjoy Lake Derg views before leaving the area. This brief detour was recommended by our tour guide. The skies changed from gray to blue as we arrived in these two picturesque places. Killaloe sits on the border between the counties of Clare and Tipperary.
We continued on our way to Dublin with a short stop in Limerick as an ode the Cranberries band. We made our way into Dublin for lunch. The city is filled with tourists!! We ate lunch at Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK). We were gifted a Dine in Dublin card, and so we selected one of the 50 restaurants from this list. This was a great gift idea because of its flexibility in use.
Our next stop was the Sandymount Hotel. Unfortunately, many roads were blocked near the hotel because of an ongoing race. It took us a very long time to find an accessible road. We weren’t alone. The traffic was backed up along the residential streets for many hours. Once we recovered from the traffic headache, we settled into our comfortable room. Sandymount is a beautiful neighbourhood with tree-lined streets and classic homes. We walked to a pub called the Bridge 1859 for dinner. My Irish stew was perfect, and the staff were very friendly! We also took advantage of the nearby laundromat before our flight to Glasgow the next day.
Our next day in Dublin was an early rise to do laundry. We had a tasty breakfast at a neighbourhood cafe called The Orange Goat. Our morning flight to Glasgow was delayed, so we decided to drive out of town and visit the village of Malahide.
Malahide Castle
Malahide is a great place to visit as there are many attractions and it’s close to the airport. We spent the morning and early afternoon there.
We visited the Malahide Castle and its grounds first. The castle had been owned by the Talbot family for 800 years. The last family member sold the castle in the 1970s to the Irish State. We took a guided castle tour and enjoyed the architectural details and trend-setting features. Our tour guide was a great storyteller and helped us learn more about the wealthy family that lived there. There are many artifacts from the various periods. We also enjoyed walking through the botanical and butterfly gardens. It is a large property enjoyed by many residents. Many families were enjoying the gardens and lawns. Since it was a bank holiday, parking was free, which was a pleasant surprise.
After we completed the Castle tour, we walked to the main street and enjoyed a snack at a sidewalk cafe. It was a sunny day, and although busy we enjoyed the vibe of the town. The main street is lined with historical buildings. It was a great place to wile away a few hours before heading to the airport.
We dropped off our car with the rental company and caught our flight to Glasgow for the next part of our trip.
