The first part of our self-drive tour of Ireland from Dublin to Galway went off without a hitch. Now it was on to the second half of our Irish Adventure, with a bit of genealogy thrown in for good measure.

The first part, Dublin to Galway, which covers the first half of our trip, is featured on my podcast Every Great Adventure…Begins as a Dream.

The Cliffs of Moher

Our first stop after leaving Galway was the Cliffs of Moher. It wasn’t a long drive, but it was another of those drives that took us onto some narrow roads through the country.

We were surprised when we arrived to see several tour buses. All I can say is those drivers must be very skilled to get those buses down the narrow roads that lead to some of the great tourist spots of Ireland.

You can start your exploration of the area right away as payment for both admission and parking are made at the car park located across the road from the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Center. You’ll find snacks, restrooms, and a gift shop in the visitor center as you pass.

Follow the pathway past the visitor center, and you’re on your way to some spectacular views. You can make a day of it if you want to walk for a while. We arrived with overcast skies, but the clouds quickly blew past, and the sun came out, offering us glorious views of the cliffs. The crowds here were larger than we experienced at any other stop of our Irish Adventure, but still not bad at all. At the peak of summer, I imagine this place gets a bit crazy with tourists.

Doolin

After a nice break at the cliffs, we were back in the car, headed to Doolin for our next B&B. A stop at the tourist office in the village verified our B&B was right up the road.

We went back to Doolin for dinner and had a great meal at Fitzpatrick’s. It was busy (it turned out there was a large wedding party in town), and we had to wait for a table, which allowed us to enjoy a cocktail before dinner. Art had a ribeye steak, I had gnocchi, and we were pleased with our meals.

Our B&B, Glasha Meadows, was perfectly adequate. The décor was a bit dated, but the room was large and comfortable.

The following day we ate our breakfast and set off on the road, continuing our self-drive tour of Ireland.

Flying Boat Museum

We headed down some curvy, narrow country roads to get there, but the little town of Foynes opened before us, and there was the Flying Boat Museum.

Foynes and its airport were important in international aviation. It was the home of the first commercial transatlantic flights. According to the museum, the Irish Coffee was created here to help keep pilots awake on their flights to North America.

From 1939 to 1945, the way to fly to Europe was on one of the Pan Am Clipper Flying Boats. It was a glamorous way to travel but usually out of the average person’s price range of those days. But when you consider it brought travel between the US and Europe to a mere 17 hours, it was a milestone in aviation.

There is a mock-up of a Boeing B314 Pan Am Clipper in the museum. Here you can view this luxurious world of travel. (Admittedly, not elegant by today’s standards.) This small museum is worth visiting if you’re interested in aviation and have the time.

I must say, one of the advantages of taking a self-drive tour of Ireland is that you can stop at some of these smaller places that are a bit off the beaten path.

Killarney

We continued to Killarney, arriving at our next B&B in the late afternoon.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t say Killarney without hearing Bing Crosby singing the classic Christmas in Killarney in my head. It’s a classic Bing Crosby Christmas tune. (Or, if you’d rather hear it with a bit more of an Irish sound, you might like this version by the Irish Rovers.)

Killarney did not disappoint! It’s another charming town. Centrally located, our B&B was convenient and within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. As we arrived before check-in time, we parked and set out to discover the town.

Wedding Crashers

Soon after we began walking, we heard the church bells pealing. A lady was walking past, and we asked why they would be ringing at such an odd time of day. She said she thought there was a wedding going on. We had wanted to see the church anyway, so we decided to head on over.

We walked into the side door of the church just as the wedding party was leaving. It was fortunate for us, as I don’t think the church would have been open if it hadn’t been for the wedding. We admired the alter area and then started to walk down the central aisle toward the back of the church.

As they left the church, the bride and groom thanked their guests for attending. I turned to Art and said, “The groom is in a US Marine uniform.” He turned and looked. The groom looked over at me, and I said, “I’m sorry, we’re just a couple of tourists crashing your wedding.” He looked a little bewildered. Then Art went up to him and told him that we were both in the Navy, and they chatted for a minute.

A Fellow Passenger

I walked on out the door, following the bride. As I got outside, I turned around and looked at the bride, and it hit me. She was on our flight to Dublin. I had overheard her talking with another lady on the plane. I didn’t quite catch where she said she was from in Ireland but that she was going home to get married the following Thursday. Yes, it was Thursday, and it was her.

We stood back and took in the celebration outside the church for a few minutes. A man was standing aside, obviously not part of the group. Art spoke to him, and he said he was the driver taking the bride and groom to the reception in this pristine 1954 Bentley. Talk about riding in style!

St. Mary’s Cathedral was beautiful. We spent a few minutes looking at it before heading on our way. Along our walk through the town, we scoped out a few places we thought we’d like to go to for dinner.

Christmas Shopping Done!

We had a nice dinner in The Laurel’s Pub right on High Street. On our way to dinner, we spotted Quills Woolen Mills. We knew we wanted to get wool throws for our family members for Christmas, and when we saw they included free shipping, we knew this was the place we had to get them.

Our first stop the following day was at the shop to purchase the throws. And yes, the shipping really was free, arriving within a few weeks of our return home. The two ladies who helped us said that we started their day off right.

The Ring of Kerry

After our shopping excursion, we headed off for what we hoped would be one of the highlights of our self-drive tour of Ireland, driving the Ring of Kerry. As we got onto the road, we encountered fog, heavy fog. Unfortunately, we only had two breaks in the mist where we could even see the coastline on the entire Ring of Kerry. It was such a disappointment, but there is nothing you can do about the weather. As I had an appointment with the genealogy department at the Cork Library that afternoon, we couldn’t take extra time on the drive.

We stopped at Kenmare and had lunch at The Coachman’s, including Bailey’s Cheesecake for dessert. It was good to get out and stretch our legs a bit by walking around this cute town. This is another place that I am sure is bustling in the summer months.

County Cork

The next stop was Cork, where we visited the library. If you are researching family from Cork, be sure to contact the knowledgeable folks at the Cork County Library. They will work with you over the Internet, but you must have an appointment if you visit in person. They were beneficial and provided me with some new leads for my genealogy research.

Our Favorite B&B

Our B&B was Grey Gables Farmhouse in Innishannon. Our host, Janet Quin, was terrific. It’s apparent she loves having folks staying with her. This was one of the few B&Bs we stayed in that truly felt like someone’s home and not a commercial entity.

We asked Janet if she could direct us to a laundromat, and she offered to do a couple of loads of laundry for us. She truly went above and beyond for us. We stayed here for three nights, and Janet made us feel so welcome.

Janet’s breakfasts were to die for! We had waffles one day, French toast another. Our room was large, and it was nice to have a shower with some oomph to it!

The Real Reason We Came Here

My great-grandmother was from this same area, so we spent a little extra time here. We walked through every cemetery we found, trying to find some link to the family. I think my great-grandmother was baptized at St. Mary’s Church, where we attended Mass on Sunday morning. We tried to find where the farm where she was born was but couldn’t quite get to the right path (I hesitate to call it a road) to reach it. I know we were near it.

We spent a good deal of time in the seaside town of Kinsale, visiting Charles Fort and spending some time on the Scilly Walk. It is a pleasant town to spend some time just wandering around. Parking can be a bit of an issue in Kinsale; there are some car parks, you have to pay attention to find them.

Kinsale – Foodie’s Delight

With a big food festival every October, Kinsale is known as a foodie town. (Although we planned our trip to avoid the Kinsale Food Festival, I don’t think they had the festival in 2021 due to COVID restrictions.)

Fishy Fishy is one of the more popular restaurants. As they had no openings the first night we were there, we made a reservation for the next night. We had read and heard good things about this restaurant, so we wanted to be sure to get a meal here.

We ended up at Max’s, and they had an opening. It turned out this was a lucky find. The food was excellent; Art and I enjoyed our meals. And to top it off, the service was terrific.

Disappointment

Unfortunately, Fishy Fishy was a bit of a letdown. The food was good, but the service was appalling. It took forever for the server to come and take our order, and she seemed burdened even to do that. Our meals arrived, and no one ever came to see how the meals were or if we wanted additional drinks.

The next time we saw our server was when she brought us our check, and we had to ask her if we could see the dessert menu. It wasn’t until she delivered our dessert that she acted personably. Now, it could be that they were short-staffed, just like all of the restaurants in the US were at that time. Honestly, it made what should have been an enjoyable meal unpleasant, especially when we compared it to the service we had the night before at Max’s.

For our last dinner in Kinsale, we didn’t want to eat an expensive meal. We were looking for something more like a pizza. Finally, we found Hamlets Street Food and Gastro Garden. We ordered the Irish Italian pizza with Macroom mozzarella, parmesan, Parma ham, basil pesto, rocket greens, and a balsamic glaze. It was so good, and just what we wanted.

On to Tipperary

Next, we were off to Cashel in Tipperary County. Janet had suggested we stop at the Swiss Cottage along the way to Cashel. We managed to make our way there only to find it closed. So, we just continued to Cashel.

We love taking the advice of locals when it comes to places to see. That’s just one more advantage of a self-drive tour of Ireland; you can add things in at the last minute.

Cahir

We stopped in Cahir (pronounced care) to get some lunch. Here we stumbled upon the Cahir Castle. Again, if we hadn’t been on a self-drive tour of Ireland, I don’t know if we ever would have seen this town. As luck would have it, one of the workers gave us a partial tour (some areas were closed due to COVID restrictions.) So, we had free admission and a complimentary tour as well!

We learned some interesting facts on this tour. Spiral staircases are designed to travel upwards in a counterclockwise direction, thus allowing the soldiers defending the castle to fight with their right hands as they are coming down the steps. The intruders would be at a disadvantage, required to use their left hands to fight. And stumble stairs, or uneven step heights, causing those unfamiliar with them to trip or fall. There were a couple of places where you could see cannonballs stuck in the castle’s walls.

The Rock of Cashel

After winding our way through town, we arrived at the stunning Rock of Cashel. The site has served various purposes, from a royal fortress to a cathedral. No matter the use, it’s from here you will find some of the most beautiful views of the surrounding area.

We were blessed to have the place almost to ourselves. We also found the staff to be very welcoming, and they spent plenty of time talking with us and explaining things about the buildings to us. It was a magical visit.

Our B&B was just outside town. Another large, very comfortable room. The breakfast was plentiful, and our host, Tommy, was pleasant and cordial.

Dinner that night was at Bailey’s in Cashel. I asked if it was the home of Bailey’s Irish Cream, but the server acted as if he had never heard of it before, so we figured it wasn’t. (It turns out Bailey’s Irish Cream wasn’t created in Ireland or by an Irishman!)

Kilkenny

The next day was a short drive to Kilkenny. We were dodging raindrops here and there, but nothing terrible. The rain stopped while we walked around the town. We made our way to Kilkenny Castle for a tour. Our guidebook warned that this is a bustling site, but again with COVID restrictions in place, we were able to walk right in and tour this beautifully restored 12th-century castle.

Kilkenny Catwalk

Our little bonus for visiting during COVID was the Kilkenny Catwalk. An outdoor walk marked by various cats. Each cat has a theme and name. It was a great idea to get the community outside in the fresh air after spending months in lockdown. I’m so glad we got to see it, and I hope they will retain it for many years to come

We had a pleasant lunch at Butler’s, right near the castle. It was quiet and peaceful, just perfect! The tall windows and high ceilings lent an air of time gone by. We overlooked the gardens as we dined. It didn’t hurt that the food was good too!

Jerpoint

Art had read about Jerpoint Glass Studio and wanted to make a stop there. O our way, we came to the Jerpoint Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian monastery, and decided to visit. Once again, we were the only people there. The Abbey is resplendent with incredible stone carvings, and we were able to take a leisurely walk through the grounds.

As it turned out, Jerpoint Glass Studio was just down the road. We walked in and watched them create a beautiful, fluted bowl. We were the only visitors there and had a great time talking with the artisans and the owners.

Unusual Welcome

It was less than a mile to our B&B, Oldtown Farmhouse, where I had the most humorous arrival at any of our B&Bs.

I knocked, and a gentleman opened the door, and I told him my name. He responded, “I’m not sure how we do this.” Puzzled, I responded with, “Neither do I. I’m just checking in.” Then it occurred to the gentleman that I was not the county official he was expecting but a guest. He turned and called to his wife, Mary, who came out and greeted us warmly. They apologized for the confusion, and Mary showed us to our room.

Mary was delightful and even took us out through the adjoining “greenhouse” (actually multiple commercial greenhouses) to the circle mound on their property.

Since we had such a filling lunch, we decided to keep dinner on the light side. We had to go back into Kilkenny to eat and decided to just make a quick run into McDonald’s. Well, so much for quick. The drive-thru line wrapped around the building (this was one of the larger McDonald’s I’ve seen), and the dining room was closed; it was carryout only. As a result, it took at least 20 minutes to get our order. It was crazy.

It was a restful night, followed by a delicious breakfast. We were soon on our way to a place we had high hopes for, Avoca.

Avoca

We watched several TV shows in our quest to prepare for our trip to Ireland. One of them was a dramatic series about a small fictional town in Ireland called Ballykissangel (also the show’s name). The village looked so scenic; we decided to stop at the filming location.

Avoca did not disappoint. It is a beautiful scenic town. As it turns out, the town’s main draw is the Avoca Woolen Mill. It was where we originally planned to purchase our Christmas gifts. It’s a good thing we bought them when we did, as due to COVID, the mill and shop were both closed.

We walked around the town a bit and saw the church, store, bridge, and even Fitzgerald’s Pub from the TV show.

Onward to Enniskerry

We arrived at Enniskerry early and saw signs for the Powerscourt Estate, so we decided to visit. We had not heard about this place before and were so happy we stumbled upon it. Listed as one of the Top 10 Gardens by National Geographic, we were taken aback by its enormity.

Our stroll ended at the Dahlia garden where we were lucky enough to spend a few moments chatting with a gardener tending the Dahlias. I had no idea there we so many varieties of Dahlias. They were magnificent and in full bloom, even though it was mid-October.

We noticed people (we assumed gardeners) setting up equipment during our walk through the gardens and asked what they were doing. It turned out they were a film crew setting up for a shoot. They told us the show’s name, but it didn’t mean anything to us. It sounded like a SciFi-Fantasy type show. Apparently, the estate is a frequently used film set.

Just a Walk Up the Hill

We checked into our final B&B, Coolakay House, just outside Enniskerry. It was a beautiful setting, right next to a farm. Our host, Yvonne, suggested we take a walk up through the pasture to the top of the hill to get a great view of the area. We said we were up for it. Yvonne looked at our shoes and said we might want to change them as the pasture could be a bit wet. We said it was not a problem as we had extra shoes with us.

We headed out and let ourselves into the pasture with numerous sheep and a horse. Well, of course, it was a pasture, and the ground was, let’s say, well-fertilized. We tried our best to find pristine areas to step but were unsuccessful.

The view was worth the climb to the top of the steep hill. There was a bench where we sat for a few moments to take in the scenery and catch our breath. Then it was back down, through the pasture to the house.

Upon our arrival at the door,  we had sense enough to take off our shoes before going in. I guess “wet” was a euphemism for covered in excrement. I was able to wash off our shoes once we got to our room, and all was good.

That evening, we ate at a local pub and had a nice filling meal.

The end of our Self-Drive Tour of Ireland

It was a short drive to our final stop in Dublin;  the Radisson Blu Hotel, near the airport. After grabbing a quick sandwich from the Burger King down the street, we returned to the hotel, and our room was soon ready.

After settling in the room, Art took the car back to the rental company. Upon examining the vehicle, the rental car agent noticed some damage we had not seen. We had taken photos before we left the car park when we got the car, so we knew that the damage did occur while we had it. It wasn’t a problem, as we had taken out the additional insurance. We were charged $125, which was perfectly reasonable.

Much Needed Down Time

Having the last day with nothing planned allowed time to pack and reorganize our bags for our follow on trip to London.

We ate at the restaurant on the hotel’s top floor that night. We had a pizza for dinner, which was quite good. It was pleasant to sit and watch the planes landing and taking off as we ate our meal.

The next day we headed to the airport and were soon off on our flight to London.

My Take on our Self-Drive tour of Ireland

Overall impression

It was a great trip. We found people to be nice and friendly everywhere we went. I am not a fan of packing up and moving to a new place every couple of days. However, it’s simply the nature of a self-drive tour, and there is no way around it.

Our self-drive tour of Ireland began on the 7th and ended on the 22nd of October. The weather was perfect; cool but not cold. We had some rain, but nothing that ruined any part of our trip. Mostly the rain was light and short-lived. I just wore a boiled wool jacket and a scarf on most days and was very comfortable.

The sun was shining for at least part of the day on most days. We only used our raincoats once. I don’t think it matters what time of year you go to Ireland; you should be prepared for rain. The grass is green for a reason; it rains a lot in Ireland! But we never encountered a downpour or a full day of rain during our entire trip.

Driving

Driving in Ireland can be a little hair-raising, to say the least. The hedges come right up next to the road’s surface, and most roads are pretty narrow. I did a lot of flinching, but Art managed to drive without scraping any hedges or walls. Of course, driving is on the left, which is always a challenge for us Americans.

Parking in the larger cities can be challenging as well.

Touring Ireland on your own without a car would be difficult. Although we did meet a couple from California, who were touring via the regular bus system. There are some trains, but not enough that you can get around the entire island.

The gas price in Ireland is two to three times higher than we pay in the US. Remember, they price their gas in liters, not gallons.

Car Rental

If you are planning on renting a car, there are age restrictions. The renter must possess a valid driver’s license and credit card. Most rental agencies require the renter to be at least 25 years of age. If you are over the age of 75, you are required to have a written letter from your physician stating that you are in good health and have been for the past year, and you will need a letter from your insurance company stating that you have not had an accident in the last five years. The car rental agency will provide you with their specific requirements when you rent your car.

With all that said and done, I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Our self-driving tour of Ireland allowed us to see things off the beaten path, such as Foynes, Boyle Abbey, the Dark Hedges, and the Knock Shrine.

B&Bs

There are many, many B&Bs in Ireland. Some were very homey and welcoming; others had a more commercial feel. Some rooms were large, others were small, but we had an ensuite in each room. In some, you could tell that the bathroom was added on afterward, as they were very tiny. But, we had no complaints with any place we stayed. Many of the B&Bs we stayed in were definitely off the beaten path.

Cost

Although the overall cost of our trip was not expensive, we found that eating out was expensive compared to the US. Even when accounting for the exchange rate, we found food pricey.

Self-Driving Tour of Ireland is Not for Everyone

Many tour companies have scheduled tours of Ireland of varying lengths. We saw several tour buses from Tauck, Globus, and CIE during our tour of Ireland.

Overall, I’d give our trip to Ireland five stars.

Have you been toured Ireland? Was it on our own or an organized tour? Please, share your experiences; I’d love to hear from you!