Ireland

A road trip around Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, from Belfast to Dublin Read more

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Trip start
June 28, 2019
Ireland Traveler
Titanic
June 28, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
A visit to the Titanic museum built on the old slipway. Fantastic museum with photos from passengers, audio from survivors, and a lot of background information about the yard, the ship and the events of the sinking. Spent two hours in here, could have spent longer.Read more
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Bus around Belfast
June 28, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Went on the hop on hop off bus after Titanic. Saw most of the city, and places to visit later.
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Falls Road walk
June 29, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Start of a three hour conflict walk in West Belfast. Firstly we had a Nationalist guide who turned out to be an ex-IRA bomber. He gave his side of the story, and the area of conflict.
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Shankhill Road Walk
June 29, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Second part of the walk was in the Unionist area. We walked through the gates in the Peace Wall where our two guides shook hands, then the Nationalist one went back through the gates. The second guide was once a member of the Ulster Defence Force as a youth, and to avoid becoming a full on member, the only choice to him was become a British Soldier. He'd personally been targeted and been bombed, but along with the other guide wanted peace. There had been too many innocent lives lost. Very fascinating insite into the conflicts from a couple of people directly involved.Read more
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Belfast bus tour
June 29, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We then did a bus tour around Belfast, including Stormont, the Northern Ireland parliament building that hasn't been used in two years. We also went past Queens University, a beautiful building, where there were graduations going on.

Then it was back to the city centre, visiting St George's Market for some food, Belfast's leaning tower the Albert Clock Tower, and finally to visit a few of the oldest pubs in Belfast.Read more
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The Dark Hedges
June 30, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Early start today as we had a lot of travel and things to see. Firstly it was a taxi to Belfast International Airport to pick up the hire car, before heading north east to join the northern coastal route, a lovely road that hugs the coastline. There wasn't much space for the road as the hills rose sharply next to it.

Just after an hour we headed west off the coastal route, over the mountains to find an attraction made famous from the series "A Game Of Thrones", The Dark Hedges. This is a straight road about 500m long, lined with trees. What makes it so dramatic are the ways the branches arch over the road, very cathedral like.Read more
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Carrick-A-Rede
June 30, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Turning north and after a short time we again join the coastal route, and not long after we arrive at Carrick-A-Rede. This is a rope bridge across to a small island, originally built by salmon fishermen to get somewhere to launch their boats.

When I say arrive, we actually arrive at the car park for it, where they charge £9. We didn't pay that as you can also go to a viewing area for free. It's still a good 15 minute walk along a cliff path to the bridge, and when we got there, there was a queue to go over it. There wasn't much on the island so good choice to not pay. Also as we left the viewing area, they were about to close it due to the increasingly strong winds.Read more
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Giant's Causeway
June 30, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
After Carrick-A-Rede we head west for about half an hour, arriving at the Giant's Causeway visitor centre. Lots of tourists, but its able to handle it. The centre is very new and blends in the countryside, with a grass roof. The walls are hexagonally shaped to look like the causeway.

Once getting our tickets and phone shaped audio guides, we head outside for the road to the causeway. You can take a five minute bus, but we decide to take the twenty minute walk passing two bays with markers indicating a number, which gives more information from the audio guides.

Once at the causeway, it's fairly crowded, but still enough room for everyone. The basalt columns can be five or six sided, and the different colours indicate the different age of them.Read more
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Giant's Organ
June 30, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Most people return to the visitor centre after visiting the causeway. But we decide to walk around the next bay to the Giant's Organ, multiple long hexagonal columns in the cliffside, which can be seen from the causeway.

From there you get a great view back towards the Giant's Causeway, and the hundreds of tourists clambering all over it. There are stewards with whistles to stop people going too close to the very slippery waters edge or climbing very steep columns. You'd be surprised how many still try. 🙈

We then climb a sloping path up to the top of the cliff's, via a breathtaking 162 steps. Once regaining our breaths we walk along the cliff top, getting a great overview of the causeway, and returning to the visitor centre. A great experience.Read more
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Dunlace Castle
June 30, 2019 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Just west of the causeway was Dunlace Castle, a derelict castle right on the cliff edge.

Further still we were looking for somewhere to eat, and arrived in Portrush. The traffic was horrendous. We then realised it was getting ready for The Open golf championship the following week, so left as quickly as possible finding a cafe halfway to Derry (Londonderry, but don't say it locally)Read more
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Sligo
July 1, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
After passing Derry, we entered the Republic of Ireland, the only indication were the road markings. As it was getting late, we continued south to Sligo.

The next morning we met up for a few coffees and a chat with Ruth, who along with her husband Kevin we met on our Cuba tour the previous year. Unfortunately Kevin had to go to Dublin with his work.

Walking through Sligo it was a lovely town with a cafe and pub lined river going through the middle of it.Read more
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Leenaun
July 1, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We head south west from Sligo. Enroute we pass through the beautiful town of Westport, with many colourfully painted cafe's and shops.

We continue south over a mountain pass and moors. We stop for lunch at Gaynors pub in Leenaun, a tiny village at the head of what turns out to be Irelands only fjord, Killary Fjord. It's also the area where the 1990 movie "The Field" with amongst others Richard Harris, Sean Bean and John Hurt was filmed.Read more
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Galway
July 1, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Heading south east we end up in Galway for the night. Heading into town we walk down the pedestrianised streets, lined with lovely shops, cafe's and pubs. There's a great buzz about the place.

We end up in O'Connells for "refreshments", as recommended by Kevin. From outside it looks like a normal pub but through the back is the beer garden which is set out like a Victorian street with little shop fronts. Entering the different doorways, one is the toilets, another where you can get food.Read more
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Doolin
July 2, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
We continue following the coastline south, passing through the Burren. All around you is pale grey stone ribboned with crags and crevices; miniature cliffs spread like mosaics as far as the horizon. The Burren is a limestone landscape formed millions of years ago, where there are over 80 tombs scattered across this sparse terrain, dating from the Mesolithic era right through the Iron Age.

Further on we pass through Doolin, famous for its pubs full of traditional Irish music. We go down to its harbour where many craft shops are, but mainly its the point where you can get the ferry to the Aran islands, including one made famous by "Father Ted".Read more
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Cliffs of Moher
July 2, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Just to the south of Doolin we join the many tourists to admire the highest point of the Cliff's of Moher. The cliff's actually run for about 9 miles (14 km), but this is probably the most spectacular part of them, rising to 702 feet (214 m).

It's also where O'Brien's Tower, a round stone tower near the midpoint of the Cliff's is located, built in 1835.

To accommodate all the tourists, this being the number one Irish visitor attraction, there's a huge car park and hobbit style visitor centre thats built into the hill.Read more
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Conor Pass
July 2, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Heading south again we quickly pass through the nearby village of Lahinch which seemed very busy, this time it was hosting the Irish Open.

We had to take a short cut there down some very narrow lanes, to avoid all the tourist buses, as we were in a hurry to catch a ferry. We made it just in time for the 20 minute sail from Killimer to Tarbet. Enroute an Irish Coast guard helicopter flew very low over us.

Once past Tralee we headed west onto the Dingle peninsula. Halfway along the north coast we turned inland and up the very narrow and steep road to Conor Pass, not open to lorries and buses. We get a great view of where we came from and also to the village of Dingle, where we are heading, and the islands beyond. At 1496 ft (456 m) it's the second highest Irish mountain pass, and reputedly the most scenic.Read more
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Slea Head
July 2, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We stop briefly in Dingle to sort out our accommodation before continuing along the south side of the Dingle peninsula. The drive is spectacular all the way to the western end Slea Head with great views to the Blasket Islands.

As we loop around the peninsula we come to lovely Coumeenole Beach where they filmed Ryan's Daughter. The clifftop roads are so narrow here that tour buses are requested to drive clockwise around the loop.Read more
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Dingle
July 2, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Once back in Dingle we wander around this pretty, small town of colourful buildings. We visit a few pubs, which in this area are peculiar because they double as grocers, hardware or even bicycle shops. Used during the day mostly for the store and later on the pub. It is interesting to be sat at the bar whilst the band play from behind the shop counter.Read more
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Portmagee
July 3, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Very early start so that we can get to Portmagee for 8am. Not far from Dingle we stop to look at Inch Strand, a 5km long sand spit jutting into the sea between the outer Dingle Bay and inner Castlemaine Harbour overlooking magnificent Iveragh and Dingle Peninsulas. This location was the film spot for Ryan's Daughter many years ago. It's also very popular for people to drive onto and camp. Whilst there we see one unfortunate chap who parked a bit too close to the shore, and was desperately trying to dig his van out as the tide came in.

Portmagee is a small village where we meet our small boat to the Skellig Islands.

As we head out to the islands, we pass the small bay where the first transatlantic communications cable came ashore. Further still we see the headland that had the marking "EIRE" on it that helped Charles Lindbergh know where he was when he made his transatlantic flight, before he headed for France to land.Read more
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Little Skellig
July 3, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We motor at a fair speed out to Little Skellig Island, taking about an hour. We pass many seabirds and even some dolphins.

The Skellig Islands are two small, steep, and rocky islands lying about 13 km (8 mi) west of Bolus Head on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The larger of the two is Skellig Michael (also known as Great Skellig) and, together with Little Skellig, are at the centre of a 364-hectare (899-acre) Important Bird Area. Whilst going around Little Skellig we also see many seals.Read more
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Skellig Michael
July 3, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
We then travel the short distance to Skellig Michael, circling it before landing at the small jetty. We see several steep steps, old and new lighthouses and plenty of wildlife as we do. Thankfully and unusually it's flat calm when we land.

Once ashore we follow a narrow pathway that has been created, with walls to partially protect the lighthouse keepers when they used to visit. Now they are all automated.Read more
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Skellig Puffins
July 3, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Once getting a safety and historical briefing of the island, we start to climb the many steep stone steps. As we do the island slopes are littered with small burrows, most with a very cute little puffin standing at the entrance. Some literally at the side of the steps, one head even pops up from between a couple of steps.

This is why we are not allowed off the pathway, as the ground is very crumbly.Read more
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Skellig Michael steps
July 3, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Climbing the steep steps to the top of Skellig Michael is definitely an adventure!

You will have to conquer over 600 steps up... And 600 steps back down again. This is not a conventional staircase either. The steps on Skellig Michael are cut directly from the rock. They're steep. They're of varying height and width. There is no handrail and a steep, vertical cliff face lies below. People have died from falling from the steps on Skellig Michael.

At the top of the steps is a saddle, probably the biggest, flattest area on the island, not very big. From here there's steps up to a peak on one side, now off limits for safety, and steps up to the monastery.Read more
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Skellig Beehives
July 3, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Once at the edge of the known world, Skellig Michael is the site where early Christian monks chose to build their monastery. The monks shunned civilisation, carving out a meagre existence from sea and rock. They felt the extreme isolation brought them closer to God. Renowned as a beautifully preserved early Christian settlement, Skellig Michael was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1996. More recently, it was used as a location for shooting two Star Wars movies.

The monks of St. Fionan's monastery led simple lives and lived in stone, beehive shaped huts. They would descend the 670 steps early every morning and fish for the morning's breakfast and would spend the rest of the day praying in the church, tending to their gardens and studying. The huts, which are round on the outside and rectangular on the inside, were carefully built so that no drop of rain ever entered between the stones. The monks left the island in the thirteenth century and it became a place of pilgrimage.Read more
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Charlie Chaplain statue
July 3, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We returned to Portmagee, exhilarated, a bit tired from the climbing, and a little toasted by the glorious sunshine.

Portmagee is at the north west corner of the Kerry peninsula. We continue south on the very popular tourist route the Ring of Kerry.

Not long into the journey we stop at Waterville, and the Charlie Chaplain statue. This was the place where he regularly came on holiday.

After which we continue on the Ring of Kerry, going over another mountain pass at Beenarourke.Read more
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