Irland | FindPenguins

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Trip start
June 9, 2024
Irland
Dublin
Jun 9–10, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
Our trip started in Dublin. While still in the air, you can already see the wonderful landscape and especially the North Bull Island, known for golfing and its bird reserve. We spent one night in a hostel right in the centre of the capital of Ireland. Only a few minutes away from Trinity College; here you can visit the beautiful Campus and just around the corner you’ll find the Book of Kells. If you’re interested in visiting you should book your time slot in advance.
We made our way to Stephen’s Green Park, which has beautiful flowerbeds and lots of swans: perfect for an afternoon walk!
Right in front of it you can find Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre. Opened in the 80s it has its own charm to it and thanks to the glass roof you have lots of natural light. This is just one example of various places to shop in Dublin.

If you’re wondering how to get around in Dublin, you can easily walk everywhere. Another popular thing to do is to take the hop on hop off bus. You can get on and off whenever and wherever you want to.
To visit Phoenix Park, we rented bicycles and had lots of fun looking for fallow deers. With success!
Another beautiful place we went to on our second day in Dublin was Saint Patrick’s Park and Cathedral. You’ll hear this name a lot in Ireland, because he is known for bringing Christianity to parts of Ireland.

If you go to Dublin, you have to visit the Guiness Storehouse. Even if you don’t like beer, this is one of the most important aspects of Ireland and a celebration of Irish culture. If you’re more interested in practical experiences, we’d recommend you to check out a pub with typical Irish live music. This will definitely help to learn about the culture!Read more
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Irland
Galway
June 11, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
To get to Galway we took a City Link Bus. This operator connects big cities in Ireland and has good value for money. We arrived really late, so the first thing we did on Tuesday was sleeping in. In the afternoon we met up with Gerry Grealish from Tour and Taste Galway. We started the tour on Eyre Square and ended right in front of Galway City Museum. In those 90 minutes we were learning a lot about the history of Galway and traditions in this city. He also told us about the marked that takes place every Saturday in Market Street. Afterwards we did some souvenir shopping and in the evening we went out for dinner at HighCafé, a lovely Moroccan restaurant in the city.Read more
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Irland
Limerick
June 12, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
The route for this day focused on visiting the city of Limerick as well as all its
points of interest, the way from Galway to Limerick took us one and a half
hour. The first place we visited was the Hunt Museum which gave us the
chance to know the history about the wealthy “Hunt” family, John and
Gertrude were the collectors from most of the objects situated at the
museum and also some of them were placed at their own home. They
shared a love of art, history and design together and while they were
traveling, they started to collect objects of churches and art museums,
which are exhibited there. Something to highlight is that the museum’s
collection includes ancients artifacts from Greece, Rome and Egypt,
medieval Christian art, fine art by artists like Picasso and Renoir and Irish
archaeological items. It also features decorative arts such as ceramics,
glassware and jewelry oﬀering a broad overview of human creativity across
various periods and cultures.
After finishing the guided tour at the museum, we went to the next attraction
which is King John’s castle, a 13th century fortress located on Kings Island and
built by order of King John of England. It is well preserved medieval
architecture and has a central courtyard. The site provides panoramic views
of the city and the river, making it a popular historical and cultural attraction.
We had a tour around Limerick train station known as Calbret which is the
key railway station in this city. It provides connections to mayor cities like
Dublin and Cork, featuring modern facilities and a historic building dating
back to 1858.
We enjoyed then rest of the Day behind the King John’s castle with a beautiful
View of the river Shannon.Read more
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Irland
Football
June 13, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
Galway United FC VS Drogheda United FC.
Thursday, 13.06.2024
I was at the football match of the 2nd Irish League. The game started at 19:45. The score was 3:0 for Galway United.Galway United FC was formerly called Galway Rovers and was founded in 1937. Since 1981 they are called Galway United. They are playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. This is Ireland's second division. Galway United FC's stadium is called 'Eamonn Deacy Park'. Named after the club legend 'Eamonn Deacy'. The capacity of this stadium is over 5,000 of which 3,300 are seated. But let's move on to my first impression and the soccer match. The stadium is small but with a nice atmosphere and a loyal fan base supporting the club. It was a rainy day from the very start. The game wasn't that memorable but both clubs tried their best. Galway United FC scored an early goal right at the start and were clearly the better team individually. The individual performance of the players with a few good dribbles made the difference for Galway. As a German soccer fan from Munich I am privileged to watch playing teams like FC Schalke 04 and FC Bayern Munich so of course the standard was not as high as I'm used to, but the atmosphere and the fans cheered their team and deserved to win!Read more
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Irland
Museum
June 13, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
We started the day with a tour at the Galway City Museum which oﬀers a
rich exploration of the region’s heritage. It shows a diverse range of exhibits
like archaeology, history, art, maritime history, medieval past, and
contemporary culture. Also has interactive activities to evaluate your health and how your body and your brain work, making it a dynamic center for education and community engagement.
Then we went to the city center to explore the principal street in “the Latin
quarter” and take a look at the restaurants, typical Irish bars and gift shops.
One of the stops was the University of Galway, formaly known as national
University of Ireland, established in 1845 oﬀering a wide range of
undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various disciplines, it’s
deeply integrated with the cultural and economic life of the city.Read more
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Irland
Diamond Hill / Kylemore Abbey
June 14, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
We were picked up and after one and a half hour drive we arrived at
Diamond Hill which is located at the Connemara National Park in County
Galway. We did a hike around two hours up to the top of the mountain and
enjoyed the stunning panoramic view of the surrounding landscape,
including the Twelve Bens mountain range, the Atlantic Ocean, and the
picturesque Connemara countryside.

The last destination was Kylemore Abbey. It was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a politician and businessman from Manchester who was also a member of the parliament for County Galway from 1871 to 1885. After the death of his beloved wife Margaret in 1875, due to untreated water poisoning on a holiday in Egypt, Mitchell built a mausoleum to bury his wife and after that he did not remain in the mansion for long and it was eventually transformed into an abbey when some Benedictine nuns fled from Ypres (Belgium) during the First World War.
The abbey housed an international boarding school for girls which was closed in 2010, and now it’s open for tourism duties. We had a tour through besides the Pollacappal Lake which is surrounded by forrest and hills.
hills. The abbey itself houses a Gothic church, craft shop and a cafe.Read more
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Irland
Cliffs of Moher
June 15, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 14 °C
In anticipation of seeing the famous Cliffs of Moher from below during our ferry ride to the Aran Islands this upcoming week, many students were interested in seeing the Cliffs from the most spectacular viewpoint - from above - too.

The Cliffs of Moher span across 14 kilometres along the West coast, reaching their highest point near O'Brien Tower at 214 metres. They have been featured in several films and music videos, such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as well as the Irish group Westlife's "My Love".
A brisk one-hour walk takes us all the way to Hag's Head - the Cliff's most southerly point, where we find a rock formation shaped like a woman's head.

It is also well worth visiting even if one does not fancy long walks, as the first viewpoint near O'Brien's Tower already offers stunning views. Or you may check out a short interactive 4D tour called the 4D Ledge Experience.
There is also an award-winning visitor centre nestled into the hillside close to the entrance which, additionally to the 4D experience, offers an exhibition about the cliffs, the county Clare, Ireland and climate change, two cafés, a souvenir store and restrooms.

The Cliffs of Moher are an absolute must-do experience when visiting Ireland!

It is best to book tickets online - the entrance fee is 7-10€/adult online depending on the time slot, 12€/adult flat on site.Read more
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Irland
Dingle Peninsula
June 16, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Today our route took us to the Dingle Peninsula in the south of Galway. This area is known for its rugged landscape and beautiful beaches, but inland there are also vast green hills and many cows, horses and sheep. We went along the southern coast and a special highlight was Minard Castle. The ruins stand on a hill right next to a small bay with a great view of the Irish Sea. It is one of three castles built by the Fitzgerald clan on the Dingle Peninsula.

On the way we passed a large sheep meadow and a farmer even let us hold a lamb and feed it. This lamb's name is Mary and she was just 10 days old and so incredibly sweet and fluffy :D

We then continued towards the port town Dingle (yes, same name as the Peninsula). From there you can take a lovely walk along the coast to Dingle Lighthouse. On the house there is a picture in honor of the dolphin Fungie, also known as the Dingle dolphin, who roamed the waters off Dingle for almost 40 years and lived in close contact with the people living there.

The evening was crowned by an incredibly beautiful sunset! We stopped once on the coast and then drove to the southern tip of Dingle to Dunquin Pier with the famous rock formations. The view of the sea was breathtaking. Dingle is truly an incredibly beautiful and diverse island and a must-see on a tour of Ireland.Read more
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Irland
Galway Tour of Companies
June 17, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
This morning we visited the bus company and our Irish partner Donoghues of Galway. The company offers coaches and tours as well as chaffeur services. There is a wide range of offers, so you can travel with a large group or very privately. Since the family business was founded in 1966, it has been in the business for almost 60 years and offers trips of the best quality. Trips are mainly booked through tour operators, but you can also book directly with Donohuges and take a tour through beautiful Ireland. This company also ran our day trip by bus last Friday when we visited Diamond Hill and Kylemore Abbey. It was very interesting to take a look behind the scenes here.

After our return from Donoghues, a friendly hotel staff took us on a tour through the g Hotel & Spa, a five-star hotel in Galway.
She explained that the hotel draws great inspiration from fashion, and was partly designed by milliner Phillip Treacy. The lounges and dining spaces each offer a unique design for a luxurious dining experience. There are seven room categories from Superior Rooms to an exclusive Penthouse suite. The spa is Galway's only five-star spa, where guests can relax in one of twelve treatment rooms.
The hotel's event facilities offer space for up to 300 guests and can be individually decorated to cater to the guests' preferences. The g Hotel hosts around 40 weddings a year. Our hotel tour guide explained that traditionally, Irish weddings draw much from Catholicism, while the weddings at their hotel often feature non-traditional elements such as an all-black décor.

In the evening we went to Taylors Bar as a group. The weekly quiz evening took place here, which is already a must for many Irish people. Here you competed as a team and had to enter the correct answer as quickly as possible using an app. There were questions about Ireland, but above all general knowledge and topics from all over the world. More than 50 teams took part and it was a very entertaining eveningRead more
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Irland
Aran Islands
June 18, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ 🌬 15 °C
We started our day at 8:30 o'clock in the morning and went from Galway Docks by ferry to the Aran Islands. The Aran Islands are a group of three islands: Inishmore, Irishman and Inisheer. The Aran Islands are known for their unique culture and for their breathtaking landscape. Our main goal was Inishmore, but fortunately during our cruise we were passing by the two other islands.

The Aran Islands are located 48km (30 miles) away from Galway. Inishmore (meaning big island) is the biggest and most popular island at approximately 15km in length. About 800 people lives there. Its stunning scenery, history and culture fascinated us.

The name Aran probably comes from the Irish word 'ara' meaning kidney and is referred to the kidney-shape ridge of Inis Mor.

The islands are known for their traditional Irish culture, which is still very strong on Inishmore.

At 11 o'clock we arrived at the docks in Cill Rónáin Inishmore and were ready to see the new place. The wonderful weather offered the perfect opportunity for us to discover the island by bike.

We rented bikes on the island of Inishmore and went on a bike tour as a whole group around the entire island with stops at horses, cows and other cute animals. Of course, we couldn't do without a short stop at the beach.

After this, we continued on to our main destination, the cliffs of Dún Aonghasa.

The spectacular Dún Aonghasa is an ancient stone fort that sits on a towering 100-metre cliff on the edge of Inis Mór.

We had to park our bikes briefly and continue on foot. This footpath is less than 1 km long and leads to the top. The closer we got to the top, the more uneven the path of natural stones became. Once we reached the top of the cliffs, we had an incredibly beautiful view into the distance.

This path is recommended for all travelers!

Afterwards, we had already made our way back to the harbor, as we had a little time pressure, but of course we took in the beautiful seabed on the way and tried to spot sea lions 🦭, unfortunately without success.

The ferry then took us slowly back towards Galway harbor, but not without a stop at the Cliffs of Moher. This time we didn't see these cliffs from above but from the seaside and this view was also simply fascinating. Part of Harry Potter 6 was also filmed on these cliffs!

We were enthusiastic about the many dolphins we saw on our passage

Ireland is a beautiful country with different types of sights. It was an unforgettable experiences for each of us and we can recommend it to everyone!Read more
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Irland
Dancing
June 19, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We started our daily journey today at 10:15am so we could arrive on time to the dancing hall at 11:00am. Our destination and dream was to see the Irish culture of dancing and we wanted to learn ourselves.

We tried to learn these three types of Irish dancing:

- Siege of Ennis (group dance - 'ceili')

- Brush dance (old style - 'sean nós')

- Riverdance (modern professional)

We had a wonderful time with a lot of fun.

It was a really good opportunity to know and learn about Irish dancing, the main reason behind this was definitely our kind and talented teacher (Ronan O'Connell).

Who tried his best to teach us nicely and slowly every step of rhythm.

Our teacher and his group are fascinating individuals with a lot of followers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram with more than 5 millions of followers, he was even invited to perform in the White House in front of Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States of America.

Their name on Instagram is: ‘_cairde’

The specialty of Irish dancing is that strong dancers work together to create rhythm, sounds and pictures. Irish Dance is an activity that supports heart and lung health. It supports flexibility, balance, muscle strength and agility, but it is also important not to forget to smile and look pleasant while you are dancing.

Unlike other dance forms, Irish dancers do not move their arms or hands so that footwork is accented.

In the evening Germany had a match against Hungary in the Euros 2024 and we watched it together to successfully support our home country.Read more
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Irland
Doolin Cave
June 20, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Early in the morning, we set off for Doolin Cave. Even the bus ride was an adventure, winding through narrow roads by the cliffs. After a 1.5-hour journey, we arrived in the Burren. Our delightful tour began at the entrance of the breathtaking cave, home to Europe's largest stalactite. The cave was explored in 1952 by Brian Varley and Mike Dickerson, and a memorial for the 70th anniversary stands at the entrance.
Right after the small entrance, we descended 125 steps, approximately 22 meters. After the slightly eerie descent, we were given helmets, which proved very useful as the paths were narrow, causing us to bump our heads frequently-an amusing yet practical accessory. The guide led us to a pitch-dark spot and reminded us that when the explorers first discovered the cave, they were in complete darkness. He explained how they realized they had found a cave when their voices echoed. At that moment, he switched on the light, revealing the stunning stalactite, about 7 meters long and weighing 10 tons, making it the third largest in the world, and approximately 350,000 years old.
After a few awe-inspiring moments, we made our way back to the surface. Following a hike through the Burren and a look at the "unique" local animals, our group returned to Galway. After a short break, we headed to "Trad on the Prom" at the Leisureland Theatre, where our dance instructor had a performance. We were treated to a wonderful show of singing and dancing, featuring even world champions in Riverdance. The songs were performed in two
languages Gaeilge and
English. The two-hour show was a beautiful end to an extraordinary day.
20.06.24 Doolin CaveRead more
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Irland
Riverside walk
June 21, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Around noon, we set off on a short hike through the stunning natural surroundings along the river, eventually reaching Saint Nicholas Church. There is an entrance fee of five euro to this medieval church being the oldest one in Galway. It's the largest medieval church still in use in Ireland, allegedly visited by Christopher Columbus in 1477. Located in the heart of Galway's old town, it's definitely worth a visit. The rich interior features historical monuments, tombstones and decorative window elements. The bell tower with its distinctive pointed windows, is visible from afar.
Next, we visited the somewhat understated Galway Cathedral, constructed between 1958 and 1965 in Neo-Gothic style. It boasts a grand entrance and an imposing tower spire, accommodating approximately 2,000 worshippers.
Our journey continued to the University of Galway, situated along the banks of the river Corrib, encompassing both historic and modern buildings. It is a significant university in Ireland known for its academic power.
After a brief pause at some fitness equipment, we explored the remains of Menlo Castle, located by the river Corrib. Built in the 16th century and bought and renovated by the Blake family at the end of the 19th century, it was tragically destroyed by fire in 1910.
While some family members and servants were able to rescue themselves, others didn't survive.
An ongoing mystery is the fact that the disabled daughter of the Blakes could never be found and is therefore said to haunt the castle until today.
There is no access to the ruins, but through its tumultuous history, the castle retains an air of mystery and enchantment.
22.06.24
ChurchRead more
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Irland
Claddagh Ring
June 22, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
The Claddagh Ring symbolises friendship and love. It consists of a heart encircled by hands with a crown above the heart.
• the heart symbolises love
• the hands stand for friendship
• the crown is loyalty
It is believed that the ring originated in the small fishing village Claddagh by Galway. The story goes that Richard Joyce had been sold into slavery after his ship was captured by pirates. Where he was trained as a goldsmiths and crafted a ring for the woman he was set to marry before he was captured. After he was released and returned home in 1689 he gave her the ring.
If the ring is worn on the left ring finger with the heart pointing inwards the person is in a relationship. If the ring is worn on the right hand with the heart pointing outwards it means that the person is looking for love.Read more
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Irland
The last day
June 22, 2024 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
After two exciting weeks, the three of us decided to go to the morning performance of a cinema to further improve our English skills. We chose to watch the recently released movie "Inside Out 2", which was in simple language that was easy to understand. It was a delightful experience going to the cinema abroad, for instance, they only offer salty popcorn instead of the sweet kind we're used to. The movie was beautiful, sad and funny all at once, and even though it was a children's film, we were thoroughly entertained. After the relaxing movie, we decided to go bowling. Since we had dinner plans later that evening, we only played one round, but we had a lot of fun. Who knows, maybe we'll become pros one day! A must-have during a trip to Ireland is fish and chips, which we enjoyed at "The Front Door" pub, providing a perfect conclusion to these wonderful two weeks.
23.06.24Read more
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Trip end
June 23, 2024