When we found out we’d be moving back home over the summer, we knew we wanted to squeeze in some more sightseeing around beautiful Ireland. Of course when you live somewhere, you often don’t take advantage of visiting the places around you because you feel you can always do it later. Once our moving date was set, we got into gear with planning a last big road trip around Ireland. My parents also wanted to come for one last visit, so we planned our trip to do all together so we could all enjoy the gorgeous scenery of the Emerald Isle.
There were so many places we wanted to see, and we knew we couldn’t do it all, but we planned a pretty ambitious and full itinerary to hit many of Ireland’s highlights. With 4 stops over 8 nights, and a route that took us to the very western tip of the island and then up to the very northern part, we covered a lot of ground! The boys were real troopers, and the car rides were made more fun with lots of good tunes, M & M’s, and games like I-spy and guessing games. Here’s a glimpse at the amazing Irish road trip we took:
Dublin to Cork
We left Dublin and headed south toward County Cork, home to rolling green hills, harbor towns with colorful villages, and an impressive foodie scene in Cork City and beyond. We stayed at the gorgeous Castlemartyr Resort, a hotel and golf course set on lush grounds complete with horses grazing in the pastures. Castlemartyr is a great place for families, as they have a number of self-catering lodges, so you can enjoy the comfort of a home-like environment and cook your own meals, while still having access to the hotel and pool. After relaxing around the hotel and swimming, we drove into Cork City to explore Ireland’s “second city” (after Dublin), and to check out the famous English Market there. We gathered some yummy goods to cook dinner back at our lodge, and then meandered down by the river and back toward our car.
Cork to Dingle
As you continue west through County Cork toward County Kerry, the scenery becomes even more spectacular. The greens become greener, the hills and mountains more dramatic, the sheep more plentiful! The Ring of Kerry is perhaps the most famous destination for tourists wishing to experience the Ireland of postcards, but beyond the Ring is a multitude of jaw-dropping sights in Kerry, including Killarney National Park and the Dingle Peninsula. We had heard over the past two years that Dingle is a must-see in Ireland, so we knew we had to get there before we left.
Our route from Castlemartyr took us through West Cork, where we stopped to see the spot where Michael Collins was ambushed (this is kind of like Ireland’s equivalent to where JFK was assassinated), and then happened upon a random toy-soldier factory that Isaac and Grandpa wanted to visit. Spontaneous stops like these are what make road trips so fun in my mind! After these stops, we continued on to the town of Killarney for lunch in a cozy pub and then on to our destination in Dingle.
The town of Dingle is an adorable little village lined with colorful shops and pubs, delicious ice cream at the famous Murphy’s, and home to a resident dolphin, Fungi, who lives in the harbor. But the true gem comes when you drive out of Dingle town onto the loop-drive of the Dingle peninsula. With hairpin turns and one-lane roads, this drive is not for the faint of heart, but if you go slow (which you’ll want to do anyway since there are views around every corner), it’s totally doable. The stunning scenery is one of a kind and truly a highlight of Ireland. The Dingle Skellig hotel was our base in Dingle, and is another great family hotel with delicious breakfast, a fun pool, and a kids’ club. And yes, we are all wearing matching sweatshirts in these photos 🙂
Dingle to Westport
After our stay in Dingle, we began to head north toward the town of Westport in County Mayo. Having visited several of western Ireland’s top sights — the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Galway, and Connemara — on a previous trip, we bypassed these and made our way toward Westport. After a lunch stop in the town of Adare, in a cute thatched roof cottage, we continued on and arrived in the late afternoon at the Westport Woods Hotel. With a lovely lobby where you can sit and relax, a 3 course dinner included in the room rate, an excellent pool, and a kids club, this was another great family find. Just down the road from the hotel was the Westport House, a fun day out for the whole family. Westport House is a historical house that was home to the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley who ruled the land and seas around Western Ireland in the 16th century. The house has undergone many additions since her day, expanding to be a vast mansion reminiscent of something out of Downton Abbey. You can tour the rooms of the house and learn about the history, grab a coffee and snack in the cafe located in the old kitchen, and best of all for the kids check out the attractions around the estate. There are train rides, swan peddle boats, slides, bouncy castles, go karts, and a few amusement park rides. The boys had a blast, particularly on the huge “cannon ball run slide” (which Jeff and I enjoyed too!). We also strolled around the lovely town of Westport and along the river with flower-covered bridges straight out of a magazine. Beautiful!
Westport to Bushmills
The final stop on our Irish road trip was actually in Northern Ireland. We wanted to visit the must-see Giant’s Causeway, which is at the very top of the island. We left Westport and headed north through Sligo and Donegal, and then crossed into Northern Ireland, where we stopped in the city of Derry. Depending on who you ask (Protestant/Loyalist or Catholic/Republican), the city is called Derry or Londonderry (for the British Loyalists). The Troubles in Northern Ireland are believed to have begun in Derry with civil-rights protests by Catholics who felt they didn’t have equal rights. The violent conflict escalated and continued throughout the next few decades. One of the most notorious events of the Troubles, Bloody Sunday (memorialized in a U2 song), took place in Derry, where civil rights protesters were shot by the British army during a peaceful march. It was really interesting to visit Derry and learn a bit about this history and to see the many political murals painted on the buildings.
We continued on and finally reached the town of Bushmills, home to the famous Bushmills Whiskey, Ireland’s oldest distillery. We stayed in a small cottage-like house on the main street in Bushmills. What it lacked in space/luxury it made up for in a great location. We could walk along the main street to the town’s various cafes and restaurants, as well as 5 minutes walk to the Bushmills distillery to take a tour. The town of Bushmills is very clearly loyal to the UK. British flags fly all along the street, there had recently been a visit from the queen, and our host even warned us not to park our car on the main street (with license plates from the Republic of Ireland, she was worried our car could potentially be vandalized). This kind of shocked me, as even though I knew there was still tension in Northern Ireland, I didn’t expect that there would be any potential “danger” for visitors from the Republic. Most likely there was nothing to worry about and our host was being overly cautious, but it was still a little disconcerting.
The highlights of our time in the North were touring the distillery — learning about the process of whiskey making and getting to taste test 🙂 — and visiting the gorgeous Giant’s Causeway. It’s hard to explain the unique geological formations of the Causeway with its perfectly shaped hexagon rock tiles and tall stair-like rock columns. It definitely looks other-worldly and is quite hard to believe it’s natural. We walked down from the Visitor Center to the rocks, explored a little, and then took the shuttle bus back up the big hill! With views of the wild Atlantic and the unique rock formations, it’s easy to see why the Causeway is such a popular destination. We finished up our time in Bushmills with an early dinner at the lovely Bushmills Inn, an elegant and cozy inn and restaurant where you can grab a drink or a hearty meal next to a warm fire.
There are several other beautiful spots to visit near the Causeway along the Antrim Coast, but on our last day it was lashing rain and we were eager to get back on the road to Dublin. With one quick stop at the Dark Hedges (made famous in Game of Thrones), we were headed back home to Dublin. It was an incredible, full, scenic, gorgeous tour of the Emerald Isle — one we will always remember!
dublingers 
Terrific Post. You captured it all and the Pix are fantastic.
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Thanks Wads!! Was such an awesome trip with you guys!! Xoxo
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