- June 3: Susan gave me a ride to IAD on a very rainy afternoon. Arrived early for a 1715 Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. The flight was very pleasant (I watched Darkest Hour), and arrived about 0530 in Dublin [map].
- June 4: I caught a bus from the airport to a stop near my hotel, the Mespil Hotel on the Grand Canal, arriving there about 0730. The staff was kind enough to let me check in early. It was very warm and sunny in Dublin (atypical weather), and it was stuffy in the room (few buildings in Ireland have air conditioning), but I was able to nap for a few hours before hitting the town. I walked to St. Stephen’s Green [map] (where I apparently left my Kindle on a park bench), then to the city center. I walked to the Dublin Castle, then visited Trinity College and the Book of Kells exhibit. I grabbed a quick lunch in the city center, then did the Rick Steves Dublin Walk. After the walk, I took a bus back to the neighborhood of my hotel, rested for a while, then walked up the street to Beshoff Bros for fish and chips. After dinner, I strolled around the neighborhood for a few hours.
- June 5: Got up early (0600) and had a “full Irish breakfast” at the hotel. I left the hotel around 0900 for a very full day of site-seeing in Dublin (returned around 2230, having walked 23703 steps, according to my watch). From the hotel, I walked to St. Stephen’s Green (east side), to wait for the opening of the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology Branch. I toured the museum for a couple hours, then walked to the Duke Pub to inquire about the evening’s Literary Pub Crawl. From there, I walked to the Chester Beatty Library to tour the magnificent collection of manuscripts housed there. From the library, I walked across town to my scheduled tour of the Kilmainham Gaol. After touring the jail, I walked to the Guinness Storehouse for the ridiculous (and expensive tour) they offered. On the way out, I met two women on the elevator who live in Washington (we laughed about the foolish Storehouse tour). After the tour, I walked back to the neighborhood of the Duke Pub, and had dinner at a street-side table at the Bailey (Irish stew and a Guinness). After dinner, I checked out one of Dublin’s oldest bookstores (bought a guide to Ulysses), and then a Tower Records across the street. At about 1900 I met the group at the Duke Pub who were waiting for the Literary Pub Crawl to begin. The pub crawl was very entertaining and educational. We visited four historic pubs, with interspersed stops at historic sites. I hung out with two interesting Americans who I had met prior to the tour. The tour ended around 2200. I walked back across town to my hotel.
- June 6: I slept in, waking up around 0830. I packed my bags, then walked down the street to a (very crowded) coffee shop for a light breakfast. I checked out around 1100, then took a cab to Killiney (had a great conversation with the cabbie). I arrived at the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel around 1130. The hotel was a lovely old building with lots of amenities (gym, indoor pool, sauna, steam room, three restaurants, etc.). My room had a walk-out balcony with views of Dublin Bay. I unpacked, then walked up the hill to tour Killiney Hill Park [map]. I walked through the park, then down to the coast, visited Colliemore Harbour [map], and then hiked to downtown Dalkey [map] where I had lunch at the Corner Note Cafe. After lunch, I walked back to the hotel, and rested for a while. I walked downstairs for an early dinner, but then decided to hike back into town for grub, dining outdoors at the The Queens Bar. After dinner, I hiked to the The Joyce Tower and Museum, a Martello tower where James Joyce briefly lived (and described in the first episode of Ulysses). I walked back to the hotel as the sun was starting to set (around 2200).
- June 7: Up at 0700, breakfast in the hotel. I read in my room until about 1000, then walked downstairs to meet the REI group, who had met in Dublin. The group consisted of Tim Cookingham (the head of the tour company and the primary trip leader), Tommy O’Sullivan (a well-known Dingle musician, and the assistant leader of the trip), John O’Dowd (the driver for the tour), Chance and Stephanie Baker from central Illinois (Chance was an engineer, and Stephanie was a fourth-year medical student), Richard Hoffman and his daughter Gina (Richard was an engineer living in New Jersey, Gina was a government contractor living in Arlington, Virginia), Chandler Lindsley and her daughter Swiler (Chandler was a veterinarian, rancher, and granddaughter of FDR living in Dallas, Swiler was a high school junior), and Melissa and Richard Sorenson, retirees living in New Hampshire). We had a group meeting, then walked into Dalkey for lunch. Chance, Stephanie and I ate at the Magpie Inn. After lunch, the group reconvened for a hike along the coast and up to the tower on Killiney Hill. We got back to the hotel around 1700, and rested for an hour or so, then we walked back into Dalkey, where we had dinner at The Guinea Pig.
- June 8: After breakfast in the hotel, we drove to the Wicklow Mountains, where we toured the monastic city at Glendalough [map], then hiked the Wicklow Way through the Glenlo Valley and into the high hills. The hike was relatively strenuous (about 9 miles) and included a walk along the steep ridges overlooking the lakes (The Spinc). After the hike, we returned to our hotel in Killiney. We met for drinks in the early evening, and had dinner in the hotel restaurant.
- June 9: Up early to pack for the trip to our next tour stop, had breakfast at the hotel, and then traveled to Cahir Castle in County Tipperary. We toured the castle with a very amusing guide, then wandered around for an hour or so in the castle and on the grounds. After the castle tour, we drove to County Cork, where we had lunch a small, family-run restaurant (The Workshop), then drove on to Glengarriff [map], where we did a short (2.5 mile) hike in the Glengarriff Woods Nature Reserve. After the hike, we drove to Castletownbere [map], where we checked in to the Summer Hill B&B. We rested for a while, then met to walk to the Castletownbere Hotel for dinner. The chefs at the hotel had recently won 2nd place in an international chowder competition, and (of course) the chowder was excellent. My dinner, though, was a little too much, and I had a rough night (I considered skipping the hike the next day, which would’ve been a huge mistake).
- June 10: I skipped the “full Irish breakfast” at our B&B, opting for a lighter meal to see if I could get my stomach back in order. After breakfast, we walked down to the Castletownbere Ferry, where we met a friend of Tim’s, who used to help guide the REI tours and who was an expert in local commercial fishing practices. He gave us an interesting tour of the port, then we boarded the ferry for the trip to Bere Island. We did a relatively long hike around the western side of the island, stopping for lunch at about the halfway point, and stopping briefly at the Island Heritage Center on the way back to the ferry. Dinner that night was at Ocean Wild, an excellent small seafood restaurant in town.
- June 11: Got up early to pack for our drive to Kenmare (the “jewel in the Ring of Kerry”) [map]. En route, we stopped to visit a stone circle, one of many that still stand in Ireland and elsewhere in Britain. We then stopped at a pull-off overlooking the Atlantic (near Dursey Island), where Tim told us the story of the Calf Rock lighthouse rescue, an amazing account of 6 men stranded at a lighthouse that had been built in an inappropriately dangerous location, and was overwhelmed by a fierce Atlantic storm that took the top 40 feet of the structure off. The 6 men were saved by a team of rescuers from the nearby town, who rowed out in the fierce seas to save the crew. As Tim was talking, a man from the house across the street came out to listen, and afterwards identified himself as the grandson of the captain who led the rescue. After the talk, we drove to parking lot for the Dursey Island cable car [map], and then hiked up the hills on the Beara Way After the hike we drove to some large stone arches that had been carved by the sea, then to lunch at an out of way restaurant, near Lauragh (Josie’s). After lunch, we drove to Kenmare, and checked into our hotel in the city center, Davitt’s B&B. We had a few hours to kill before dinner, so I rested for a while, walked around Kenmare for about 30 minutes, then met the group at the Tom Crean Fish & Wine for an excellent dinner. After dinner, John, Chance, Stephanie and I walked to the Park Hotel and sneaked in a back door for a look at one of Ireland’s most prestigious lodgings (John explained that to avoid suspicion, we should look disdainfully at everyone).
- June 12: Breakfast at the B&B, then we drove to Killarney National Park [map] for a hike along the Old Kenmare Road through an old oak forest, up over grassy balds, and then down through pine forests to a high waterfall. We then walked to Muckross House, where we had a picnic lunch on the garden grounds. After lunch, we took a short walk to the Muckross Abbey, and then returned to Kenmare. Dinner was at the hotel.
- June 13: After breakfast at the hotel, we started our trip to the Dingle peninsula. It was a rainy day, the first one I’d seen in Ireland. Our first stop was at Inch Strand [map] a long, sandy beach on Dingle Bay. The beach was particularly dramatic in the blustery weather. I grabbed a cup of coffee in the beach-side restaurant, and then we headed toward Dingle. On the way, we stopped to visited a ruined castle, a holy well, and storm beach. In Dingle [map], we checked into our lodgings for the next two nights, The Lighthouse B&B. It was raining hard in the afternoon, but I walked into town to check out a fish and chips restaurant that had a great reputation (“the best fish and chips in Ireland) called Reel Dingle Fish. I grabbed a carryout order and took it to Tommy’s pub, O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Bar. I hung around the pub for a few rounds of drinks and some great music, then grabbed a ride back to the B&B with John.
- June 14: After breakfast at the B&B, we drove along the coast on the “Ring of Dingle” to several archaeological sites, including the Gallarus Oratory. We stopped by the old schoolhouse set that was used in the David Lean film, Ryan’s Daughter, then did a couple of spectacular seaside hikes. Dinner was at a local restaurant, then we spent the rest of the evening at Tommy’s pub.
- June 15: We had an early breakfast at the Lighthouse, then loaded up for the trip to Ennis [map]. We checked into our rooms at the Old Ground Hotel, an elegant old hotel in the middle of town, then loaded back in the bus for a ride to the Cliffs of Moher. We started the hike a little ways from the main tourist drop-off and hiked about 9 miles to the next town. After a beautiful walk, we had a few beers in the pub in town, then headed back to the hotel for dinner.
- June 16: Breakfast at the hotel, then road the tour bus with Chandler, Slyler, Chance, and Stephanie to Galway [map]. John dropped me off at the B&B that Tim had reserved. After unpacking and a short rest, I walked around Galway for a few hours, then grabbed a cab to John’s house for dinner with John, Chandler, and Slyler. After dinner, John and I went to John’s church for mass (John read), and then spent about 4 hours in Galway pubs, stumbling back to my B&B (the Griffin Lodge) after midnight.
- June 17: I enjoyed a “full Irish breakfast” at the B&B, then spent the rest of the day touring the Galway region with John. John was an amazing tour guide, taking me to the mountains north of the city, the Guinness Castle, and the lovely town of Cong (where the John Wayne movie, The Quiet Man, was filmed). We stopped by a nice restaurant for lunch, and had dinner at local pub. After dinner we shared a few farewell beers at a Galway pub, and I headed back to the B&B around 9.
- June 18: Up early, walked to bus station, bus to Shannon, flew to Boston, then IAD, and arrived home around 2100.
Kerry Snow's Travel Blog (and other stuff)
