A week in the Emerald Isle, Ireland (2)

A week in the Emerald Isle, Ireland (1)

Day 4 - Drive to Killarney (4.5 hours drive); stop at Galway, Dunguaire castle, Doolin village, cliffs of Moher (Maybe Black head, Fanore beach); stay at Killarney

Today, we were shifting our base from Galway to Killarney, and it was a driving day with a few stops on the way. We first stopped at the town of Galway and walked around in the town centre. We were surprised to see that it was actually quite pretty.

Galway Latin Quarters

We first walked along the Latin Quarters street which was quite lively at that time of the day. There were a few street performers around and we stopped to listen for a bit to one of the Irish band which was playing there. The weather had suddenly turned warm and sunny which made walking about a pleasure.

We shopped a bit there and then walked towards Eyre Square which was quite a picturesque square, with a small garden full of colourful blooming flowers. After that, we walked along one of the canals in town which was lined with some scenic buildings next to it. And a few museums too. It never stops to amaze me how much tourism is promoted even in small towns of Europe.

Dunguaire castle

After seeing all there was in Galway, we were off on our long drive to Killarney, which was towards the south of the island. On the way, we first stopped at the Dunguaire castle which is known to be one of the most photographed castle in the country. It was quite standalone, located in the middle of nowhere next to a water body which might be filled with water only during high tide. The castle was closed when we stopped there so we just walked around it. Apparently, you can host a dinner at the castle for special occasions, which would certainly be impressive.

Our next stop was Doolin, a small little village on the way. It was not like a typical village but quite spread out, with some colourful houses located right next to the sea. It shows up on tourist recommendations but I would suggest to give it a miss. There is a walking path of about 14kms, all the way from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher, and I could see a few people taking the route. I am sure it would have had some majestic views on the way. We however didn't walk there. We drove from Doolin to the Cliffs of Moher, which turned out to be adventurous in its own way. The road was quite steep and narrow, all along the edge of the mountain, with some crazy turns. It was scary to drive there at times when you looked down at the sea!

Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are again quite famous and apparently the most visited tourist place in Ireland. As you enter the area, you come by a visitor centre. From there you can go either north or south, along a narrow walking path all along the top of the cliffs. Part of this walking path is maintained by the visitor centre and protected. You can also continue walking must further after the visitor centre if you wish but there are no rails to protect from gusty winds.

At the Cliffs of Moher

These cliffs were quite high, rising up 700 feet from the sea and have quite steep faces. They look quite majestic actually, extending all the way facing bravely the waves from the sea. We walked along the route for a bit and saw some interesting birds around. But it was extremely windy, and just walking on top of the cliffs felt quite brave (and tough!).

There is a small island near the cliffs which apparently has a colony of puffin birds. We didn't spot any of them though. Other than the walk on the cliffs, you can also explore the visitor centre there which had a few exhibitions on. Overall, I would say that the Cliffs weren't anything extraordinary. And can very easily be given a miss. (Tip - you can buy online tickets for the cliffs at 50% of the price at the entrance)

Views during the drive

Most of the drive to Killarney was along the coast. And whenever it was next to the sea, it was quite scenic. We once drove past a few mountains all of which looked like they were covered with purple coloured flowers except they were grey stones which were shining in the sun! There was a lot of greenery around, with majestic valleys, inland waterways, beaches, small castles, huge luxurious houses, villages with coloured houses, golf clubs, and it was a pleasure to drive through these narrow country lanes. Especially with all the green around, the rolling hills made for some pretty grand views. The weather was predicted to be rainy but it turned out to be sunny, definitely something we didn't mind. The second half of the drive was not along the coast and wasn't as picturesque. One town stood out though, Adare which seemed different and definitely worth a stop.

Our stunning airbnb

After a long drive, we reached Killarney in the evening, and checked into our airbnb which was located in a farm outside town. It had a huge lush green garden and lot of space outside to walk around. Right in front were views of huge mountains and behind our airbnb were woods with a small stream, to go for morning walks. It was such a stunning place to stay, it felt like we had come to the countryside from old times.


Day 5 - Day trip to Muckross House, Muckross Abbey and Lake, Torc waterfall, Ladies View; stay at Killarney (1 hour drive)

The day today overall was a relaxed one after the long drive the previous day. We started our day with a morning walk around our airbnb, just taking in the fresh farm air. And finding a Lidl nearby to stock up on our groceries 😜. We spent the rest of our time today in Killarney National Park, in and around Muckross House.

Muckross House

We first drove to Killarney Park, which was a densely forested area with huge trees which almost blocked out the sunlight. It already felt so refreshing drive up to here. We first stopped at Muckross House which is an old manor house located right next to two lakes and with a huge estate around. You can explore this whole area on old style horse drawn carriages run by Irish ponies. They seem to be quite popular with tourists in this part of the country. We however decided to explore the place on our own pace, walking around the woods and the gardens.

Around the lakes

We first walked around in the park around the House, with its flowers and well manicured gardens. And then, we just walked into the woods next to the lakes and just kept walking on wherever we wanted to. We first walked around the Muckross lake in the woods around it. Sometimes there was some sun, and sometimes it would get windy. We stopped at a few places which had gorgeous views. The walk was mostly through wooded areas with huge trees, and some grasslands, and flowers peeping in. And there was lot of moss everywhere, it was so humid here all around. The walk felt like being away from everything else, like being in the tame wild.

In the garden

We then reached the other lake, Lough Leane and walked towards Muckross Abbey. It was totally in ruins and seemed like one of those places in horror movies which always have a deep dark history. We then walked back to the House and spent some time shopping the local Muckross brand there. They have a shop in the House itself which sells purses and scarfs, all woven by local artists. The designs were quite exquisite, and we bought a few things from there. Though simple, the whole Muckross House turned out to be quite interesting and we spent about 4 hours in and around the area.

Ladies viewpoint

Then we drove off a bit on the Ring of Kerry. We first stopped at Ladies View which you can reach through a narrow road up the hill and had a panoramic view of the lakes we had just left behind. While coming back, we stopped at the Torc waterfall which was also nice, though small. There were many other walking trails all around the park and one could explore the area walking through them too. There were some tourists doing that but not a lot. Most like us chose to drive around.

After Torc waterfall, we drove back to our airbnb through a smaller non-descript road which had huge grand houses on the sides. It felt nice to drive there, through the rich side of Ireland. And at the airbnb, I sat outside in the sun for a bit as it had been some time without the sun. But I couldn't sit outside for long, as the air was still coolish. So we went inside, from where it all looked very warm and bright 😊.


Day 6 - Drive around Ring of Kerry Road (3.5 hours drive); stop at Kenmare village, Derrynane Beach, Portmagee village and Valentia Island from Portmagee; stay at Killarney

Irish countryside

Today was a long day, full of driving and stopping. We covered the round on the Ring of Kerry, a scenic road will runs all around the peninsula, passing through some small and big towns, islands, cliffs and other places to visit. There is a long list of places to go to, we did a few of those given the time available. But I can imagine most of them being absolutely magnificent.

Kenmare village

We were driving (clock-wise) along the ring as apparently the buses all are obliged to drive anti-clockwise. And this way you can avoid the bus crowds wherever you go. Our first stop on the drive was Kenmare village where we drove directly through a shortcut rather than along the Ring as we had covered the first few places the previous day. We walked around the city centre and it was stunning. With its bright coloured market street and some amazing crockery and antique items (and of course Aran sweaters!) it was a pleasure to explore all it had to offer.

Glenbeg caravan park

It was then a long drive of more than an hour to our next stop, the Derrynane beach. On the way, we caught site of Glenbeg caravan and camping park, located on a beach which was absolutely fabulous. It was visible right from the main road itself, and made for some very stunning pictures. It would definitely be a place I would recommend. Imagine staying on your own very private beach!

Derrynane Beach

Our next stop was Derrynane beach near Catherdaniel town for which you had to take a small detour inside the Derrynane park, away from the main road. The beach was huge and swimmable. It had white sands, and blue green waters which sparkled.

Abbey on the side of the beach

There was an old abbey on the mountain on one side, and huge boulders under which you could sit on a sunny day. It wasn’t sunny that day though, it was a bit cold and not really worth getting into the water. But it would have been a lovely place to chill for a bit, when there was sun. There were also a few watersports options on the beach though not many people were out there that particular day. But it still felt nice to sit there for a bit, and have our packed lunches, with the sounds of the waves lashing on the stone, in the background.

Colourful Portmagee village

We then drove through some breathtaking countryside, with views of islands, mountains and the sea all around. It was very refreshing and there were more than a few stops to just get out of the car and walk around a bit. Our next stop was the town of Portmagee which was a small place on the sea and had the typical rows of colourful Irish homes. There is a heritage walk there to take you through its history. You can also visit Kerry cliffs, or take a ferry to Skellig island, which is an isolated island, and home to a very old monastery. We didn’t have time to do it though but it comes highly recommended.

Valentia Island

Then we drove to Valentia island right across Portmagee. Apparently this island was isolated from the mainland for years, with only boat connections till the 1900s. It was a pretty and huge island, with a view of Skellig island. We drove to Bray head for the view, and some memorable vistas of the sea. This is also the farthest point of Europe and was used to telegraph to the US during the ware years. There was something like a Scotland like feeling when we got to this island.

Killorglin town

While driving back to Killarney along the Ring, we stopped at Kells town which had a view of the Dingle plateau. And then walked through Killorglin town which was quite pretty. It had a small river flowing through and brightly coloured houses all around.

It had been a cloudy day today, so was not as much fun as usual. Bit it wasn’t too cold, so that was good. The upside of the weather though was that there weren’t many tourists around. Places were definitely busy. But not overcrowded. July is the worst time to go to Ireland apparently but June is relatively quiet.

Killorglin town

Overall it was a fun day. And the Ring was picturesque but nothing extraordinary I would say. There are a few other places along the way which are popular with tourists but we couldn't stop at, like Skellig Islands boat tours, Kells, Cahersiveen village and Cahergal Stone Fort. Maybe you would have the time?


Day 7 - Hike Gap of Dunloe, visit Inch beach and explore Killarney town; stay at Killarney

Gap of Dunloe

We started the day today with a hike on Gap of Dunloe. You can drive up to the Kate Kearney's cottage and then you have to walk up to the gap and beyond. You can always take a horse-drawn carriage to explore the place but we chose to walk it around. It is a bit of a hike to get up to the hike, but after that, you can walk all the way through the long plain valley. The Dunloe gap is actually a plain valley located between two mountain ranges on both side and goes for a couple of kms. There are lakes in the valley, small houses, some fields and a lot of greenery. It felt very refreshing to walk there in the rural green world and it was a fun hike.

The vast Inch beach

We then went driving on the Dingle plateau which was north of the Ring of Kerry drive. The drive was less dramatic and picturesque than the Ring. So we drove only up to Inch beach which was an extremely long never-ending beach. There were hundreds of cars all parked on the beach with some people brave enough to get into the water. A lot of people were surfing though which was perfect, as it was a windy day. We spent most of the afternoon walking on the long beach and at the cafe there. And I could easily imagine how stunning this place would be on a sunny warm summer day. But that wasn't our luck clearly as it was a cloudy day all day.

Killarney city centre

After Inch beach, we came back from Dingle plateau to spend some time in the town of Killarney. It is a small town by itself, with a population of only 1500. But since its a tourist hub, it seems much bigger. It had a few majestic churches to explore in the city center. Most of its shops and houses were painted in bright colours, giving it a nice pleasant feel.

It also had loads of shops, for all the tourists around. And there were lot of Irish bands playing local music in the city centre. The most popular shops of course were of woollens. We also found some very unique antique pieces in the antique stores. It looks like Ireland is a storehouse of antiques. I also noticed lot of tourists come back to Ireland to trace their Irish roots, as lot of Irish have left their country in the last few centuries. So there were a few such shops helping people find their ancestors. On the whole though, there wasn’t much to shop there other than woollens. So after buying some, we just spent our time walking around and enjoying the city centre.


Day 8 - Drive back to Dublin (3.5 hours drive); stop at Adare; fly out to London

Our last day was quite a slow day actually. For one, the rains finally caught up with us and the full day it was raining. As we were supposed to be driving all the day to Dublin, we had a late start to the day. The drive overall was quite boring too and we ended up reaching the airport earlier than planned.

Ancient Abbey

We stopped at the town of Adare on the way which we had noticed while driving towards Killarney. It was a very small village and surprisingly had a long traffic jam! We wanted to avoid the jam too and decided to stop there. And were pleasantly surprised, that even such a small village had so much history and tourism to offer. It is home to the Desmond castle located on the river. And two huge Augustinian and Francisian Abbeys from the 1300s. We explored these two places which were quite majestic in their appearance. And we walked around in one of the parks in the area. We also went in to the museum where I learnt that this town was an important one in olden times. But after Desmond Castle was destroyed, it lost its significance. There is also a huge country house, the Adare Manor located inside the park which is a picturesque place to stay. It was raining a lot through the day, so we didn't really feel like walking outside too much. And left Adare once the traffic jam had cleared.

Another stop which came up on the way was the Barack Obama Plaza which is apparently the village where Obama's great grandfather belonged to. The plaza however turned out to be just a statue of Barack and Michelle near one of the service exits! So we didn't stop there. And as I said, it was raining most of the way and the drive was boring, so we didn't stop anywhere else and reached the airport much before planned.


And it was very soon time to say goodbye after a week long vacation. I would say that Ireland is a place for visitors who are keen to experience the culture and nature of the country as its got some majestic and dramatic landscapes. Its perfect for people looking to just walk in the woods, admire the greenery and enjoy the fresh air. But its not for people who like more urban tourism. For me though, it was the perfect place to be close to nature, and I loved the refreshing experience of this week.

Map