Ireland: Castles, Lore and Other Allures

My best friend and I spent a week driving more than 2,000 kilometers staying in castle hotels and becoming acquainted with the allures of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

March 30, 2017

I've never been as exhausted as I was at the end of our first day in Ireland, but I'd do it again any day—sharing the exhilaration and exhaustion of driving almost 600 kilometers and walking several miles after being awake for 32 hours straight with one of my best friends.

Sights

Southeast

From the first people we spoke with, we knew Ireland was going to be a pleasant time. The Dublin airport police officers were friendly and smiling, and the first thing our rental car shuttle driver did was give the whole van general tips about Irish culture and directions to where each of us were headed that day.

“Unfortunately, the pubs here don’t do any kind of happy hour, no two-for-one pints. God only knows what would happen to this country if that happened.”— Rental car shuttle driver

Having taken up on our airline's offer of a check that covered half of our trip to fly out a day later, we missed staying in our first castle hotel, so headed right for the Irish countryside after picking up our car.

We quickly got used to driving on the left side of the road in the right side of the car, but still tensely gripped the wheel as we encountered other cars on the narrow country roads that took us to Wicklow Mountains National Park.

Wicklow Mountains

Wicklow Mountains National Park looked like the kind of place mythical beings roamed. It wasn't hard to picture fairies playing in the boulder-laden brooks or gnomes hiding behind mossy, hillside tree trunks.

Glendalough Monastic Site

What I found most beautiful about the monastery ruins was the moss-covered stones and grasses growing through the seams—almost as if nature was welcoming the stone structures back into the landscape.

We wandered reverently until we found ourselves back at the parking lot, where we savored homemade squash soup from one of the food stalls.

Blarney Castle

Coming to Ireland, I didn't know what the Blarney Stone was. I only learned about its history and supposed powers of gifting eloquence when I was in line to hang upside down and kiss it.

We went later in the afternoon, which gave the moss-covered walls of Blarney Castle a stunning golden glow as we climbed the tiny spiral staircase to explore the castle and courtyard—making the medieval castle that much more enchanting.

"Blarney is something more than mere flattery. It is flattery sweetened by humour and flavoured by wit."— John O'Connor Power

The Blarney Stone is located at the very top of the castle, where we found lots of wind on the open terrace. We only had to wait behind a few people before we got to the two long bars vertically attached to one side of the wall, which we had to grip while leaning back upside down into the gap between the floor and the wall to kiss the stone at the base of the broken wall. Staff helped us lean down to make sure we didn't fall or lose any belongings—and to make sure we kissed the right stone.

After kissing the stone, we walked around the castle grounds for awhile—exploring the castle's dungeon cave, wandering carefully through the Poison Garden, and appreciating the natural beauty of the two rivers that run through the grounds and meet beneath the castle.

Cork

We only had time for a bit of strolling and dinner at Brick Lane, a cozy, quirky bar in the heart of Cork, but loved how vibrant the city was with its colorful blocks of buildings that lined the streets.

West coast

Lough Rynn Castle

Lough Rynn Castle was decorated to have a Victorian feel with hints of modern elements, having hallways of grey stone on one wall and glass over looking the grounds on the other, and common rooms with massive ornate fireplaces and oil portraits of women from the 1800s illuminated by dim pink mood lighting.

We were spoiled with:

Plush bedding, heated tile floors in the bathroom, and luxurious amenities like fresh cream delivered for your morning coffee or tea.
An impressive continental breakfast of a self-serve bar (with local yogurt, fresh-baked pastries, and a parfait bar) and a hot dish, where we both introduced ourselves to black and white pudding.
Castle grounds that were just as beautiful as the castle's interior and a perfect to get lost in the morning—with intricate fountains, graceful statues, and maze-like gardens framed by a stone wall that ran along the lakeshore.

Ireland's oldest pub

In the cozy glow of Sean's Bar, we learned it dated back to the year 900 and held the Guinness World Record for the oldest pub in Ireland. We also learned that "lough" is pronounced "lock" not "loo", which explained the confused looks when talking about our castle stays.

Cliffs of Moher

We were unfortunately unable to take the bartender's advice to book a boat that would take us beneath the Cliffs of Moher, due to the dark grey, choppy ocean that had the ferry stands closed.

Instead, we drove to the popular viewing point, where facilities were also closed but that meant we got the cliffs in all their gloomy glory completely to ourselves—braving gusts of wind and sea spray that some how managed to drift some 400 feet over the top of cliffs.

Galway

We only had time dinner in Galway, but can recommend The King's Head and their savory creamy dill seafood chowder, traditional Irish lamb stew, and plate of crab claws. This is also where we had our first Irish coffee—but not our last for how much we loved the warmth enhanced by the whiskey and decadent heavy cream on top.

Northwest

Knocknarea

They say it's not a trip to Ireland until you get lost at least once—which happened when we couldn't remember whether the lovely receptionist at Lough Rynn told us to follow Collooney and Coolaney to get to Knocknarea and a kindly grocery store attendant had to help us out.

Atop the massive hill—which only took about 25 minutes to climb, 30 if you stop to gape at the sheep crossing the trail—was a gargantuan ancient burial cairn that divided views of choppy blue-grey ocean waves and an expanse of vibrant green hills, made into a patchwork by the villages below.

Glencar Waterfall

About 30 minutes northeast of Knocknarea is Glencar Waterfall. It was a short hike (about a quarter of a mile) on a paved trail that walks you along a creek next to the woods that leads to a soft rushing, hidden waterfall.

County Sligo

Near Sligo was my favorite little town we ventured into: Strandhill, with its pastel beach-themed seaside coffee shops (like Shells Cafe), charming restaurants that overlooked the misty ocean, and seaweed spas where we soaked in slimy kelp baths.

VOYA Seaweed Baths

Strandhill

W.B. Yeats' grave

St. Anne's Parish

Lough Eske Castle

Located in County Donegal, Lough Eske Castle was bigger and more upscale than Lough Rynn. Lough Eske castle spoiled us with comfortable beds, modern cottagey decor, and massive bathrooms complete with two shower heads and fragrant local soaps. We also basked in the luxury of an on-site spa that had a sauna, a solarium, a steam room, a heated pool, and an ice shower infused with essential oils.

Donegal

After breakfasting on homemade scones and jam at The Blueberry Tea Room, which looked like some place you'd find Alice in Wonderland, we shopped around the main square before dinner at Olde Castle Seafood Bar, where we experienced the delight of Tia Maria coffee that had a soothing coffee liquor flavor instead of a bite of whiskey and the best Irish soda bread we ate in Ireland. It was perfect for soaking up the leftover white white and garlic sauce served over their mussels—caught fresh from Donegal Bay.

Northern Ireland

Giant's Causeway

Legend has it that the giant Finn McCool built the Giant's Causeway as stepping stones to Scotland. We spentt the morning climbing over the hexagonal stones, which ranged from tan speckled with white and green algae to asphalt made black by enthusiastic sea spray.

The geometric stones of the causeway were a small part of entire site we could wander. We walked close to a mile along the coast, appreciating the ancient sites and the legends that went with them. The overcast day turned the ocean a beautiful teal gray that nicely complemented the black and green cliffsides.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge

Just up the coast from the Giant's Causeway was the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. Suspended about 100 feet above swirling ocean waters, the bridge (once used only by brave fishermen) took us to a tiny island off the coast—most of which was closed off for safety reasons, but it still let us appreciate the breathtaking views that come with being on cliffs by the sea.

The Dark Hedges

Supposedly planted in the 18th century, The Dark Hedges sit on a what used to be a private road front of Gracehill House—impressing visitors by adding to the mansion's grandeur. While the lane of Beech trees is not longer part of the estate, it's rumored to be the wandering place of the "Grey Lady", the ghost of the daughter of the man who built the house.

Titanic Belfast

Titanic being my favorite movie, the Titanic Belfast museum was something I'd been looking forward to long before we even booked our trip to Ireland.

The museum (which we found out was designed by an architect who got his start in our hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana) had a unique experience around every corner—from an amusement park-like ride that took you through Titanic's construction to a glass floor that made you think you were underwater gliding above what's left of Titanic on the ocean floor—as it took us from Belfast's history thriving in the linen and shipbuilding industries all the way to Titanic's tragic legacy.

Cabra Castle

We fell in love with each castle hotel for different reasons—Cabra Castle for its most authentic castle-like decor that made it the most fun castle to roam about. Every corner we turned and floor we climbed led to something more interesting.

Cabra Castle was surprisingly the only one we stayed in that was supposedly haunted—which wasn't hard to believe when the castle was bathed in eerie green light for St. Patrick's Day and the silent garden that held strange shadows cast by the willow tree in the center of the square.

Dublin

St. Patrick's Day

We extended our trip to catch the excitement of St. Paddy's Day in Dublin, venturing to the Temple Bar district and following the sounds of live music that filtered into the crowded street.

Getting around

We opted for the hop-on hop-off buses, which was a great way to see all the major sights in Dublin during our three-day stay. Plus, the bus drivers made the trips very entertaining.

"Hang on, folks. We’re gonna have to play a little game called 'that’s not my bus but this is your car'."— Bus driver, cutting off a car

City wandering

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Trinity College

Known as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world—and for eliciting sighs of envy from literary enthusiasts everywhere—Trinity College Library's Long Room flaunted floor-to-ceiling shelves of worn books, guarded by busts of men who helped shape the literary world.

We also enjoyed seeing the Book of Kells, a lavish Medieval copy of the four gospels, and wandering around the college's beautiful campus.

Our weekend in Dublin was the close to an incredible week in Ireland. Being with one of my best friends made the difference between simply being in a new country and marveling the trip of a lifetime.

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