🇮🇪 Another adventure with our besties, this one (a mystery trip) to Ireland was AMAZING! We flew in & out of Dublin and headed west after picking up the rental car. We got our first creamy pints in Limerick at the Nancy Blakes bar and enjoyed our first “Toasties & chips” of the trip. We then continued on to the Cliffs of Moher (pictured above) and enjoyed stretching our legs while taking in all of that beauty! A short ride after that, we found our adorable AirBnB, the Elfin cottage part of the Fiddle and Bow collection in Doolin and relaxed a bit before heading out for dinner. Doolin is a cute little town and we found our first Irish favorites (fish & chips, lamb shank & Guinness stew) at Mcgann’s pub. From there it was time to tuck in, but not before reflecting on the trip so far, in front of a perfect fire in the stove. At that point, we had been awake for 33 hours, but we all got a good night’s sleep.
The next day, Mark & I enjoyed a quick soak in the hot tub before making breakfast and then packing up and heading East to Dublin. We stayed on the country roads as long as we could, to enjoy the excitement and terror of it all! Along the way, we had to stop at Sean’s pub in Athlone (the oldest pub in Ireland) where we enjoyed more creamy pints and enjoyed a little retail therapy, stocking up on t-shirts and hoodies. We grabbed a quick lunch at a place in town before hitting the road once again, arriving in Dublin in time for dinner.
Our friends had booked rooms at the Morrison, which was in a great location to walk everywhere we wanted to those next two days. We spent time pub hopping, enjoyed listening to Irish bands at the Ha Penny Bridge Inn and The Old Storehouse-Flaherty’s Bar and eating more delicious Irish dishes and enjoying more creamy pints of Guinness.
On Saturday, we wandered around town a bit in the morning, did some shopping and had lunch at Darkey Kelly’s before heading to the Guinness storehouse where our friends had booked a tour. We had so much fun getting our faces printed on the top of our pints! They also had special beer glasses made as another surprise during our tour. From there we took a horse & carriage ride to The Brazen Head, Dublin’s oldest pub for dinner. And finished the night off with a visit to Fitzsimons Temple Bar before heading back to the hotel for a nightcap.
💚 Ireland has my heart and I can’t wait to go back and see more of the country, including where my ancestors are from! Thank you to our besties, J & L, for once again taking us on another epic adventure! 🙏🏻
And in case you are like me and want to make a few authentic Irish dishes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day next week, I have put together a list of some great ideas and you can check those out below!
Hope you try some of these and Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you…Sláinte! ☘️
Who Eats Like This?! 