Ireland
We were dropping our youngest at a Berklee songwriting camp in Boston then picking her back up, so we decided to spend the interim weekdays in Ireland. There's a pretty quick direct flight. It was late June and nice (but a little rainy) weather.
We landed, rented a car and started our drive down to Adare Manor. On the way, we stopped at King John's Castle in Limerick. It had a storybook look but was a bit underwhelming. I was surprised how small it was. It was really hard to figure out where to park along the narrow one-way streets. We stopped in a pub to ask for directions and found a Buc-ee's sticker in the bathroom. There were some local horses grazing around the grass lined the streets.
Adare Manor is a neo-Gothic masterpiece originally built in the mid-19th century as private residence of the 2nd Earl of Dunraven, eventually evolving from a family ancesteral home into one of the world's most prestigious luxury 5-star hotels. George V once stayed there, and it will soon be home to Ryder Cup 2027. The drive from Dublin Airport is about 2.5 hours without the castle detour. They have a big indoor pool, several indoor padel courts, a world class golf course and a Michelin-starred restaurant called The Oak Room. The Gallery serves breakfast and afternoon tea service near big fireplaces. The Carriage House is their casual restaurant near the golf course. There's a children's garden adjacent to the golf course and a chocolate shop called Harry Lowes near the back gate. Adare Village is a heritage town that has the most charming fairytale-looking thatched cottages that house little shops, restaurants and bars. They were built in the 1820s by the Earl of Dunraven for staff that worked on the manor.
After a short stay at Adare, we kept driving towards the coast. We drove about 2 hours to Rossaveel, parked in a garage, boarded a bus in Galway City for about a 45 minute drive to a ferry operated by Aran Island Ferries to Inis Mor. There we rented e-bikes and rode along the coast to the Dun Aonghasa fort ruins where huge cliffs dive into the ocean. It was a stunning experience. There were the most gorgeous horses all along the coast. We even stopped to meet one. I bought a local handmade Aran sweater and some coffee at the base of the hike up to the Celtic stone fort ruins then we biked back to the ferry. We were glad we didn't break to have lunch, because we wouldn't have had time to make the ride to and from the ruins. I think we had three hours on the island the bike visit to the fort and back took every minute.
We drove from there straight across Ireland (2.5 hours) to Dublin and checked into the Westbury Hotel. It was nice enough but really just a great location. Dinner was arranged at two Michelin star Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. The Merrion Hotel is there. I would have chosen the Merrion if we had a longer trip and location walking to the sites wasn't my top priority. It was a delicious meal with impeccable service. We met one of the partners, Charles, who chatted with us quite a while about their Irish art collection, sculptures on every table by Orla de Bri and a large painting of abstract stripes by Sean Scully. The table next to us was a group of golfing guys - one of many we stumbled upon during our Ireland jaunt :)
Our full day in Dublin was perfect. We packed it full of sites. First, I loved the flower stands in the middle of the streets and all the hanging flower baskets. St. Stephen's Green Park on Grafton Street was beautiful. Lots of people were out enjoying the weather. It's expansive with huge trees, various sculptures and several swans. There are Guinness signs and bars on every block it seems. St. Patrick's Cathedral, the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland and the largest church in the country, was ornate and special. I loved the big wooden doors and lamp posts at the entry. Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels is buried there. I loved the shamrocks on the metal lamp posts around town too.
Spanning over 800 years of history on a site originally settled by Vikings, Dublin Castle, was fun to visit. Built as a medieval fortress by orders of King John in 1204, it originally served as Irish headquarters for English monarchy and administration. Since independence in 1922, it now operates as a major governmental complex used for presidential inaugurations and state events. The big staircase with deep red carpet reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. The royal receiving room was out of a storybook and the art and antique furniture in all the colorful rooms and paintings on the ceiling of the ballroom were wonderful. Right behind the Castle, went through the Dubh Linn Garden to Chester Beatty. This museum has a unique collection and promotes understanding of world cultures by celebrating and showcasing treasures, manuscripts, rare books and art organized by continent. It was once the private library of Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, an American mining engineer and philanthropist. Now it serves as a museum as well as a research library for scholars from all over the world.
We took fish and chips to go from Leo Burdock - probably the most famous "oldest chipper" from 1913. Continuing on foot, we went by Trinity College, founded in 1592. It's a vibrant campus with bounds of both students and tourists. The Old Library with the big lit globe in the middle is incredible. They are undergoing a major conservation project, so many of the bookshelves were vacant. Douglas Hyde is the public art space on campus dedicated to contemporary art. We made it a point to check out the pages on view from The Book of Kells, the famous 9th-century illuminated Christian manuscript. Finally, we stopped by O'Donoghue's for some cider and met a fellow Mavericks fan bartender.
Mae Restaurant was super special. It's a tiny restaurant upstairs over a wine shop and serves the most beautiful inventive dishes. Afterwards we went to hear some live music at another bar, Carnaby in St. Bridget's. Then we hit Bambino for a late night slice. I loved the merch and ended up with socks, a canvas tote and an embroidered t-shirt! It was a quick but perfect trip. I don't think we would need any more time there honestly.
