When you think of Ireland you picture green rolling hills speckled with sheep, castle ruins, the Blarney Stone, Guinness, and the Giant's Causeway. But what makes Ireland such an incredible place — in addition to these things — is their rich history of perseverance, countless awe-inspiring sites, and the most incredible culture and people.
From the cliffs of Slieve League, live Irish music in Galway, phone-free conversations with locals in pubs, and the stunning castles — it is a land of magic. You leave Ireland thinking about where you want to visit next and how soon that can be.
Dublin
We flew direct from San Francisco to Dublin, landing midday. My rule for adjusting to time zones: stay up until at least 8pm, no naps — so we walked immediately. We started with a traditional Irish lunch of beef stew, fish & chips, Guinness on tap, and live music at The Norseman, then spent the afternoon on foot: Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and back across the Ha'Penny Bridge to O'Connell Street.
Temple Bar — Dublin's cultural heart, packed with pubs and live music; the Ha'Penny Bridge, a Dublin icon since 1816.
We stopped to see what was playing at the Abbey and Gate Theatres — and lucky for us, the Gate Theatre had seats left for King Lear that night. We grabbed a quick dinner at Madigan's and headed back. Exhausted from travel, neither of us could stay awake despite the stellar performances. We snuck out at intermission and called it a night — a perfect first day.
The next morning began with a bright breakfast at Hello Charlie Café, then the battle of renting a car. Two hours of debating insurance later, we had the keys. Manual transmission, driving on the left side of the road, shifting left-handed through endless roundabouts — but we got there. Our Irish road trip had begun.
Hill of Tara, Trim, Newgrange & Belfast
Our first drive north took us through some of Ireland's most ancient sites. Hill of Tara is a beautiful short walk through prehistoric Celtic crosses, a 'jail', and the Stone of Destiny. From there, Trim Castle offered 360-degree views from its towers and a proper medieval street scene. Newgrange, over 5,200 years old — older than Stonehenge — was the highlight: the guided tour of its ceremonial burial chambers and alignment with the winter solstice is genuinely awe-inspiring.
Trim Castle — 360-degree views from its towers; Newgrange, over 5,200 years old — older than Stonehenge.
Belfast felt like Chicago or Boston: full of young professionals, great energy, and no border crossing to speak of. We found the Crown Saloon, met up with friends, had a fantastic dinner at Bank Square Brasserie, and bounced between Kelley's Cellar, White's Tavern (where we signed a dollar bill to the ceiling), and the Europa Hotel bar for a nightcap — the most bombed hotel in the world, locals told us proudly.
Dark Hedges, Carrick-a-Rede & Giant's Causeway
We'd planned to hike the Gobbins Cliff Path but it was closed after a rockfall, so we took the coastal route through Carrickfergus and its harbour castle instead. The Dark Hedges — a tunnel of ancient beech trees made famous by Game of Thrones — were tourist-packed but unmistakably magical. Worth the ten-minute stop.
The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge is a short hike that opens onto stunning views of the coast and Rathlin Island. Then, the main event: Giant's Causeway. We took the self-guided audio tour along the blue trail — past the hexagonal basalt stones, the Giant's Boot, Wishing Chair, Organ Pipes, and Chimney Stacks — before returning via the Shepherd's Steps on the upper red trail, which gives you the best views of the Causeway from above. Nearby, we stopped at the ruins of Dunluce Castle — home to my ancestors, the Clan MacDonnell. We didn't make the Bushmills Distillery tour in time, so we stopped at the Bush House Bar for live music and conversation with locals instead. A perfect trade.
Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge; the Shepherd's Steps on the upper red trail; Dunluce Castle — home of the Clan MacDonnell.
Derry
We arrived at the beautiful Shipquay Hotel, perched inside the old city walls overlooking the Peace Bridge and the River Foyle. After a delicious dinner we explored: karaoke at Tracy's Bar (first pub in Ireland to receive electricity, we were told), great live music at Paedar O'Donnell's, and dice games with strangers at the Anchor Inn. Everyone was incredibly welcoming — it felt like being home. What struck us most was everyone talking to each other, no phones in sight.
The next morning we walked the Walls of Derry — panoramic views, vibrant murals, St Columb's Cathedral, and Bishops' Gate. We stumbled into Foyle Books and spent over an hour with Ken Thatcher, the owner, who gave us an honest and sometimes painful history of the town, the Troubles, and Bloody Sunday. We cannot recommend visiting Ken enough — it's one of the best things we did in all of Ireland.
The Peace Bridge over the River Foyle; the Walls of Derry; and the Bogside murals — Derry's complicated, powerful history.
Navan Races & Kilkenny
We made the 220+ mile drive south to Kilkenny with a midway stop that turned out to be one of the trip's great surprises: Navan Racecourse. We'd pre-booked the "Bective Package" — an indoor table, a luxurious lunch, and a private bookie to take our bets. Fortuitously, it was one of the few rainy days of the trip. We broke even, haggled a staff beanie as a souvenir, and loved every minute.
We arrived in Kilkenny at dusk, checking into our enormous historical suite at Butler House — one of the trip's favourite hotels. We wandered down the Butter Slip, stumbled into Scalini Italian Restaurant, and discovered there was a little fair next to Kilkenny Castle. We rode the Ferris wheel for a view over the city, heard the Mayor of Kilkenny playing with his band at Ryan's Bar, and caught a young acoustic performer at An Poc Fada. Two great local tips: the Irish don't clap after songs — they "whoop." And a baseball cap is the giveaway for an American tourist.
Kilkenny Castle, Waterford Crystal & Cork
We toured Kilkenny Castle, shopped The Sweater Shop, visited Smithwick's brewery, and listened to a choir fill St Canice's Cathedral with harmonies — under a full moon art installation hanging from the nave. The Waterford Crystal tour shows the full process — from blowing molten glass to hand-carving each piece — before the long road to Cork.
Kilkenny Castle, which has defined the city for 800 years; watching a master craftsman at Waterford Crystal.
We made it to Midleton Distillery right before closing, rescheduled our tour for morning, and enjoyed specialty cocktails at their bar before driving into Cork. Dinner at Quinlans Seafood Bar hit the spot, and we ended the night at The Friary — a quirky pub dedicated entirely to Nicolas Cage.
Midleton, Blarney, Dingle & Ballyseede Castle
We started the morning at the Midleton Distillery Experience — the history not just of four whiskey families but of Ireland itself. After the tour we admired Blackrock Castle on the shores of the River Lee, then picked up an extraordinary spread at the English Market — fresh meats, cheese, fish, fruit, bread, chocolate — which became our picnic provisions for the rest of the day.
We kissed the freshly-cleaned Blarney Stone — hanging upside down over the ledge is exactly as precarious as it looks — and wandered the gardens and grounds of Blarney Castle. In Killarney we found The Shire, a Hobbit-themed pub with dart boards — the first bar games we'd spotted in all of Ireland. After dinner in Dingle we drove to Ballyseede Castle. Even arriving at night, the castle and grounds were stunning. Joe the bartender gave us a full tour of the castle — from its history to every hidden room. What an amazing treat.
Dingle harbour at dusk; Ballyseede Castle — an 18th-century castle hotel in County Kerry.
Adare, Cliffs of Moher & Galway
After a beautiful castle breakfast, we drove north through Adare — all thatched roofs and a charming town park — stopped for lunch at The Locke Bar in Limerick along the River Shannon, popped into Durty Nelly's in Bunratty (Bunratty Castle right across the street), and wandered the curving streets of Ennis, filled with uniformed children and laughter.
We'd pre-paid for parking and admission to the Cliffs of Moher months earlier — no queues, straight in. We spent over an hour at the cliff edge watching the beginning of the sunset over the Atlantic. Breathtaking, and deservedly one of Ireland's most visited sites. We arrived in Galway late and on a mission: find traditional Irish music. Up to this point every live performance we'd heard was covers of American songs. Finally, at Tig Cóilí, we got what we'd been looking for — a band playing traditional Irish music on traditional instruments. Worth every mile.
Cong & Ashford Castle
We visited the Aran Sweater Market in the morning and shipped more Irish wool home, then drove to Cong — the quaint town that served as the setting for the 1952 John Wayne film The Quiet Man. After checking out the film sites, Cong Abbey, and an extraordinary bog oak carving called "On the Wing," we grabbed a lovely lunch at Crowe's Nest.
The Quiet Man statue with Cong Abbey behind; "On the Wing" — carved from bog oak thousands of years old.
Then: Ashford Castle. From the front entrance through winding roads, a turreted stone bridge, and across the expansive estate — everything about this place was five stars. We checked in, then headed straight to our falconry lesson at Ireland's School of Falconry. Our instructor clearly loved these animals, and we each had our own hawk for an hour, walking through the forests letting them fly off and come back to our gloved hands.
Cocktails, a fancy dinner, then David got up and sang a few songs with the couple performing in the lounge. We found the Billiards Room empty — and spent the next few hours playing snooker in front of a roaring fire. One of those nights you never forget.
Ashford Castle on Lough Corrib; the Billiards Room by firelight. The best way to end a day.
Carrowmore, Sligo & Slieve League
Our longest day: north to Slieve League, then the full drive back to Dublin. We stopped at Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery — the oldest stone circles and dolmens in Ireland — then grabbed a quick lunch in Sligo. We drove out to Mullaghmore Head hoping to catch surfers on giant waves; we got the majestic landscapes instead. We made it to Belleek Pottery at 3:45 — just enough time for the gift shop, not the factory tour.
Slieve League in the early evening: sideways wind and rain. We hiked up anyway — and got hints of the incredible cliff views as it briefly cleared. On every trip we inevitably go on a hike in terrible weather and have a wonderful time. This was that hike. We dried off at The Rusty Mackerel, warming up by the fire with peat burning and great conversation with locals, before a traditional dinner of beef stew and fish and chips. Then the long drive back — 170 miles across Ireland in the middle of the night. We arrived at The Clarence Hotel and, after much back-and-forth, were upgraded to the penthouse: a kitchen, dining room, and a balcony overlooking the Liffey. Not a perfect stay — but that balcony was perfect.
Guinness, Dún Laoghaire & Goodbye
We returned the rental car and headed to the Guinness Storehouse — a great walkthrough of the history and brewing process, ending with a pint in the Gravity Bar and unobstructed views of the whole city. We then grabbed an Uber to Dún Laoghaire and walked the coastal path back to Blackrock — noticing everyone wearing small daffodil pins. Daffodil Day: an annual day to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. We made our donation and wore our pins for the rest of the afternoon.
The Guinness Gravity Bar with 360° views over Dublin; the coastal walk from Dún Laoghaire to Blackrock.
We ended our Irish adventure in pyjamas, getting dinner delivered while laughing our way through Derry Girls — the show everyone had told us to watch. They were right.
What we didn't have time for — and want to do when we go back
We only scratched the surface. In the north: more time in Derry, the Gobbins Cliff Path, Bushmills Distillery, and the ancient Beaghmore Stone Circles. In Donegal: a few days in the city, back to Slieve League for One Man's Pass on a clear day, and the Marble Arch Caves.
On the west coast: Connemara — Kylemore Abbey, Dog's Bay, the pubs of Clifden — and a ferry from Galway to the Aran Islands. Near Limerick, a stay at Adare Manor and a day trip to the Rock of Cashel. The Ring of Kerry for several days, Skellig Islands for the 1,000-year-old monastery, and the drive through Bantry Bay and Mizen Head.
In Dublin: a rugby match at Aviva Stadium, the National Botanic Gardens, live music at The Cobblestone in Smithfield, and the towns south of the city — Dalkey, Killiney, Bray. And outside Dublin: Powerscourt Estate and Glendalough. Ireland is the kind of place that gets under your skin. You leave already planning your return.