Top Ten Ireland Trip

Last September my neighbor texted me that she found a super deal on plane tickets to Ireland for Spring Break. Um, Ireland?! For way less than we paid to go Arizona for Christmas?? Say no more. We booked those tickets quick! (Funny side story, my son kept hearing me talk about how cheap the tickets were so he thought that the airplane would be super cheap too i.e. it was going to crash or had less engines or something. It did not.)

It was one of the best decisions I made this year because our families had so much fun! We were there for 10 days so it’s hard to break down all that we did and loved— I’m going to focus only on the top ten things we loved about Ireland (in no particular order since we all had different favorites). If you want the whole slideshow and lecture, give me a call.

Cliffs of Moher

You can see my family hiking on the muddy trail, the cool rock arch, the crazy waves, the rain, and the ocean on the other side

This was my favorite, so of course it’s first. This was an experience for sure. We felt all 4 seasons in just one 2 hour hike plus the strongest wind I’ve ever felt (and that includes hurricane winds). It was gorgeous and terrifying. I was determined to hike to a certain point and everyone else begrudgingly followed along. All the online reviews said this certain trail was “flat and easy for families.” I don’t want to know what the other trail looked like. The ground was muddy and wet and the trail was very close to the edge at points with no fence or anything keeping you from falling (or blowing) off the 400 ft cliffs. The wind was so strong that there were times I got low to the ground to avoid getting blown over. The rain (and later hail) was falling up instead of down. It made for a crazy adventure. I loved it! We started our hike from Hogs Head and walked toward the visitor’s center for less crowds. I didn’t know that the cliffs were on a skinny peninsula, so as you hike, you can see the ocean on the other side as well. It was glorious.

The Food

This discovery was a pleasant surprise. I get super nervous to travel because it’s so hard for me to find something to eat with my autoimmune diet. It causes so much stress for me and people traveling with me who are trying to be kind and find a place where I can eat while at the same time being starving themselves. It’s not fun. Needless to say, this was a huge worry for me about traveling to a foreign country. At least my neighbor also has a few dietary restrictions so I knew I wouldn’t be the only killjoy at mealtimes.

We didn’t need to worry at all! It is national law in Ireland that every single allergen in every single dish has to be labeled on the menu. All right there. It was so convenient. The Irish were also the most accommodating people I’ve ever met. They found ways to work around allergen concerns and also had many vegan/gluten free options (even in the pubs). Plus the food was delicious, inexpensive (even in Dublin), and had huge portions. (And healthy! The Irish experience at McDonald’s is completely different than in the US. The Irish large soda size is between an American medium and small. And I had to bypass many default options for fruits and vegetables and vegan burgers to get my son a “regular” happy meal. It was eye opening, we are so unhealthy here!)

I have to share two examples because I was so shocked and touched.

As mentioned, it was super cold and rainy and we spent most the days walking outside. One restaurant at the Guinness Storehouse had deliciously soul warming stews. I commented to my husband in line that all I wanted was that warm beef stew but it had gluten in it. A worker overheard me saying that, talked to the chef, and he cooked me up a batch of stew without the Guinness so it wouldn’t have gluten. Not because I asked or even spoke to her about it, just because she overheard! It was so kind.

The other time was on the 9 hour plane ride home. I brought plenty of snacks assuming I wouldn’t be able to eat any of the meals, but even 9 hours is a long time to survive off beef jerky and nuts. I asked the flight attendant if any of their meals were gluten free and she informed me that I was supposed to request a special meal when I booked the tickets. I said, ok, no problem. Then a few minutes later she came back with a whole tray of food I could eat, even dessert. Most of the food was labeled for the crew. Flight attendants are never that nice!

Baby Lambs

We braved the cold, wet season to be there for lambing season. Totally worth it. There were baby lambs with their moms in fields EVERYWHERE. Some of them were so tiny. We also rescued a baby lamb! We were driving the famous Ring of Kerry loop (very mountainous and rocky) and saw a lamb tangled the bottom of this fence, pinned against the rock face. I screamed at John to stop and we ran out and got him out. We left him on stable ground near where he was so that his mom could find him again. Leaving him there alone was the hardest thing. I can still picture his little face watching us as we drove away. Everyone was on the verge of tears. Down the road a little bit there was a farm. It was closed but had a sign for sheepdog tours so I emailed them letting them know that we saved a baby lamb but didn’t see its mom. I got an email back later that day saying that they found him and he was reunited with his mom. I thought that was probably them just being nice, but then the next day I got a follow up email saying that he was still doing great.

Sheepdog Demonstration

Dingle, Ireland is one of my favorite places. It is perfectly Ireland with rolling bright green hills and sheep farms, but it’s also along the ocean. Gorgeous. We started out on Dingle with a sheepdog demonstration. So cool. The dogs were hilarious because they were all business when it came to sheep, but once the job was over, they were total dogs wanting all the pets and love from everyone. The whole tour was fascinating because the owner shared a lot about the history of her family and what it’s like raising sheep. She was maybe 10 years older than me, but grew up with 10 siblings in a house with no running water that was heated by a fire pit in the middle of the house. She explained having to gather the cows in the evenings off the beach where all the cool teens would be sunbathing.

Falconry

The second experience we did on Dingle was falconry. The kids loved it. We got to hold two owls, a golden eagle, a hawk, and a ferret (because the kids insisted). The birds flew from arm to arm so we could really see and learn about them up close. The huge owl Gonzo looked like a real life Beanie Boo and had such a large wingspan that he often hit us in the face as he flew. I had no idea owls could have orange eyes! He kept getting distracted because in the at the top of the hill, the ferret kept escaping from his enclosure. Gonzo wanted that ferret so bad.

The Escape Boat

In Dublin, my neighbor found an escape room on a boat. Random I know. And not very Irish. But it ended up being one of our favorite experiences. We divided into two teams (boys against girls) and started locked in a small 5’x5’ jail cell. In the dark. Our job was to escape jail. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who wants to try it, but it was amazing. At one point we had to crawl through a very small dark tunnel. Super clever use of a small space.

Really Old Stuff

Of course we saw many, many castles, cathedrals, monasteries, and random ruins all over Ireland. It became a joke that there were thousand year old ruins hanging out in someone’s backyard or on the side of the road. The picture of the stone cathedral with the Circle K in front of it sums it up or the picture of the huge Rock of Cashel castle fortress that we randomly ran into when we were searching for a bathroom. You turn around and BAM, a castle. My kids were amazed that things were so old there. Some castles were renovated, like Bunratty Castle and Killkenny Castle (highly recommend both tours), while others were completely falling apart but you could crawl through the ruins.

Mayo Glamping

Mayo Glamping was a nerd paradise. The bathroom “throne” was a full Game of Thrones chair. The owner pretty much made his own airbnb theme park. There was a shared kitchen and outdoor fire where we cooked pizzas and made s’mores. It was so charming albeit cold and rainy. County Mayo was also one of the more gorgeous and changing counties that we drove through (we drove through many).

Live Music

You’ll have to see my Instagram for videos (this website has trouble with them) so instead you get this great picture of our front-row-so-close-I-could-strum-that-guitar-seats to the live music at dinner. Despite the look on his face, the accordion-ist (?) was super friendly. We saw so many live acts in pubs, restaurants, on the street, and on St. Patrick’s Day in Kilkenny. Both boys came home with Irish whistles and not the skills to play them.

Rainbows and Daffodils

I expected to see sheep and rain and castles everywhere in Ireland. I did not expect to see so many rainbows and daffodils. Daffodils are my favorite flowers. They were everywhere—by the hundreds—in fields, in window planters, lining driveways, growing in cracks in the sidewalk, on roundabouts, at the gas station, on the mountainside. Such a cheerful sight when the weather is so dreary! The dreary weather also meant that we saw so many rainbows it was ridiculous. I started taking pictures of all of them because it was so crazy. I maybe see one year here. In just one day in Ireland we counted seeing 15!

There you have it, our top ten things, Ireland edition. The kids are excited to already plan our next international trip! I’m going to share more stories and art that I’ve made from the trip on my Rachel Erickson Art instagram account over the next month. Be sure to follow there!