The song Galway Bay opens with, “If you ever go across the sea to Ireland…” I, for one, had never done so–until last year, when my three best girlfriends and I decided it was high time for a trip together. We picked Ireland because it’s known for its beauty, friendly people and its music. We weren’t disappointed on any of those fronts.
We rented a car in Dublin, and drove down to Kilkenny…a beautiful castle town and, of course, home to delicious Kilkeeny beer. Our innkeepers couldn’t have been more helpful in pointing out all the sights we needed to see there, including Kilkenny Castle.
At Blarney Castle. Left to right is Lindsay, Brenda, Laura and me.
Then it was on down to the south coast town of Cobh, the last port of call of the Titanic. Lovely spot–we stayed in an Airbnb right on the waterfront–and enjoyed a night of traditional Irish music in a sweet pub. From Cobh we headed to Blarney Castle where, of course, we all kissed the Blarney Stone. (Good luck will continue to be ensured for the rest of our lives, we feel!) And from there we headed further east to the Dingle Peninsula.
The historic fishing village of Cobh.
In Dingle, where we stayed a couple of nights, we soaked up more of the Irish musical culture, and enjoyed some fabulous seafood. Don’t believe the stories about Irish food being plain and stodgy–it is anything but. We were so pleasantly surprised by everything we tried, and many evenings sipped on Guinness (my favourite beer). Then it was up the coast through the Cliffs of Moher–spectacular!–and on to Dublin.
The stunning Cliffs of Moher.
What a city Dublin is. You can feel James Joyce’s presence on the cobbled streets and around Trinity University. And us girls loved the great shopping, too.
The spire in Dublin.
I highly, highly recommend Ireland if you want a great girlfriends’ getaway!