I just completed a wonderful trip to Ireland. This was a once in a lifetime trip I shared with my wife, mother, and sister. The primary objective of this trip was for my mother to fulfill her genealogist dream of exploring the roots of our family before immigrating to America. I aimed to ensure my mother had a wonderful experience and to see some of Ireland’s beauty for myself. I had another goal of not getting us all killed by driving on the left side of the road, more to come on this later.

We flew to Ireland on Singapore Airlines, connecting through Manchester. As usual, Singapore Airlines did an outstanding job. They went the extra mile to ensure my mother was comfortable. We primarily stayed in Airbnb’s and as usual, we had a consistently pleasant experience. We saw the following major sights in Dublin.

Dublin is a large city that seems primarily focused on commerce. The train was very convenient and efficient. Uber is not available in the Republic of Ireland. The mytaxi application worked well, and taxis were reasonably priced. I picked up our rental car on the day we departed Dublin for Belfast. Our car was a Skoda and was plenty large enough for our entourage. The vehicle habitually shut itself off at stop signs to save fuel. This annoying feature caused the car to hesitate when I really needed acceleration to merge with traffic. I have removed this model of Skoda from my “cars to own before I die” list.

I was worried about driving on the left side of the road in a car containing my wife, mother, and sister. I did ok but had to concentrate the entire time behind the wheel. I did get frustrated a few times on narrow roads or in inner-city traffic. I probably will never try this again, it certainly wasn’t relaxing, and I feel like I missed enjoying parts of the trip. Also, we drove too much. We only had eight days and tried to cram in as much as possible by driving completely around the island of Ireland.

Belfast was interesting with its history of “troubles.” We didn’t stay long in Belfast. We were able to see some tourist attractions from a taxi.

We left Belfast heading north towards the Antrim Coast. Along the way, we stopped at “The Dark Hedges,” a fascinating grove of trees used in the show Game of Thrones. I have never seen Game of Thrones, but this location is very photogenic. Our primary objective for the day was Giants Causeway. Giants Causeway is a beautiful cliff overlooking the sea. The rock formations are what makes this location special. There is a wonderful visitors center. This place is very popular and crowded but is a must see if in this area of Ireland. There was something about this place that caused me to think I had seen it before. It turns out this location was used for the album cover for Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy.” I haven’t thought about this album in years; it is strange what the mind can recall.

After leaving Giants Causeway, we headed for Inch Island. Inch Island is the location of my family’s history. Many of my ancestors came from this island in northwest Ireland. We found the churches my family attended and some of the land they likely owned. My mother met a farmer whose grandfather purchased their property from our relatives. I was surprised by the beauty and tranquility we found on this lovely island. Our Airbnb hosts were wonderful people and very accommodating to our specific and somewhat intrusive requests.

Our next destination was Galway. On the way, we stopped at the Cliffs of Mohr. The Cliffs of Mohr are beautiful rock formations located by the sea. We were hoping to see some puffins, but they had left for the season. It was difficult to get my mother into a position to see this attraction, so we decided to take a 1-hour boat tour. From the perspective of the water, we were better able to see all the beauty of these cliffs.

The next destination was the town of Killarney. I was looking forward to this part of the trip as we were going to see the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. I was most excited that we booked a tour and I would not be driving! This area is the most touristy area of Ireland. There are many tour buses and more people than in the north.

We took a private tour with the company Walk With Me. Ray was our guide and did an excellent job. This tour was more expensive than the large tour bus variety, but with my mother on the trip, it was the best choice. Ray delivered an experience that we will never forget. We were able to see all of the major sights plus some added features that most tourists miss. Ray tailored this tour to our exact requests. I highly recommend spending the extra money and taking the private tour. While I enjoyed the Ring of Kerry, I liked the Dingle Peninsula better.

From a point on our tour of the Dingle Peninsula, we were able to see Blasket Island. There is a visitor’s center nearby that describes the history of Blasket Island and its unique residents. This place made a significant impact on me. I will cover more about Blasket Island in a future blog article.

We had a great time in Ireland. Our trip felt a bit rushed, and we drove a lot. I recommend spending more time seeing the entire island or seeing fewer attractions. Ireland is beautiful, and the people are friendly. Ireland is an easy place for Americans to visit.