In the Land of Eire, Part II

"Never Put Off 'Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today"

-Irishman at a lunch table next to us

One of my favorite things about being in Ireland was befriending Irishmen and women along the way, some in the cities, some deep in the land of Eire. No matter, it seemed each had their own little bit of wisdom or Irish saying to pass along. Each was a hidden gem in their respective corners of the world...

After taking off into the great unknown we arrived a bit north of Old Galway City. We started to regret our decision
to self navigate as we drove in circles around cow pastures between Shrule and Headford. Alas, after about the fourth kind Irishman that we inquired, we pulled into the Lisdonough House. 

Unbeknownst to us, we had our own little villa (the large manor above was,unfortunately, not ours, although they did kindly give us a tour of the entire estate, circa 1720). There were horses, a cute family who owned the B&B, and lots of little paths you could explore.

After just one night we got back on the road. This was characteristic of our trip—staying only a night or two in each place and straying up to an hour or more away from our original path to see something in particular. Or sometimes nothing in particular at all.

We continued all the way west, through Connemara and The Twelve Pins—some of the most beautiful countryside you've ever seen—before heading south through the Burren into County Clare and finally stopping at The Moy House.

It has to be said that this was one of the "champagne moments" of the trip. An incredible 18th Century home, with amazing food, luxurious accommodations, an "honor bar", and cliff-side rooms that surrendered your sleep the lull of the ocean.

As you can see above, the fog started rolling in the day we arrived. By the time we got to the Cliffs of Moher, we really didn't have a fighting chance. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face (please remember, my father drove us through this...how am I still alive?!), so we made an executive decision: If we looked at photos online as we stood at the bottom of the Cliffs, we could pretty much say we saw it, right? So, in our minds, we saw this:

Next, we took off for Killarney by way of Limerick. We stopped along the way at what I can only describe as an Irish version of Williamsburg. Not exactly off-the-beaten path, but this hot tourist spot turned out to be pretty cool even for us older "kids". Bunratty Castle and Park recreates 19th-century life of all classes from around the country. It was huge place that helped us learn about what we had and would see throughout our trip. Plus, who doesn't love farm animals, thatched roofs and castles?

Back in the car, we kept south, but quickly stumbled upon Adare. Although found by complete accident while looking for lunch, Adare was—quite simply—charming. Dubbed "Ireland's Prettiest Village", it was flush with quaint shops, clean streets and gorgeous parks. We had a delicious lunch at The Blue Door before jumping back in the cramped car and winding to Killarney....