A year ago this month, my husband and I were able to take a dream vacation to the Emerald Isle. Since travel anywhere right now is a pain in the mask, I thought it would be fun to revisit this exceptionally beautiful place via a blog post or two (will continue the tour next month!).
This trip was taken to celebrate my *ahem* fiftieth birthday (July 15th) and our 30th anniversary (Oct. 7th). The original plan was to go in the fall, but my husband could see that his work schedule was going to be too demanding at that time (he’s in construction). However, he didn’t realize this until late June…so, that gave me a whopping two weeks to plan our dream vacation!
Thank the Lord for the internet! With the help of my oldest daughter, who geeks out over all-things Irish due to our family history, I mapped out a plan to see the land of our ancestors. We flew to Dublin, on the east coast, and immediately drove our rented car west, to Galway City. Thinking I was being thrifty, I’d rented a manual (stick shift) car, because it was cheaper. Although we both are fluent in driving a stick, I hadn’t factored in the weirdness of driving on the opposite side of the road. Very. Narrow. Roads.
With roundabouts.
And no shoulders.
And rock walls.
And pedestrians.
Let’s just say that with all of the above factored in, it would’ve been terrifying enough without the addition of clutching and downshifting. We were just relieved to see that the clutch and gas pedals were in the same place!
Despite the tricky driving situation, we were finally on the island full of charming towns, mossy forests, grazing sheep, ancient castles, burial tombs (that predate the Great Pyramids), and the birthplace of C.S. Lewis. As a fantasy writer and an avid Chronicles of Narnia Nerd, I was breathless with excitement over all the possibilities!
Every dot on the map with a name is picture perfect! Case in point: Tyrrellspass. It was but a random exit we took for a snack 🙂
Heading west on the island that is roughly the size and population of South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to grab a snack. Randomly choosing an exit, we found our first castle ruin near the gas station of this tiny town. It would be the first of many random castle sightings. It’s amazing how many of these grand old structures dot the landscapes, especially since we don’t have anything like that here in the states. Most are older than our country!
The first castle we happened upon in the town of Tyrrellspass.
Continuing on, we found ourselves lost in Galway City, a charming old town filled with colorful buildings and a festive atmosphere, thanks to many street performers. Our GPS had guided us to the wrong location, but it allowed us a glimpse of the town we would be staying near for the next three nights. Finally we found the location of our bed and breakfast, a lovely two-story home overlooking the Atlantic!
We didn’t have a schedule, but had several options we could explore in each region in which we were staying. Galway has a lot to offer, beyond its beautiful city. We took to the roads and explored the winding lanes of the Wild Atlantic Way. If you’re not familiar with this term/area, the Wild Atlantic Way is the twisty, narrow stretch of road that traces the intricacies of the west side of the island, top to bottom. It’s filled with breathtaking sites like the Cliffs of Mohar, Skellig Michael (think Star Wars, “The Force Awakens”), and MANY a charming town.
Along the shore of Carraroe on the Wild Atlantic Way.
The lovely town of Clifden <3
Kylemore castle was built as a private residence for the Henry family in the late 1800s (making it one of the ‘newer’ castles in the country). Later, it became a Benedictine Abbey.
This gorgeous neo-Gothic chapel on the Kileymore grounds was built by Mr. Henry as a testament to his love for his late wife Margaret.
We discovered a shore-side cemetery, ate delicious fish and chips in the adorable town of Clifden, and toured the stunning Kileymore Castle. And that was just the first day! We followed this up the next day with a turbulent and wet ferry ride to the island of Inis Orr, one of three islands whose first language is Irish (what the natives call their Gaelic language).
This ship ran aground on Inis Orr in the 1960s during a severe storm.
One of the most impressive things across the whole of Ireland is the amount of ROCK that the Irish people move from the ground in order to use the land. Just look at the many rock walls on the this island!
St. Caomahn’s church is a 10th century Christian church which has been partially buried in a sand dune. So, yeah, this building is only 1100 years old!
After exploring the castle and a shipwreck on the island, the ferry took us for an Atlantic-level glimpse of the famous Cliffs of Moher (pronounced Moore). These cliffs are one of the top three attractions in Ireland. They’ve been featured in a lot of movies, including Harry Potter and The Princess Bride (the Cliffs of Despaaair!). Afterward—wet and chilly—we took to our mighty rental car and drove to the topside of the cliffs, discovering another castle (this one someone’s private residence) along the way.
A picture of me, Heather, sitting in the heather, on top of the Cliffs of Mohar
Though it was hard to top off such an awe-inspiring adventure, we spent our last day in the area exploring Galway City. Here we listened to some talented street performers, enjoyed a peek into the the King’s Head—the oldest bar in Ireland—and discovered Lynch Castle, a castle-turned-bank in the heart of downtown. There are several family crests included in the original construction of the castle…one of which is the FitzGerald family crest!
The King’s Head is in an 800 year old building and has been a tavern for hundreds of years. The name ‘The Kings Head’ refers to King Charles I of England — ruler of England, Scotland and Ireland — who was beheaded for treason in 1649.
Lynch Castle is now a bank. The Lynches were once the most powerful family in Galway. We were surprised to see our family crest featured in the architecture!
As you can see, there is much to explore and enjoy in this lovely land! I’ll have to share more with you in my post next month. Until then, each of us are probably dreaming about where we will be going as soon as we can remove these masks and start living again.
As for me, I’d be as happy as a leprechaun to go back to this enchanted land!
I discovered this Hobbit Hole disguised as a blacksmith’s shop along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Tell me…where you would be now, in this instant, if you could travel? Is there anywhere you plan to go as soon as COVID restrictions lift?
Author Heather L.L. FitzGerald writes from her home in Texas, while dreaming of being back in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. When she’s not drinking copious amounts of coffee or planning her next escape, she’s taming dragons, teaching leprechauns manners, and judging animal tricks among her gnome friends. Many of these antics can be discovered in The Tethered World Chronicles, Heather’s award winning YA Fantasy trilogy.
