Reviewing our 13-day Irish tour itinerary

We have been traveling in Ireland now for 12 days and have packed a lot in. Here is a quick summary.

Days 1 through 4 were in Dublin and we stayed at the Jurys Hotel (soon to be Leonardo Hotel) on Parnell Street. It was a terrific location, next to restaurants, shops, and even a movie theater. I was glad to learn on Day 2 (at Glasnevin Cemetery) the significance of Parnell, the namesake for the street.

Day 1 (Sun 7/30): Kilmainham Gaol & and introduction to the 1916 Easter Rising

We started our tour with a visit to Kilmainham Gaol which I wrote a reflection on here. Later that evening we watched “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” which is an excellent piece of historical fiction showing a band of young adults in the early 1920s who fight for Irish independence under the brutal yolk of British occupation and are then thrust into the horrors of civil war following the 1921 Ango-Irish Treaty.

Ann and Arjun during the tour in Kilmainham Gaol.
The 14 leaders killed at Kilmainham in May 1916
A mural painted by Grace Gifford Plunkett during her confinement
Sacred space: the place where 1916 Rising leaders were executed. The executions transformed the leaders into martyrs which served as a catalyst for Irish opinion turning against the British authorities and towards an independent Ireland.

Day 2 (Mon 7/31): Bus tour, Trinity College St. Stephen’s Green

Hop-on, Hop-off tour where one of my highlights was learning of the light left on in the window at the President’s house, a nod to the Irish diaspora. Trinity College including the Book of Kells and the Library where an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation is kept, and St. Stephen’s Green which has historic significance in the 1916 Rising and also is now home to a beautiful and haunting memorials to the Famine and Irish heroes like Wolfe Tone.

Ann and Arjun look at an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation
The hop-on, hop-off tour map
The president’s house, where a light is always on in the window for the Irish diaspora
Dublin streets are lined with wonderful quotations like this one
St. Stephen’s Green walking trail celebrates the 1916 Rising
Arjun at St. Stephen’s Green
Famine memorial at St. Stephen’s Green
A memorial to Wolfe Tone

Day 3 (Tue 8/1): Glasnevin Cemetery, Famine Memorial, and EPIC Memorialization of Irish Emigration

Glasnevin Cemetery

We took the bus to Glasnevin Cemetery where we went on an excellent hourlong walking tour chock-full of Irish history, from Daniel O’Connell to Michael Collins. We happened to also be there on the 109th anniversary of a famous 1915 oration made by Patrick Pearse at the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa; the oration was a catalyzing moment in the fight for Irish independence from England.

Arjun paying his respects at the grave of Michael Collins
Parnell’s grave
Arjun in front of the O’Connell Tower
Waiting for a reenactment of Patrick Pearse’s oration at Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa’s funeral on Aug 1, 1915

St. Stephen’s Green and EPIC Museum

We took the bus back to Dublin City Center for a reserved lunch at Fish Shop. We then walked to EPIC Museum and came upon Famine, a 1997 sculpture memorializing the one million Irish who were forced to emigrate during The Great Hunger in the late 1840s. The figures are shown emaciated and in rags, carrying starving children on their backs and whatever belongings they could, towards a long journey to a foreign country. It was a stunning work. That we stumbled across it on the way to EPIC, which memorializes and celebrates Irish emigrants, made it all the more meaningful.

“Famine”
A man carries a child on his back
A picture of and Irish dance in Queens, where young people would meet. Our grandparents on Mom’s side met at such a dance, which is why I clicked this picture.

Day 4 (Wed 8/2): Breakfast at Keogh’s, 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour, Lunch at The Bailey, Music in Temple Bar

We had two excellent meals this day with a great walking tour sandwiched in between: the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour, hosted by Lorkin Collins.

Arjun listening to the host of the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour, Lorkan Collins

Day 5 (Thu 8/3): Breakfast at The Green Barn, the Irish National Stud and Gardens in Kildare, & Harte’s of Kildare. Silken Thomas in Kildare

We left Dublin via rented car and headed to Kildare County for breakfast at The Green Bar, a visit to the Irish National Stud and Gardens, and the best meal of our trip at Harte’s Restaurant in Kildare Town.

The Green Barn

The Irish National Stud and Gardens & Hartes of Kildare

Arjun petting one of the horses at the Irish National Stud and Gardens

Day 6 (Fri 8/4): Strong’s Cafe, St. Brigid’s Cathedral, and the Hill of Tara. Dungimmon House, Cavan

The altar in the Cathedral contains a cross of St. Brigid

Day 7 (Sat 8/5): Rediscovering our roots in Cavan’s Drumerdannon, Killashandra, County Cavan, Ireland. Lake Avenue House, Cavan

I wrote a reflection here about our trip to Cavan and rediscovering our Leddy and Farrelly roots.

Arjun in front of a renovated version of his great-great-grandmother’s Cavan home.

Day 8 (Sun 8/6): Arrived in Galway, dinner at Cava Bodega.

Ann and Arjun at a tapas restaurant in Galway called Cava Bodega

Day 9 (Mon 8/7): Day trip to Kylmore Abbey in Connemara with Lolly Tours & Irish music with 7-piece band at The Dew Drop Inn in Galway’s city center. Jurys in Galway City Centre

Kylmore Abbey

Day 10 (Tue 8/8): Inisheer, the Aran Islands & Bunratty Castle for Dinner. The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis

The interlocking stone walls on Inisheer

Day 11 (Wed 8/9): Drive to Dingle with Falcon exhibit. The Milltown House at Dingle

A barn owl named Luna flies from Arjun’s arm to Ann’s arm

Day 12 (Thu 8/10): Rainy Ring of Kerry drive to Portmagee & the Kerry Cliffs. Air BnB at Cushtown Cottage.

We drove to Portmagee on Thursday and stayed in a lovely Air BnB which we had originally booked as a place to crash after our trip to Skellig Michael. Alas, Skellig was closed for the day by the Irish Office of Public Works, and so we had more relaxed timeline arriving in Portmagee. When we departed the next day, we discovered that we were only half a mile from the Kerry Cliffs, a truly magnificent lookout point.

Day 13 (Fri 8/11): Kerry Cliffs and Caherisveen

Our final day of the trip. Finally en route to Breda’s in Cork. On the way out to Cork we stopped in a lovely town called Caherisveen, home to the “Pimpernel of the Vatican,” a famous

Leave a comment