Travels on the Emerald Isle

A Day Tour from Dublin:
Touring the Boyne Valley: Monasterboice,
Hill of Slane, Newgrange and Trim Castle

There are a variety of great companies that host day tours from Dublin of the rolling green hills and fields of the Boyne Valley in Ireland. We chose to hire a private driver/guide for the day from Tour Dublin, and our guide Kieran, whisked us off to explore some of the amazing history of Ireland. Our tour of the valley would include Monasterboice, Hill of Slane, Newgrange, and Trim Castle.

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Looking for Bog People at the
National Museum of Ireland, Archeology

I know this might seem gross, but you absolutely must visit the National Museum of Ireland - Archeology when you are in Dublin, to see the bog people.

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Ageless Globe Travels Loves
a Good Pub!
Don't Miss Out On These Great Pubs in Dublin!

I love being in old places that have a rich history and I also really love a good pub. So whenever I travel and have the opportunity to visit a first-class pub that also happens to be old I get to feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.

If you’re thinking that I’m going to write about some pubs in Dublin that I’ve been fortunate enough to have dropped in on you’d be right. I’m happy to say that I’ve drank some very good pints in what is reputed to be the oldest pub in Ireland.

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Going to Dublin? Don't Miss
THE TEMPLE BAR in Temple Bar!

Temple Bar is a district in Dublin lined with authentic Irish Pubs and Restaurants and lots of Souvenir Shops and depending upon the time of year, the Temple Bar streets can be overflowing with holiday revelers and hen & stag partiers.

Last time we were in Dublin, we stopped into THE TEMPLE BAR so that Jim could check out a few of their over 450 Irish Whiskeys (and a few Guinness too?!)

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The Cathedral
That Grew From A Well:
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin

Can you visit Dublin and not make a pilgrimage to its famous St. Patrick’s Cathedral? Yes you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it!

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Christ Church:
Dublin's Other Ancient Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of medieval Dublin and there has been a church on the site since Viking times in 1028. As usual, the huge beautiful cathedral lured me in like a siren, where I basked in my addiction for religious art and architecture.

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A Day Trip South of Dublin:
The Wicklow Mountains and the
Monastery Ruins of Glendalough

Have a rental car? Drive south into the wild windswept Wicklow Mountains, check out the bogs and visit magical Glendalough.

I don’t know what I expected, but the miles of rolling windswept hills marked by black streaks of peat waiting to be chopped neatly out of the bogs was a surprise.

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Find Yourself in Killarney, Ireland?

Take a Carriage Ride Along
Muckross Lake!

If you happen to find yourself in Kilarney you must take a carriage or Jaunting Cart along Muckross Lake in Killarney National Park. For us, it was a last minute, spur-of-the-moment decision as we wandered in Killarney Town and found ourselves in front of one of the last lingering carriage drivers looking for one last patron.

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Kilkenny: Beautiful
Medieval City
& Home to Smithwick's Beer!

If you want to immerse yourself in medieval Ireland, you must visit the city of Kilkenny. The city is nestled along the Nore River, between the stately Kilkenny Castle on one end and the Cathedral which sits on a hill at the other end. It is famous for its many medieval buildings and is referred to as the Marble City after the black polished limestone ['marble'] that was quarried around the city. It holds ancient city status due to having a cathedral and an old royal charter dating from 1609.

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Ashford Castle: You Can Walk to Cong, Home of "The Quiet Man" Movie

Ashford Castle……… yes I wanted to be treated like a princess and this beautiful Castle Hotel delivered!

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Sacred Ruins at the
Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel, which is about 3 hours (100 miles) one way, south of Dublin rises above the plains of Tipperary and is a magnificent site as your gaze is pulled up toward the sky by the stony points of the ruined church and its towers.

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A Stone Fort in the Center of
River Suir: Cahir Castle

Cahir Castle (Caisleán na Cathrach) which means “Stone Fort” is one of the largest and best preserved castles in Ireland and was built in 1142 by Conor O’Brien, a lord of Thomond. It sits on a rocky island in the center of the River Suir in what is now the South Tipperary town of Cahir.

This castle really gives you a sense of what living in the castle might have been like for the people who occupied it so many centuries ago and is a fun castle for those with lively imaginations!

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Into the Ireland of Old at
Bunratty Castle & Folk Park

Bunratty Castle, in Irish, Caisleán Bhun Raithe, means the 'castle at the bottom' or end of the Ratty River, which runs alongside the castle. This castle you see today was built around 1425 by the MacNamara family. If you want to really explore what it was like to live so long ago in Ireland, you must visit this 15th century castle and the 19th Century folk village surrounding it.

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Where the High Kings of Tara Rest: Clonmacnoise

Beautiful and Ancient, Clonmacnoise Monastery sits peacefully on a bend of the Shannon River amidst meadows, where cows rest in the fresh green grasses and the river flows slowly by with barely a ripple. These famous monastery remnants are about 1½ hour west of Dublin, and just south of the town of Athlone.

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Have You Peered Over the Edge of the Cliffs of Moher?

I know….. a zillion people have posted photos of the Cliff of Moher before me, but I simply had to add my experience to this procession!

Being a typical American (we generally follow rules regarding signs due to our litigious society!) we walked out to the area near the edge of the cliffs and stopped at the sign that said “Please do NOT go beyond this point”

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A Drive on the Dingle Peninsula:
A Photo-Montage

Sometimes photographs say everything. Follow along on our drive of the Dingle Peninsula with this Photo-Montage!

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This Photo only courtesy of http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dubbr-the-shelbourne-dublin-a-renaissance-hotel/

Another Marriott Gem:
The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin

When we decided to stay at the historic Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, we picked it because the photographs of the hotel were absolutely beautiful, we loved the fact that it was right across the street from lovely St. Stephen’s Green, and it was just a short walk to Grafton Street. It was also right down the street from a Hop-On-Hop-Off Double Decker bus stop and just down the street from O'Donoghues an authentic Irish Pub where you can listen to amazing traditional Irish Music.

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