July marks our Dublin-niversary! Last year my four siblings and I pulled off a surprise summer trip to Ireland for our parents, hoping to fulfill their lifelong dream to visit the Emerald Isle. We had an Irish-themed reveal for the trip, then dropped a second surprise: we would all be coming along on an epic family memory.
What a trip it was, filled with Guinness and winding lanes and castle ruins and pub songs and so much beef stew. Ireland truly feels magical, poetic, soft, lyrical.
Come back tomorrow for my Ireland summer packing list. Later this week I'll also be sharing our itinerary highlights, including my favorite sacred sites that we visited, and an Irish saint of the week.
For today, here are some notes to help you start planning your own Ireland adventure.
1. Friendly or reserved? I have visited 10-15 countries. In Ireland, we encountered some of the friendliest, warmest, most open people in the world. Just good old-fashioned nice. The people we met were so, so generous with information and welcome. In some places, locals hesitate to share their favorite spots or intervene in your tourist oblivion. Not Ireland—everywhere we went, we found zero airs or polite distances or reserve with outsiders. If you’re being hugged and told We were waitin’ fer ya! by a total stranger within 60 seconds of entering the pub, you’re in a special place. Which brings me to the question: is Ireland the Southeast Louisiana of Europe…? Is Southeast Louisiana the Ireland of the United States…?
2. Move slowly or quickly? Moving around took a lot longer than we expected, whether on foot or by vehicle, even after researching and maps calculations. As the crow flies, something might be half a mile away but took 30 minutes to walk. One nine-mile drive took an hour. I think this happens because Dublin contains infinite roundabouts and crosswalks with very slow light changes, so going point to point takes more time than you’d think on paper. In the country, the roads are death-defyingly narrow and winding, so driving goes slower than you’d think. The pace can be refreshing, but knowing this little quirk can help you be realistic about timeframes.
3. Pre-book or get in line? Even in peak season, there were not huge lines at any of the museums and other sites. Pre-booking is always helpful, but after having experienced the lines at the major attractions, we probably would have preferred to have more flexibility for each day rather than pre-booked times to fulfill. Exception: the Book of Kells and the historic jail sold out days ahead, so that’s one to snag early. Also, if you’re used to blocking two hours for a museum, a solid walk through Kells, the main museums, and other such sites required only about 30 to 45 minutes. Of course this is totally relative to how quickly you like to move through, so this is just an observation of our average.
4. Predictable or personal? If you need souvenirs or services (rental cars, tour offices, etc), mind the shop hours! Many (most?) shops and sites keep hours about 10 to 5 or 12 to 6—different than many of us are accustomed to for shopping and services. Even most coffee shops didn’t open until 9. Is this a better pace of life? Arguably. My favorite was the shop that had no hours at all, just a handwritten note that read, ‘If you want to buy something call Mary at #.’
5. City or country? You should absolutely plan to get out of Dublin and explore! In my opinion, Dublin needs just a day or two, and the real magic of Ireland shines in the breathtaking ocean cliffs and rolling emerald hills punctuated with sheep and stone ruins. Driving on the "wrong" side is actually easier than you think, and we had a blast road-tripping across the stunning landscape. Double and triple check your routes and small town locations because we had significant backtracking. Some of the tours we booked were much farther away than we expected (see note above). Ask about the travel times to get to the launching point for any tours you book, especially on the coasts. We probably would have organized our itinerary differently if we had known how much would be spent just getting to each point.
6. Rainy or even more rainy? The standard of dress for almost everything was very casual, jeans and sneakers. I didn’t encounter many places with anyone dressed up to "go out," so don’t waste suitcase space on your club outfits (save it for woolly sweaters and whiskey!). But the real packing non-negotiable: rain gear. We had daily rain of all different kinds from soft mists to sunny showers to gusty downpours. You need an fully waterproof jacket with hood, an umbrella (yes, both), and shoes that can handle water.
7. Green or red? My pro tip, which you have heard before but never makes more sense than in Ireland: wear red. The setting of green and gray and mist looks amazing with something red. This looks especially great in photos. See how beautiful my mom looks in red above!
8. Photos or videos? Take photos, of course. But be sure to also take videos of the scenery. Photos can capture only so much. I’m not usually a video girl, but I found that only video had a hope of conveying the sweeping panoramas of cliffs and oceans.
9. Detailed itinerary or play by ear? Upon review, the main thing we would do differently: pick out a few must-sees, but play the itinerary more by ear. With only a few exceptions, I found no compelling need to pre-book tours, historic sites, and museums (see number 3). Next time we would keep a more open and flexible itinerary to adapt as needed day by day, and leave more space for roaming the countryside and exploring little towns.
10. Architecture or nature? Ireland's true treasure is her natural beauty. Flowers exploded everywhere! Lush roses and hydrangeas and a million other gorgeous feathery things grow like weeds along the roads. Just beautiful. (You won't be able to resist becoming your grandparents and taking tons of photos of plants). Seagulls dominated the skies, even the heart of the city—and they were shockingly loud, even at 3 am! Sheep were everywhere, too (they were not loud). In fact, one of my favorite observations is how comfortable the culture is with nature and animals—a lovely, relaxed friendship of man and creature.
Remember to come back tomorrow for an Ireland summer packing list, and later in the week for an itinerary of what to do in Ireland and our Irish saint of the week.
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