Ireland Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

     Today was a sad day because it was our last day of vacation. It had been a little over 3 weeks of heaven and the impending doom of getting back to real world started to set in. Despite our feelings of sadness we finished our last day with more beautiful sights.      First stop was Powerscourt House and Gardens. Powerscourt is touted as the finest garden in Europe and it doesn't disappoint. The garden was started in the 1730's by the first Viscount...

It's been a long day and I feel very sleepy since my day today started very early at 3 am. Feels like the thing about the hoola woola guy happened gazillion years ago but when I think about it, it was only this morning since I last saw him naked.. again. He was so drunk he couldn't even type on the keyboard to log in for his facebook. But anyway, he was able to log in and add me as one of his friends so if anyone wants to find out who he is, just add me up on facebook and he's there. H...

I woke up before Danny and Mike and decided to go down to the kitchen to check out the free breakfast that they offer. It was just toast and jam and then tea or coffee. So nothing too exciting but it’s included in the price so why not. I didn’t see the coffee at first and made a tea which I then drank really really fast so I could make a copy. This American guy sat down beside me who was really nice and REALLY American. He made me laugh a lot. But it was nice to chat with him and then Mik...

I had the possibility to do a quick visit to Ireland. I was really looking forward to it because it was my first time.

On Ground again, started walking to the Rock Close to marvel again on the unrivalled beauty of  Mother Nature.   I did not get disappointed, the light rain shower, made the whole forest more vibrant green. I spotted the megalithic structure, dolmen first, a little bit further  I  bump into  the secluded passageway, descended by a steep flight of stone steps, called the Witch’s stairs. Walk backward downs with eyes closed – and without stopping for one moment t...

Catherine, Leigh Ann, and I had an uneventful flight from Birmingham, Alabama, to Shannon Airport on the Emerald Isle.  There wasn't an empty seat and it was impossible to catch a wink of sleep because of our excitement!  I had booked a driver that was to meet us at the airport and I didn't have a clue what he looked like ~ so there was a little bit of anxiety on my part.  What if he was a no-show?? All my worries were put to rest after we claimed our luggage and walked toward...

So yesterday I walked to the Cliffs from Doolin along the coast (recommended by the hostel caretakers versus taking a bus).  I believe I was trespassing the whole time as my walk included jumping over barricades, rivers, stone fences, past cows and other grazing animals with a curious glare, and eventually walking on the edge of the cliffs to the central tourist overlook.  Imagine the stares I got!  It was so wonderful though.  The views were fantastic! And the peace and q...

Today I rushed all day, I had so many things to get done before I left to Ireland. I had a long list but one of the most important ones was to clean my camera. It is a pain in the arse when I have a spot in the sensor and I have to go through the whole cleaning process. It normally takes me more than half an hour to do it well. For some reason digital SLR cameras got worst in that sense.I finished everything I had to do in the office and then I headed home to finish my suitcase and clean my c...

As often as possible I try and get some walking time on the 'back strand' - that's the local beach just outside the town of Falcarragh in north west Donegal - along with 'Boo' my dog. Apart from the very middle of summer on a hot day, a large 'crowd' might consist of 5 or 6 people spread over the two miles of sand. Several times I've brought visiting friends along and each time I do this I experience the 'familiar' - anew.  So, I know you are busy... and it might turn to rain... and yo...

  On our way back to Dublin, we ended up staying in Athlone as that seemed to be the most populous town on the route we were taking.  Driving and parking in the downtown area was a nightmare, so we went outside of the downtown area and found a B&B that was connected to a pub.  The place was a little weathered, but the woman who ran it was the best!  I don’t know how she did it, but she ran the pub and cooked for the guests in the morning.  When does she sleep? ...

The first Travbuddy Meet Up took place in Bunratty, Ireland. We meet at the Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub at 16:00 hours (04:00 PM) to meet and greet the fellow Travbuddy members. I meet Travelman727, Eric, Angela, Matt, Ryan, Eoin, Amanda, Dave, Lucas, Juan, Tiro and etc…   After the meet and greet, We headed to the Creamery Bar for a delicious Irish dinner. I had a cheeseburger.  J What are the odds? I took a transatlantic flight from New York City to Ireland to have a Cheeseburg...

I just want to point out a few places that I particularly like in Dublin, that you may not find highlighted in your guidebook. I  also give some other tips which I hope you find useful.Get the DART train (see www.dart.ie for timetables) to Howth and/or Dalkey. Howth is a lovely fishing port. Dalkey is a lovely village and again has some nice bars. A small castle. Other worthwhile places to go on the DART  are Dun Laoghaire, Killliney, Bray and Greystones. Also Malahide. You can visi...

The tour bus pulled back into Dublin at about 6 in the evening, and awe all got off and went our separate ways.  I wanted to go to Scotland tomorrow, but I actually had no way of getting there, I had not even booked my flight!  So, I headed into an internet cafe and searched RyanAir.  There was a flight leaving at like 6 AM the next morning for Glasgow, and it ended up costing about $100.  It could have been much worse, so I booked the flight.  I grabbed some dinner s...

Great Country, beautiful landscape, lovely ppl....

Well today I was inspired to go for a walk around my hometown and take a few photos. I drove into University College Cork and parked the car. I have been a student here for the past four years, and my spell here is now coming to an end! UCC is a must-see if you're visiting Cork, and it's also a nice place to sit out and relax on a warm summer's day. I'll write more information about UCC in a review later, but I took some photos of the Quad, some of the buildings and the Lewis Glucksman Galler...