Many people enjoy traveling, but, since the world is so large, it’s often difficult to actually decide where to go. Fortunately for those struggling to find a vacation destination, I’ve got a suggestion: Ireland.
While not on the top of most minds when asked for amazing locations, Ireland is deceptively beautiful. With the rising mountains and scenery, old, historical locations, and plenty of castles, my trip there was simply one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had.
We took a guided tour that started off in Dublin, Ireland’s capital. We immediately saw an abundance of remnants from the olden days, like churches and walls from the 1200s or even earlier, which you’re allowed to go inside of and explore. However, a city is always just going to be a city, so we moved on.
The bus took us across the countryside from the east to west coast of Ireland in just a few hours. Galway, a small city, was more interesting. We learned of the story of Walter Lynch, who had been catapulted out of a burning building by a monkey as a baby and was “lynched” for a jealous murder of his friend decades later. We also visited a street market that has been open for over 600 years.
Moving on from there, we visited a farmhouse where the residents burn the peat bog for fuel. In addition to showing us the breathtaking views from the mountain, the old farmer guiding us told us that moonshine is illegal in Ireland, and then pulled some out of the ceiling. He explained, “If you’d like to buy some, you can just tell airport security it’s holy water.” The actual house we went into was originally owned by Dan O’Hara, who was an Irishman that the British evicted from his home in the 1800’s.
We then visited the Cliffs of Moher, hundreds of feet above the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The wind was strong enough that it nearly bowled people over, and the rain was often like a jackhammer; but, the views were absolutely worth the weather. Poking out from the fog, the sheer faces dropped off down to the ground in amazing fashion, riddled with both eroded and jagged rocks.
That same day, we relaxed with an Irish dance and music show, filled with world champions of dancing, called Celtic Steps. The dancers’ legs moved too fast to keep track of for the entire show.
The most famous thing we visited was Blarney Castle, where we kissed the Blarney Stone for good luck. But what most people don’t know is that just outside the castle is a beautiful park, filled with trees and a number of exotic plants. It would be very easy to get lost because a lot of the forest is very closed-in, but luckily there are plenty of landmarks such as the Witch Stone.
Back in Dublin, we went to Trinity College and saw one of the oldest libraries in the world, including the Book of Kells, a translation of the Bible from the 9th century. There was also Brian Boru’s harp, the original Irish harp and inspiration for the Guinness logo.
Finally, we went to the Guinness Storehouse, where we learned how Guinness, the most famous Irish beer, is made, and climbed to the Gravity Bar at the top, where there’s a view of the entirety of Dublin. None of the buildings are very tall, so it’s possible to see miles away to the neighboring mountains.
Ireland is a place full of more than it might seem from a travel page. If you’re someone who enjoys nature or history, then I wholeheartedly recommend going to Ireland.
