As the girls and I left County Mayo and drove into County Sligo and I immediately felt the surroundings to be a bit untamed and rugged, so it really wasn't any surprise when we drove down a gorgeous dirt road to the Ardtarmon House and found no one around but a lawnmower left as in mid-mow and everything eerily quiet. We figured a murder had taken place and voted for Nicky to go suss things out.
Luckily the owner had just decided to take a break and he and his wife were safely inside. The other residents were out for the day so it was just us when she showed us our rooms. There had been some misunderstanding during the booking and instead of a triple room the proprietor had made up three singles. We negotiated a bit on the price difference and then happily went to each of our private rooms. Mine was a large corner room with a separate seating area and views of the gardens. Lovely!
The guest house is 11+ miles outside of Sligo proper and on about 20 acres of property in the tiny village of Ballinfull. Having been in the same family since 1852 the property has pivoted from mainly farming to providing rooms to travelers. There wasn't much out here so when we decided to go on a short hike down to the ocean I asked Nicky why she was packing her wallet. "In case we find a pub, we're in Ireland after all!" I thought she was seriously wishful thinking as we hadn't even passed anything for miles while driving in.
Our hike down to the shore was picture-perfectly Irish. Green grass fields, cows and sheep grazing peacefully, beautiful views of Drumcliff Bay. We spend a bit of time exploring the beach and then headed back towards the manor house on the grassy trail that bordered a small forest.
We saw Charles, one of the owners, back to his mowing chore, and Nicky asked him if there was a pub nearby. He gave us two options, Ellen's which was 3 km away and Jordan's which was 2km. Jordan's it was!
We walked the narrow country road, lined with stone fences, and tried to stay out of the way of the speeding locals who were clearly bored with the speed limit. We passed herds of cattle and Carrigeens Cemetery which must be the cemetery for most of the surrounding villages as it was quite large and even had a map posted to make navigating easier.
And then we came to a curve in the road and there was our destination. Jordan's Pub sits next to a field, it's parking lot was empty and I was sure we had walked here for nothing. But when Mr. John Jordan himself responded to my question "Are you open" with "this is Ireland!" we knew we were going to be just fine!
Luckily Nicky had her wallet so we were able to sit for a few rounds. We watched various locals come in, wonder on their faces about these three girls who were obviously not from around here, and ended up chatting with a few. I mentioned that we should watch the time as we didn't want to be walking down that road in the dark.
We had a great conversation with a local oyster farmer, who drew us a map on a cocktail napkin and invited us to come visit the next day. The owner had left his daughter behind the bar while he went out for a bit, and shortly after the phone rang and his daughter said "Girls my dad is in town and wants to know if you want him to pick you up some dinner". God love Sligo!
When John returned and we mentioned we should go he said his daughter would drive us home! Now that is some real Irish hospitality right there! We finished the night in my room with some wine the girls had brought and the cheese I had purchased in Dingle. The Irish have a word for "a good time", it's craic. And let me tell you, there was some good craic at Jordan's!
The next morning we had breakfast at the guesthouse made by Charles and his wife Christa and heard all about Hurricane Lorenzo which was crossing over the northern part of Ireland. Pretty much right where we were driving that day!! We made a quick stop down at the harbour to see the views and got a taste of the wind!
Then we tried following the map to the oyster farm but got a bit lost. Luckily the woman who we stopped to ask seemed to know him and pointed the way, "go to where the road ends at the sea and where it says STOP HERE keep on going". Ok then!
We had a nice tour of the oyster farm with our new friend from the bar. He showed us around and then opened some for us to taste. More Sligo hospitality!
We didn't stay long as the storm was really kicking up and we had a couple of hours drive to our next destination. But not before stopping at the grave of Irish poet W.B.Yeats. There are many reports that the actual bones in the grave here are not his at all, but the locals don't care and actually refer to the area as Yeats County.
We drove through the hurricane, it was crazy windy which slowed us down, but we arrived safely at the beautiful Castle Leslie and were happy to have a seat in the pub and order some snacks.
Castle Leslie, which the Leslie family has resided in since 1660, is now also a 5 star hotel. It's located in County Monaghan which sits on the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Our food in the pub was basic at best but once we started exploring the main castle we were in awe of the plush surroundings.
We had a triple room at the top floor which use to be the nursery. Fitting. The room was hysterical with the toilet and shower hidden behind doors resembling a dollhouse. There was an actual dollhouse on the fireplace mantel that was a replica of the estate. It was all very meta and we were having a great time!
Having dropped our bags we thought of exploring the grounds but the wind and the rain were lashing as they say. We opted to stay inside.
There were multiple rooms, almost semi-private, with plush furniture and cozy fireplaces. We settled into one and a bartender asked what we would like. We decided that day drinking in the safety of our castle while a hurricane battered on the doorsteps would do just fine.
Originally we had made reservations for falconry but the weather had put a stop to that. So we hung out and had a great time just lounging and chatting away. For dinner we were driven by minivan back to the pub, which was still bad. We didn't learn until later that there actually is a nice restaurant on the property. It was a big disappointment but the hotel made it up to us when Nicky emailed them a few days later by refunding some of our rate.
After dinner there seemed to be a lot more people in the castle and when we chatted with a few in the bar they told us their friend had rented the entire estate out the next night for his birthday party. Boss!
In the morning we were on the road again to Drogheda, Nicky's hometown is just north of Dublin. We arrived at her mom's house in time for lunch, her mom had gone all out making a ton of food. It was great to be in staying in her house for the last two nights of my trip.
The next day Nicky's sister Laura and her husband Mark picked us up for a tour around the area. First stop was this crazy place called Gravity Hill. At the bottom of a slight incline you can put your car in neutral and it will BY ITSELF go backwards up the hill. It's crazy and good fun!
Next was a visit to the Long Woman's Grave. It was raining really hard so we didn't spend a lot of time reading the story outside. I looked it up later and found that it's a bit of folklore about a supposedly 7-foot tall Spanish bride who dropped dead at the realization of her husband's lie about just how much land he owned!
Our next stop was the seaside town of Carlingford, which is known for its oyster farming. We settled into Laura and Mark's fav pub in the area, PJ's for some great oysters and pints. Delicious!
That evening Laura and Mark hosted a fabulous dinner party. Laura is an amazing cook, each course was so good! It was hard to believe she had spent the day showing us around and now was serving a gourmet meal for eight!
It was such a fun day and I absolutely loved meeting more of Nicky's family. They are a good bunch for sure! Great craic!
And then it was over! The three of us girls drove to Dublin airport the next morning. I dropped them off for their flight and went to return the rental car. I used my Priority Pass to enter and hang out in the lounge there. It was good, nothing special but a nice place to grab a drink and some snacks. I had time for some duty free shopping and then a proper sit down lunch.
US customs is in the Dublin airport so once you clear them you are considered flying domestic into the US. Strange but much easier. I was in Aer Lingus Economy Plus on the way home and I will say that I felt like I was a sardine! And that was even having the aisle seat.
After 3 weeks in Ireland, and driving the entire circumference of the country, I was home. Ireland was one of the most fun trips I have taken! The people, the music, the food, the history, the beer, the whiskey, etc. etc! I loved everything about it.
**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**
Photos from County Sligo, Castle Leslie, and Drogheda here.
I had been on my own for 14 days, but now I was leaving Galway to drive to Westport and meet up with Forest and Nicola. I was beyond excited!
It was just a 1 ½ hour drive to Westport, and the girls' train wasn't arriving until late afternoon, so I decided to stop at the famous Ashford Castle on the way. It was raining pretty hard when I pulled up to the main gates and when I inquired about having lunch at the casual restaurant on the grounds I was told they were only open Friday and Saturday; it was Monday.
So thinking maybe the rain would let up I drove to the nearby town of Cong and had some excellent fish and chips at Pat Cohan's Bar aka The Quiet Man pub. The movie was filmed here and in other parts of the area so it's quite famous.
The rain hadn't let up but I still thought I would take a stroll around the Castle grounds and get some good photos. When I came back to Ashford's main gate the guard did not think me paying €15 to walk around in the pouring rain was such a great idea, so he kindly let me in without the fee. I parked in the cafe/gift shop parking area and walked to the pedestrian bridge.
He was right, it was nice to get up semi-close to the castle but unless you are a registered guest you can't enter the building, and paying to walk to the other side of the bridge, where the view of the castle wasn't even as good, was a waste of money.
In Westport I checked into the very large Westport Woods Hotel. This sprawling hotel is like a conference center so there were a few tour groups. We had a large triple room and our breakfast was included in the price.
Having set up the girl's pillows with a few little treats, I went into town and had a pint at the very well known Matt Molloy's Pub. Matt Molloy plays flute in the famous Irish band The Chieftains and still is known to play in his pub. It's a bit of a pilgrimage and I was happy to sit in front of the fireplace and listen to some Irish men from Cork sing acapella in the afternoon, just so they could say they had.
It was still pouring rain when the girl's train arrived so we decided to head back to the hotel and have a fun catch up at the bar there. So great to see them!
The next morning the weather was gorgeous so after breakfast we set out to meet a friend of Nic's at Croagh Patrick. We explored the park across the street while we waited for him, there is a very moving Famine Memorial sculpture of a ghost ship and also a small abandoned abby.
Back across the street we started up the holy mountain that is a famous pilgrimage for many. At 2500 feet elevation and about an 3 ½ hour climb none of us were interested in trying for the peak. But the views of the sea and the village of Murrisk from the trail were lovely.
It is said that Saint Patrick fasted for forty days on the summit of the mountain in 441 AD. We went to lunch after at The Helm! This was a good casual spot for seafood right on the water.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Westport; it's a really cute town and very small. Super easy to walk around; it was the first planned town in Ireland!
That evening we headed to Matt Molloy's, I was more than happy to hang out there again. There were lots of locals listening to the music, the bar actually has a large back venue so there were two bands going. And Nicola even sang along with the band to one song! It was a very fun evening!
We checked out of the hotel after breakfast the next morning and stopped at the small town of Castlebar for a short hike around the lake. There are excellent views of Croagh Patrick and some interesting art installations here.
30-minutes later we arrived at Belleek Castle for lunch, which was excellent. Although we weren't able to do a tour of the castle (tours were at 10:30, noon, 2 & 4pm) we learned that it had been a private residence for many years, a hospital, abandoned, and finally a hotel.
In the cafe I had a great quiche and salad. The grounds are beautiful and I just wish we would have had time to take a nice walk through their woods. But we had to get back in the car as we were heading farther north to Sligo!
**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**
I had emailed my hotel the Park House before arriving in Galway, to arrange a ticket on the ferry to the Inishmore. They had kindly let me know that it is best to book the day before as to know better what the weather will be like. The ferry goes daily but being out on the islands in a rainstorm would not be a pleasant way to spend a day.
Luckily the torrential rain I encountered on my first night in Galway lifted and I woke up to partly cloudy but dry skies. After breakfast I had a short walk to pick up my ticket at the Aran Island Ferries office and then on to the bus stop. My €50 ticket included the 1-hour each way bus ride out to the ferry in Rossaveel and the 40-minute each way ferry crossing.
The main town on the island of Inis Mór, Cill Rónáin, has just about 300 residents. It's here that you decide how you want to get around the island and see the sights. You've got three choices; rent a bike, hire a horse and cart (which is how residents use to get around the island), or pay for a seat in a minivan (which are used as taxis after the tourists leave).
I chose the minivan for €15. There were 3 other passengers and our driver Tommy took us around while sharing information about the island with us. He is a local who is a retired fisherman and had a lot of great stories and information. All the van drivers charge the same price so you can just go with whichever color car you like best!
Our first stop was Dún Eochla, the stone ringfort that sits on the 300+ foot high cliffs of the island. It's a pretty hike up to the fort and once there you have some awesome views!
The fort is thought to have been built around 600 AD, but no one knows for sure. There's a series of stone walls, the interior walls are about 16 feet tall and 9 feet thick!
The fort is also protected on one side by a fence of ragged stones. It's all pretty incredible! We spent about an hour here which was plenty of time to explore and take in the views.
We had a quick lunch at the cafe near the base of the fort in the village of Cill Mhuirbhigh. The cafe had a really nice selection of sandwiches, quiche, etc. and the sun was out making it perfect to sit outside and enjoy.
Back in the van we drove farther along the island. The scenery is so pretty, I had a front row seat again, and it was interesting to listen to Tommy tell us a bit about the three Aran Islands. There are about 1200 people total that live on the islands; Inishmore is the largest and about 7 ½ miles long.
The islands are limestone and most areas have no natural topsoil; seaweed and sand were used to replicate when needed. The single story cottages with thatched roofs are typical, though many now prefer more modern roofs, and people work harvesting seaweed, fishing, and knitting. Aran wool sweaters are famous and very expensive. And of course all residents speak Irish (and most also English).
At the Seven Churches, Tommy pointed out the various ruins of this, one of the earliest, monastic sites. Pilgrimages here have been going on since the 7th or 8th century. The graveyard is the burial ground of both saints and locals.
Our last stop was to one of the beaches where a seal colony usually resides, unfortunately there was only one hanging out when we were there. There are quite a few sites we didn't make it to in our 3-hour tour, but it was nice not to rush around. We also passed a couple of bicycle riders and I have to say I would not want to do that! The roads are very narrow and most are quite rough. Even Tommy said he thinks it is dangerous.
As it was warm and sunny, I had Tommy drop me off at Joe Wattys bar, which is just a short walk from the main town, and had a pint of Guinness outside on their patio.
It was such a gorgeous day and I was so happy to have been able to see some of these incredible medieval sites. I wandered back to the pier where I caught the 4pm ferry and sat upstairs in the open air.
After 3 nights in Dingle it was time to get back out on the road. I had a great mini full-Irish breakfast in the Dingle Benners Hotel before checking out and getting back on the Wild Atlantic Way. It had been nice to have a few days without driving especially as this day was going to be a big one.
By the time I got to Galway I'd have driven 145 windy North Atlantic Ocean hugging miles. Not really that far but with my planned stops it would take over 7 hours. You can drive directly from Dingle to Galway in about 3 hours, but what fun is that? Also I would be stopping at the Cliffs of Moher and was very excited!
I left Dingle and headed to Tarbet where I queued up for the car ferry across to Quilty. As I got out of my car to take some pictures of the approaching ferry a man told me about the old lighthouse that can only be seen if you head out to the very end of the dock; he assured me I had time before boarding and I did.
It's a quick ferry crossing and the weather was dry but it still took about 3 hours to get to Quilty. I stopped for lunch at Cooney's Pub and had an excellent seafood chowder and small beer.
In 30 minutes I was at the famous Cliffs of Moher. It was strange driving up and into the large parking lot, you can't see the ocean or any part of the cliffs. But then you follow the walkway and bam!
Even in the cloudy weather the cliffs are dramatic and beautiful! I spent some time walking both sides of the semicircle, taking in the views. As with any tourist site I also saw people being totally crazy, like this wedding couple who let their photographer perch them on the edge for a dramatic shot!
The people you can see in the above photo, far in the distance, are hiking a "forbidden" trail that is crumbling down the cliffs. I even saw people scoot themselves down the cliffs a bit for a better picture! I stuck to the paved trail!
On the way out I stopped into the visitor's center and had a quick look at the exhibitions. It had started to rain so my timing was good! There's no charge to visit the cliffs or the center but you do pay a couple of Euro to park your car.
I had another 45 minute drive until I arrived in Burren. Multiple friends had recommended the Burren Smokehouse for delicious smoked salmon and cheese, and they were spot on! I was lucky that I got there right before closing.
It was getting late now and I still had almost an hour before arriving in Galway. But when I passed gorgeous ruins like the Muckinish Tower House I just had to stop for a few photos.
It was dusk and raining when I finally arrived in Galway. After being in such quaint small towns I was a little shocked by the traffic! The city only has a population of 80k, but compared to the 2k in Dingle... I'm sure you can imagine!
I had used Alaska Airlines miles for my stay at the 4 star Park House Hotel, which is very central and also has parking. It took some time to actually find their connected lot, hidden down an ally, but much better than having to try to find parking in the city.
My room was big but was in desperate need of a renovation! There was a "safety" light that remained illuminated all night right by the door to the hall. I figured out how to cover it with a trash can or I wouldn't have slept at all. The hotel is large and old and seemed to cater to a lot of tour groups. Not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
They did have a big, busy bar and after a full day of driving I was ready for a martini!
That evening I had reservations at Michelin 1-star Aniar Restaurant which had been recommended by a few of my friends. I was excited, and hungry! I walked over in the pouring rain and was very happy to give up my wet jacket and settle into to the cozy restaurant.
Aniar offers a tasting menu of dishes primarily from local producers, farmers, or the wild. The multi-coursed menu was €75 and I also had the wine pairings for €35.
Dinner started with small bites, served together on a tray with stones, hay, and a warm towel (not to be eaten). Crab with lovage, beetroot with rose, potato with parsley, kelp with sea radish. All were delicious and perfect for settling in with a glass of Txakoli.
The potato bread arrived along with some glorious butter and a poem. Now that is a first! They also sent me home with a recipe for the bread. Next came three more small courses paired with a lovely Loire muscadet.
My main of monk fish and turnip was so beautiful (and perfectly cooked) and was served with a gorgeous Roussanne from the very talented winemaker Eric Texier. Stunning pairing.
Two small desserts, both with fresh fruits, ended the meal. I was especially impressed with the singular slice of absolutely delicious melon and another solid pairing with a Zantho Beerenauslese, a dessert wine from Austria.
Throughout dinner there was a son and his mom at the table next me; as they were obviously American and this sweet little restaurant isn't on everyone's radar, I asked how they came to choose it. The son responded that his friend Sconz had suggested it. I asked if his friend was Doc John Sconz and we both laughed when he said it was! John is a friend of mine who I did an amazing Spanish food & wine trip with a few years ago. Turns out he had met John on his Bourbon trip. Such a small world!
Breakfast the next day was included in my Park House Hotel rate, a pretty good spread of breads, pastries, yogurts, etc to go along with whatever you ordered from the hot menu.
Thank goodness the weather cleared a bit so I could walk around Galway with being completely soaked. I had a day-trip to the Aran Islands planned for the day (more on that later) but was back in time to stroll around the area between Eyre Square and the Spanish Arch. This area is filled with pubs and restaurants. But it was also Sunday so my picks for a good dinner were scarce. I finally ended up at The Quays, a very well known and popular pub and restaurant. I had a very meh meal of some oysters and a chowder, and although I had planned to stay for the band, they were playing American rock which I can get at home. So I set off in search of something more traditional.
I walked past Tigh Chóilí and decided to stop in, it was packed! The music was good but it was just so packed I could hardly move! I had a nice chat with a local guy, listened to a few songs, had a couple of pints of Guinness, and after 2 hours decided to head back to the hotel to wash my hair. It's a girl thing :)
I found a great gourmet market the next day while shopping around, called McCambridges, and stocked up on some more smoked salmon (Barron Smokehouse is carried by them), cheese, some gin, etc. I had a 1 ½ hour drive to Westport where I would be meeting up with Forest and Nicky!
I'm not sure if it was the weather, or the college town vibe, but Galway was just ok for me. I much preferred the smaller towns of Dingle and Kinsale for music and pub culture.
All photos of the Cliffs of Moher and Galway here.
**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**
