Dublin

Dublin is the same cold, concrete city I remembered it was almost ten years ago. A city seemingly perpetually shrouded in grey, Dublin is among the least inspiring cities I’ve visited in Europe. We managed our own “Tour de Dublin” by speedily visiting Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral before settling into the Arlington’s pub where we enjoyed our final opportunity to listen to traditional Irish music before returning to London.

Locke’s Distillery Museum

On our drive from Galway to Dublin, we stopped by Locke’s Distillery Museum in he Midlands’ County Westmeath. Built in 1757, Locke’s Distillery is allegedly the “oldest licensed pot still distillery in the world”. The distillery contains the original machinery, restored by the citizens of Kilbeggan twenty years ago. Like my newfound appreciation in the wine-making process after visiting the Loire Valley’s Saumur, I developed a more profound understanding of the science that goes into making Irish whiskey.

Burren

Burren is a geologist’s dream-come-true. We explored the limestone ground where G pointed out impressions of sea shells from an age when Ireland had a tropical climate. Whereas the guide books focused on the quality of lifelessness in the Burren due to the widespread limestone, we pointed out the grass and flowers popping out from inbetween limestone rocks. Even in late May, colorful flowers were fighting their way from the sparse dirt ground towards the blue sky above.

The Cliffs of Moher in Clare County

On our way to Clare County, we stopped by Kinvarra’s Dunguaire Castle, a medieval castle that sits on the harbor. The castle is quite picturesque, but the Cliffs of Moher were far and away the most scenic attraction in Clare County. The Cliffs are larger than life with their steep drop offs to the rough ocean waters and the jagged rocks below. The wind roared, so much so that we all look like we’re in various states of electrocution in the photos. Visiting the Cliffs of Moher was my favorite part of our trip to Ireland; the views from the top of the cliffs were fantastic, and I basked in their enormity.

Galway – Connemara’s Clifden

The highlight of our time in Galway was visiting Connemara’s Clifden. We drove along Sky Road from which we admired the bogland, beaches and mountains below. Western Ireland’s countryside was exactly how I imagined it: cows and sheep nibble on the grassy plains sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the peaks of the Twelve Bens.

In Galway we dined on traditional Irish cuisine such as minted lamb and poached salmon. The city bustled with tourists and it’s clear that Galway’s claim to fame is its pub and music scene; later that night we returned to Quay’s to listen to a local jazz and blues band play the likes of Neil Young and Johnny Cash.

Clonmacnois in Offaly County

With the help of “Tom-Tom”, we drove from Dublin to Offaly County in the Midlands where we stopped by the Clonmacnois, Ireland’s most important Christian site. Overlooking River Shannon, this pre-Norman religious site exudes a feeling of remoteness similar to England’s Stonehenge. However, Clonmacnois has evolved over hundreds of years of history. What remains of the castle is a roofless stone structure tilted on a green hill, surrounded by dandelions; on the castle’s side grows a tree. The cemetery contains tombstones dating as far back as the eighteenth century to as recently as World War II.