Prior to traveling in Ireland, I had never heard the term "craic" before. The "craic" is essentially good talk, enjoyable conversation, a good time and it is found anywhere from teashops to bars to street corners in Ireland. Ireland has to be the friendliest place to which I have ever traveled and the "craic" is definitely one of the best attributes of traveling there. While there are a million different itineraries one could take in driving around Ireland, this was ours...
Warning: Major Photo Dump to Follow...
After leaving Dublin, we drove to Bunratty where we toured Bunratty castle and the grounds, got lost and wound up on a picturesque winery, dined at Durty Nelly's (the oldest operating tavern in Ireland, supposedly), and stayed in the beautiful
Bunratty Castle Hotel:
From here, we were off to Galway. I wish I could remember the names of all of the beautiful places we saw along the way, but seeing as in Ireland, pretty much everywhere you look there is natural beauty, it is hard to keep everything straight. Definitely see The Cliffs of Moher. Gorgeous.
Apart from that, the one stop I must recommend (but that might be difficult to locate ever again!) was this amazing restaurant somewhere in County Clare. We were starving and saw a sign that said "food" so we drove up to this beautiful stone farmhouse with a green swinging dutch door, colorful potted plants, and picturesque views all around us. It was the best meal ever. Everything was really local--like, their farm local, the furniture was hand carved, the floors were stone, and the hearth made me think a cold winter night in this restaurant would never be cold. If you should find yourself driving the road from Bunratty to Galway and you see a little farm tucked away off the side of the road with a sign that says "food," I urge you to pull over...
Galway was such a great stop! I would definitely recommend it. It was here that we were sitting in a tea store, having high tea on china, that a local man introduced himself and wound up giving us a tour of the town. We talked to him for at least an hour about everything from politics to his second cousin who shares a last name with M. When in Galway, I recommend An Pucan (meaning "boat" in Gaelic) for traditional Irish music and the "craic," Cupan Tae for high tea and the conversation with the locals, Ard Bia, a delicious place to stop for lunch, and then a lot of wandering, as Galway is a great place to just explore.
After Galway, we headed to Connemara State Park and Kylemore Abbey, which were both beautiful. Connemara was a really (windy) fun hike with gorgeous views of the countryside and the ocean.
From here we went to Clifden via Sky Road, which was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. In Clifden we stayed at
this lovely bed and breakfast where I insist you stay should you ever find yourself here. Across from a castle and a sheep farm, this peaceful and adorable bed and breakfast was relaxing and quintessentially Ireland. When in Clifden, check out
Mitchell's (be sure to make a reservation) for fresh seafood...
From Clifden we were on to Westport, an adorable seaside town with lots of places to eat, shop, wander, and enjoy a piping hot cup of coffee or a cold perfectly poured pint of Guinness. We ate lunch at
The Pantry and Corkscrew. From a perfect potato leek soup to a light, flaky, delicious, savory quiche, the food here was phenomenal. We then wandered around before jumping back in the car to go to Knocknarea for a beautiful, quick hike and to a nearby megalith with a final stop in the quaint medieval town of Donegal.
Donegal was a beautiful Medieval town that provided more fun wandering opportunities and a lovely meal at the Old Castle Bar and Restaurant.
The next stop was Slieve League. I'll let the pictures tell the story...It is a not-to-miss spot, for sure.
On the way back to Dublin we drove through Northern Ireland and made it back to the car rental place ten minutes before the vehicle was due...
For such a small country, Ireland has much to offer and much to see. We were already talking about the millions of other routes we could travel should we find ourselves in search of the craic in the future.
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