Omey Island and the Sky Road
We drove the full way around Sky Road for amazing views and great driving. We decided to keep going along the coast, and found ourselves taking a very unique way to get across the sea to Omey Island!
Read MoreClifden Castle
From the famous Sky Road you can look down on the ruins of Clifden Castle, but this time we found a way to actually go into the ruins and see it up close! We set off down the trail to explore the castle ruins, from the crumbling old walls to the towering turret and the overgrown outbuildings!
Read MoreClifden
Our return to Clifden brings us back to a favorite cafe in search of good coffee and the apparently famous carrot cake, before hitting a proper whiskey pub along the main street of town. We make our way out to the famous Sky Road for incredible sunset views that lead into an amazingly clear Irish night!
Read MoreRoundstone
Roundstone is a charming little fishing village along the Connemara coast with bright colored houses and boat-filled harbor. We venture to the pier, sample some local seafood, and get in some culture at the traditional music center before a breathtaking stop along a secluded country road!
Read MoreCnoc Suain
Cnoc Suain was the center of our honeymoon ten years ago. It was where we made our home base, it was the site of the little village on the hill with our cottage An Nead. It was where we woke every morning to the stillness of the Irish countryside or the thrill of running through the fields with the dogs and pony. Today, we revisit the land of Cnoc Suain, walking those same bogs and fields, passing through those amazing buildings, and learning of how they’ve grown since our last visit.
Read MoreTraditional Music and Local Pubs
We hit a couple of Connemara pubs on an amazingly clear Irish night! First we stopped in Ougtherard where we had a great meal with beers and music. After a bit of a craft brewing rant, we found our way back to Spiddal on the coast to check out a place we heard had quality session music… and were treated to a performance by one of the greats!
Read MoreCoral Beach and the Connemara Seaside
The Connemara seaside is a wild and rugged coast, full of rocky shorelines, sprawling bogland, and small natural beaches. We went seeking some of these beaches today. We returned to Coral Beach, with its rocky micro-environments and grainy coral instead of sand, before exploring the textures and colors along the White Strand!
Read MoreThe Gaeltacht and the Coast
We head west along the Galway Bay coastline toward the sea, stopping in the seaside town of Spiddal and talking a bit on the preservation and resurgence of the Irish Language as we venture along the coast!
Read MoreNighttime in Salthill
After a great dinner on the pier at Barna, we headed into the Salthill section of Galway city, where we found a great pub with great beers and great people. If you don’t have a fun night at the pub, can you really say you were in Ireland?
Read MoreAn Nead
After ten years away, we finally make it back to the lovely little cottage An Nead! Tucked back in the bogland in a rediscovered pre-famine village on a cultural center site with amazing hosts, An Nead is where we stayed over our honeymoon. It is one of our most favorite places in the world, and now we’re back!
Read MoreOur Heart in Ireland, Pt. 2
Ten years had gone by since out honeymoon, ten years since we left our heart rock with a message in the box at the seaside grotto. We’ve often wondered what became of that stone. Was it moved or taken out? Was it still there? Today we will find out for sure!
Read MoreOur Heart in Ireland, Pt. 1
In September of 2008, on our honeymoon in Ireland, we found a personal treasure on a hike up a mountain… a wedding gift from the lovely Emerald Isle herself! We returned to a seaside grotto with our gift, and left it to absorb all of the powerful energy of this place, and also some of that Irish luck! And so began our heart’s ten-year stay in Ireland…
Read MoreWestport and Irish Seafood
In the town of Westport, Co. Mayo, we adventured out for some good seafood. But first, an amazing sunset over the Quay couldn’t be missed! We bid farewell to our Hobbit Hole, and then ventured further south to Co. Galway, into the town of Letterfrack, to find even more of the best Irish waters had to offer…
Read MoreAchill Island and the Abandoned Village
Achill Island - Ireland’s largest island - sits just off the Mayo coast along the Wild Atlantic Way. A beautiful, natural spot with dramatic scenery and great history, we couldn’t wait to dig in! We stopped at a wild rocky beach, saw dramatic cliffs and crashing waves, climbed up a muddy mountain, and visited a famine-era abandoned village!
Read MoreBallycroy National Park
The rugged coastline in northern County Mayo is covered in bogland. Known as the Atlantic Blanket Bog, this amazing landscape sheds the typical view of Ireland from the emerald green to much more rustic shades of brown. We venture into the bog, walking through the grassland, capturing the breathtaking views, and learning much about this important natural wonder.
Read MoreRockfleet and the Pirate Queen
Rockfleet Castle sits on the rugged coastline of County Mayo. The castle is literally built into the sea! Wandering around the seabed at low tide, we got wonderful views of the castle and the surrounding nature… and thought on the life of its most famous resident, the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley!
Read MoreThe Wild Atlantic Way
Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way… a route stretching along the west coast of Ireland that shows off the most rugged, natural, stunning wild landscape the country has to offer. Over the next week of our anniversary trip, we will explore the nature and history of this beautiful area!
Read MoreOur Hobbit Hole!
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit…” And for a couple nights, we lived there too! My nerdy side went into meltdown mode as we followed in the footsteps of Bilbo Baggins to Mayo Glamping and our very own hobbit-hole!
Read MoreQuick Stop in Lisdoonvarna
Ooooooh, Lisdoonvarna! Lisdoon- Lisdoon- Lisdoonvarna! The song stuck in our heads as we passed into the pretty little town, home of the famous Matchmaker’s Fair for lonely singles. No fair today, but we did make a stop at one of our favorite culinary destinations, The Burren Smokehouse!
Read MoreInis Oirr Morning and the Cliffs of Moher
Our morning on Inis Oirr was started with a full Irish breakfast before time exploring the beach and the little village. Eventually we caught our ferry back to Doolin… but found ourselves on an unexpected detour by the Cliffs of Moher!
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