Ireland was amazing. There’s really no other way to describe it. With the exception of our flight back (which actually went smoothly once we took off), the trip went as perfectly as one could imagine. So, I’m going to take the Friday Five topic that Cynthia, Mar, and Courtney came up with and spin it a bit.
1. The weather!- I’ve never hidden my dislike for Virginia in the summer. I’m not a fan of heat and humidity. Ireland was a lovely moderate temperature every.single.day. There were periods of rain most days, but with the exception of one overnight downpour, the rain was either light or shortlived or both. I didn’t wear shorts the entire time I was there! LOVE!
2. The beauty of the country – Everything was so green! There were mountains and beaches and forests and… Everybody talks about how beautiful the Ring of Kerry is, but there’s so much more to the country and it was all beautiful. We spent time on Achill Island, near Killarney, and by the Rock of Cashel and everywhere we went, we were surrounded by amazing scenery.
View from the house we rented
3. The history – everywhere you looked, there was an ancient tower or abbey or castle. Much of what we saw was ruins, but we did get the chance to visit the restored Kilkenny Castle as well. Beer Geek’s paternal grandmother’s family came from Ireland, so we were able to meet up with relatives and get a tour of the area where his great great grandparents and their extended families lived. (We met up with some distant cousins and Jones commented that they all had Beer Geek’s nose. Guess we know where the family nose came from now LOL).
4. The beer – OK, Ireland isn’t exactly known for its variety of beers, but there are two well known Irish beers: Guinness and Smithwicks. I happen to enjoy both and it was great to get Guinness on tap everywhere. We also got the opportunity to try a few smaller breweries’ beers and visited the Dingle Brewing Company. (Yes, everywhere we go, I run a race and we visit a brewery.)
5. My souvenir – a few years ago I began collecting unique pendants/necklaces on our trips. I try to find something that is either handmade or in some way really represents the place we were visiting. I love that the necklace I found contains both a unique spin on the celtic knot, as well as well as containing Connemara marble, which is only found in the western part of Ireland.
It’s going to be a long time before we can take this type of trip again, so I tried to savor every moment of it. I hope the boys always remember the wonderful time that we had.
AH! I love this! Ireland is on my list of places to go before I die! Loving all of these green pics 🙂
Ginger recently posted…July 2014 Bulu Box Unboxing (with coupon code)
It was AMAZING! So green everywhere!
Wow, the photos are gorgeous and I love the necklace! I visited a friend in Dublin once but it was just for a weekend so I didn’t get to see anywhere else in the country. I’d love to be able to go back at some point and see more of the country.
Chaitali recently posted…Friday Five Favorites
It was so so beautiful. There were things I’d have a hard time with if I lived there, but it was a great place to visit.
Love love love this post and I love that you collect something specific and unique and not just shot glasses like I do. I went to Ireland once, a quick trip from England where I was at the time, but have always planned to go back for a real trip to explore!
Cynthia @ You Signed Up For What?! recently posted…Friday Five: Friday Favorites
It was so amazing. One of these days I’ll post a picture of my small collection. It’s harder (and more expensive LOL) to try to find something unique everywhere.
Awesome!! I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland! It looks gorgeous! 🙂
Kaella (KaellaOnTheRun) recently posted…Things I’m Loving Friday XV
It was beautiful! We’ve been wanting to go for a while.
I’ve not been there yet-it looks beautiful. Your pendant is so unique-enjoy!
Deborah Brooks recently posted…Friday Five-Summertime Favorites
Thanks! I love it!
What an amazing trip! I have always wanted to go to Ireland. I hope I get to one day!
Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie recently posted…Friday Five 24
It was a long awaited trip. We haven’t been abroad since Jones was 2!
Wonderful description. I’ll have to share this blog with a runner from Dublin I know.
So glad to hear that you had a great trip! I too hate the normal heat and humidity that we usually have here during the summer. I’ve certainly enjoyed the break from it over the past several days. I hope you have as well!
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running recently posted…Friday Five – July 18th – Friday Favorites
It is nice to come back to reasonable weather. I’d probably be crying otherwise LOL.
i’m so glad you had a great trip! i feel like while your pics are gorgeous they probably don’t do ireland justice, right? it looks amazing!
My husband takes amazing photos – I’ll share more over the next week or so. And yes, it was even prettier than the pictures.
I visited Ireland when I was in High School but loved to go back now that I am an adult to do some of things I couldn’t do before. We went in June but I thought it was chilly wearing jeans and sweatshirts. I love the heat so wish it was warmer.
I love cooler weather vacations! I live where it’s hot, so it’s always nice to go someplace cooler in the middle of the summer.
Haha I was waiting for the beer entry! I think that is quite nice that you pick up a pendant at each travel destination. I usually do the postcard and I collect currency!
Jennifer recently posted…Friday Five – Favorite Race Shirts
Ha! Other than Guinness and Smithwicks, they aren’t known for great beer and we really didn’t go out much, so the beer was a lesser part of this vacation than some.
It’s just so beautiful and green. I’m glad you had a good time.
Char recently posted…Restored to Perfection
It was lovely. I’m so glad we went.
Ireland is definitely on my list!!! So glad you were able to go and enjoy a great trip!!
Kim recently posted…Vacation
It was a great trip. So worth it.
Alaska was first on my travel list. Ireland is second.
Andrea recently posted…Alaska – Biking
I’ve been to Alaska twice and I want to go back again. I’d move there if I could. Ireland was a once in a lifetime trip, I think.
I love your necklace! I went to Ireland last summer and loved it there. I had some spectacular runs to different historic sites and thought the people were charming. I’m jealous of your trip!
Judith recently posted…Friday Five: Favorites
You are braver than I am! The Irish roads are scary!
Wow, Ireland looks so beautiful! I’ve always wanted to go there. Perhaps I should actually plan on doing instead of just dreaming about it. Fantastic post!
Melanie recently posted…Five Reasons You Shouldn’t Use TrueTwit
It was beautiful. I love to travel, but this was the first international trip in a long time.
Sounds amazing. Still can’t believe I’m missing out on this trip this year! Glad you had a great time!
Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakes recently posted…Anyone want some Nicecream?
You’ll enjoy it more when the boys are older. It was wonderful though.
I went over to Ireland once when I lived in England. I loved it. I too loved the greenery that surrounded me. I couldn’t understand the people though. The accent was hard to figure out. LOL
Tami recently posted…10 Reasons why Kate Middleton would make an excellent BFF!
I did fine with the accents except on the phone. That was hard!
I’d love to go to Ireland! My brother & I were talking about this yesterday. It looks absolutely beauitful there. Your pendant looks neat. I’m stopping by from SITS & I hope you have a great day!
Leslie recently posted…Sunday Social
Thanks for stopping by! It was a lovely trip!