2023 • Ireland
June 13, 2023 to June 23, 2023
For the longest time, I wanted to go on a trip to Ireland and drive around the entirety of the island—visiting all four provinces and finding locales off the beaten path. With the COVID-19 Pandemic and a number of other issues, my plans for a trip to Ireland had to be postponed time and time again. In 2023, however, I was finally able to book the trip and return to the Emerald Isle for the first time since 2009. My drive around the island followed a counter-clockwise direction: I started in Dublin, then went to Belfast, followed by Londonderry, then Galway, Cork, and finally back in Dublin. Interestingly enough, while I was in Ireland, the weather was very pleasant—it only rained once, and the rest of the time, it was quite warm.
While in Dublin, for the most part, I just walked around the city and explored. I was keen on finding some of the places that I visited back in 2009. I visited Dublin Castle, which was once home to the British administration on the island of Ireland, the General Post Office, where the Easter Rising began in 1916, and the Guinness Factory, which is home to the world-famous Irish stout (which is a, ahem, beverage). Upon leaving Dublin, we visited Brú na Bóinne, which is home to Newgrange, which is a Neolithic passage tomb that was built around 3200 BCE. That means that it is older than Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramids by around 700 years. While in County Meath (where Brú na Bóinne is located), I also visited Lia Fáil, which is also known as the Stone of Destiny. This was where the old High Kings of Ireland were crowned. Speaking of Irish royalty, after that, we drove north, crossed the border into Northern Ireland, and visited Hillsborough Castle. The castle is the official residence of the King in Northern Ireland and was where Charles III was proclaimed monarch following his mother’s death. It is important to remember that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom while most of the island of Ireland is an independent state that is officially just “Ireland” but is often called the “Republic of Ireland.” After visiting Hillsborough, we went to Armagh, which is the religious capital of the island, with two great cathedrals standing across from one another—both of which were named after St. Patrick, the patron saint of the island. The older cathedral belongs to the Church of Ireland (which is part of the Anglican communion), and the new cathedral is Roman Catholic.
After crossing the border into Northern Ireland and visiting Hillsborough and Armagh, I returned to Belfast again for the first time since 2009. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, while Dublin (where I had been previously) is the capital of the Republic. In Belfast, I visited the famous city hall and went to the Stormont Parliament Building, where the Northern Ireland Assembly meets. Interestingly enough, because of a number of controversies regarding Brexit and the most recent Assembly election, the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive were not functioning at the time, which meant that the country was being governed directly by the UK government in Westminster (London). Also, while in Belfast, I visited the new Titanic Museum, which did not exist the last time I was in the city—Belfast is very proud of building the Titanic, going so far as saying that it was “she was fine when she left here” and that the ship was “built by an Irishman and sunk by an Englishman.” Staying in Northern Ireland, I went on the Game of Thrones studio tour and drove along the coast of Country Antrim towards the Giant’s Causeway and towards the “second city” of Northern Ireland, Londonderry. The city’s official name is indeed Londonderry, but that is a point of contention for nationalists who call the city “Derry” while loyalists call it by its official name, “Londonderry.” The last thing we did while in Northern Ireland was visit the Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh.
Ulster is one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland (with Leinster, Connacht, and Munster), and it is the only province that is split between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Because a majority of Ulster is in Northern Ireland, many use the name interchangeably, but to do so would be incorrect—anyone in County Donegal would be sure to let you know! In County Donegal, there are the Slieve League cliffs which rise high above the Atlantic and are actually higher than the famous Cliffs of Moher (which are further south). After spending some time in Donegal, we made our way south towards Galway and those famous Cliffs of Moher. While driving, we spent most of our time on the “Wild Atlantic Way,” which is a designation given to the beautiful coastal drive all the way up and down the west coast of the island of Ireland. While in County Galway, I was sure to visit Inishmore (or Árainn in Irish), which is an island not too far off the coast of Galway. The island (and much of the west coast of Ireland) is part of the Gaeltacht, which is the part of the country that still speaks the Irish language by an overwhelming majority of the population. While most of Ireland speaks English, the Gaeltacht holds on to the country’s native language. Continuing south from there to County Clare, we visited the famous Cliffs of Moher, majestic cliffs that rise 500+ feet from the wild Atlantic below. Continuing south from there, we ended up in the colorful city of Cork in the country’s south.
Cork is often described as the “People’s Republic of Cork” because of its different politics and cultural differences when compared to the rest of the country. While staying in Cork, we did a day excursion out to County Kerry to drive along the Ring of Kerry and visit Killarney National Park. Both were stunning in their natural beauty. Once back in Cork, I had to visit the famous Blarney Castle, which is just outside the city, to kiss the Blarney Stone. According to legend, kissing the stone will give you the “gift of gab,” or the ability to be a persuasive, eloquent speaker. Finally, it was time to start heading back north towards Dublin and, eventually, home. Before heading to the airport, however, there were a couple of sites that I wanted to visit in Dublin: the National War Memorial and the Remembrance Garden. Both sites are solemn places of remembrance, honoring all of those who have served Ireland in the past.
