We had the good fortune (or as the natives would say - "luck o' the Irish") to visit the Emerald Isle in June. It was a wonderful trip. My best friend, Kelli, and her husband, Chuck, invited us about a year ago to go with them. We weren't sure how we wanted to spend our vacation this year so we procrastinated making a commitment and even at one point decided not to go. However, as the trip dates moved closer, we began to have second thoughts... thinking how much fun it would be to vacation with some great friends (we both left the kids at home - which was bittersweet, but overall a good move) and see a country we've never seen before. We decided to surprise them (see Lisa in disguise at the airport so they wouldn't recognize her)
and arrived on the plane - they had NO idea - and by coincidence ended up sitting right in front of them. They were really caught off-guard (never expected the lady with red hair sitting in front of them to be Kelli's best friend) but welcomed us on their adventure with open arms. I'll do my best to summarize our 10-day vacation for you below.DAY 1: DUBLIN
We landed in Dublin and checked into our hotels. We then hit the streets to find a local pub for some lunch and, of course, a pint (or two) of Guinness for the guys.
The first day was mostly shopping and site-seeing... the highlight was probably the tour of the Guinness Brewery.
Kelli and I were less enthralled by this than the guys were, but at least the tour ended at the brewery's famous roof-top bar where we were able to enjoy a 360 degree view of Dublin.
DAY 2: NEWGRANGE and GLENDALOUGH
We headed just a short drive from Dublin up to Newgrange (a place we had never heard of but was recommended by a tennis teammate of Kelli's) - it's a tomb built by the first inhabitants of Ireland thousands of years ago in 3200 BC.
It was cool to see something so old. The Megalithic Passage Tomb is a kidney shaped mound that covers an area of over one acre and is surrounded by 97 kerbstones, some of which are richly decorated with megalithic art.
The 19 metre long inner passage leads to a cruciform chamber with a corbelled roof. It is estimated that the construction of the Passage Tomb at Newgrange would have taken a work force of 300 at least 20 years. What's really cool is that the people who built this must have built it in such a way that on December 21st (the Winter Solstice) each year the passage and chamber of Newgrange are illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise. A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance (the top hole you see in the picture above) and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn on the Winter Solstice and for a few mornings either side of the Winter Solstice. This is the only time each year that this happens but the structure was built so that the sun would hit it perfectly to do this. We do not know the reason they did this, but it's amazing that thousands of years ago they knew how to construct a tomb so that it would light up on a certain day.
After we left Newgrange, we went to Glendalough because Curtis had heard it was a place that we simply had to see before we left Dublin. Glendalough gets its name from the Irish language. Gleann dá locha literally means the ‘Glen of the two lakes’. Situated right in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains National Park, Glendalough is one of the most visited locations in Ireland, with over 1 million visitors a year. It is a fascinating monastic settlement in a spectacular natural setting just an hour south of Dublin. The monastery was founded by St. Kevin, a hermit monk who died about 618 AD. The extensive ruins of Glendalough include several early churches, a graceful round tower, and various sites associated with the life of St. Kevin. There are also many hiking trails that allow visitors spectacular views of the entire park. "Lonely Planet Ireland" calls Glendalough "truly one of the most beautiful places in Ireland and a highlight of any trip to the island." I think we would all agree!
DAY 3: CLIFDEN
The 3rd day of our journey was mostly a travel day. We drove from coast to coast (from Dublin all the way to Clifden which was several hours in the car). As you can see from the picture below... we had a little car trouble (yes, those are 2 completely shredded tires you see)... The Hertz guy sounded like he might cry when he realized we were driving a Range Rover - however they quickly got us a replacement car (it wasn't quite as nice though).
We spent the night on an Irish sheep farm and it was really lovely. Life on a sheep farm is so peaceful and it almost felt like we had stepped back into the past in some ways - if you looked around at the ancient rock walls and stone buildings everywhere. They had some beautiful white Connemara ponies on their property and, as you can see, and extensive amount of rock walls. This is not unusual - they were everywhere in Ireland. It's really an impressive sight to see these walls dividing the land all across the country. I continually found myself wondering how long it took the Irish people to build them all. That night, Curtis, Chuck, Kelli and I walked a short distance down to the ocean and had a few glasses of wine (and some shots of Bailey's) while we enjoyed the sunset and the beautiful scenery. It was a lovely evening.
DAY 4: MORE CLIFDEN, INISHNEE, BALLYNAHINCH, CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK & KYLEMORE ABBEY
Since we had temporarily lost our car and were waiting for a new one, we were "hitching" a ride with Chuck and Kelli to our next location. We had arranged for Hertz to deliver the new car there. Our first stop was Inishnee, where we were blessed to visit the ruins of Kelli's family's ancestral home.
This is where her great-grandmother was born and lived until she was 16, I believe. It is an amazing place. Not only is the land beautiful (right on the ocean) 
but the house is so quaint and small. It makes you realize how much we live with now... that people back then didn't even need or want. I was envious that Kelli is able to go visit a place where her ancestors lived. What a gift that is to be able to see it, touch it... really try to experience what their life was back then! I was so grateful that we got to tag along. See Kelli and I sitting on top of the house walls below.
The next stop was our hotel - the Ballynahinch Castle - where Chuck and Kelli dropped us off and we parted ways for one day. They headed out to Galway to see some more of Kelli's distant cousins (they saw a few in Dublin as well). We now had our replacement rental car so we headed out to hike some trails in Connemara National Park nearby.
Situated in the West of Ireland in County Galway, Connemara National Park covers some 7,300 acres of scenic mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands. Some of the Park's mountains are part of the famous Twelve Bens, but on this day we hiked only Diamond Hill. It was amazing with many gorgeous views. One view would be of the ocean, 
then you turn 90 degrees and your view is of a small forest area sitting by itself (reminded me of Sherwood Forest),
then another 90 degrees and you're looking at miles and miles of mountains and fields (which made me think of the movie "Braveheart" or "Rob Roy" - they could have been filmed here with such beauty everywhere) and then another 90 degrees would be bogs and marshland. Truly amazing to see! Needless to say, Curtis and I were so glad we had a chance to visit this park.
As we were standing on top of Diamond Hill Mountain, we could see a beautiful castle all the way down by the water
and we were intrigued by it. It had to be huge for us to be able to see it from so high up and it looked magnificent. We decided to try to find it on our way back to the hotel. As we were driving back (my mom will be thrilled with this next part), we saw a hitchhiker that looked like a really nice guy so we picked him up since he was headed our way. He was a very nice college kid from France who was doing his practical studies for the summer in Ireland. He told us about the castle we saw from on top of the mountain and since we were passing right by it, we all went there together. The name of it is Kylemore Abbey - the Monastic home of the Benedictine Order of Nuns in Ireland (not too shabby,eh?) who have lived here since 1920. I think they may be the oldest order of nuns in Ireland (their order goes back 320 years).
Our hitchhiker friend (whose name has escaped me) also suggested we go visit an abandoned castle in Clifden that we had missed on our visit there the day before. He said it was really cool and only a short hike to get there. So... after we dropped him off, we headed there.
A 10 minute walk along a seashore path takes you to Clifden Castle. The castle was built in 1815 by John D'Arcy, the town's founder, who was High Sheriff of Galway. Clifden Castle was built in a Gothic Revival style in the 18th century, about 1750. The house was only lived in for about 90 years before it was abandoned in the 1840's. Few photographs remain of this one time noble house but they can be seen in some of the local history books. The house fell into ruin and was stripped bare of anything that could be sold by the locals in order to feed themselves. You cannot walk through the house - the front entrance is inaccessible because of a steep drop into the structure and the back has been blocked off due to the decay of the castle. Yet it is beautiful to see and you can view the inside from standing at the doorway and looking around.
We ended our evening by heading back to Ballynahinch Castle, where we were spending the night.
Ballynahinch Castle is set in the heart of Connemara and stands proud and majestic overlooking the famous Ballynahinch River. The Castle has been intertwined in the history of Connemara and its people for many centuries, from the days of the O'Flaherty chieftains and Grace O'Malley to Humanity Dick Martin and H.R.H. the Maharaja Ranjitsinji. The castle is surrounded by 450 acres of woodlands, rivers and lakes, which offer miles of scenic walks - Curtis and I enjoyed walking the grounds to wrap up our busy, yet delightful, day. Needless to say, we slept well that night.
DAY 5: CLIFFS OF MOHER
Curtis and I hit the road pretty early on day 5 so we could meet up with Kelli and Chuck at the Cliffs of Moher.
We had about 2 hours to drive to get there (Kelli and Chuck had stayed elsewhere and were a bit closer). It was a beautiful day but as we approached the parking lot we could feel the temperature changing. The weather is quite volatile around the Cliffs of Moher and can be beautiful one moment and raining and cold the next.
And the wind is amazingly strong!! The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's top visitor attractions. The Cliffs are 700 feet high at the highest point and range for 5 miles over the Atlantic Ocean on the western seaboard of County Clare. The rocky cliffs provide a precarious nesting site for the tens of thousands of seabirds. I have to say this was one of my favorite sites here in Ireland.
It is just breathtaking to see! All four of us decided to be brave and do what everyone says you "have to do" if you go to the Cliffs of Moher - which is to lay flat on your stomach and look over the edge at the 600 foot drop.
We took a video if you want to see what it was like (to view the video, just hit the play button on the box below.)Interesting trivia fact: the cliffs were filmed as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride. See Curtis pretending to roll off the edge below. Isn't he funny?? (there was obviously a ledge behind him)
GOING...
...GOING...
...STILL GOING...
GONE!After that we headed to Tralee, a small town between the Cliffs of Moher and the Ring of Kerry - where we were headed. It was a quaint little town and Curtis and I actually hung out at a bar that had traditional irish music. It was great! We made friends with a caddy for the PGA Tour - he was quite a character, and had some fun stories to share.
DAY 6: THE RING OF KERRY
Day 6 started out rough... rain, rain and more rain. This is probably a more typical day for Ireland than what we had experienced so far but it was still a bummer. We began The Ring of Kerry with gray clouds and rain so our views weren't so great... but once we arrived at our bed and breakfast, the sun was starting to peak out so we were able to get some great pictures after all. You may be like me and wondering what exactly IS the Ring of Kerry... so I'll tell you - it's a scenic drive that goes 100+ miles along the Irish coastline and has some amazing and spectacular views. Next, Curtis and I hit Staigue Stone Fort.
Staigue stone fort is a partly ruined round stone fort. Dating is difficult, but the fort is thought to have been built during the late iron age, probably somewhere between 300 and 400 AD, as a defensive stronghold for a local lord or king. The fort's walls are up to 18ft high in places, 13ft thick and 90ft in diameter. The interior is reached through a small passage. The fort is surrounded by a large bank and ditch. Staigue Fort represents a considerable feat in engineering and construction. It was built without use of mortar, using undressed stones. There is evidence that copper was excavated in the surrounding area and appears to be a place of worship, an observatory and a place of defence. Here are some pictures of Curtis and I actually standing ON the top of the fort (which wasn't technically "allowed").
DAY 7: SKELLIG ISLANDS, KENMARE AND SHEEN FALLS LODGE
Day 7 started VERY rough for me (Lisa). Our first adventure was to head on a boat trip to the Skellig Islands.
Kelli's travel guide said even the strongest of stomachs might need Dramamine for this boat ride. And let's just say, I did!!! I have never been sea sick before in my life - but there is a first time for everything.
The Skellig Islands, Skellig Michael and Small Skellig, stand aloof in the Atlantic Ocean some 8 miles southwest of Valentia Island, County Kerry. From any angle, or from any vantage point on the nearby Ring of Kerry, they are spectacular pinnacles, which have magnetised viewers throughout all history – and beyond. These Skellig islands are world-famous, each in its own right: Skellig Michael is known throughout the
world of archaeology as the site of a well-preserved monastic outpost of the Early Christian period – now designated a World Heritage Site; Small Skellig is equally renowned in matters of ornithology as the home of some 27,000 pairs of gannets – the second largest colony of such seabirds in the world. You can also find a lot of puffins here - beautiful and unique birds.
After that, we split up again and Curtis and I headed to Kenmare where we had made reservations at the Sheen Falls Lodge. This was a really cool place to stay. Once the summer residence of the Marquis of Lansdowne, in its day the Sheen Falls Lodge welcomed the gentry in their pursuit of deer hunting and salmon fishing. Thankfully today the deer roam the estate and surrounding woodlands freely, and visitors from all over the world can now enjoy the the Lodge and the stunning beauty of the land on which it stands. The setting of 300 acres of magical woodlands and crystal cascading waterfalls is truly stunning.
Curtis and I decided to take advantage of all the amenities that came with a stay at the Lodge and the first activity we did was to go for a bike ride around town. Next we decided to play a round of tennis on their grass courts...
that was a cool experience since neither of us had played on grass before. After that, we went for a ride in one of the hotel's vintage cars - 1936 Buick Roadmaster.
He took us down some country roads
and then dropped us off in town for a drink at a local pub. Since it was only a little over a mile back to the hotel, we walked back. We ended our evening hanging out in the hot tub and having a romantic dinner by the waterfall. It was a great end to a rough-starting day!DAY 8: KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK AND DROMOLAND CASTLE
This is technically our last full day in Ireland. We didn't actually leave until the following morning but I won't bother blogging about that (no need to mention that we got bumped up to First Class thanks to Curtis' skymile status and enjoyed EVERY second of our plane flight back). We began our day driving through Killarney National Park in Ireland. It is absolutely GORGEOUS!! We couldn't have had a prettier drive first thing in the morning. To tell you a little bit about the park: south and west of the town of Killarney is an expanse of rugged mountainous country.
This includes the McGillycuddy's Reeks, the highest mountain range in Ireland which rise to a height of over 3280 feet. At the foot of these mountains nestle the world famous lakes of Killarney. Here where the mountains sweep down to the lake shores, their lower slopes covered in woodlands, lies the 26,000 acres, Killarney National Park . The distinctive combination of mountains, lakes, woods and waterfalls under ever changing skies gives the area a special scenic beauty. After driving through the park and an hour or so beyond, we ended up at our final destination - the world famous Dromoland Castle 
- where we met up with Chuck and Kelli (who spent the night in Killarney) and began our five star experience.
This hotel is like no other! It is amazing! Standing majestically over 410 acres, Dromoland Castle quietly affirms itself as one of the most impressive and distinguished castle hotels in Ireland.
Also a famous baronial castle, she was the ancestral home of the O'Briens, Barons of Inchiquin, who are one of the few native Gaelic families of royal blood and direct descendants of Brian Boroimhe (Boru) High King of Ireland in the eleventh century. The hotel made a slight mistake with our reservation so to make it up to us, they upgraded our room to the Honeymoon Suite - which is the tower you see in these pictures (yes, the WHOLE tower). Our room was 2 stories high with gorgeous views and an amazing hot tub that had a rain shower above it. Let's just say we were LOVING it. The boys played golf during the day while Kelli and I had amazing spa experiences. And to end our night we had a romantic four course dinner at the castle's restaurant. It was the perfect way to end our trip.
That about sums it up. I hope you enjoyed reading about it and seeing some of the pictures and video. We definitely enjoyed going and would recommend Ireland to anyone. The people are the friendliest (except one of our B and B hostesses) and the countryside is gorgeous. It's definitely a vacation worth taking. And as the irish would say, "Bail o/Dhia ort!" which means "The blessing of God on you!"
