The Emerald Isle will always have a special place in my heart, being the first country I've ever travelled to by myself and without data. With forty shades of green, legends and reality come together at stunning rolling hills and mysterious abbeys.
For a short trip, a week or less, basing yourself in Dublin would be the best idea, and you can go on mini Irish adventures by taking day trips. For all of my day trips, I used Paddywagon Tours to get to the different towns from Dublin. As I was not intending to drive around the city, using this tour agency aided me greatly and the guides were professional and knowledgeable. Prices for day tours range from €22 to €85, with small group options available!
Day 1: Dublin
Drop your bag(s) at your accommodation and start immersing yourself in the youngest city of all Europe. Fun Fact #1: Almost half of Dublin's population are aged 25 or lower!
Take a free walking tour or do a 2-3 hours self-guided tour by yourself (depending on your pace and duration at each attraction).
Start your walk from O'Connell Bridge and walk up to O'Connell Street. This is Dublin's widest street and almost equivalent to the Dublin's centre. You can grab a Rolling Donut sourdough donut at their pop-up kiosk along this street before making your way down to O'Connell Monument -a tribute to Daniel O'Connell. There is a QR code on the statue that allows you to hear an excerpt from the man himself!
Cross the bridge to Molly Malone Statue and Trinity College, home to the Book of Kells. The world's most famous and oldest book would be a must see in Dublin! Marvel the Bank of Ireland which used to be the Irish Houses of Parliament. If you have time, hit the National Gallery of Ireland or the National Museum of Ireland. Follow up with a walk around Merrion Square - say hi to the statue of Oscar Wilde!
Spend some time feeding ducks or just resting your feet at St Stephen's Green, a Victorian public park. Visit Saint Patrick's Cathedral, a part of Ireland for over 800 years. If you purchased the Dublin Pass, admission to the important historical building will be free!
Just a stone throw away is the Dublin Castle, a major government complex, conference center and of course, a tourist attraction. Pay a visit to Christ Church Cathedral while you are in the area!
You can pop over to Grafton Street for some shopping, live music and people watching. Grab novelty gifts from souvenir stores such as cheekily wrapped condoms and mini beer glasses. Alternatively, browse through the museum of Guinness Storehouse and learn the history of the famous Irish beer.
Make your way to the trendy Temple Bar area, streets filled with variety of Irish Pubs. Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin's most photographed bridge, will be in sight as well. The river crossing received its name from charging a toll of one Halfpenny for crossing the bridge in the past. You can walk a tad further along River Liffey to The Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin. If the day is still young. why not tour the Jameson Distillery!
Do not be too engrossed in figuring how to get from point A to point B though! The whole point is to get a feel of the city and enjoy yourself! In fact, I decided to take a leap of faith and travelled around Ireland with maps.me (an offline map) and found myself getting lost and stumbling onto places of (my) interests like Gino's Gelato because who can resist a good scoop? And also, Ireland's McDee has Shamrock Shake which is amazing? Singapore needs to have that thick peppermint vanilla milkshake goodness!
Day Two: Kilkenny & Wicklow
Check off your morning exercise at Glendalough where you'll have approximately 1.5 hours to stroll or jog along the river banks and through the woods. More lakes, babbling brooks greet you and depends on which path you take, you may also get to see sheep with colourful spots. Fun fact #2: this is how the farmers distinguish their own herd from others.
Glendalough, from "Gleann da locha" means Glen of two Lakes. Its current beauty and tranquility includes the ruined monastic city famed for St. Kevin's Cross and its round tower. Most of the surviving buildings dated from 10th to 12th centuries despite attacks by Vikings. You can cover monastic site in 10 minutes easily.
Next, you will visit the set of 'PS, I Love You' and 'Braveheart' when you travel along to Wicklow Mountains and Wicklow Gap. The stretch is full of bogs and these Irish bogs are a source of energy that provides the Irish energy and fires.
Lastly, arrive at Kilkenny for a 2 hours stop. Grab a late lunch at the Design Centre, wander around the streets and visit Black Abbey. Chanced upon a vintage store while walking around the town so I was happy with my earrings buy (yes again). Realised that I should take more street shots in the town because they are all different in their own quirky and fun ways.
Managed to get back to Dublin around 6pm so I went for a two hours Ghost Bus (~SGD $27) where they brought us around to the most haunted parts of Dublin. It was pretty funny as I was the only Asian girl and the only one on her own. The Western tourists were being scared off their chairs and when they asked why wasn't I afraid, I replied with "Asian ghosts are scarier." Whoops. Though, I would recommend it for good acting, jump-scares and engaging stories!
Day Three: Connemara and Galway
Head to the West and your first stop will be the picturesque village of Cong - location for the Oscar winning "The Quiet Man". Visit beautiful abbeys and castles in this little village. I highly encourage talking a stroll along Cong Abbey.
Lough Corrib, a lake consisting of 356 little islands is another attraction that makes Cong gorgeous; I loved the little bubbling brooks and branches of trees gently skimming the surface of the water. You'll get to have lunch here. I would actually recommend for you to pack some food instead as there were only a handful of restaurants available and variety will be limited.
After Lough Corrib, make sure to stay awake because the whole drive until Galway will be the sights of Connemara. The desolate beauty was once ravaged by the 1847-1851 potato famine and multiple diseases, so you'll spot many famine houses along the way. Our guide told us that if a family member was diagnosed with a disease such as smallpox, the whole family will be quarantined. And by quarantined, some families were locked in their house with their windows and doors all sealed up, leaving them for x amount of days. And most either succumbed to the disease or starved to death inside. Harsh. Also, spot the Leprechaun house along Bog Road.
Once home to Christopher Columbus, Galway is Ireland's traditional capital and has a calendar packed full with festivals! The beautiful area of Ireland has plenty to do and see. Galway Theatre, Galway Cathedral and the colourful Shop Street are just some of the possible places to visit! I would grab an early dinner or snack here as the tour would only reach Dublin at about 8:30pm.
Day 4: Cliff of Moher
My personal favourite! Whenever I get a question as to where should one visit in Ireland, I'll answer with Cliffs of Moher immediately. I am absolutely in love with this place. But then again I have always been a cliffs person.
For this tour, you'll visit Kinvara, a small picturesque coastal village. Known for being an ancient fishing village, start your morning admiring the harbor and fishing boats before enjoying the drive along the Wild Atlantic Coast. The dramatic 2,600 kilometers drive is actually the world's longest defined coastal driving route. Admire the breathtaking scenery and take pictures at the Baby Cliffs, and have lunch at Doolin.
Finally, the highlight of the day: The Cliffs of Moher. The sea cliffs, at the Burren region in County Clare, reach a maximum height of 214 meters. I got to spend about an hour and forty minutes here, good enough for a short hike up one end of the cliffs. I managed to go beyond the official pathway and had extra time to check out the exhibit in the visitor center as well. You can hike up the left or right side of the cliffs with the stipulated time given. (I went for the right side.)
To get a better view, you will definitely have to go beyond the protected pathway. Be careful though, the weather is rather unpredictable and there are no barriers/fencing/proper handrails. Half way through my mini hike, it started raining and hailing. The dirt paths were muddy and slippery. I did, in fact, lost my balance pretty near the edge. Oops. Heavy fog is also common in areas further away from the visitor center. The center made sure to place plenty of warning signs around as well.
TLDR: Don't miss this out, go beyond the protected path, wear proper shoes, don't die and be in the moment. Because the views are definitely awe-inspiring and this is coming from someone who does not get impressed often!
Day 5: Giant's Causeway or Ciao Ireland!
I did not have sufficient time to do another day tour as I had underestimated the number of days required to travel around Ireland. I would definitely visit the Giant's Causeway should I had time or even extend a couple more days to venture to Cork, Ring of Kerry and Northern Ireland, Belfast. Yet, on the bright it would means that I'm sure to come back!
P.S: Before leaving Dublin, grab an Irish Breakfast or another quick donut at Rolling Donut (I'm biased because you donut leave Dublin without a Rolling Donut hurhur.)
Solo Scorecard - 2 (1 - Perfect for Solo Travelling, 5 - Would not recommend for solo travellers)
No language barriers for fellow English speakers in this safe country with friendly locals. There are day trips for those who do not drive thus it is easy to still enjoy the beauty of Ireland. Yet, having a car and friends to do a road trip would be the best way to take in this scenic country.
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