Did we save the best for last? Well, it probably depends on who you ask, but some would say that we did. When (my sister-in-law) Amy and I were making trip plans, this was one of the first things we decided on (and we booked early, as well). We liked that Corrib Cruises offered a trip that […]
Beaches, Sheep, and a Dog Named Jim: Exploring Connemara with Kids and Teens
Travel dates: June, 2019 I wasn’t prepared for how lovely Irish beaches are. I really have no one to blame for this but myself, since there are pictures on the internet and everything. I had it in my head that they’d likely resemble the rocky coasts of Maine or Atlantic Canada. And, don’t get me […]
A Day on Inisheer: Exploring Ireland with Kids and Teens
Going to Inisheer or Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, was not in our plans originally. But we found ourselves in Connemara with a free day, looked into the logistics, and decided it was a reasonable day trip. Also, we’d missed out on seeing the Cliffs of Moher the day we drove up […]
Wandering Around Galway with Kids and Teens
I was a little flummoxed by the lack of things to do in Galway during the planning stage of our trip. While Dublin was full of art galleries and museums of all sorts, tours, cathedrals, historic sites, Galway seemed to mostly have pubs and quaint medieval streets. I kept thinking I must be missing something, but, after […]
Things to Do in and around Oughterard: Exploring Connemara with Kids and Teens
I started this post back…..before. No one’s going to any pubs in Oughterard anytime soon as I write this. But, I mean, what better time to reflect back on travels past and look forward to a time when it can safely happen again, right? travel dates: June 2019 In all of our Ireland planning, I don’t think any […]
Exploring Killarney National Park, Part 2: Islands, Waterfalls, and Scary Roads
Travel dates: June 21-22, 2019 Killarney, Part 1 here “How many do you have?” asked the boat skipper outside Ross Castle, where we were hoping to catch a ride across the lake to Innisfallen. When we told him there were ten of us, he nodded and said, “I’m licensed for ten.” We climbed aboard and […]
Exploring Killarney National Park with Kids and Teens, Part One: Ruins and Farms
When we checked in to our hotel in Killarney, the woman at reception asked where we were coming from and, when we told her Dublin, said, “oh, you HAVE come a long way!” It is less than 200 miles from Dublin to Killarney….about a three and a half hour drive. The perception of scale is […]
Afternoon in Adare, Ireland: Our First Castle!
Travel date: June 19, 2019 One of the things I miss about RV-less road trips is being able to stop easily to see things along the way. We’ve done some of this with the trailer, but between finding parking and worrying about leaving the dogs, it just doesn’t happen all that often. So we made […]
Two Days in Dublin with Kids and Teens
Travel dates: June 16-19, 2019 Everything I read about Ireland before our trip cautioned me against devoting too much time to Dublin. And, honestly, a quick poll of my family puts Dublin in last place out of our six England/Ireland stops on the trip. But in looking back over our time in Dublin to put […]
Planning a First Trip to Ireland with Kids and Teens: Our Two Week Itinerary
Travel dates: June 16-30, 2019 Hey, I finally get to talk about Ireland! The Ireland part of our trip was a little more challenging to plan than the England part. It was, for one thing, a bit longer at 14 days versus 10, and it also involved more people, specifically Dave’s sister and her family […]