As a kid growing up, I remember my mom watching nothing but Western movies and being forced to watch them with her. Her favorite actor was John Wayne. I neither had any interest in Western movies or John Wayne.  However, as I grew older, that would change. One day she was watching her favorite movie, The Quiet Man.

A big departure from Westerns and other action-oriented films he was mostly known for. It stars John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and takes place in Ireland.

If there is one John Wayne movie to watch, this is the one I recommend watching. I am sure the locations that were shot in the film, further helped Ireland to become a tourist attraction. 

As I got older, my opinion of John Wayne and Western movies didn’t change. One day The Quiet Man was on again and my mom made the comment that she would someday like to visit. For her birthday, I decided to surprise her with a 4-day tour to Ireland.

Fast forward several years later, and my friend called and said she wanted to go to Ireland for her 35th birthday. Suddenly Ireland just became cool and I felt the need to go see what my mom saw those years ago.

It Took A Little Work To Get Across the Pond

Three American girls taking Ireland by storm. This could fun or a complete disaster. I didn’t know it was going to be a little work getting there first. 2 lost suitcases, 1 stolen phone charger, and 1 broken boot zipper. Glad I brought a carry-on and didn’t check it in. Check out my 12 Carry-on Bag Essentials for Air Travel to Any Destination blog post.

To my knowledge, there are no non-stop flights to Dublin, Ireland. We connected through Chicago’s O’Hare International airport and of course, our flight was canceled due to a snow storm going through the Midwest and stuck on the east coast. We wouldn’t fly out until the next day.

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All the kiosks and customer service desks were swamped with travelers trying to do the same thing we were trying to do, get out of the airport. Being the worldly traveler I was, there had to be another flight going to Ireland. While standing in line, my friend called the airline and explained the situation. 

The first option we were given was to fly to Newark and then continue on to Dublin. That meant losing two days. Next option was to fly from Chicago to London. The only adjustment we would have had to make was to reverse our travel itinerary.

That might not be so bad. Since the cancellation was no fault of our own, the customer service rep put us on a different airline carrier departing that evening. Ireland, here we come! 

Girl Power Mantra: The Wrong Side Of The Road, The Wrong Side Of The Road

We decided to rent a car to get around. We were all nervous but decided we would all take turns in this driving adventure.

In Ireland, they drive on the left side of the road. Oh and don’t forget about the many roundabouts. We had one minor snafu.

The GPS we were going to use, was in one of the girl’s suitcases which were still in Chicago waiting to depart for Dublin. Upon arrival, the airline is supposed to arrange delivery of the luggage to our accommodations. 

There was only one challenge. We had an aggressive itinerary in which every day we are staying in a different town. Guess we are going to have to go old school and get a map.

Luckily in Ireland, it is quite easy to get around. We all had our assigned roles.

The driver would drive and nothing else except take smoke breaks as needed in order to “keep calm and drive on”. 

The navigator aka backseat driver will read the map. Lastly, the driver’s right-hand girl in the passenger’s seat will help navigate, provide moral support, and not get us killed.

As the driver approached an intersection or roundabout the driver’s right-hand girl will say, “the wrong side of the road, the wrong side of the road.” This would eventually become our daily chant if you will. 

Our trip was scheduled for two weeks, but not all of it would be spent in Ireland. 

Day 1 – Waterford, Ireland

If you aren’t into spending New Year’s Eve in NYC standing outside in the cold all day wearing a diaper in Times Square and waiting for the ball to drop, I recommend adding a guided factory tour at the House of Waterford Crystal to the road trip itinerary.

Getting up a close with a Master Cutter who practices the ancient craft of mold making will make you feel like a VIP as you will learn first hand how those lovely Times Square Ball panels are made in great detail.

With a pub down the street and overnight stay at the Glasha Farmhouse, I felt fantastic. We arrived too late for dinner but were offered slices of toast with Irish butter and a bottle of red wine.

Can we say the best late-night snack ever? Thank goodness Kerrygold Irish butter has invaded every supermarket in the United States.

Waking up to the sound of cows is something I have never experienced before. Kind of therapeutic, yet not a normal occurrence for a city girl. I loved my stay so much that when the time comes to walk down the aisle, it will be in Ireland and hopefully on this property.

Day 2 – Cashel Ireland

On day 2, we toured the iconic Rock of Cashel with an overnight stay at the Spanish Arch Hotel in Galway. If you are looking to be the center of it all and soak up the Irish atmosphere with lots of live music, pubs, shopping, and nearby historic tourist attractions, the Spanish Arch Hotel is for you.

Situated in the center of Galway’s ‘Latin Quarter’ on Quay Street, the hotel bar serves great food and live music. It’s easy to hop from one pub to another and soak up the Irish atmosphere. Just a word of caution.

It gets a little noisy at night especially around 2 a.m. If you are a person who is a light sleeper, either request a room away from noise or bring your earplugs. 

Day 3 – County Clare, Ireland, and Bushmills, Northern Ireland

Cliffs of Moher is a great site to visit and easily can spend a couple of hours there as we did.  The view of the Atlantic Ocean is breathtaking. You can do some hiking, for a small fee, you can climb O’Brien’s tower. There is a small café to get food. Beware of birds. This is what happens when you feed the birds. It totally looked like something out of Alfred Hitchcock’s, Birds movie.

We stayed overnight at the Ballylinny Holiday Cottages. We went into town to a local grocery store and bought some food. It’s fun visiting a grocery store in another country and trying new things. Since we had a kitchen, we made a wonderful dinner and new discoveries. I have a new love for mushy peas and Irish butter.

Day 4 – Bushmills and Ballymoney, Northern Ireland

On the way to the Dark Hedges, you pass through multiple towns and it’s hard not to pull over and explore. Along the way we stopped and visited a church and cemetery. There was something about the drive that was romantically eerie, beautiful and haunting at the same time.

The Giants Causeway had some weird looking man-made structures. To find out 40,000 interlocking basalt columns were created as a result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. What wonderful creations Mother Nature makes.

It was starting to get dark and so we didn’t get a chance to see the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, but in talking with the locals, I recommend you try to squeeze it in if you can along with a tour of the Old Bushmills Distillery. I will have to save my whiskey tour for Dublin.

We stayed overnight at Kilronan Castle Estate & Spa.  It was a long day of travel and exploring. By the time we arrived, it was dark and the spa was closed. We made the most of it by going for a swim and enjoyed the sauna. The bar was comfortable in which you could lounge on couches enjoy a pint and some boar stew.

I am sure you are wondering what happened to our luggage. My friend kept calling the airline daily and that morning it had arrived in Dublin. We called our accommodation to let them know it was on its way and around what time we would be arriving. 

Luggage Arrived Just In Time

No sooner than an hour after arrival, the bags arrived.  That was cutting it close. The next day we were continuing on to Northern Ireland and then going our separate ways to Scotland, England and Wales. I am grateful for my carry-on.

I attempted to see if I could salvage my boot with the broken zipper and get it repaired. The staff was so professional in trying to find someone in town, but unfortunately, we had arrived after all the shops had closed. 

Running shoes it remains. Not only were my friends sick of my shoes, but I was sick of them poking fun. Next time I fly internationally, I will wear more comfortable shoes to accommodate my swollen feet so that they can come off and slip back on. In the morning, you can see the great landscape.  I could have used one more overnight to explore.

Read about my day 5-7 of my Irish adventure in Part 2: Unapologetically Cool: Taking Ireland by Storm.