‘Twas the night before port and all through the ship, visions of shamrocks danced through our heads.
I don’t think I could have possibly been more excited for Ireland than I was. I had already been trying to figure out how and when I was going to go back before I even left the first time. I’m not sure what it was about the country- the people, the countryside, the culture, or a mix of everything- but something about it just felt right…I felt like I belonged. I absolutely fell in love. And I was so beyond happy to be going back again. I had such high hopes for this port, and, as expected, it lived up to everything.
Our first day was incredible. I was BURSTING with excitement (literally jumping up and down). Me, Dani, Kait, one of Kait’s friends, Emily, Ashley, Shari, and their friend Matt all headed out to Howth Head for a day of hiking. Howth is one of the islands off the coast of Ireland that is just south of Dublin. There are four different trails you can take that vary in length and take you around the coastline and then cut back up through the middle of the island. We decided we wanted to be out there for the whole day, so we started on the longest trail- a full 10km. The trails start off together by heading up to the cliffs and follow them around. Our group quickly split up so we could all go at the pace we wanted. I was glad that we did because almost immediately, we veered off the path to explore the cliffs. Dani, Ashley, Emily and I went off on other beaten paths, climbed some of the cliffs, and just sat and looked out over the ocean. We had so much fun and it was so beautiful. The flowers were just nearing the end of their season, so there was still so much color in the fields that really popped from the green landscape. It still continues to amaze me just how colorful this country is. We eventually started back on the path, but made MANY stops along the way. There were wild blackberries growing in bushes along the path that we stopped to pick, and we explored a few beaches we stumbled upon along the way, spending so much time looking for shells and seaglass. We were supposed to meet up with the other group at 3:30, but we didn’t finish our hike until closer to 5:30. We had hoped they decided to just leave since we were late, and fortunately they weren’t there when we did get to the meeting point. So, we decided to wander around the town for a bit and go to dinner along the dock. We found a market that sold some gluten-free goods, so Ashley and I got pasta and fudge. We then found a restaurant called the Brass Monkey. We looked at the menu outside, and the entire menu marked which items were gluten-free! It was a little more money than we usually like to pay, but my friends felt so bad that we never eat at places I can actually eat at that we just went for it. And it was amazing. I had incredible seafood chowder that came with gluten-free bread!! I also had BBQ shortribs that were quite good. I spent way more money than I had hoped to for dinner, but it was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had since leaving home. Between the huge meal and the exhausting hike, we were struggling to stay awake on the train. We didn’t want to go out, but we also didn’t want to miss having a drink on our first night in Ireland either. So, before we got to the ship, showered, and got settled, we decided to just stay out while we still had some energy left in us. Fortunately, there was a bar right next to the train station that was open, so we headed straight there. During my last time here, I fell in love with this one particular local cider, and unlike other English ciders, I’ve never been able to find it in the U.S. I was SO looking forward to having it again in Ireland, and I FINALLY got it! It was just as good as I remembered! It was the perfect end to a great day.
The second day was the beginning of one of the best trips I’ve had on this voyage so far. Dani and I decided that we wanted to try hitchhiking to Cork with Jillian. We had a rough start in the morning, however, and nothing went to plan. By the time we figured out where to go and how to get there to even START hitchhiking, it was already late morning. We went to the bus station to check out whether we could take one as a back up plan, and we discovered we could get them for very cheap. Dani and I not only wanted to hitchhike, but we also wanted to actually see Cork and Blarney, so we decided it would be a good idea to just take a bus up. Jillian ended up deciding not to come and headed out on her own. Dani and I caught the next bus, and three hours later, we were in Cork!! When we pulled into the station, we saw that there was a bus leaving for Blarney almost immediately, so we hopped on!
Blarney is your quintessential small Irish town…the little we walked through was so cute. As with every other place, I really wish we had more time to spend there than we did! We made our way to Blarney Castle and it was absolutely beautiful. The layout was a little different than I expected (although I don’t really know what EXACTLY I expected either). There is one steep and winding staircase that leads you up through the different rooms of the castle to the top, where the Blarney Stone rests. Kissing the stone blesses the kisser with the gift of eloquence. In years past, visitors just bent over backwards across a gap between the inner and outer walls to kiss the stone that lies on the opposite wall. Now, however, there is a man there who helps you lean over, and there are bars on the outer wall that you grab to support yourself as well. It was so much fun!! We were even allowed to take pictures because no one else was there (usually you have to buy the pictures that they take themselves). Unfortunately, because we got such a later start that we had hoped, we didn’t get to Blarney until about an hour and a half before the castle grounds closed, so we only had about 45 minutes left to explore. We headed over to the “Poison Garden”, which is home to dozens of weeds and plants that are either poisonous or detrimental to your health. It was so interesting! They had everything from poison ivy, to wolfsbane, to marijuana. While we were walking around, we met an older couple from New Zealand who told us all about the holiday they were taking. They were nearing the end of it and had been to nearly ten countries already!! It was so great to talk to them…they were SO sweet! I had mentioned that I couldn’t wait to go to New Zealand and Australia, and they gave me their e-mail address so I could let them know when I finally make it out there so I can stay with them!! They host travelers all the time and live in an absolutely beautiful area, so it is a great connection to have. We still had so much more that we wanted to see, but there was no way we could spare any more of our following day.
We bid adieu to the castle and made our way back into town for dinner at a pub we passed. It was another gluten-free friendly establishment! I was able to have pot roast with vegetables, mashed potatoes, AND gravy (with a side of STRONG Irish coffee!). It was AMAZING. After dinner, we headed back out on the road.
I had a contact in Ireland who offered to let us stay with him for the night. He told us to meet him at a pub called An Spailpin Fanac. The inside of the pub was what you would imagine if you were told to think of a typical Irish pub. It was a bunch of locals drinking beer and listening to trad music. We found Peter and joined him and his two friends. They had a front row seat to the sessiun going on, and it was one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had out. The Bulmers was cheap and the music was amazing. There was one guy in particular who was like a real life Gerard Butler from P.S. I Love You. He was GORGEOUS and had an absolutely beautiful voice. He sang one song I fell in love with, although I haven’t had any time on the Internet to look it up. Once I get home, I need to spend time and download every Irish trad song ever made- I absolutely love it all! We were there until the bartender had to physically kick us out…no one was even drinking anymore, they just wanted to listen to the band play. When she wouldn’t let them play any more songs, they continued it out on the streets. We wanted to go so badly (especially since some of the band members had actually talked to us and wanted to get to know us), but Peter and his friends were ready to go to bed.
The next morning, we woke up to coffee and breakfast that Peter made and we all ate together before we went our separate ways. He lived on the outskirts of downtown, so we had about a twenty-minute walk to get where we wanted to go. We spent the remainder of the morning and the beginning of the afternoon exploring a few of the sights within Cork that we wanted to see. We wanted to make sure we got back to Dublin in time to go on a pub-crawl that night, so we took a fairly early bus back. We were so exhausted, though, that by the time we got back, I decided to take a nap instead of heading out early. We did end up going out, but it didn’t live up to my expectations at all. Between my last time in Dublin and the night we had the previous night, I expected to have an amazing time. ESPECIALLY since Dublin won the big hurling match that afternoon. Because it was such a big night of celebration, however, most bars weren’t letting people under 21 in. We finally found a place that everyone could get into, and it seemed like it would be okay. The drinks were exorbitantly priced, though (especially in comparison to what we were paying last night), and there weren’t a lot of people our age there. On the bright side, I don’t think I would have had energy to have a crazy night out, so it ended up being okay.
The last day I spent showing Dani around Dublin. We were going to go on the tour, but I had already done it and we didn’t have time to do that AND get internet before we had to make Eddie time. Instead, I brought her to all my favorite spots from the tour. We also got to do things I didn’t have time to do my last time there, such as going inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, going to a service in Christ Church Cathedral, and have a mini picnic lunch in St. Stephen’s Green. It was great seeing Dublin again, especially since it was so warm (my last time there was FREEZING!).
I couldn’t have asked for a better time in Ireland. Our night out in Dublin wasn’t ideal, but few things will compare to my first time there. Hiking Howth was amazing and Cork was such a crazy adventure. My love for Ireland just continues to grow, and I’m even more determined than ever to make sure I spend some time living there.
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