Ireland - 2 Weeks

We celebrated my Mom’s 65th birthday by visiting Ireland in December 2024 for 2 weeks during December. Ireland treated us well and is full of breath taking sights, wonderful people, and much to our surprise, good food! While our itinerary allowed us to visit a wide range of Ireland, I recommend at least 2 or 3 days in each location to take in the experience without being rushed or exhausted. Winter robs the daylight in Ireland, so prepare to start your days early to capture as much daylight as possible (about 7hrs of daylight). We were limited with time and experiences, below is our itinerary and recommendations from our 11 day trip.

DUBLIN - 2 Nights

We stayed at the Premier Suites centrally located, it offers apartment style accommodations with full kitchen including laundry. We wanted to stay away from the touristy area (Temple Bar), and go for a more local vibe. The accommodation is close to St. Stephens Green Park, walkable to the trolley station, restaurants, pubs, grocery stores.

Recommendations:

• John Kehoe’s Pub - authentic Irish pub experience, when we visited it was packaged shoulder to shoulder, try to go earlier in day to avoid crowds

• Toners Pub - authentic Irish pub that was close to our accommodation

• Guinness Brewery - offers a self guided walking tour, and a 360 roof top bar offerings views of Dublin and surrounding countryside.

ATHLONE - 1 Night

We traveled by train from Dublin (about 1hr 20mins) and stayed at the Radisson Blue located directly on the River Shannon. The next day we rented a car from Enterprise, and drove the rest of the trip. Being from the States, it was a bit daunting driving on the right side of the road, however if you are comfortable driving on rural backroads in America then you will be fine. Just take your time and pull over if you need to let drivers pass.

• Recommendations:

  • Gerties Browne’s - great food and atmosphere, very old building with lots of history

  • Sean’s Bar - the oldest continually operated bar in the world, grab you a pint and admire the history

LAHINCH - 1 Night

We woke up early and traveled by rental car to the little town of Doolin, just outside the Cliffs of Moher. We ate at Gus O’Connors Pub and had the Fish & Chips, best we had the entire trip. After lunch we visited the Cliffs of Moher, and experienced its awe with amazing views of the Atlantic. From there, we drove to the town of Lahinch (about 30min drive) which is actually the Surfing Capital of Europe. We stayed at the Shamrock Hotel, which is was nice and cozy and offered views of the ocean from our 3rd floor rooms.

• Recommendations:

  • Kenny’s Bar - known for their live music scenes, unfortunately there wasn’t any the night we visited since it was low season.

  • Lahinch Viewpoint - offers fantastic views of the town and coastline

  • Shamrock Hotel - cozy hotel with friendly helpful staff, features a bar/restaurant, nice size rooms and views.

DINGLE - 2 Nights

The next morning we drove to the ferry at Killimer to save us drive time on our way to Dingle. Highly recommend to come in through Connor’s Pass to take in the sights before heading down into the town of Dingle. We stayed at The Haven, a house accommodation walkable to the town (5-8min walk) and located across the harbor. Dingle is a lovely town with many shops, restaurants and pubs. One of our favorite towns from the trip.

• Recommendations:

  • Murphy’s Pub - great seafood chowder

  • Foxy Johns - a unique storefront, as it is both a hardware store and pub. Pub on one side and hardware on the other. Rosie the owner’s dog is a sweetheart and loves to play fetch with wood sticks.

  • Fish Box - great seafood restaurant offering fresh seafood choices

  • Neligan’s Bar - wonderful pub offering live music and great place to chat with the locals over a pint

KILLARNEY - 2 Nights

We stayed at Park Place Apartments, offering a full kitchen, washing machine/dryer combo, and free underground parking. Walkable to everything in town, and a 6min drive to Ross Castle. We arrived just after the Christmas Markets were finishing up, but there is a lot to explore in this town with lots of shops, pubs, and restaurants.

• Recommendations:

  • JM Reidy’s - restaurant/bar serving lunch and dinner

  • Khao Thai - great thai restaurant when wanting to switch up cuisine during the trip

  • Jack C’s - local hangout that is snug and cozy

  • Hussey’s Bar - a local favorite pub

GAP OF DUNLOE - 2 Nights

We stayed in a cottage located in the Gap of Dunloe, outside of Killarney (about 30-40min drive). This part of the country felt like a different world, being somewhat isolated it offered a peaceful atmosphere with mountainous views as we started to arrive towards the end of our trip. Being an outdoor enthusiast, this region was my favorite and offers many different hiking trails through the mountains, however many of the trails were closed to prevent erosion when we were visiting. We instead hiked the road, and explored old abandoned stone houses, lakes, and hiked as far as we could until the wind and rain prevented us from proceeding.

• Recommendations:

  • Kate Kearney’s Cottage - located at the entrance of the Gap, offering a cozy restaurant atmosphere with hot food and cold drinks. (About a 30min walk or 5min drive from our cottage)

DUBLIN- 1 Night

From the Gap of Dunloe, it is about a 4hr drive back to Dublin. We stayed at the Clayton Hotel near the airport, offering a free shuttle service with stay. Great hotel offering comfy rooms, friendly staff, and a pleasant bar/restaurant.