Here I am...finally!

Apologies for the delay in posting. We are back in the land of normality…at least for a few weeks anyway but we came home to house guests and life has been way too busy for true comfort or blogging.

Ireland was great….a truly beautiful country and I’m so glad we finally made it there.
It wasn’t the easiest holiday we’ve ever done but that was mostly us rather than the destination. Things were very hectic before we left and it took us a long time to relax and begin to enjoy ourselves properly. There’s a lot to share but I’ll do it over the next few weeks rather than in one 952 page blog post! First Ireland I think and the last week or so of our trip.

From Dunfanghy we moved south through the gorgeous scenery of Glencolumbcille and from there on to the charming tows of Sligo, one of our favourite places of the trip. We checked out Knocknarea Cairn where Queen Maeve is said to be buried standing upright with her sword in her hand. We wandered around the Connemara national Park for a bit before heading for Galway where we sat ourselves down in a pub and spent the night listening to music, chatting and drinking…well…when in rome!
The Burren was great with loads to see. We went into the Aillwee caves, visited all the forts and ruins we could find and still found time to comb the beaches.
Dingle was one of our favourite peninsulas with so much to see and all surrounded by stunning scenery. And despite the other travellers around we never once felt crowded or ‘touristy’.
Cork was a city we’d like to go back to (and are thinking about a long weekend very seriously). Great atmosphere, great shopping, great music and overall just a really good vibe to the place.
Ventured down to Kilmore Quay where we had the best food of the trip…lovely monkfish at “the wooden house”. And then up to Glendalough where we spent our last day wandering around the monastic city and national park before making our way back to Dublin.

We found some of the best spots by doing a little research beforehand and doing a little exploring on the day. I have to say I found most of the ‘big’ touristy sights to be a disappointment but then I do like to get off the beaten track and I’m not at all saying they weren’t worth seeing…just that they weren’t as special or as impressive as I’d thought they might be. Still…that’s just my personal opinion and I think it depends on what you’re looking for too.
Overall it was a great holiday and I’d definitely encourage everyone who can to go over there. The people are friendly, the food great and the scenery and sights amazing…more about some of the highlights in a day or so.