Ireland

Departure from Pisa in July 2010 with a direct Ryanair flight. We booked only the first night at the Bewleys Hotel Dublin Airport: excellent international hotel with wifi service and super breakfast! For the rest of the trip we will rely on the many bed and breakfasts with which Ireland is teeming. There are three of us, me, my sister and Alessio. The next day we go to the airport to rent a VW Polo. We head south into the interior through very green countryside and beautiful landscapes. We cross the Wicklow Mountains park and stop at Glendalough, a village that lies near the site of an ancient monastery. We set off again southwards, always following secondary roads that never disappoint as far as landscapes go. We arrive in a small town with a very wide beach: Tramore. There we stay in a B&B “The Gallery Church” (rd Tramore, Co. Waterford) very nice. Located in front of a little church.

The next day we move east to Killarney, following the coast road where possible. Along the way we stop in Cork for a visit to the city and a good Irish coffee in the central pub where they tell us they serve the best in the city. We visit the English Market, a covered fruit and vegetable market. We set off again and reach Killarney around 18:00 in time to find a nice B&B, the Oak Lawn House. The evening is dedicated to the very touristy town. The next morning we set off to drive the “Ring of Kerry”, a sort of road ring that takes us to visit the Muckross House, an imposing Elizabethan residence overlooking the lakes. There we visit the sumptuous gardens and the Muckross farm, a sort of farmhouse from another era with cottages and stables inhabited by lots of animals, horses, pigs, hens.

We drive the “Ring of Kerry”, very beautiful, and subsequently arrive at Dingle with rather damp weather. We look for a B&B and off we go to visit the town, which lies on a bay famous for a dolphin permanently resident here. Fungie. In the evening we dine at “An Droichead Beag”, a nice characteristic pub where they play live Gaelic music. Unfortunately the next day we have no time to dedicate to the Dingle peninsula because we want to go to Galway and visit the city calmly. To get to Galway we pass near Limerick and here I can't help but think of a beautiful book titled “Angela's Ashes” by Frank McCourt. It is a book set in these areas between 1850 and 1900, it describes the great poverty and famine that struck the Irish and forced them into mass emigration to the USA and Australia. A book I invite you to read to get to know this country.

Galway is a small town with a centre very crowded with pubs and young people. Overall it is the city of those visited that I liked a little less, though I can't say why: it is on the sea, good tourist facilities. We set off again the next day towards Dublin. Unfortunately we no longer have time to visit the rest of the country. We will reserve the last days for the capital. Before heading to Dublin we cannot fail to drive the road that circles Connemara. This is a park where the peat bogs alternate between lakes and mountains. The typical and fascinating landscape of “green Ireland”. In Dublin we settle into a hotel in the centre after leaving the car at the airport. We take the City Sight bus for a panoramic tour. We discover an immense garden near Dublin, Phoenix Park. The bus also takes us around in front of the famous Guinness brewery which can be visited.

The city is absolutely full of young people, street artists who perform even with excellent quality of music. It is no wonder that the cradle of so many artists is right here. This is just a taste of the trip. A great part of this island was not visited. A return is necessary, thanks also to the friendliness of the people who are very warm and not at all distrustful. Curiosity: it seems that in Ireland there are no snakes. According to a legend it was St Patrick, patron of the island, who drove them out. This makes this island in my eyes....fantastic!