The Sky of Ireland

The story · 10 days

"The sky of Ireland is an ocean of clouds and light The sky of Ireland is a carpet that runs fast The sky of Ireland has your eyes if you look up there It drowns you in green and covers you in blue It covers you in green and drowns you in blue The sky of Ireland feeds on moss and wool The sky of Ireland combs the moon's hair The sky of Ireland is a flock grazing in the sky It gets drunk on stars at night and the morning is light It gets drunk on stars and the morning is light From Donegal to the Aran Islands And from Dublin all the way to Connemara Wherever you're travelling, with gypsies or kings The sky of Ireland moves with you The sky of Ireland is inside you The sky of Ireland is a huge rain hat The sky of Ireland is a child sleeping on the beach The sky of Ireland sometimes makes the world in black and white But after a moment it makes the colours shine more than real But after a mo

ment it makes them shine more than real The sky of Ireland is a woman who often changes her mood The sky of Ireland is a skirt spinning in the sun The sky of Ireland is God playing the accordion It opens and closes with the rhythm of the music."

Fiorella Mannoia M. Bubola

The sky of Ireland was merciful with us and granted us 10 days of acceptable weather and an almost total absence of rain.

We set off from Milan-Linate on 5 August with a direct Aer Lingus flight booked online months in advance (but at a good price). We left the car in a car park outside the airport but connected to it by a convenient shuttle service, and we land in Dublin right on time. We have some difficulty finding the place to collect our rental car, booked with Hertz through a travel agency. After long wandering around the airport, we're handed the keys and can thus begin our do-it-yourself tour.

Preparing our trip took months of study, consulting various travel guides and websites. A point in our favour was the fact that Max had already been to Ireland a few years earlier, so his experience came in handy. However, our most precious source was the Mondadori Guide, very complete and beautifully presented. The bed and breakfasts, on the other hand, were booked by email, after carefully visiting the relevant websites found through various search engines. When choosing, it's essential to assess the distance from the centre, favouring perhaps those with a pleasant look and welcoming rooms (at least this is our yardstick, and we were almost never wrong).

Day 15 Aug 2005

Dublin

As soon as we land, we head to Malahide Castle, located a few km from Dublin airport. The castle is set in a large park and the furnished interiors can be visited.

We then head to the centre of Dublin in search of our accommodation (O'Neills), located above the pub of the same name. We have parking problems as the paid ones are extremely expensive (considering we have to stay 2 days). So we opt for an on-street parking space regulated by a timed parking meter (limited to daytime hours and weekdays only), which however forces us to renew the ticket every 3 hours.

The b&b has a terrible value-for-money ratio. The excessive cost is perhaps due to its privileged location, near Trinity College. We start visiting the city beginning with Grafton Street, a long pedestrian street with lots of shops, then move to the Temple Bar area, full of colourful venues where you can drink and listen to live music. Careful: if you want to have dinner in a pub, remember that these serve food only until a certain time (often only until the afternoon). From 7 p.m. onwards, many places serve only and exclusively drinks.

Day 26 Aug 2005

Dublin

After the first of a long series of Irish breakfasts (typical Irish breakfast consisting of: egg, bacon, sausages, tomato, black pudding, toasted bread or alternatively a continental breakfast for those who want it), we begin our sightseeing programme. At Trinity College it's possible, after a long queue, to visit the Old Library. Careful: you visit a single large room and the cost is EUR 7.50 per person.

Cheaper and more satisfying is the visit to Dublin Castle.

Free, however, is the visit to the famous reading room at the National Library. The main street for shopping and strolling is Grafton Street (quite characteristic) or O'Connell Street (more modern), which is on the other side of the River Liffey, perhaps crossing the Ha'penny Bridge. We also recommend a stop at the characteristic Powerscourt Centre (architecturally interesting), located on a side street off Grafton Street. Dinner in Temple Bar and after dinner in one of the most beautiful pubs in the area (Oliver St. John Gogarty's), with live music.

Day 37 Aug 2005

Powerscourt, Kilkenny

A definite negative is the fact that our Dublin B&b serves breakfast from 9 o'clock and this delays our schedule. First stop of the day is Powerscourt: beautiful gardens south of Dublin (admission ticket EUR 7.00). Pleasant visit to the visitor centre shops.

We then set off towards Kilkenny, a lovely town with colourful shops and a splendid castle in the centre of a large park. The visit to the castle takes quite a long time (in fact the guide rambles on excessively).

The B&b (Fanad House) is a 10-minute walk from the centre. It's a fairly new guest house with large rooms and bathrooms; service a bit slow at breakfast. The prices of B&bs in Kilkenny, as indeed in Dublin, are quite high. In the rest of Ireland, however, they'll cost exactly half.

Day 48 Aug 2005

Cahir, Youghal, Cobh, Kinsale

A technical stop at Cahir where there's the ruin of a castle situated on a river.

Lunch stop at Youghal, a colourful coastal village with a characteristic clock tower and a long street with a shop. We then continue to Cobh, a seaside resort famous for having been the Titanic's last port of call, and finally head for Kinsale, where we'll stay overnight.

Kinsale is a colourful seaside village, with lots of venues. We choose a restaurant where we have dinner with a fish menu and, for after dinner, a large and distinctive pub, where there's live music.

The B&b (Ashgrove) is a lovely little house a 10-minute walk from the centre. The cost is reasonable and the service quite careful.

Day 59 Aug 2005

Clonakilty, Baltimore, Bantry

We drive along the coastal road, stopping at Clonakilty. We also pass through Baltimore but it's not worth it.

We then reach Bantry, where we'll stay overnight. First of all we visit the beautiful Bantry House, a period residence with very fine furnishings. We also have lunch in the attached Tea Room, with tea and a giant slice of cake. We then go into the centre of Bantry where, however, there are no tourists and few shops, and we thus realise that it's a town with little tourism.

The b&b is a terraced house a bit outside the centre (Leyton B & b). We decide, accordingly, to go out by car for dinner, choosing a restaurant in the centre.

Day 610 Aug 2005

Kenmare, Killarney, Dingle

First stop at Kenmare, where we linger in the souvenir shops, then heading for Killarney, strictly taking the scenic road that crosses the National Park. Here we admire the most beautiful views of all, made up of lakes and mountains. We visit Muckross House (a residence on the lakeshore and home to the national park's Visitor Center). From here there are also horse-drawn carriage trips around the park, though rather expensive (about EUR 30 for a 45-minute ride). We also visit the busy centre of Killarney (unlike Bantry it's excessively touristy) and then head for Dingle, where we'll stay overnight.

Dingle is a colourful seaside resort, located on the peninsula of the same name. Our b&b, Murphy, located next to the pub of the same name, is modest accommodation but convenient as it's right in front of the harbour. The evening stroll along the port's long pier is beautiful and very romantic.

Day 711 Aug 2005

Adare, Bunratty Castle and Folk park, Knappogue Castle, Ennis

We leave Dingle and stop at Adare where there are characteristic thatched-roof cottages. Indeed, the whole centre is quite lovely and worth the stop.

We then visit Bunratty Castle, but perhaps, even more interesting, is the attached Folk Park. Don't let the high price put you off (EUR 12 per person for the castle + folk park); it's really worth it as long as you have enough time for the visit (about 2 hours).

Bunratty Castle has ancient rooms set in the towers; the Folk Park is a typical Irish village with interiors of houses, shops and various buildings, all open to visitors. There are even costumed characters to give a better idea. We then go to Knappogue Castle (here the visit is rather quick) and finally head towards the beautiful town of Ennis, where we'll stay overnight.

The centre of Ennis is truly pleasant, but, even more enjoyable, is the fabulous B&B (Lakeside Country Lodge) only 5 km from the centre of Ennis. It's a lovely country house located on the shore of a small lake, with lawns sloping down towards the water where sheep and horses graze freely. A friendly big white dog acts as our guide to reach the lake shore on foot. We can't describe the emotion we felt in the morning, as soon as we woke up, admiring the bucolic panorama from the large window of our beautiful room, with a lake view. The service is extremely careful and the price very reasonable.

Day 812 Aug 2005

Kilrush, Loop Head, Cliffs of Moher, Ballyvaughan, Kinvarra, Dunguaire Castle, Galway

We reluctantly leave the beautiful b&b in Ennis; we pass through Kilrush where we take the scenic road to reach the wild tip of Loop Head, where we admire the cliffs overlooking the sea and the lighthouse.

Next stop at the famous Cliffs of Moher, where we find a high concentration of tourists.

For the record, we inform you that it's no longer possible to access the terrace where people used to lie face down to admire the cliffs from above, but you must obligatorily take the scenic path set up for the purpose.

Lunch stop at Ballyvaughan, which is nothing special; it would have been better to stop at Kinvarra, a fishing village overlooking a small harbour with a view of Dunguaire Castle.

Dunguaire Castle is a 3-storey tower house where medieval dinners are held every evening. We then arrive in Galway, where we'll spend the night.

The visit to Galway is limited to a single long central street with lots of shops, street artists and historic pubs.

Galway is also the home of the famous Claddagh ring, an ancient engagement ring featuring 2 hands clasping a heart, topped by a crown. You can buy it in any jeweller's in Ireland (where it may even cost less than in Galway, from EUR 50 upwards, depending on carats and weight) and even at the airport, if you can't manage to get one as a gift before then (I managed it).

The B&b in Galway satisfies us very much, even though it's not right in the centre, which is anyway reachable on foot. It's called Petra House: here the service is rather refined and the host very friendly. Cost about average.

We have dinner in a distinctive restaurant specialising in fish, located on a side street off the main street, where you eat exclusively fish cooked practically before your eyes. Don't miss the oysters, the salmon and the mussels: here they have a truly special flavour.

After dinner in one of the city's historic pubs, The King's Head, located in a period building.

Day 913 Aug 2005

Galway - Dublin

We're at the last stretch. We get in the car to reach Dublin, where we'll catch our return flight.

The Galway-Dublin stretch is really uninteresting. We advise anyone undertaking this trip not to waste too much time on it. There's absolutely nothing to see here, and the few things listed in the guidebook are closed or can't be visited.

The only interesting place might be Newgrange: a Celtic tomb where we find a big, beautiful visitor center with all the tourists in the world. We can't visit anything because the first available tour slot involves about a 4-hour wait. So we settle for lunch at the well-stocked self-service and get back on the road toward our B&B in Dublin, Lorcarn Lodge, located a few minutes from the airport.

It's a charming little suburban house. The landlady recommends a fabulous pub for dinner (one of the most beautiful and elegant among those we've been to) located in the Dublin neighborhood of Santry.

Day 1014 Aug 2005

Back home

Waking up in the middle of the night because our flight leaves at 7. By 5 in the morning we're already at the airport, which is already packed at that hour. Return home without any problems.

At the end of the trip, we consider ourselves fully satisfied with the experience we've just had.

Below we list the costs incurred for the trip:

DIRECT ROUND-TRIP FLIGHT MILAN-DUBLIN approx. €250.00 per person CAR RENTAL, LOW CATEGORY (without A.C.) for 10 days: €500.00

AVERAGE COST OF A NIGHT IN A B&B €35.00 per person, breakfast included (excluding Dublin and Kilkenny where costs double)

AVERAGE COST OF A DINNER FOR 2 IN A PUB €35.00 (€50.00 in a restaurant)

AVERAGE COST OF ADMISSION TO A CASTLE/MUSEUM €5.00 per person

FUEL COST Slightly less than in Italy

COST OF 1 PINT OF BEER (Guinness) €4.00

USEFUL TIP: Power outlets in Ireland (as well as in Scotland) are different and have a different voltage. You need to buy a special adapter, otherwise you risk not being able to recharge your phone battery. The adapter is also sold in Italy, in the best-stocked electrical supply stores, or at the airport.