Splendid lands of Ireland

The story

Travel itinerary:

17.08

AerLingus flight from Bologna to Dublin, where we arrive late in the evening in rainy, cool weather...except in the taxi, where the driver kept a tropical climate...how hot!!!

18.08 Dublin

A full day dedicated to visiting Dublin, from St. Stephen's Garden to Grafton Street, from Trinity College to the Liffey quays, from Temple Bar to the castle and the cathedrals, Catholic and Protestant. Evening in a pub-restaurant in Temple Bar. Dublin is a city full of life at every hour of day and night.

19.08 Boyne Valley and Belfast

We collect our hire car and head north towards Belfast; along the way we visit the Hill of Slane with its ruined monastery, the prehistoric site of Newgrange and Monasterboice, where some of the largest and best-preserved Celtic crosses are found. Arriving in Belfast before dinner we decide to take a walk around the centre; strange thing, especially as it's Saturday, there's no one about and a police car even stops us telling us to be careful not to keep our cameras too much on show. We also have trouble finding an open restaurant.

20.08 County Antrim

We leave Belfast without too much regret and head for the Antrim Coast; the first landscapes of true Ireland begin, helped by the fine day. After a stop at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge we reach the Giant's Causeway. The site with its structures created by a multitude of columnar basalts is truly interesting even if a little too crowded.

21.08 County Donegal

From Londonderry we cross the whole county of Donegal, a place truly out of this world — think that even today it isn't reached by train, and for kilometres you see no human settlement. We visit Glenveagh NP and the west coast.

22.08 Slieve League Cliffs

Although it's an almost autumnal day, raining and cold, we go to visit the highest cliffs in Europe, set in a splendid landscape plunging into the ocean and characterised by green meadows full of fuchsia heather and teeming sheep...a spectacle, even if the low clouds cover the upper portion of the cliffs. In the rainy afternoon we reach Galway, to which we dedicate the evening and where we drink our first real Irish coffee.

23.08 Connemara

In the morning we set off for the Connemara tour but the weather is grey, until around midday the sky becomes clear and free of clouds and a sun begins to shine that makes the colours strikingly vivid...we truly realise what the Irish sky is like with its sudden changes. We visit a few white little beaches with no living soul along the Mannin Bay and then drive the whole Sky Road, not to be missed on a day like this for the colours of the sea, of the meadows full of flowers and of the sky, and afterwards we visit Kylemore Abbey. On the way back to Galway we stop at Cong and visit Ross Errilly Abbey, a medieval abbey set in a landscape of green meadows dotted with sheep and cows that at sunset takes on splendid colours.

24.08 Cliffs of Moher and Burren

From Galway we move south and reach the Cliffs of Moher; leaning out over the ocean from the top of the cliffs is truly impressive, even if some points have been protected with railings and when we visited there was a building site open for the new visitor centre. Afterwards we visit the limestone region of the Burren and reach Kilkee for the night.

25.08 Dingle Peninsula

A day dedicated to visiting the Dingle Peninsula and in particular the Slea Head Drive, where beautiful views open over the ocean; you can also visit prehistoric settlements including the Gallarus Oratory.

26.08 Ring of Kerry

From Killarney we drive the whole Ring of Kerry; here too there are enchanting spots and striking stretches of scenery. We take a few hours of relaxation lying on a meadow on Valencia Island with a splendid view of the Skellig Islands.

27.08 Blarney Castle and Cashel

From Killarney we head south again and visit Blarney Castle, where in the castle surrounded by a lovely garden there's the stone that tradition says gives the gift of eloquence when you kiss it; from here we move to Cobh, a colourful seaside town, and then head back north, and after a short stop at Cahir we reach Cashel where we visit the Rock of St Patrick.

28.08 Adare and return to Dublin

Last day in Ireland; on the return route towards Dublin we make a detour to visit Adare, a village in medieval style with some houses featuring old thatched roofs, and Limerick, a small town with nothing special apart from the castle. We spend the last half-day in Dublin wandering around the centre.