Howth, Ireland is located a mere 12 miles from Dublin on a peninsula just north of the city, but it feels worlds away. Howth is most known for its seaside Cliff Walk and piers which are home to the many fishmongers who call Howth their home port. Howth was my destination for the day and was perfect for a half-day trip outside of Dublin.
I spent the day today in Dublin, learning about scholars and prisoners, and of course doing a lot of walking and sightseeing along the way.
Welcome to Ireland! This is both my second trip to the Emerald Isle and a rather spontaneous trip, having only booked my flights about three weeks ago. I didn’t have time to plan a big trip this summer, nor did I really feel like that this year. Since I’ve been to Ireland before and done a road trip around the country, I knew the pressure would be off to try to see and do everything. I am staying in Dublin for six nights and plan a couple of days in the city and a few day trips out of the city.
2,317 kilometers (1,439 miles) driven, 1,849 pictures taken, 15 days of traveling, and 1 happy-to-be-home traveler.
The “going home day”. I’ll admit I’ve been thinking about home for several days now, wanting to be in familiar surroundings, but at the same time not wanting vacation to end. I woke up this morning to sun in Ireland, and felt a little sad to be leaving. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for two weeks. Things I did on my first couple of days feel like a distant memory already. But I’m also very ready to be home. I repacked my suitcase last night, which was no small feat. Zipping it closed this morning was a small miracle!
Well, the weather miraculously cleared up for one last day in Ireland. My plan today was to visit Connemara, an area west of Galway known for it’s more rugged beauty. Connemara is also one of the areas of Ireland which retains the Irish language; all road signs are in Irish only. I set off relatively early from Galway along the coastal route and stopped first at the Spiddal Craft Village. The village is several individual vendors set up in little shops around a small common area. I didn’t end up buying anything, but it was fun to browse the jewelry, artwork, and other local handcrafts.
Here are the things I miss about home today: sleeping in my own bed, knowing where everything is when I need it, buying, cooking, and eating my own food, and driving my own car on the right-hand side of the road. And here are the things I love about Ireland: the people, the history, the incredibly picturesque landscapes, and the music. I’m heading home in two days, and part of me wants to leave now and part of me wants to stay here (or at least take Ireland home with me!). There are some vacations where I want to soak everything in because I don’t know that I’ll ever be back (the Cotswolds is a recent example of that). There are other places I’ve traveled to where I absolutely know I will be back (I had that feeling on my first visit to Turks and Caicos and returned a year later). Ireland definitely falls into the latter category: I will definitely be back.
Today I visited my ancestral hometown of Cahersherkin in County Clare, near Ennistymon. I wish I could say I met some long-lost distant cousins, but that didn’t happen. I did visit two cemeteries where Shannons and Finucanes are buried (both family names). In fact, Cahersherkin is more like an area, not an actual town.
I asked a gentleman walking on the road if I was going in the right direction and he pointed down the street and told me it was at the crossroads. The crossroads were two single lane roads through the local farmland. I didn’t feel any strong pull telling me that this was home, but it was very neat to see. I kept thinking that my ancestors could have helped to build the stone walls and buildings I was driving by.
“When life gives you lemons….” Once again, I woke up to cloudy skies and the threat of rain. I determined to make the best of what is becoming a common theme the last few days. I set off from Killarney after breakfast heading toward the Dingle Peninsula. Known as another lesser-visited area, the Dingle Peninsula is the northernmost of the southwest peninsulas heading up the west coast of Ireland. It wasn’t long before I hit Inch Beach. I was determined to put my feet in this side of the Atlantic Ocean, and this seemed like as good a place as any to do it. You might expect the Irish waters to be cold, but compared to Massachusetts, it wasn’t shocking. I met a gentleman walking his dog on the beach and he said this weather is not what summer in Ireland is typically like.
Can we just talk about Irish dairy for a minute? Every single dairy product I’ve had on this trip has been so creamy and fresh! The cream, the butter, the ice cream… so good! On my mental shopping list for the day I get home, I’ve already added Irish butter and cheese. I’m probably thinking about dairy tonight because (a) I’m hungry and (b) I had the world’s best soft serve ice cream cone this afternoon.
Traveling with Laura 