A Week in Ireland: Dublin, Galway, Kinvara, & Cork
Dia dhuit! Ireland, the land of Guinness, leprechauns, shamrocks, and blarney. I was so excited for the last part of my Europe trip because I finally had the opportunity to see cousins who I hadn’t seen in forever, and I even got to meet some that I hadn’t met yet. Another major plus was that there were barely any tourists in Ireland, so that was a relief.
I could go on forever about Ireland and how much I loved the culture and food. Last semester I did a political essay on language policy. While I was supporting my topic, I learned a lot about Ireland’s preservation of the Gaelic language. Now that I was in Ireland, I had the chance to see how they were applying the preservation laws into the everyday lives of the Irish. Practically all the signs had the original Gaelic language along with the English counterpart. I also talked to my cousins about their language requirements and how they have to take Gaelic language classes while in secondary school.
The time passed by so quickly, and I hope that I will have another opportunity to visit Ireland in the near future to explore more towns/cities, and to visit my cousins again. I completely fell in love with the culture, traditions, food, and friendly people while there.
Ireland – Éire
Dublin – Baile Átha Cliath
On July 4, I boarded a flight from Rome to Dublin, Ireland at 11:40 am. I finally arrived at my destination at 1:40 pm. The Irish drive on the other side of the road, and the driver’s side is reversed also. Right when we were getting into the taxi at the airport, my dad accidentally almost got into the driver’s seat. The driver and my dad had a good laugh over that.
Honestly, I wasn’t fazed by the driving on the other side of the road. The Irish are very straightforward and get right to the point. The taxi driver instantly started talking about Trump and the political state in the USA and Ireland. He asked us about our opinions. I was a little startled at first, but he was hilariously cracking jokes left and right which set me at ease.
I arrived at Jacob’s Inn Hostel, and after I settled into my room, I headed over to a must-see for those who visit Dublin. What would a trip to Dublin be without visiting the Guinness Storehouse? Once there, I viewed the process by which the beer is brewed, and the history behind it. After the tour, I had the chance to try some of the famous beer. I usually don’t care for beer, but Guinness was surprisingly good. Guinness is the typical beer drunk in Ireland. There are so many Guinness signs, jokes, advertisements. Guinness is known as the “three-course meal” and is as common as water. The Irish take their number one beer very seriously.
After enjoying the view of Dublin from inside the Guinness Storehouse while sipping on my beer, I strolled over to Brazen Head Pub (the oldest pub in Dublin). I had a delicious dinner of Irish Stew. It was the perfect end to my first evening in Ireland.
Galway – Gaillimh
The next morning, my family and I stopped briefly at the Hertz car rental to pick up our car that we would be driving all over Ireland in during our stay. My dad got the honors of driving the car, and adjusted pretty smoothly to driving on the opposite side of the road.
While driving to the next destination, I stopped in Galway to explore the town and grab some lunch. Galway is certainly picturesque with rivers close by the main part of the town, and greenery colorfully brightening up the atmosphere. Walking through the downtown area, there were many musicians playing lively Irish tunes with enthusiasm. It was a pleasure to have the privilege to listen to such wonderfully talented people. Wonderful smells wafted through the streets tempting the passersby to venture into the shops for a meal or treat. Galway was truly a town that I would have enjoyed spending more time just leisurely strolling down the streets and soaking up the sights and smells.
Kinvara – Cinn Mhara
Kinvara accurately represents the small town Irish lifestyle. If you’ve ever watched Irish TV shows, besides the Irish accents, the stone walls, sheep, cattle, lush meadows and pastures, ancient buildings falling apart in pastures, narrow roads, etc. all capture the audience’s attention. These are all very accurate because in Kinvara all of the above were seen everywhere. I have to say, the narrow roads were kind of scary because not only was the car hitting the hedges and shrubs on the side of the road, many cars went careening around the narrow and very twisty bends in the road.
Kinvara is extremely tiny, but very beautiful. It sits right next to a bay which features many boats waiting to be taken out for a ride. In the bay were many crabs and jellyfish. Since the town is so small, it is easy to walk everywhere in it. My cousins own a house in Kinvara that we were able to stay in during our time there. It looks very simplistic on the outside, but looks like a history museum on the inside. By that, I mean that there were many interesting artifacts in the house including cannons, old photos, antique furniture, etc. Imagine our dismay, since we are millennials that always need our technology, when we discovered that there wasn’t any WiFi. The horror that we wouldn’t be connected for a few days!
The house was situated right near the water, which was only a minute or two walk from the yard. In the evenings, we walked down on the rocks in the bay and sat on the stone dock just chatting about everything and nothing. Further along the bay, there were cows fenced in by stone walls that my sister and I clambered over to say hi. Behind the house were two very adorable donkeys that came over and fought over who got the attention.
The two days that we spent in Kinvara were super nice and relaxing since I didn’t have to go out and extensively walk around to look at things. My siblings and I took the time to play games, solve puzzles, and read. Another nice thing about Ireland is that there is always time for tea, no matter what time of day. Therefore, while we were residing at our cousins’ house, we often had teatime with scones. It ’twas indeed a wonderful time of enjoying the Irish countryside.
Cork – Corcaigh
On the way to the next stop, my family and I stopped briefly to explore the Burren (ancient rock formations) and the Poulnabrone (a Burren ancient burial site). Irish landscapes are stunning with how green the flora and fauna are even during the summer. At lunch time, I stopped at Lahinch beach to eat and stroll along the beach. It was surprisingly busy considering it was quite cold and blustery.
While in Cork, from July 7 to July 12, I stayed in the University College Cork dorms. It was very nice and comfortable. Each of us, in my family, got our own rooms to ourselves. The UCC campus is filled with trees which makes for a very beautiful campus. It also generated a peaceful atmosphere that I’m sure the students appreciate.
During that week, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time hanging out with my cousins (two different families) and getting (re)acquainted. I had a blast exploring many beaches, little towns, and more of Cork with them. On two different occasions I went over for dinner at their houses, and I had an incredible amount of fun playing games and chatting with them. They even taught me some hurling (a popular Irish game that reminds me of lacrosse).
One of the days that I didn’t hang out with my cousins, I drove down to Cobh (pronounced Cove). While there, I went into the Titanic museum. It was a very cool experience since I was given a passenger’s boarding ticket, and at the end of the tour I found out if I had survived or died. Cobh was actually one of the stops that the Titanic made before voyaging towards the United States. The museum was filled with interesting facts, real artifacts and photographs, etc. It was extremely fun to learn more about the Titanic and its tragic history.
I had an amazing time while in Ireland, and I can’t believe that it is already over. The time spent exploring various cities/towns in Ireland, hanging out with cousins, trying new food, and strolling about have been incredibly memorable and enjoyable. It feels like this week went by in the blink of an eye. I hope to come back soon to explore more and spend more time with my family. I have totally fallen in love with the Irish culture, scenery, etc. On a brighter note, I will be leaving on another adventure at the end of August! I will be going back to Sichuan University in Chengdu, China for another year. I am so stoked and beyond excited to be going back to reconnect with the culture, friends, and the language. I hope to have a ton of fun, while reaching a deeper understanding and fluency in the Chinese language. Wish me luck, and until next time!