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Highlights of three weeks in Ireland; not all the quintessential tourist destinations, but fun, fascinating, beautiful beyond description Ireland. Come join us, The Café in Ireland, Off the Beaten Path (Part 2 of 3)
We're back today with Part 2 of our Ireland, Off the Beaten Path series. Thanks so much for all your kind and thoughtful comments on Scott's first post in the series. He left off last time headed to the Dingle Peninsula which is located on the southwest coast of Ireland. That's where he'll pick up today.
Our son Nick, and his lovely wife, Lindsay tipped us off to this breathtaking part of the southwest coast of Ireland. It was their favorite part of a month-long trip to Europe several years ago that also included England, France and Italy. On their recommendation (and many others who had traveled to Ireland), we decided to concentrate on the Dingle area for three nights.
The little town of Dingle is adorable although we happened to be there over an Irish holiday weekend and it was over-run with vacationers. We're not particularly crazy about places that are swarming with tourists so we chose to spend most of our time in the countryside of the Dingle peninsula, touring the island and hiking the beautiful cliff paths.
The peninsula didn't disappoint although the weather had turned a little more gray and we found ourselves dashing in and out of intermittent showers. But who's to complain when you observe the spectacular green that the Irish rains produce.
When you're driving the narrow roads on the Dingle peninsula, it seems that around every bend there's another stunning view.
Lots of fine-feathered friends joined us on the beautiful Dingle cliffs. These two were having a conversation about the over abundance of tourists invading their territory on these Irish bank holidays!
Wild flowers grow unabashedly and in every shade imaginable in the fields, meadows and hillsides of the Dingle peninsula.
The Dingle countryside is absolutely stunning with steep cliffs that drop dramatically to the rocks and crashing Atlantic waves below.
The shimmering water surrounding Dingle is a sight to behold from the well-worn paths that meander along the cliffs. Although the little village of Dingle was crazily crowded while we were there, just a short drive in any direction was rewarded by exquisite peace, quiet and beauty.
If the day starts out gray and cloudy, there are often breaks with blue sky peaking through. Everything looks even greener when the sun shines.
If you ever get the chance to visit the Dingle Peninsula, be sure to stop at Louis Mulcahy Pottery. It seemed to pop up in the middle of nowhere as we toured the quiet, beautiful Dingle peninsula. It's a working pottery where you can watch the art being created and even take a hand at the potter's wheel yourself.
This charming little establishment also houses several lovely floors of pottery showrooms and a sunny café that serves fresh and delicious brunch and lunch offerings. Without a doubt, it's some of the prettiest pottery Chris and I have ever seen! They offer very reasonable shipping to the US and we couldn't resist picking up a few pieces. The shipping is not only reasonable, but it's also super fast. The day after we returned home, our pottery was delivered!
Charming, tiny villages dot the Dingle peninsula just as sheep and cows dot the beautiful hillsides.
See the stripes of color on the sheep? What in the world?? Many farmers in Ireland paint their sheep for identification. With thousands of sheep roaming on thousands of hillsides, it would be difficult to know who belongs to who. Hence the stripes. A customized painted sheep is easy to identify when it comes time to claim ownership.
This handsome fellow was happy to pose for the camera!
Chris made a friend while we were roaming the Dingle Peninsula. She was hoping this one could be shipped home as easily as the pottery; but no such luck!
Farewell beautiful Dingle
After several days of exploring the Dingle Peninsula, we sadly said farewell. It was time to complete the third portion of our trip. We were headed to Castlerock, Northern Ireland and a wedding!
On our way up the west coast of Ireland, we enjoyed some "culinary discoveries". The Irish people we met were wonderful at giving us great recommendations. One of our favorites was the highly rated Moran's Oyster Cottage in Kilcolgan, County Galway.
Moran's Oyster Cottage in Kilcolgan has been in the family for almost 300 years!
One Island, two separate Irelands
It didn't take us long to realize how little we knew about the two sections of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland share the same island, and yet are two separate countries with a "soft" international border. That simply means you can travel freely without stopping for customs between the two countries.
However, when traveling to Northern Ireland, the English pound takes over from the EU euro as the currency and many of the towns seem closer in resemblance to the small towns Chris and I have visited in England. As you can see from the map above, the border wanders in a seemingly haphazard path, so you have to be prepared with both pounds and euros!
Traditional Irish language on the road signs disappears too. What doesn't change? The wonderful spirit and personalities of the people! More on that later.
On to Northern Ireland, Castlerock, Portrush and Portstewart
Since it was only one mile from Temple Mussenden (the wedding site), Chris and I rented an Airbnb in Castlerock, a delightful seaside vacation town near Portrush and Portstewart.
The coast of Northern Ireland is known for its gorgeous sunsets. This was our view the evening before Kacey's wedding.
Mussenden Temple
Mussenden Temple is located in one of the most amazing coastal locations in all of Ireland and it was the incredibly beautiful site of our niece's destination wedding.
It perches dramatically on the edge of a 120-foot cliff above the Atlantic Ocean on the north-western coast of Ireland and offers spectacular views in every direction. Mussenden Temple was built in 1785 as a summer library for a large estate.
The wedding was beautiful and the bride as stunning as the scenery surrounding this charming venue!
Thanks for joining us in this birdseye view of Ireland, Off the Beaten Path. After the wedding, our three-week trip was (sadly) winding down. We could have stayed another three weeks and would have barely scratched the surface of this amazing country. But there was one last adventure that we'll share in our final post, as well as our very favorite things about Ireland. Part three, coming up soon!
Ruth says
Wow Scott! Thank you so much for this. The pictures and stories are amazing. You have given me and many others a reason to return to Ireland. It sounds like you and Chris had a wonderful time. I am so glad for the two of you!!!
Michael King says
Thanks, Chris and Scott, for your narrative and pictures of the Ireland adventure. We’re taking a river cruise next year and are toying with the idea of extending our vacation for a week or two to visit the British Isles. Your write-up has pretty much sealed the deal for us.
I’ve never made cookies before, so thought I’d try your Irish shortbread recipe. Followed it to the letter, measuring by gram weight, but the dough was so soft that I couldn’t cut with a cookie cutter, so I just flattened it onto the parchment and cut into squares with a pizza cutter when it was halfway baked. Seemed to work OK, but they were boring squares, not pretty like yours. Maybe I need to add just a little more flour. Nevertheless, they tasted great. I’m sure it’s just my lack of experience in baking. I enjoy baking bread, but haven’t done any fine pastries. It’ll come. I just need to practice more.
Michael King
South Haven, MI
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Michael! You will not regret your decision!
Regarding the shortbread cookies, if the dough is really soft, try refrigerating it for 10-15 minutes and then, if it's still soft, use some extra flour when you roll out the cookies.
Tricia | Saving Room for Dessert says
Stunning photos and fabulous trip! I would go back in a heartbeat. We love traveling in the shoulder season to avoid the crowds. We were there once in early May and another time in early November. Both trips were wonderful. It always rains in Ireland so raincoats are a must. Dingle is one of our favorite areas for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Lesley says
Sorry for being nerdy I live on the South Downs which is sheep country here in SE England - and have a fascination for cattle and sheep. I love watching them in the fields and at lambing time and so can no longer eat them!
The marks on the sheep are known as Smit Marks and as you say are used as a visual identifier, they also have a metal disk in their ears as well. The UK's sheep herd totalled about 33 million (!) in 2015 and of that 16 million were breeding ewes - we have about 90 breeds - and home to 25% of the EU sheep flock, and 3% of the global flock. We produce one-third of EU sheep meat and we're the sixth largest producer worldwide. When you see the glorious grassland and hills of the UK and Ireland it's primarily down to sheep grazing.
Joanne Gauthier says
Hi there,
I love following along on your Irish adventure. This trip has been on my bucket list for so long. Once I have my hip replacement surgery (on the waitlist could take a good six months here in Quebec) I will be able to go ahead and plan it! Might I ask what lipstick Chris is wearing in her photo? It suits her so well.
Thank for your reply,
I await the third installment
Joanne
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you, Joanne. I'm sorry to be tardy in answering this comment. I broke my foot last week and then my five sisters came to visit for a long weekend so I got a bit behind. I am wearing a Maybelline lipstick. Here is the link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Lzu84l
Debbie says
Fun, we are in Ireland now too , right ahead of your travels, and next Scotland. We have been lucky and missed the major rains. Love all your recipes!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Debbie! Have fun! They say that September is the perfect time to be in Ireland!
MARY says
WE LOVED IRELAND, AND DINGLE WAS ONE OF OUR FAVORITE PLACES. HOPE YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRY DINGLE GIN - WONDERFUL BOTANICAL FLAVORS. VERY SMALL DISTILLERY.
MARY
Chris Scheuer says
We wanted to go there but didn't make it. I guess that means we will have to return! 🙂