Ceád míle fáilte - 100,000 welcomes to Ireland!
It's the undoubted lure of the landscape, it's the easy pace of life, it's the friendly people, it's the history, it's the pubs and music, it's … well, so many things that draw the visitors to Ireland. Ireland has always been more complex than its shamrock-laden image ever let on.
Ireland's landscape is dotted with Neolithic tombs, Bronze Age forts, early Christian monastic sites, Viking walls, and Georgian estates - enough antiquity to make your head spin. At the same time, Ireland is in political age a young country. The Republic of Ireland with its own constitution is barely 50 years old. You see, Ireland is at the same time ancient and adolescent.
Probably the best way to explore the 482km long and 241km wide island is by car. But be warned, Ireland is different. In other countries you can use the basic equation that, once out of a city, a 100km will equal 1 hour of driving. Forget such calculations here. The roads have more curves than anywhere else, are narrower than anywhere else… Most of the time, it only takes a tractor to block up even a main road, and on smaller lanes cows, sheep and old men on rickety bicycles rule. But relax, there's nothing you can do about it and Ireland is best seen in a low gear.
Don't worry about the weather: firstly, you can't change it anyway and secondly, it hardly rains throughout the day. Most of the time, it's a short rain shower here and there, sometimes barely tangible… and above all, it's the wet climate that makes Ireland so unbelievable green.
While it was my first time Ireland, it was Oli's already third visit to the Emerald Isle. We spent 1.5 wonderful weeks driving around, exploring big cities and small villages, natural wonders and ancient sites. I'll come back for sure, as Ireland has left a small green dot in my heart :-)
Here's our route around the Emerald Isle:
Day 1 (Friday)
Flight Vienna - Dublin (11:45 am - 1:35 pm)
Pick-up of our rental car at Sixt/Irish Car Rental
Dublin - Wicklow Mountains - Kilkenny
Total distance covered: 178 km
Day 2 (Saturday)
Kilkenny - Cashel - Cork
Total distance covered: 165 km
Day 3 (Sunday)
Cork - Coast - Crookhaven - Mizen Head - Killarney
Total distance covered: 259 km
Day 4 (Monday)
Killarney - Ring of Kerry - Skellig Ring - Killarney
Total distance covered: 222 km
Day 5 (Tuesday)
Killarney - Dingle Peninsula - Newport - Limerick
Total distance covered: 332 km
Day 6 (Wednesday)
Limerick - Cliffs of Moher - The Burren - Galway
Total distance covered: 177 km
Day 7 (Thursday)
Galway - Athlone - Mullingar - Kells - Slane Castle - Newgrange - Drogheda
Total distance covered: 257 km
Day 8 (Friday)
Drogheda - Dublin
Drop-off rental car
Dublin
Total distance covered: 38 km
Day 9/10 (Saturday/Sunday)
Dublin
Day 11 (Monday)
Flight Dublin - Vienna (7:20 am - 11:00 am)
Click either on a day you're interested in or start with Day 1 and go on chronologically.
Click on the following link to find some more pictures (various impressions of Ireland)!
I hope you gonna enjoy my pictures and maybe I'm able to arouse your interest in visiting the Emerald Isle for yourself!
Ireland Tourist Board
Dublin Tourism
Cork 2005
The Irish Times
Lonely Planet - Destination Ireland
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