Week 6-

The view after we crossed the rope bridge

Road trip to every coastline in Ireland!

Spring break was a week full of travel and adventure. We stayed in Dublin, on the eastern coastline, and took three road trips to the north, west, and southern coastlines! But let’s start from the beginning!

Our first night there we went to the oldest pub in Ireland for a folklore show and dinner. It was a great way to start the trip and get a feel of their culture.

Carrick Rope Bridge

Giant's Causeway

The next morning we took our first road trip and headed for Northern Ireland. One of the stops we made along the way was to cross the Carrick Rope Bridge. The day was absolutely beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, and as I crossed the bridge I could see Scotland! After grabbing some lunch not far away we made our way to Giant’s Causeway. It was a little bit of a walk down, but there was so much to look at we didn’t care. Being there was kind of surreal because it’s always been on my bucket list and it was truly captivating as I walked from stone to stone. 

Little Windy
Courtesy of Kassidy McConville

I thought that I had a great time on our first road trip, but when we left for the eastern coastline I didn’t know that it could get even better. We were headed for the Cliffs of Moher, but made a few minor stops to stretch our legs. The best stop we made was at the “baby” cliffs. It was so beautiful and seemed to go on forever. After we finished our lunch we arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. I’m still not sure how we lucked out with the weather, but I am definitely not complaining! Because the weather was so inviting we got to go on an hour boat ride to see the cliffs from the ocean's point of view. This was honestly my favorite part of the day because it put in perspective how big there are!

The next day we took a day off from traveling and explored Dublin itself. After breakfast we walked around and had a great time as we followed the same path of the Liffey River through Dublin. Spontaneously, we decided that we would get our hair done! Two hours later our hair was cut and colored and we were out the door with high spirits ready to find our next adventure! We went to the Guinness factory and got to sample the Irish dry stout, also known as “The Black Stuff”. The tour was so neat in that after the tour was done you ended up in the Gravity Bar. This was the highest point of the building and it was circular in shape with all glass windows looking out to the city.

Giant's Causeway
Courtesy of Kassidy McConville

Made it to the Gravity Bar

Saturday we took our last road trip of spring break and headed to the southern coastline to see the Blarney Castle. The ride was long, but once we got there it was worth it. The grounds were beautiful with flowers and everything was as green as could be. Once we had reached the castle we explored little caves and holes in the walls that were so tiny you almost had to crawl through some pathways. I’m so thankful that I am exploring while I am young because when we were making our way up to the kissing stone, at the very top of the castle, you had to climb very small and steep stairs. It was not very safe and they even had a rope to help guide yourself up. We did make it up with no incidents and got to the kissing stone. I had no idea what to expect, but it was so amusing that I had to laugh at myself! I am fairly short so when I laid down on my back and grabbed the bars I had to bend back pretty far to kiss the stone! I wish that I had bought the picture, but the memory will definitely do!

Exploring caves at Blarney castle

            Our last day there was bittersweet because we were excited to see everyone again, but we did not want to leave. From the good food to friendly people this has been my favorite place so far. 

Ireland taught me that traveling makes you feel tiny, humble and yet inspired all at once! 

Spring break with these two couldn't have been better!