A week in Ireland
- Victoria Shircliffe
- Oct 6, 2018
- 8 min read
Day 1: The jet lag was real, y'all. I'm talking "fall asleep on the hop-on, hop-off tour bus" real. We flew through the night, which is the best possible option...unless you can't sleep on planes. After landing in Dublin and dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we spent our only completely free day in Dublin shopping and sightseeing. Our concierge gave us a discount for tickets on a Hop-on, Hop-off Bus tour that took us places like Trinity College, Kilmainham Gaol, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guinness Brewery, and more.
We took the opportunity to tour St. Patrick's Cathedral. Built in the thirteenth century, St. Patrick's is rich in history and features a design like no other. With gorgeous vaulted ceilings and stunning stained glass windows, the Cathedral is an architectural phenomenon. For literature fanatics, Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal, served as Dean of St. Patrick's for 32 years and the cathedral remains his final resting place.
After our bus tour, we headed to Grafton Street near St. Stephen's Green. Featuring a large shopping mall, a vast choice of restaurants, stereotypical tourist shops, and street performers, the long and busy street is the perfect place for tourists (just watch your belongings).
Day 2: Mercy International Center, which was essentially the focus of our trip, sat on Baggot Street with its legendary red door open and visitors of the teenage variety pouring into the entryway. The Center, where Sister Catherine McAuley herself once lived, was overwhelmed with Mercy students from around the world, all cramming themselves into the chapel. Every student had brought with them a stone from their hometown. After writing an inscription on the stone, we placed them into a pile at the altar, a symbol of us coming together. We spent the rest of the day at the Center, meeting fellow Mercy students and the sisters.
Day 3: Now that we had received our proper welcome, the Mercy team-building activities could begin. And as a chaperone that was only a year or two older than most of the students at the conference, I found myself constantly saying, "Oh I'm not a student, I'm a chaperone."
The first day at the Center was occupied with a tour which touched on the history of the building and showed where Catherine lived. I was shocked to discover that anyone on the tour was welcome to sit at Catherine's desk. Not only did the desk have enormous historic importance but it would have dated back to at least the 1800's. I couldn't help but think of the history museum back in my hometown where a boy I was on a field trip with once stuck his hand over a guard railing and triggered a silent alarm. I'm not sure what was on display but I can assure you it wasn't exactly George Washington's wooden teeth. Meanwhile, we were being invited to sit at Catherine's desk and be a part of history. It was such a wonderfully unique experience.
The main room we occupied in the Center was a renovated version of the very first Mercy classroom. As a recent graduate of a Mercy school, I was overwhelmed by the significance of being in the room where Catherine began her mission of educating young women when others wouldn't. That first Mercy classroom on Baggot Street would eventually blossom into schools across the world, occupying countries like the United States, Jamaica, the Philippines, Argentina, and Belize.
After we finished our activities for the day, we headed back to Grafton Street. Since it was the early evening at this point, shops were beginning to close (much to our surprise). Where the shopping malls and businesses in Louisville stay open until around 9 p.m., Stephen's Green Shopping Centre closes at 7 p.m. on most weeknights, excluding Thursdays. This pattern of closing in the early evening and extending hours on Thursday nights seems to be applicable across the board in Dublin.
Despite most of the shops being closed, there were still a variety of restaurants to choose from. While some members of our group opted for McDonald's (how American of them), we decided to head for a more traditional Irish pub. Fair warning, it can be very difficult to split checks in Ireland (or any European country for that matter). For one of our meals, we had to pool our money because the waitress refused to split the check up for each of us. Fortunately, our waitress on Grafton Street, though a bit miffed, did eventually divide up the bill for us. This, of course, is not the fault of the waitress or the restaurant. It's simply not the custom there.
Day 4: Our last day in Dublin was occupied with what the Mercy International Center called a walking tour of Catherine McAuley's Dublin. The tour took most of the morning and afternoon and covered a lot of Dublin. While I don't wear a Fitbit, another chaperone in my group mentioned she had hit her steps for the day just from being on the walking tour.
The tour started at St. Teresa's Church where many of the original Sisters of Mercy are buried. Here we learned that the older Catholic churches in Dublin can only be accessed by alleyways or backstreets because, when Catholics were facing persecution, they were not permitted to build on major roadways.
The tour also took us across the iconic Ha'penny Bridge and into Dublin's legendary Temple Bar neighborhood. While the block is lined with crowded pubs and boutiques, the cobbled streets evoke a feeling of going back in time. If you have the opportunity to do a walking tour of Dublin, I definitely recommend it. Because Dublin is relatively small in size when compared to other major cities, you can cover a lot just by walking. It's also a great way to really take in the city.
After the tour, we were welcomed back at the Center for our closing ceremony which wouldn't have been complete without a 99 Flake cone. The Irish ice cream is absolutely delicious and the crumbly chocolate flake bar in the side of the cone makes it even better! Once everyone had eaten, we assembled in the gymnasium to learn proper Irish dancing from traditional dancers. (Spoiler alert: we were terrible).
Day 5: After the conference ended, we made our way to Killarney and the Ring of Kerry. The ride through the Irish countryside was spectacular. The rolling green hills sprinkled with sheep made the long drive absolutely wonderful.
Our tour bus driver was kind enough to highlight important areas for us during our drive, even stopping at scenic places so we could take some unforgettable pictures. A lot of these scenic stops are occupied by merchants. Some have postcards or other products to sell while others have brought along kittens, dogs, and lambs for tourists to photograph. Tip: If you do end up taking pictures of or with any of the animals, you should most definitely tip the merchant.
We eventually made our way to Waterville in Co. Kerry. While it's not exactly the Cliffs of Moher, if you're unable to go any further up the coast, their cliffs and ocean views are still stunning. Afterwards, our driver made a stop in Sneem, Ireland for lunch. The quaint little village with a population of approximately 550 was a wonderful place to stop for food. A few of us decided to try The Village Kitchen, an adorable restaurant with a comfortable, homey feel. Though I'd never had seafood chowder before, I decided to be adventurous, and it was amazing! And the restaurant offered a gorgeous view of the nearby river.
After lunch, we stopped at a huge waterfall, and although our guide advised us that it might be dry due to the exceptionally rain-less week we were having, it was still gushing water. Surrounded by greenery, the large waterfall was an amazingly beautiful experience and made for some gorgeous photos.
When we left the waterall, we made our way to historic Muckross House, a beautiful estate that overlooks stunning gardens and a large lake.
Our already full day was not complete quite yet! We made our way from Muckross House to Ross Castle, another location that was rich in history. While the interior of Ross Castle might be a bit underwhelming, the history packed inside is fascinating. In addition to the rich history, the castle sits near the largest lake of Killarney, Lough Leane. The lake offers boat tours, canoeing, fishing, and other activities, not to mention the amazing view and photo opportunities.
After our eventful day of sightseeing, we dedicated the evening to shopping. Killarney was the perfect place to pick up authentic Irish goods like wool caps, scarves, and sweaters, as well as unique jewelry. For dinner we stopped at Quinlan's Seafood Bar which had been recommended to us by Tony the Terrific Tour Guide. As he advised us, the restaurant was overwhelmed with customers. Knowing there wouldn't be a place to sit, we took our food to a bench across the street and ate while our friends shopped. After a long day in Co. Kerry, we boarded the bus and headed to our hotel in Limerick so we would be ready for more adventures the next day.
Day 6: We began the day by heading to Blarney Castle. Tip: if you plan on wearing a dress or skirt to kiss the Blarney Stone, you will definitely want to wear leggings or shorts underneath. I was lucky a fellow chaperone passed this tip to me beforehand (See: my picture). Be advised that the stone is at the top of Blarney Castle and it's not the easiest spot to access by any means. See, the stairs in medieval castles were designed to be difficult to climb and easier to descend so that invaders would be hindered and defenders would have the advantage. Thus, not only are the stairwells narrow, the steps are uneven, and there is only a railing on the right side. If you are overwhelmed by small spaces, cannot scale a lot of steps, or have balance issues, you may need special assistance to reach the top. That being said, the top of the castle is high. I mean, that seems obvious, but yeah, high. Also, because it's medieval, it doesn't offer much in the way of guard rails to keep you from, you know, falling off. Even if you're good at dealing with heights, being on top of the castle without much surrounding you is a surreal feeling. You should definitely experience the Blarney Stone, though! Just be prepared for tiny stairwells and heights.
On the outskirts of Blarney Castle is Blarney Woolen Mills. The collection of souvenir shops and restaurants offers both high end and inexpensive Irish goods. This is the perfect place to gather souvenir's for yourself and other family members. I was able to get Waterford Crystal for my mom, Guinness Steak Sauce for my dad, and a gorgeous Avoca scarf for myself. Tip: you can find Avoca shops across Ireland. Their wool products are incredibly soft and they offer a variety of patterns. I definitely recommend purchasing from them!
After Blarney Castle, we headed to Bunratty Castle which dates back to the 15th century. Where Ross Castle and Blarney Castle are less "Versailles" and more "fortress," Bunratty is a lot more along the lines of what you'd imagine a castle looks like.
With lavish rooms and a large dining hall where you can partake in a medieval banquet, Bunratty is a splendid castle. Along with the castle and gift shop, the site also features gorgeous manicured grounds and a quaint tea shop. The medieval banquet offered by the castle was, as you'd probably mention, a bit over-the-top. However, it was still a unique experience, and I recommend trying it if you find your way to Bunratty.
After leaving Bunratty, we headed back to our hotel in Limerick, stopping for a quick view of the Treaty Stone and King John's Castle. While we had originally landed at the Dublin Airport, we purposefully circled around to Limerick so that we would be near the Shannon Airport for departure. While this required extra planning, it was the perfect way to see as much as we could in a relatively short period of time. This way, we could travel to the opposite side of Ireland without having to worry about finding our way back east for departure.
Have you ever been to Ireland or any of the places I mentioned? What was your favorite thing you did on your trip? Personally, I loved the experience of being in Dublin and seeing where the Sisters of Mercy started. Plus, Dublin is just an incredible city in general.
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