Travel Tips | Ireland

As my dad once told me, “You’ve never seen every shade of green until you’ve been to Ireland”. He was spot on. The natural beauty, jolly people, and historic castles should place Ireland on the top of your bucket list. Here are a couple tips for your visit to the Emerald Isle!

-Currency: The Euro

-Language: Gaelic and English; however, in my experience it seems like English is more prevelant today.

-Food: Let's talk breakfast. Absolutely egg-cellent (Sorry I had to). The traditional Irish breakfast consists of bacon similar to that of canadian bacon, sausage, an egg or two, a tomato, and a black & white pudding. Just like in London, if you get scrambled eggs in Ireland they taste a bit saltier than those in the United States. So if you usually put salt on your eggs, I would taste them first!

Fish&chips are next on the "must eat" list while in Ireland. I recommend going into a pub to get a feel for the atmosphere while getting your fix of greasy fish&chips. Yum!

-Specific places to eat: If you are heading to Powercourt, pop into "Poppies Country Cooking" for breakfast. It is a cute little cafe with nice people and delicious food. They also serve sandwiches as well.

-If in Kilkenny, eat at "La Trattoria Sapori D'Italia", located right off the main downtown strip. You're probably wondering why I am suggesting an Italian restaurant, but the owner is actually from Italy and his food reflects that. Be ready to eat a lot though because the pizza is the size of your head.

-Drink: You know I'm a tea fanatic, so of course I am going to say tea. But really, it amazes me how much more flavorful the tea is compared to the United States. They will serve you an entire kettle full of tea when you order it. Be careful to slip it slowly though, it is scorching hot!

It wouldn't be a trip to Ireland without Guiness. Now I have to admit, I am not a big beer fan, but it is still a must try when in Ireland. It has a different taste than the Guiness served in the United States because apparently Guiness is a beer that doesn't travel well.

-Stay: I would highly recommend staying at a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) while in Ireland. We did a roadtrip all around Ireland and we stayed in B&Bs is every town. The Irish are some of the friendliest, honest people you will meet and they go above and beyond to make you feel at home. To prove this, at one of the B&Bs we stayed at in Blarney, "The White House", I left my iPhone charger. I didn't realize I had left it until we were about to leave the town of Blarney all together. Luckily I did notice, and we stopped by to get it.The owner answered the door and immediately recognized me and ran to get my charger. He told me he had stopped by the Blarney Castle to try to find us and deliver my charger to me, but unfortunately couldn't find me [note: It was raining this day as well]. He could have just ignored the fact that I left my charger there, but that is not how the Irish are-- like I mentioned, they go above and beyond.

-Additional Tips: In my personal opinion, I think renting a car is the way to get the best out of your stay in Ireland. It can be stressful at times because of the whole driving on the opposite side of the road and VERY narrow roads, but you kind of get used to the feeling that you might knock off your side mirror. Manuel cars are cheaper than automatic cars in Ireland, however, if you don't really have driving stick shift down to a tee, I would splurge for automatic.

-Pack a rain coat. Weather in Ireland is not very predictable. It will be bright and sunny one minute, then pouring and dark the next.

-An Irish traffic jam consists of sheep or cows crossing the road

-If you have the opportunity, drive the Ring of Kerry. It provides the most breathtaking views I have ever seen. Check out just some of the views below that you get along the drive!