5 Tips for Traveling to Ireland
I married a real life leprechaun from Croom, Co., Limerick (Brogue and all, which causes him to say things like 33 1/3 as ”turty tree and a turd.”) so I know a litle about traveling to Ireland. Shoot, I even got married there.
A few tips I’ve picked up along the way:
1. Have a “real” pint of Guinness in Ireland, which according to the hubs, tastes creamier and fresher. Make sure someone is capturing a photo of you taking that first sip and frame it. Much better than a mass-produced Guinness poster.
2. Buy tickets from January to March, when Aer Lingus drops its fares. We scored ours for a little more than $400 apiece for mid-January. My tickets home to Virginia were $100 less.
3. Skip the city, see the country. Dublin is lovely and all (fabulous shopping), but if you want postcard-perfect Ireland, head to counties Kerry, Clare, Wicklow, Donegal, Galway, Offaly, etc. One of my best memories was seeing sheep on the side of the road as a rainbow arched above us.
4. Book an Emerald Isle rental like this Banagher cottage. The 300-year-old farmhouse called Chestnut Cottage oozes Old World appeal and is close to pubs, restaurants and the River Shannon.
5. Eat some Cadbury’s Chocolate, a snack box (fried chicken and chips available at all the chippers) or Irish breakfast. Or all of the above. When I go, that’s pretty much my diet.
