Travel: Our Ireland List (In progress)

As many of you know, Neal surprised me with plane tickets to Ireland for Christmas, and our trip is now in less than TWO WEEKS!

We’re hitting Dublin, Killarney, and Galway, so I’m slowly making my list of places we’d like to visit. We’ve decided to do this a bit “fly by the seat of our pants” because that’s always the most fun way to go, but it’s always good to have some though-starters, right?

Also, THANK YOU for sending me so many amazing recommendations! After hearing from you guys (and some great google stalking, obviously), here’s what’s on my list so far. Let me preface this by saying, we have very limited time in each city, and we’re going with backpacks (i.e. we won’t be able to do too much shopping) and we’ll probably only hit one swanky/fancy dinner destination. Since, you know, we can do that back in Chicago!

DUBLIN: (2 Days)

Crackbird: Famed for their chicken so good, it tastes like crack. Being pretty big Nashville hot chicken fans, this definitely needs to be on the list.

Jam Art Shop: Hoping to stop here to pick up some prints and postcards from local artists, and pick up some souvenirs. There are two locations- one in Temple Bar and the other by St. Pats Cathedral.

The Guinness Factory: Duh. Planning to hit the storehouse during the final afternoon tour, just in time to enjoy the sunset with a complimentary Guinness from Gravity Bar, which overlooks the entire city!

Avoca: rumored to be the Irish version of Anthropologie, which also has a cafe in the basement. Sold! (Fine. This will be my ONE shopping stop, okay?)

Oliver St. John Gogerty: Two of my girlfriends and I went here after we planned a very last-minute trip to Dublin while studying abroad. We wandered into this pub during our first night in the city and made friends with a large group of old Irish dads who taught us how to Irish dance. It was like the Irish version of Cheers. It might not be the same again, but I have to go back!

Mulligan’s of Poolbeg St: Voted one of Ireland’s 21 pubs you have to see before you die, this old-school place is definitely on our list. (Being very big fans of Irish bars, and all.) It’s said the only modern addition to the bar is a TV, which was installed solely to give old Irish men something to shout at. Sounds like our kind of place.

The Double Decker Bus Tour: I KNOW, I know. This is so touristy and embarrassing of me, but hear me out. For just one small flat fee, the hop on, hop off tour goes around to all the big sights in the city. You can hop on and hop off whenever you’d like. There are pubs near almost every tourist attraction, so you can hop off, have a Guinness, then go see some sights, get back on the bus, and repeat! Best setup ever.

There’s also one more place that we’re going to in Dublin, but it’s a surprise to Neal, so I’ll share it after our trip ;-)!

KILLARNEY (3 DAYS)

Killarney Brewing Co: The reason we’re going to Ireland! The grand opening of Neal’s uncle’s craft brewery! I’ve seen the behind the scenes action, and I can assure you, this place is going to be amazing. I’ll have lot’s of photos to share in a few weeks. So if you’re planning a trip to Killarney, you must put this on your list!

Sheehan’s Pub: In the name of Kelly (whose maiden name is Sheehan) I have been told that this is one pub I absolutely cannot miss!

Killarney Grand: Attached to Sheehan’s, it’s a destination for all sorts of live music. Sold!

(Need more suggestions here!)

GALWAY (ONE DAY–ST. PATTY’S DAY!)

O’Connors: A pub where my friend Brittany got engaged, and one Yelp reviewer said, “Like all pubs of good standing and character, it has a horrifically inefficient lay out. A warren of cubby holes, secret passages, old cookers and confusing signposting. Brilliant.”

Tigh Neachtains: It has live music, and a fire. So I’m there.

The Latin Quarter: A bustling area for shopping, restaurants, and pubs. I’m sure we’ll find ourselves wandering through here at some point!

Quay Street: Aside from the above two, I’m thinking our plan of action for local pubs will consist of starting at one end of Quay street and making it to the other. We’ll be there on St. Patrick’s Day after all!