Ireland - March 2025 The Plan vs. The Reality
Quick “Oberview”-
Airline Tickets – We found unbelievable ticket prices by using a Google Search and booked through Booking.com. We had a bit of an issue with Alaska Airlines cancelling our tickets for some reason. They were great about it, and got the problem resolved, but there was a day of uncertainty. Aer Lingus was the other airline. Other than changing our seat assignment, they were great. We purchased 3 round trip tickets from Portland, Oregon PDX to Dublin, Ireland all taxes and fees included for just over $1,162. We traveled the second week in March. That’s not each ticket. That is the total price for three tickets.
Campervan Rental – Causeway Campers. Again, a Google search found them. They met us in the parking lot of the Dublin airport for delivery and return of the van.
Car Rental - Several have highly recommended renting from My Irish Cousin stating that it covers 100% and doesn’t charge for add ons. We’ve not rented from them, but will look into it for our next trip.
Camp Grounds – We used the app Park4Night to find places to park the campervan. It was very useful.
4 types of roads:
M - Motorways comparable to the Interstate in the US. They seem to all be toll roads that need to be paid through an app. Definitely research this.
N – National comparable to highways in the US. Some of these roads I think might be toll roads. More research is needed. I think these have toll booths which are very easy to use with a credit card.
R – Regional roads at times these roads are very narrow two lane roads. Other times they aren’t so bad. These were our least favorite roads. I noticed that the locals drove over the center line only moving over to their lane when meeting on-coming traffic. Not only are there not shoulders on the roads, but there are hazards in place of the shoulders. There are drainage ditches, holes, poles, and trees, bushes, and shrubs.
L - Local roads comparable to a long drive-way. They may or may not be paved. They are mostly one lane roads with some areas to pull off (what we’d call a bit of a shoulder). These were actually our favorite roads to drive. We knew we were going to pull over. We were on holiday so if we saw a car approaching or cars behind us, we pulled over and let all the cars go around us. Most of the time, we were alone on the road. The views were so pretty too.
My job was to remind Dave to stay in the left lane. I also warned him about obstacles on the left side of the road so he didn’t just pull over and hit something. I was constantly saying stay left or CENTER! When going through a round about say “Look right and stay left.”
Especially when you are driving through a town and are needing to avoid the parked cars, be ready to just stop driving even if you can’t pull over. Just stop in the road. Let the locals drive past you then you can have the extra space to safely navigate around the parked cars. And while on the topic of parked cars, they park both directions on both sides of the street. You can’t look at the parked cars to determine if you are on a one-way road.
Navigation - We used Google Maps to navigate. My only issue is that it would change courses without me noticing because I was busy watching the left side of the road. I heard a local say that they WAZE does better there. I use WAZE at home, but couldn’t get it to load while in Ireland.
I hear there are rental car companies that will pay the tolls for you using the credit card you leave on file. I’d highly recommend doing that. You can also ask Google to avoid the toll roads.
Money – You will need cash. This is the only country we’ve traveled where we actually needed cash. We used an Amazon Credit Card and a Costco Citi-bank card. Neither charged an exchange fee. Both used the daily exchange rate for our transactions. You want to choose Euros and not dollars. Otherwise you will get charged a foreign exchange rate.
You can easily pull cash from a Bank ATM. These are all over. Just ask a local. They are very friendly and helpful. I say to use an ATM attached to a bank (doesn’t literally have to be part of a bank building) and not an ATM that might be located inside a store because they charge a lot higher fees. Again, choose Euros and not dollars to avoid the additional transaction fee.
We used cash for honesty boxes that are located at many of the places. For the most part, that’s the only time we needed cash. I hear that the karts (with horses) require cash, and a lot of it. While on this topic, I read that several of the kart operators try to scam tourists. Take photos of their pricing before you agree to a ride. The scam came at the end of the ride when a sign with higher prices was displayed. Also know that they are supposed to be licensed to operate. If they aren’t, they might not have the needed insurance and/or experience. I’ve heard about tourists being really hurt and even killed.
Food – Many of the little towns do not have places to eat, especially in the evening. When planning your trip, take the time to scout our places to eat. I had a list of food that I really wanted to try while in Ireland. Some Irish foods to try: Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, Guiness Stew, Cottage Pie or Shepherds Pie, Spice bag, and Sticky Toffee Pudding. (I know there’s another potato dish, but I can’t remember the name. I’m putting this here as a reminder to look for it)
I hear that Leo Burdock in Dublin was voted the best place for fish and chips.
We loved getting fresh bread and butter from the grocery stores. The bakeries in the stores had wonderful freshly baked bread. They have a machine that they allow the customers to use that will slice the bread for you. We also loaded up on drinks, jam, and cookies.
Castles serving High Tea – I’m sure there are more, but in my research this is what I found.
Waterford Castle Hotel
Adare Manor
Dromoland Castle
Ballyseede Castle
Castlemartyr Resort
Ardgillian Castle
Bunratty Castle
Kinnitty Castle
Water Falls – I’m sure there are more, but these were some we looked at when planning our trip.
Powerscourt Waterfall (Wicklow near Dublin)
Glendalough – near Powerscourt
Aillwee Cave Waterfall – near Cliffs of Moher
Torc Waterfall – near Killarny on the Ring of Kerry
Mohon Falls – near Waterford
Aasleagh Falls – Letterass Co. Mayo near Westport
Tourmakeady Falls – near Westport
What you cannot bring to Ireland.
You can bring food onto the airplane, but if it is not allowed in country, it has to be thrown away or consumed before exiting the airplane. I didn’t realize that cheese wasn’t allowed in country.
Be sure to check on your medications. Some common USA medications are not allowed in other countries (Sudafed and Benadryl).
Prohibited or restricted goods in baggage
Some goods are prohibited, while others are subject to restrictions. If you have any of the following goods, you must declare them to a customs officer:
domestic cats or dogs
illegal or dangerous drugs
indecent or obscene goods
certain foodstuffs (mainly meat, milk, fish or products thereof)
products of endangered species
protected items of international heritage
medicines
firearms, weapons, fireworks or explosives
live or dead animals, fish, birds or plants.
For further information, please see Revenue's full list of prohibitions and restrictions, or contact a Customs officer at any port or airport.
In Ireland, you are generally not allowed to take seashells, sand, or seaweed from the beach. This is because these natural items are considered part of the natural environment and need to be preserved. If you want to harvest seaweed, you need a foreshore license.
What you can bring into Ireland?
Many people ask about prescription medicines. I put my medicine in a daily dose weekly container. I didn’t bring the prescription bottles. I don’t take any medicines that have cbd anything in it. I hear that you cannot travel with marijuana anything. I don’t take it and I wouldn’t risk it. In any case, I had no problem bringing my medicines and supplements with me. Always check to see if your medication is banned in the country where you are traveling. Sudafed and Benadryl are often banned medications.
I did also bring foil packs of flu/cold medicines. I also travel with active charcoal. I brought bandaids and antibiotic cream.
The Plan Vs. Reality
Ireland - Day 1
The Plan - Airport
We were to arrive at the Dublin airport around 4:30 am. We’d purchased tickets to a lounge inside the airport where we could eat, shower, and rest for a few hours.
Reality - Airport
No where did they tell us that we would not have access to the lounge. The Dublin Airport has sliding doors that only open to passengers continuing on to other airports. Often, even if you are traveling through, the doors stay locked until close to the departure times.
Liffey Lounge has not responded to our phone calls or emails to refund us of our money. We ended up getting our luggage and leaving the secured area to wait in the airport lobby for our rental van. There were restaurants and a small convenience store available to us.
The Plan – Day 1 travel
Causeway Campers arrived at the agreed upon time. Without too much trouble we were able to find the parking lot. We went through the van with them showing us how to work everything. This took quite some time, but all was good. We loaded up our luggage and headed out to go to our first stop, Brea Seafront.
Brea Seafront is a cute little town just south of Dublin. It has several grocery stores and also offers a beautiful view of the water. We were going to get some drinks and fresh fruit to stock the van for the upcoming week long road trip.
After, Brea Seafront we planned a quick stop and Glendalough Upper Lake. There were restrooms available and a beautiful view.
Kilkenny was our next destination. There is a beautiful castle with a waterfront view and the most adorable town that we were to explore.
Rock of Cashel was the next destination on our list.
After, Rock of Cashel, depending on our time, we were going to head toward Cork and find a place to spend the night.
Reality – it hits hard
We were finally ready to leave the airport. Dave turned the key to start the van – dead battery. Also, in our inspection we found that the refrigerator wasn’t working either. Fortunately, the people from Causeway Campers were waiting to pay our way out of the parking lot so they were there to help with the dead battery. A repair person was dispatched, but it took several hours. Causeway campers were good to us. They took us in to the airport and bought us lunch and some waters while we waited. The repair person finally came, but only jump started the van. We went ahead and left only to stall at the first round about we came to outside the airport – did I happen to mention that it was now rush hour traffic in Dublin on a Friday? We immediately called the company back to let them know of our issue. After about 5 minutes, Dave was able to get the van started again. We drove to a nearby restaurant and pulled in the parking lot and waited for a repair person. He told the company that they needed to get us a replacement van. We waited another 4 hours for the replacement van. We took naps and packed our things up so we’d be ready to switch vehicles when it got to us. The company representative brought us some groceries including fruit and water, much appreciated. The replacement van finally arrived, but it was way too late to do any of Day 1 activities so we got on the M and headed straight to Cork. We ended up going all the way to Cobh because there was a great place on the water to park the van.
We parked our campervan at 5 Footway Camper Van Facility for the price of 10 Euros per night payable by card. There were pay toilets for the charge of 1 Euro, but they closed at night. The campground had a nice playground, outdoor gym equipment, sidewalks along the water, benches, and was beautifully landscaped. There were garbage cans with warnings that no household garbage was allowed. There was no water, disposal, electric, or garbage services were available.
Ireland – Day 2
The Plan
I didn’t know how far we would get on our first day so the plan was to begin somewhere between Kilkenny Castle Park, Rock of Cashel Castle, or Cobh.
Kilkenny looks to be a fun town to explore.
Rock of Cashel Castle and Abbey??
Cork, West Cork, and Cobh –
Reality – We woke up to an amazing waterfront view. After getting dressed and cleaning the camper up a bit, we headed into the town of Cobh.
Cobh – Cobh is the cutest little town that has colorful stores lining the waterfront. It is home to a Titanic Museum as it was the last port of call for the Titanic prior to its fateful sailing. As with many towns in Ireland, there is a beautiful Cathedral church. The church in Cobh is St. Coleman’s Cathedral. It is up on the hill just above the town shops. Cobh is also know for the Deck of Cards houses – a row of very colorful houses that line one of the streets in downtown. One of the wonderful residents of Cobh opens up her private garden for spectators to take photos of the Cathedral behind the Deck of Cards houses. She does ask for a 2 euro donation. I’ll have to look it up, but I believe it’s located on Lake Road.
Parking was pretty tricky to find as we were used to our nice spacious American sized parking spaces. We were also more than confused on occasions because we are used to cars being parked the same direction as traffic. We kept thinking we must be going the wrong way on a one-way road. In Ireland, the parking has no direction. After driving the main road through the town, we found a parking space large enough for our campervan.
We were a bit early on a Sunday morning so many of the shops weren’t open when we started our day. We found a bank ATM and withdrew a bit of money so we’d have some euros. We found a nice little coffee shop that had some beautiful pastries.
We went in and explored the Titanic Museum and enjoyed walking around the town. I was excited to photograph the Deck of Cards Houses and St. Coleman’s Cathedral. My granddaughter and I began the hike to the Cathedral. From the Cathedral it wasn’t too difficult to find the row of colorful houses. We stumbled upon the private garden that allowed visitors to take a great photo of the Cathedral and the Deck of Cards and then made our way back to town. We were planning to head to Cork to the English Market.
Cork – Cork is a large city that is not very fun to drive around. It was crazy busy while we were there. Our plan was to go to The English Market, but the parking and the traffic was just too much for us. We gave up. We did go over to the Marina Market though. It was out of the downtown area and had a larger parking lot. It was very crowded, but we did find a spot to park. It is in a very large warehouse on the waterfront.
The Marina Market is mostly food vendors lining the large warehouse. There are so many different countries represented by the food vendors. We ate at a Korean place and at a Smash Burger place. The smash burger won for best food. It was really good. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones that liked it. The wait for our burgers were about 30 minutes. There are a lot of tables and chairs in the center for eating. There are some connecting buildings that do have some local vendors selling their wares.
West Cork – Baltimore Beacon
After eating lunch at the Marina Market we headed toward the coast to find Baltimore Beacon. My understanding is that it’s on the Wild Atlantic Way. I can tell you that it is beautiful. It’s a large white tower located on the top of a cliff that overlooks the harbor on one side and the ocean on the other. It’s meant to act as a lighthouse for the boats to see the entrance of the harbor.
There are a few warnings about visiting here. The first one is the road gets very very narrow in places so be on the lookout for on-coming traffic and be ready to pull over if you see cars approaching.
Next know that campervans are not allowed to park in the parking lot. There is no sign warning you of this until you get to the lot. There also is not anything physical keeping a van from getting there. We opted for Dave to back out of the parking lot and pull into a pull out space. He mostly stayed with the van while my granddaughter and I explored.
To get up to the Beacon, you need mountain goat skills. Not seriously, but it is quite a steep climb. Also, be sure to wear good shoes. Is this certainly not a hike for sandals. The wind can be very strong at times so stay back from the cliffs edge, but the views are incredible. It was a wonderful place to see the sunset.
We ate dinner that night in a town called Schull at Townhouse Restaurant and Pub. Dave and Mya had the fish and chips and I had a big bowl of potato/leak soup and brown bread. We all enjoyed our food. It was a little difficult finding a place to eat. Many of the smaller towns do not have restaurants. We pulled in at a fuel station and asked about a place to eat. They were the ones to tell us about Schull.
Mizen Head –
We were planning on heading to Kenmare for the night, but that meant missing out on Mizen Head. Dave knew that I was already disappointed to miss out on our day 1, so he didn’t want to miss this. Mizen Head also allowed dry camping in their parking lot for no charge. There was one other camper there that night.
I really wanted to do some Milky Way photography, but it was so cold and windy. The skies were very dark though. It would make a very good location for nighttime photography.
Day 3 – The Plan
Head to Kenmare, Skellegs Chocolate Factory, Kerry Cliffs (If the cliffs were open) or Kenmare, Caha Pass (Part of the Ring of Beara), Moll’s Gap (Part of the Ring of Kerry), Torc Waterfall, Killarney, Gap of Dunloe, and sleeping at Inch Beach. If the Kerry Cliffs were open, we’d look for a camping spot near them and not travel all the way to Inch Beach.
Several people have asked how a cliff can be closed, but the parking and path are on private property. The owner closes the gate and posts no trespassing signs so you can’t even walk there.
Reality -
Mizen Head –
There’s a really fun looking footbridge at Mizen Head as well as a visitor center, but both of these places were closed during our visit. Had I known this, we would have skipped this detour.
We woke up to overcast skies, but beautiful misty views of the cliffs and the water. We could see a pretty beach across the water and we decided to explore. The clouds burned off and we were able to enjoy the beach and the beautiful views of the cliffs surrounding the ocean.
After leaving Mizen Head parking lot, we found the road that lead out to the beach and cliffs that we’d seen that morning. We took the road hoping for find some photo opportunities. What we found were cliffs above the water and a nice beach. It was a very nice opportunity to take some of those beautiful Ireland cliff photos.
Food was on our mind so we continued on toward Killarny hoping to grab some lunch there. Our route took us over Caha Pass. We were very pleasantly surprised. The views over the pass were incredible and included going through a double tunnel. I’d seen a photo of this place not realizing that we’d get to see it. There was no good place to pull over to take a photo of this, but we did get it on video.
At the top of the pass was the Molly Gallivan’s Visitor Center, overlook, and gift shop. There is also a tea shop there, but it was still closed for the season during our visit. This was my favorite gift shop as it had authentic Irish artist items. I found a beautiful hand knitted Aran sweater that found it’s way home with me. I don’t remember how much I paid for it, but it was around 200 euros. There were many beautiful items in the shop including local pottery, jewelry, candy, and clothing.
Our drive took us in to the Northern section of the Ring of Kerry. It was very beautiful. We stopped at Ladies View and Torc Waterfall and a few other places with parking lots. We really didn’t spend a lot of time at any of these places. We were hungry and Mya wasn’t feeling well at all. We fixed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the camper and called it good. We ended up skipping the other stops and went straight to Inch Beach for the night.
We stayed at Inch Beach Campground. Electric, Water, Garbage, Bathrooms, Showers (pay using 2 euro coins), and pay Washer/Dryers.
Day 4 – The Plan
The plan was to explore Dingle the town. Visit the thrift store, Olde Sweet Shop for Dingle Chocolates, Murphy’s Ice Cream, Coumeenoole Beach to see the cliff views, Dunquin Pier more cliff views, Fairy Fort Farm to play with the baby lambs, Bee Hive huts, and the Dingle Peninsula. Play with the baby lambs. Drive Slea Head Drive, Visit Bee Hive stone huts,
Reality -
That night, Mya ran a very high fever. We learned a few things about medical care in Ireland. Most little towns have a pharmacy and a medical office but they don’t stay open late. We were talking with our daughter who was searching for hospitals and doctor offices that would see Mya. Mya’s fever broke that night and she was feeling quite a bit better. We let her sleep late before leaving our campsite at Inch Beach.
There is a large parking lot near the grocery store in Dingle. We chose to park the campervan there and set out on foot to see the town. We wanted coffee and ice cream. We found the thrift store (the clothes were in wonderful condition and the shop was very clean and neat) and got our ice cream and coffee.
Side Note - We noticed a dry cleaning shop near the parking lot that offered same day wash/dry/fold services. We loaded up a garbage bag of laundry and took it to get washed while we were walking around the town. It cost us 22 euros to get a nice sized laundry bag of clothing cleaned. It was ready within a couple of hours. I saw this service offered in several of the towns we visited.
We drove out Slea Head drive to explore the Dingle Peninsula. We’d already missed the Kerry Cliffs, so I was excited to see the cliffs outside of Dingle. Our first stop was the Fairy Fort Ringfort to play with the baby lambs.
The parking for the Fairy Fort is across the street from the entrance. The parking is free, but the admission to the Fairy Fort is 2.50 euros per person. There is an honesty box there, so be sure to have exact cash. The fee does include food to feed the animals. That wasn’t clear to us, but the owner saw us there and drove in to be sure we had the food for the animals. There were baby lambs, sheep, goats, alpaca’s, and donkeys. The donkeys were in a fence, but they were very friendly when they saw the food containers. It was so fun to feed, pet, and photograph the animals. There is also a great view of the ocean and the cliffs from here, so pretty too. The ring fort is just a path the goes around the area where the animals stay. This was a highlight.
The next activity we came to was the Fahan Prehistoric Bee Hive Huts. I don’t remember just how much the admission was, but I think it was around 10 euros per person. It’s a self-guided tour. These huts were in very nice condition. Some still had the roofs. It was very interesting to see how the rocks were placed and how stable they were. Again, the views of the water and the cliffs were beautiful as well.
We continued the drive out Slea Head drive not sure of just what we’d find. We came upon The Cross at Slea Head. It’s a statue of the crucifixion that overlooks the sea and the cliffs.
Further down we came to Coumeenoole Beach. This was more of a park. There was plenty of parking the day we were there. There is actually a road that leads all the way down to the water, but I wasn’t brave enough to drive it. We walked down. This was where we had the closest view of the cliffs. Sunset was very pretty here.
Our last stop on Slea Head drive was Dunquin Pier. It offers another beautiful view of the water and the cliffs. We headed back to Dingle after this to get some dinner. We had planned to eat at Dick Mack’s Pub and Brewery, but it was a little too much on the wild side for us. We ate at the Fish Box instead. It got very good reviews for good reason.
We headed back to Inch Beach Campground for the night.
Day 5 – the Plan
Tarbert Ferry, Bridges of Ross, Kilkee cliffs, Cliffs of Moher, Galway
Reality
Mya was still struggling with a sore throat and just generally didn’t feel well. We’d decided to stay two nights at the Inch Beach Campground so that she could get some extra sleep. It was decided that she needed to go to a doctor to make sure she didn’t have strep throat. That became the main goal of the day. We checked with the local pharmacy and found the name of some walk-in clinics that were along our route. Our daughter was making phone calls to find a place that she felt confident in and also didn’t have a long wait.
We still wanted some souvenirs from Dingle. We absolutely love the name and the town. On our way into town we saw a road sign that pointed toward Dingle. We deviated off of Google maps and followed the road sign. Boy was that ever a great decision. It took us to a very nice beach with a lovely ocean view and the ruins of a castle. We stopped for a bit before continuing to Dingle. When we got there we parked in the public parking lot that we knew about. I set out walking the town in search of souvenirs. I found some high end sweatshirts and t-shirts, but they weren’t what we wanted. I ended up at the Marina.
There is another public parking lot at the Marina. That is where the main tourist area is located. There are shops galore there. I found a few items including a sweatshirt for Mya. I would love to have another day to spend around the Marina. If you don’t need the grocery store, pharmacy, or laundry services, definitely head to the Marina parking lot. That is where the action is.
We headed toward Taleen to go the the doctor. I sure wish Mya wasn’t sick, because it looked like such a nice town to explore. There is a chain of medical clinics called doctor.ie. It was very clean and easy to access. The doctor checked Mya and prescribed antibiotics, that I was able to pick up at a nearby pharmacy. The cost of the doctor visit was 50 euros. The antibiotic was about 12 euros. We had stopped at a grocery store earlier and bought a nice take and bake pizza. We cooked that for lunch and ate it while we waited for the doctor’s office to open.
Mya was still feeling poorly so we headed to Tarbert to be ready for the ferry in the morning.
I’m not sure we saw much of the town of Tarbert. We went to the park and walked around the Fairy Trail. It was pretty overgrown and longer than we anticipated.
Some of the locals recommended eating at Swanky Bar. We loved the name and decided to give it a go. It turned out to be some of our favorite Irish food. We ate on the lounge side. There was a fireplace and several tables in a single room. Our server was as sweet as she could be. We had the roasted pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, and vegetables. We also had the roasted chicken with the same sides. It was plenty of food for the three of us to eat because we also wanted dessert. Dave and I shared the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Oh my goodness! It was so good. Mya had a caramel waffle. She said it’s the best thing she’s eaten. Our entire meal was only 45.40 euros.
I wanted to go out to the lighthouse, but we weren’t able to find it. We didn’t look very hard though. We were able to dry camp that night in the ferry parking lot. We woke up to a nice view of the water.
Day 6 – the Plan
Explore Galway and head to Kinnitty Castle for the night.
Eat at McDonagh’s in Galway which is supposed to have the best fish and chips on the planet.
Reality –
When it was time to board the ferry in Tarbert, Mya still was not feeling well so we decided to skip the western coastline and head toward Kinnitty Castle. Because of the rental van mis-hap, we’d missed the castles on the first day. We hadn’t been inside of any of the castles yet.
We were on the lookout for a bakery and coffee shop for breakfast. We went to Ennis to explore. It is such a nice town, but very challenging place to drive. Mya chose to stop at O’Conners coffee shop and craft bakery. The pastries looked nice, but honestly didn’t taste that great. The coffee was way too strong for me to drink. Definitely would try a different place next time. We enjoyed walking around the shops. We found a nice shop that had a variety of teas.
We were still heading to Limerick and came across and shopping mall at Bunratty Castle – Bunratty Village Mills. Of course, we had to stop. We enjoyed buying fun gifts to bring home. The stores had a lot of choices for gifts. There was also a nice clothing store that sold yard. We missed the village part of the castle that looked a lot like a nice park with trees and green grass. I’d explore this area longer if we ever make it there again.
Next stop was Limerick and King John’s Castle (the very bad king in Robin Hood). The castle is largely in tact and is more like a museum. We stumbled upon a parking lot just a block from the castle that was free if you were touring the castle. I don’t remember what the entrance fee to the castle was, but it was reasonable.
The castle itself was very beautiful and interesting. It was filled with interactive displays that gave the history of Ireland. We were able to walk up the turrets and around the top of the castle and see wonderful views of Limerick and the surrounding cathedrals. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the castle and the castle gift shop. We decided to walk across the bridge to get a few more photos before leaving Limerick to head to Kinnitty.
We fixed some lunch in the campervan while in the parking lot at Limerick and then headed straight to Kinnitty Castle. At this point, Mya had no idea that we were going to be sleeping in the castle that night.
We got to the castle in the late afternoon. We walked the grounds for a bit following the fairy trail. There was a large herd of deer on the grounds, but they were very skittish. The staff at the castle were so nice. They showed us to our room which was quite comfortable. We’d made a reservation for dinner. The food was delicious! We had tortellini, a burger, and soup with brown bread. We got the warm pear and almond dessert, but it wasn’t our favorite.
Mya enjoyed a hot bath and a nice cup of tea in our room before going to sleep. There was a small television in the room, but we couldn’t get it to work so we just headed off to sleep.
Day 7 – the Plan
Kinnitty Castle to Newgrange
Newgrange to Dublin
Reality –
We actually followed the plan.
We woke up in Kinnitty Castle and made our way to the dining room to get our breakfast which was included in the price of our stay.
The breakfast was wonderful. There was a buffet that included milk and juice, a variety of pastries, cheeses and meats, and cereals. At the table was a menu that had the days offerings. We were allowed to choose one of the entrees to accompany the buffet. There were several hardy choices including the traditional Irish breakfast (black pudding).
After breakfast we went out to explore the grounds and found a fun competition taking place. There was archery, axe throwing, and skeet shooting. The equipment was all laser (not real ammo or weapons). It was fun to watch.
We loaded up the van and headed to Newgrange for our afternoon tour. We used Google maps to guide us there. We’d chosen a route to follow, but Google kept switching it on us. We weren’t very concerned because it was still getting us there. We took many single lane country roads which we actually preferred. The scenes along the way were beautiful. Just the scenes you’d expect to see in Ireland.
We made it to Newgrange just in time for our 1:30 pm tour. There is a bit of a museum with a gift shop and a cafe at the visitor center, the start of the tour. This is where you check in for the tour. Do know that it’s a bit of a walk to where the busses are loaded. Be sure to leave about 15 minutes to walk to the bus. We booked the tours for Newgrange and Knowth. These tickets allowed us to enter the chamber at Newgrange.
Newgrange is a very interesting place with historical significance. It’s said to be older than the pyramids. We enjoyed both historic sites. At Knowth, you are able to climb up to the top of one of the mounds (grave passages). The tour included the short bus ride to both sites, a guided tour to both sites, ability to explore the grounds, and a short movie that tells about the mounds, the discovery, and the restoration of both sites.
After Newgrange, we were starving. We were hoping to find a pub to eat at along the way to Dublin, but that didn’t happen for us. Our daughter searched and found a place in Dublin to try. It was just what we expected an Irish Pub to be like – fun and noisy! Getting to it was quite the ordeal. We do not like driving in the city. If we had a car, it would have been easier, but the van was quite large. Parking was difficult to find too.
That night we needed to stay in a campground with full hook ups so we could empty and clean the tanks. There was one not very far from the Dublin airport. We had to pay a bit more because we didn’t have reservations (the park was not full) and we were arriving late in the evening. The campground was basic, but it had what we needed.
Day 8 – the Plan
RV Park to Dublin Airport to home
Reality –
We got up early to avoid any line to empty and clean our tanks in the van then we headed to Dublin Airport. We tried to avoid M50 so we didn’t have to be concerned about paying a toll. We failed.
We hadn’t completely made pick up arrangements with the rental company, and they weren’t responding to our texts and phone calls. That was a bit stressful. They did reply on the way to the airport, so the pressure was off. We were able to meet in the long-term parking area and hand off the keys.
I’m going to put this warning in here. If you want to eat or do shopping, do it after security, but before customs. Once you go through customs, your choices are very limited. You cannot take drinks through security. There is no good place to get a latte once you go through customs. There are places to buy fruit, canned drinks, sandwiches, and chips after going through customs. There is also a limited duty free shopping area. Be sure to have your boarding pass and passport with you. It is required for purchases.
Going through security at the airport was different that what we were used to doing in Portland. Even though we have Global Entry, we had to go through security same as everyone else. Everyone was allowed to keep their shoes on as long as they were below the ankle shoes. All shoes that went above the ankle had to come off. All liquids had to be just a few ounces and be contained in a quart sized plastic bag. They did have bags there to use for those of us that weren’t prepared for that. Of course all pockets empty, outerwear taken off, belts and jewelry off, and phones in the tote to go through x-ray. I don’t remember having to take out the cameras or the chargers. I’m pretty sure even the tablet was able to stay in the bag.
In Customs there is a Global Entry line. Our granddaughter didn’t have Global Entry so we weren’t able to use it. There was literally no one in the Global Entry line. Customs however did have a line. Everything moved pretty quickly though. It didn’t take too long.
They ask what you purchased and what you are bringing home. Be sure to research what is allowed and what isn’t allowed. I had cheese that I’d brought from home to eat on the airplane. I’m not sure I was supposed to take that into the country. Oops. They allowed me to take it back onto the airplane. I know that rocks and shells are not allowed to be taken out of Ireland. I’ve heard that a few small rocks won’t be confiscated, but nothing greater than a quarter. Also, it’s a good idea to have a general idea of what you spent on items that you are taking home. Don’t worry a lot about it, because it’s quite generous per person on what you can spend.
UPDATE: currently tariffs are in effect and so you might have to pay an extra fee at the airport to cover the tariff. (Oct. 2025).
We really enjoyed our trip to Ireland. I hope our experiences help you plan your perfect trip.
