I found myself in charming Salthill by fate. What had started as frustration, in not being able to find a hotel in Galway’s Latin Quarter, ended up as opportunity. Staying in Salthill was the best all-around Galway experience: a perch in a charming seaside village on the Wild Atlantic Way […]
Ireland
29 posts
Galway's Westend is densely packed with charming cafes and coffeehouses, award-winning restaurants, cutting-edge cocktails, and both modern craft beer and traditional pubs.
Captivating Dublin is always vibrant, changing, and just… quintessentially Dublin. And it’s why I’m compelled to keep returning. I have been traveling to Dublin long enough to have some favorite go-to spots that I long for when I’m away. So, my recent Dublin discoveries have only intensified competition for my […]
From vintage pubs to converted churches, Cork City has some of the coolest, intimate music venues. Set in the south of Ireland and known as the isle's Rebel City, Cork is one of my favorite destinations for its small urban setting, great food, and a terrific Trad and folk music […]
Easter is next Sunday, and I thought long and hard about heading to Dublin for the centennial of The Easter Rising. But ultimately, I decided not to brave the fervent crowds, which will certainly descend upon Dublin this weekend for this momentous occasion in Ireland’s history. Instead I’ve gathered together […]
Meeting House Square is one of my favorite cozy spots, located in the heart of Dublin’s Cultural District. It is a charming and modern modular square that packs a ton of activity inside its high walls. It is ringed with tasty restaurants, art, and history. Here you will find indie […]
The next time I go to L. Mulligan, I will go hungry. Sure, I knew it was going to be stick-to-your-ribs, inventive pub fare with an interesting beer selection, but I wasn’t prepared for how immensely filling it would actually be. And with all the other great food options in Dublin, I didn’t appropriately […]
After a whirlwind roadtrip around the countryside, we arrived back in Dublin for our five final days in Ireland. We immediately made a reservation at The Chop House restaurant for the next night. The Chop House had intrigued me for its modern Irish menu and focus on local products. I […]
Hung-over from lack of sleep on my overnight flight from California to Dublin, I stumbled into my hotel, stashed my luggage, and headed immediately to one of my favorite breakfast spots, The Queen of Tarts. Only about two blocks from my hotel and nestled in the unassuming Cows Lane, lies […]
My first jetlag night in Dublin and I had been struggling to stay awake since my 6am arrival. Six weeks before I had brazenly decided to book theater tickets on my first night in Dublin, as part of my strategy to maximize performances of the Dublin Theatre Festival. When “Spinning” […]
Escaping Galway’s bustling center of shopping and swarms of students, we crossed the River Corrib into a more peaceful neighborhood. We had ended up at Kai Café & Restaurant for lunch rather than dinner simply by how the puzzle pieces of our numerous dining options fell into place during our short 2-day […]
Our first night in Galway, we decided to stop first at Cava Bodega for drinks and an appetizer before heading to Ard Bia for our 8pm dinner reservation, down by the Spanish Arch. We had only two days in Galway and there were a lot of interesting food options to […]
I arrived at the Hotel Isaacs in Cork City and immediately made a reservation at their downstairs restaurant Greenes. Greenes came highly recommended as creative modern Irish cuisine, with a focus on seafood. Having Greenes just downstairs was a big plus, and it seemed like the perfect first night-in-Cork dining experience. […]
On a recent visit to Cork City, Cafe Paradiso was one of my must-try restaurants, based on many rave reviews. Even I, as a mostly-vegetarian, was biased that a restaurant solely focused on vegetarian cooking could really be a fine dining foodie experience, since they are often an afterthought. But […]
The English Market was at the top of my list to check out on my visit to Cork City. As someone obsessed with food, markets are always a priority. So map in hand, I wended my way through Cork’s tangle of small angled streets searching for the elusive entrance. […]
Cork City to Cobh During my recent five day visit to charming Cork City, I popped over to the historic harbor town of Cobh. Normally, it’s a quick 20 minute train ride from Cork City to Cobh, but on this day there was rail construction and buses were shuttling travelers from […]
Arriving back in Dublin from Galway, our first priority was lunch. Since The Fumbally was on my must-try-before-leaving-Dublin list, we headed off-the-beaten path to find it. St. Patrick’s Cathedral Diversion En Route to The Fumbally We walked down the wide trafficky boulevard where Patrick St. turns into New St. and […]
I was drawn to the Adare Manor for its elegant Afternoon Tea that appeared as if it would be picture perfect. Situated in the small and charming Limerick countryside, the town of Adare is renowned for its funky thatch-roofed houses. It was a short scenic drive from our wonderful stay at The Old Convent in County Tipperary, […]
We had been drawn to this part of Ireland by Castles…and a former Convent. After we bravely picked up our rental car at Shannon Airport, we made our way from the miniscule town of Bunratty toward County Tipperary. Traffic on the roads was light and we quickly grew accustomed to […]
When I planned my trip to Dublin, I chose the dates around the Dublin Theatre Festival. Once my flight was confirmed I waited for tickets to go on sale so that I was poised to purchase the second they went on sale to be sure I could get the performances […]
I’m the first one to admit that I had preconceived notions about Galway based on preliminary research and had initially scratched it off my list when I thought I would be traveling solo. But when a friend decided to join me on the second half of my trip, I thought […]
Car Ferry to County Clare After two days of driving around counties Tipperary and Limerick, we got up early anxious to jump back in our car and escape our soulless Adare hotel. We were excited about our Tarbert Ferry ride from County Kerry into County Clare, which we had decided to do rather […]
Spoiler Alert – I loved Cork City. It was urban, but down to earth. Sophisticated, but unpretentious. Cork felt European with a tinge of edginess – and, in a way, a little reminiscent of my hometown Boston. Falling in Love with Cork City on Day One Arrival into Cork City’s small […]
When I decided to travel to Ireland, I knew that I wanted to get off the beaten path as much as possible. I shied away from places such as the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula. Although I’m sure they are heavily travelled because of their stunning beauty, I was […]
Getting down to Ballymaloe House from Dublin was as easy as I had hoped it would be, considering I was not driving and it is out in the countryside of East County Cork. I changed trains in Cork City and then caught the 20 minute commuter train to Midleton. Midleton […]
After a walk exploring Smithfield on my last, lazy day in Dublin for a while, I was enthusiastically looking forward to having a meal at the Winding Stair. Because I was immersed in the Dublin Theater Festival every night, lunch was the natural option. I easily found the restaurant just […]
I wanted to escape Dublin's swarm of tourists and open air buses that converge on the city center's around Temple Bar and Trinity College. I decided to give the local neighborhood of Smithfield a whirl. Just north of the Liffey River and east of Temple Bar, Smithfield is conveniently located […]
Exhausted and still jet-lagging on my second day in Dublin, I let myself sleep-in and wasn’t up till 11am. Disappointed after that first crisp sunny day in town – I could hear the early October rain beating firmly on my hotel window sill. The rain served to warm Dublin a […]
Architecture is a priority for me when traveling, so I was eager to check out the recently redeveloped, ultra modern Docklands around the Dublin's Grand Canal. I headed east on foot from my Christchurch 'hood, and quickly skirted through the throngs of tourists and buses at Trinity College. Vintage brick warehouses dramatically transitioned to […]