The Ireland My Father Always Talked About
Updated: 6 days ago
Growing up, my sister Sarah and I heard countless stories about Ireland from our father. He had lived there for a few years and travelled around the country on his bicycle. He never seemed to run out of things to tell us about it. Eventually, we decided we'd heard enough stories. We wanted to experience this Ireland he kept talking about. So, for Christmas, we came up with a present: a week-long family trip to Ireland.
Another reason why I was looking forward to it was that at the time, Sarah was studying in Montpellier, a couple of hours from our father, and I was living in Sweden. We didn't get many opportunities to spend time together. The plan? Seven days, a rental car, and a country waiting to be explored.
Day 1 - An Unexpected Welcome to Dublin
We'd booked a rental car from Hertz several weeks before arriving in Ireland. Unfortunately, the first thing we discovered was that collecting the rental car wasn't as straightforward as we'd imagined. We spent an hour checking in, only to discover that the deposit was €300 higher than originally presented. Not exactly the best welcome, but eventually we got the keys and headed into Dublin.
After checking into our small hotel, we went out for dinner at a Mongolian restaurant. The concept was interesting: you chose your vegetables, meat, seafood, herbs and spices, and the chef prepared everything right in front of you. Including a beer each, we paid €78 for the three of us. After dinner, we took our father back to the hotel. Sarah and I, however, weren't quite ready to call it a night.
We decided to explore Dublin at night. And what an evening it turned out to be. First, we met a very drunk but friendly man who started talking to us in the street. Between his accent and the alcohol, we understood almost nothing. He kept hugging us and explained that he owned a phone repair shop nearby, so we should visit him if we ever had a problem with our phones.
Then another man approached us asking for money for somewhere to sleep. When we told him we didn't have any change, he tried to sell us cocaine instead. Well, that escalated quickly. Later, we met a homeless man in a wheelchair. We were not able to give him any change, but we bought him a baguette and a bottle of water. It certainly wasn't an ordinary first evening in Dublin. But Sarah and I had a good time exploring the city together, and our Irish adventure was only beginning.
Day 2 - From Dublin to the Atlantic Coast
We started the morning at Frank and Honest, where we found a breakfast offer for €4.50 that included a drink and pancakes or another dessert. It was time to leave Dublin behind and head toward Allihies, on the Beara Peninsula, in the southwest of Ireland. Our first stop was Cahir, a small town in County Tipperary, where we visited Cahir Castle. Driving through Ireland was quite an experience. Some of the roads were narrow and winding, and I wasn't particularly impressed with the driving conditions. Although after experiencing Malta, I suppose I should have been prepared.
The scenery, on the other hand, made the journey worthwhile. We stopped several times to enjoy the mountains, coastline and ocean views. After roughly seven hours on the road from Dublin, we finally arrived in Allihies. And our accommodation! We were staying in a bed and breakfast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by mountains and beautiful countryside. I shared a room with my father, while Sarah had a room next door.
After unpacking, we walked about fifteen minutes to the nearest village and visited a local pub. As it happened, we met four Czech travellers who were exploring Europe on motorbikes. They were just as impressed by Ireland as we were. We stayed long enough to enjoy the sunset with an Irish beer. I still remember the colour of the ocean that evening. As the sun disappeared, the water turned a beautiful shade of purple.
Day 3 - Garinish Island and Our First Seals
One of the things I enjoyed most about our bed and breakfast was, unsurprisingly, the breakfast. I had pancakes, Sarah ordered toast with fresh salmon, and our father went for everything. There were also pastries, cereals, fruits, cheeses, juice, and coffee. I was sitting directly opposite an open door overlooking the ocean. I'm not sure breakfast gets much better than that. Our plan for the day was to visit Glengarriff and take a ferry to Ilnacullin – Garinish Island, famous for its gardens.
Our ferry was due in about thirty minutes, so we decided to get something to eat while we waited. We ordered fish and chips with homemade onion rings. We had barely finished eating when we spotted the boat approaching. Perfect timing. During the short crossing, something happened that immediately made our day. Seals! They were resting and swimming close to the boat, some barely a metre away from us. I'd never expected to see them so closely in their natural environment.
I was ridiculously happy. Once we arrived on Garinish Island, it felt like we'd stepped into an entirely different place. The island is known for its unusual gardens and collection of plants from different parts of the world. Thanks to the mild, humid climate around Glengarriff, many species that might seem out of place on Ireland's Atlantic coast are able to grow there.
There are woodland paths, carefully designed gardens, and architectural features inspired by different traditions. Among them are an Italian garden, a Grecian temple, and a historic Martello tower. Walking around, I could understand why people come specifically to see this little island. After completing our visit, we took the ferry back to Glengarriff and bought a few souvenirs. I also decided to send some postcards. I've collected so many over the years that I could probably cover an entire wall with them.
When we returned to our bed and breakfast, we sat outside watching the waves crash against the rocks. There were hardly any cars, no factories nearby, and nothing much disturbing the peace.
Day 4 - A Coastal Hike and Some Family Time
After another excellent breakfast, we decided to spend the day hiking along the coast. The weather was beautiful, so we stopped at the supermarket to buy some baguettes, ham, cheese and, of course, more postcards. We ended up chatting with the person working at the shop. Apart from our less-than-perfect experience renting a car at the airport, we'd found the people we met in Ireland to be incredibly welcoming.
Our hiking trail began higher up in the mountains before descending toward a small peninsula. For much of the walk, we had views of the Atlantic Ocean, the surrounding mountains, and fields filled with sheep. I couldn't help feeling a little jealous of the people who lived there. Imagine waking up to those views every morning. At one point, Sarah and I noticed what looked like a small island in the distance. Naturally, we wanted to explore it.
When we got closer, we discovered that it wasn't really an island at all, and we could walk across to it. We also came across a little pool that caught my father's attention. Eventually, we stopped for a picnic with the food we'd bought earlier. After eating, I lay down on the grass for a while, listening to the seagulls and enjoying the quiet. I almost fell asleep that's how peaceful it was.
Part of the return journey followed the main road, but fortunately we encountered very few cars. We returned to our accommodation and spent the rest of the evening talking. That's something I remember particularly well. My father was usually busy working, Sarah was living in Montpellier, and I was in Sweden. We were all getting on with our own lives, often in different places.
Having an entire week together wasn't something that happened very often. We'd come to Ireland to discover the country our father had told us so much about. But moments like that evening reminded me that the trip wasn't only about Ireland. It was about being together.
Day 5 - Meditation, Rain and the Irish Sea
Not every day in Ireland was filled with sunshine. Today's weather was miserable, and it rained for much of the morning. There was a Buddhist meditation and retreat centre near Allihies, in the area of Dzogchen Beara. Sarah decided to spend two hours at a meditation session, while my father and I went to a nearby café. I used the opportunity to write some of the postcards I'd collected during the trip.
Once Sarah finished, we reunited and went out for lunch. My father ordered his classic fish and chips with a beer, Sarah had a burger, and I chose a wrap. The portion looked like it had been prepared for a small child, but at least it tasted good. Eventually, the weather improved enough for us to go for a walk along the coast.
We ended up at a beach, where Sarah and our father started considering a swim. My father tested the water first. That was apparently enough for him. He quickly decided that staying on the beach was a much better idea. Sarah hesitated for a while but eventually jumped into the sea anyway. As for me, there was absolutely no way anyone was getting me in the freezing water.
Day 6 - Kayaking With Seals
This was one of the activities I'd been looking forward to most. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't exactly encouraging. It was cold, foggy, and generally looked like the kind of day when staying indoors would have been a perfectly reasonable decision. But we'd been waiting for this experience, and we weren't giving up. We got our wetsuits, and I added a few more layers of clothing. Meanwhile, the guy working there was walking around barefoot, wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
I still don't understand how he wasn't freezing. Our biggest concern was whether we'd actually see any seals in such poor visibility. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long. About five minutes after setting off, we spotted two seals playing in the water. And then the game began. Every time a seal poked its head above the surface, we'd turn to look at it, only for it to disappear beneath the water again.
A few moments later, another head would appear somewhere else. It genuinely felt as though they were playing hide-and-seek with us. What we'd feared might be a disappointing activity turned into almost two hours of watching seals appear and disappear around our kayaks. By the end, I was definitely looking forward to getting back into a warm car. We returned to Glengarriff, where we found live music and enjoyed a beer together.
It was our final evening in this part of Ireland, and I couldn't have asked for a much better goodbye.
Day 7 - One Last Night Together
After our final breakfast on the Beara Peninsula, we packed everything and left around seven in the morning. We had a long drive ahead of us to get back to Dublin. Our route took us through Killarney National Park, and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to stop and explore as much as I would have liked. We had originally planned to visit Limerick on the way, but after taking a wrong turn and losing some time, we decided to skip it.
By the time we finally arrived, we'd spent roughly eleven hours travelling. Once we reached Dublin, we bought fish and chips and found a park where we could sit and eat in peace. Later on, we visited several pubs, and our favourite was Anne's Bar, where a guitarist was performing live. The atmosphere was wonderful, and we enjoyed the music and the evening together.
But I also felt a little sad. Our week was coming to an end. Soon, we'd be going back to our separate lives. My father and Sarah would return to France, and I'd be heading back to Sweden. I had no idea when the three of us would have another opportunity like this.
More Than a Trip to Ireland
We explored Dublin, drove through the mountains, visited castles and gardens, walked along the Atlantic coast, and even went to kayak with the seals. It's the little moments. Sharing breakfast with an ocean view. Walking along the coast. Sitting outside our accommodation watching the waves. Spending an evening talking without having to think about work or where we needed to be the next day.
These are the moments that will stay with me. For years, our father had been telling us stories about Ireland. Now we have a few of our own.
THANK YOU IRELAND
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