Today is Mother's Day in the States, and I'd like to take the opportunity to revisit a very special adventure I got to embark on a couple years back with the person I am lucky enough to call my mother.
We had never actually had the opportunity to go on a trip together just the two of us, so this was a special opportunity, and we wanted to make the most of it. We needed to find the right kind of place to visit, somewhere beautiful, lively, friendly, and full of interesting places to explore. One place quickly came to the top of our list of destinations, and it wasn't hard to decide.
We were going to Ireland.
To put it mildly, we were not disappointed with this decision. Here are some of the places we got to check out which appear in the video, as we road tripped around large parts of the southern half of the island, with a heavy focus on the famed Ring of Kerry.
Rock of Cashel - castle ruins dating back to the 12th century. Said to be the place where St. Patrick banished Satan from a cave.
Coolanowle Country House - a farmhouse turned B&B where we spent the first night. It is a working dairy farm with at least one friendly chicken roaming the grounds. The property had nice green spaces, walking trails, forested areas and cabins - a truly peaceful spot.
Kinsale - a colorful small town on the southern coast. Doesn't get much more quaint than this!
Old Head - a rocky peninsula south of Kinsale with a golf course.
Kilbrittain Castle - an 11th centure castle which is one of the world's oldest castles that is still inhabited. It was purchased by Roy E. Disney, nephew of walt Disney, in the 1990s. It was an unexpected find, we just happened to notice it during our drive and nearly drove right past it without seeing it!
Ballinskelligs - a tiny town on one of the peninsulas jutting out of southwest Ireland in County Kerry. It is in a Dark Sky Reserve where the stars can be seen with minimal light pollution. There are plenty of beaches and ruins and even a chocolate factory of all things, not the first thing we were expecting in such a remote location. But very good chocolate!
The Cliffs of Kerry - another unexpected find for us. We'd heard plenty of the Cliffs of Moher, but nobody said much about this place. The sign didn't lie though, these cliffs were beautiful!
Inch Beach - a long, straight beach where you are allowed to drive your car right out onto the sand!
Durty Nelly's - A really neat restaurant in the town of Bunratty, right next to the Bunratty Castle. We had dinner outside in the summer sunset, while inside an acoustic jam session broke out. This place was cool!
Aran Islands - an archipelago adjacent the Cliffs of Moher north of County Kerry, in County Clare. The weather wasn't quite so charming on this day, but the rain only added to the fun. Although the drive-by of the cliffs had to be dropped on the way back due to the rough seas. We were on the innermost island called Inisheer, where we explored some of the ruins but found respite in the local pub when the rains came.
See how many of these places you can spot in the video!
There were so many amazing places that I could go on for hours posting photos and writing up stories. I am just thankful that I had the opportunity to spend this time with my mom and for all of the amazing memories we have together.
I love you mom!
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