The Emerald Isle
At long last, a TJM recap of our wee holiday to Ireland in June 2022.
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For each of the 3 cities we visited, I'll give you my typical 3 TJM blog favorites.
1) a favorite item or place for FOOD, 2) the same for DRINKS, and 3) I'll share a Traveler's Tip.
I'm also adding an "honorable mention" activity for each city, and a "best story", because damn we just had a ton of fun!
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First, a general statement before we go on this journey. It rains all the time all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. (ok, not constantly. But way too much.)
City #1: DUBLIN
Food: potatoes & chowder (anywhere and everywhere. Any form of potato, and any variety of seafood chowder).
Sidenote, with our first sit-down lunch, bowls of soup, & local pints came our first introduction to the lack of urgency in Dublin. Brace yourself to look up a place on Google Maps, walk there at 11:02am & see in the window that, yes, it does in fact open at 11am on a Thursday, BUT you'll talk to the owners who are currently setting out chairs & wiping windows, so you'll still have to wait 20 minutes for the owners to actually get ready to let you in. Just embrace it, take a walk down the rainy street, and try again.
Drink: Jameson & Ginger for Linds and G, lots of Gin drinks for me!
*most bar cocktails are what we'd like to call DIY. The bartender will hand you a glass with ice and some liquor, along with a tiny bottle of your mixer. Pour as you go!
Traveler's Tip: stay in a hotel that has a pub attached to it, or right across street. Our had an awesome rooftop bar, a basement with club music, and a main pub with live bands.
Temple Bar is extremely touristy, but damn is it fun! Bring earplugs for your hotel if you actually want to be able to sleep soundly, but anticipate that you'll definitely be out late and might just have to deal with loud noise.
*this chowder was actually at Cliffs of Moher in the tiny tourist cafe built into a hill. 10/10 according to Lindsey, and my butternut squash soup was phenomenal too.
Honorable mention: Live music everywhere. So much Proclaimers and Wonderwall and Chelsea Dagger... and plenty of American rock hits. Only took us 3 days to hear Rattlin' Bog... and then we heard it constantly. & make sure hear live trad music (traditional music) at least once. Ed Sheeran would be proud.
Best story: When we walked out of a pub in Temple Bar, we heard a low roar of men chanting. Turned out, there had been a huge rivalry football (soccer) game that night in the city, between Ireland and Scotland. Apparently Scotland won! All the men in kilts were walking toward us down the cobblestone street. One older gentleman sto
pped & took a photo with us & let the girls try on his hat!
Part of Dublin: Guinness Storehouse
Food: We didn't eat there but treated ourselves to a lovely Shepherd's pie after! Any pub in town should be pretty authentic.
Drink: um... NOT Guinness! Emily was the only one of us who actually enjoyed it. I s pent my free beer token on Hop House 13. But definitely pay the extra 6-7 euros to get your face printed on a Guinness.
Traveler's Tip: book early, it's always crowded. We booked about 5 weeks ahead. Allow time to enjoy the interactive activities and photo opps!
(getting a taxi or uber out of that area was rough though! Always crowded after tours)
Honorable mention: the lesson on "how to drink it properly". Entertaining, but I still believe that I should not have to drink a beer (especially a blonde lager!) a certain way in order to make it taste better.
Best story: Gianna getting an extra free taster cup for answering a question about roasted barley! Go Miss Caruso!
Thanks to my world-traveling Guinness-loving bestie Emily, I know how to drink Guinness AND Jameson, although I dislike both.
City #2: GALWAY
Food: have high tea or dessert tea at Cupan Tae ("tea cup" in Gaelic). This was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. We walked by & put our names in that day, and even got on a slightly later train back to Dublin so we wouldn't be rushed.
We each chose our own pot of tea from a massive menu, and 3 dessert options on those cute little trays. The desserts were unreal- all infused with tea inside the cakes and the icing. We met the owner who also hopes to open a tea shop in NYC.
Drink: drink & dance in multiple rooms at The Front Door (the heart of Galway's Social Scene, apparently)
Traveler's Tip: don't expect restaurants to be open late. You don't want to arrive after sunset like we did, and expect to have multiple food options when you're already tired and hungry.
Also, stay in Salthill and take taxis / walk everywhere (use taxi app or call directly). Great way to save money, find a bigger space to sleep for a couple days, and still easily access the fun of the city.
Another sidenote: I don't love espresso martini. If you're like me on a Europe trip, they're everywhere & they're good quality. I kept trying them anyway. Ask for a chocolate flavor. Or you can always switch back to gin or beer :)
St Louie, babyyyy
Honorable mention: Quays Live! Some of the best live music I've heard (yes, maybe even better than Kingston Mines, at least if you really want to hear covers, which I usually do). The upstairs charges $10-20 cover but it's worth every euro! The converted church is a strange vibe but makes for a really cool stage backdrop.
*& late dinner (but everywhere still seemed to close by 10.)
So shout out to our Albanian friend, owner of La Collina, who served us an incredible meal right before closing for the night. All 5 of us Italians were extremely impressed with the salads, fresh pastas, and wine.
Best story: probably the excitement of the crowd when the band at Quays played I'll Be There For You by the Remembrandts! And realizing the bathrooms were all confessionals.
We took a video but doesn't do it justice so I'll let you go some day for yourself!
City #3: BELFAST
Food: treat yourself to a steakhouse dinner. We went to Flame! You can get a nice full meal + cocktails + a bottle of wine for very reasonable, maybe $75 per person max.
Drink: Thirsty Goat! One of the only pubs we went to during our quick 36 hours in Belfast. Fun cocktails, huge variety of beers from local to UK to Irish, and awesome live music.
Traveler's Tip: book a black cab history tour. You could do this the day before you arrive as there are many drivers, and it's only about an hour total.
Multiple people recommended this to us, and it did not disappoint. Previously to this trip (& before watching Derry Girls) I was extremely ignorant about "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants. Unfortunately, this tension is still really prevalent today. Just be aware and respectful of it, and if you have time, take a tour to learn about it.
We all agreed we had a nice mix of educational activities and drinking/eating/dancing during our short time in Belfast.
Honorable mention: the Titanic Museum
We learned that Belfast is quite a sad place. Not only do they have a lot of religious and political divides, but they are the site of the entire construction of the Titanic, which then took off to Southampton, England, and then across the ocean where it met its tragic end (& rose to fame with many adaptations and everyone's favorite Celine Dion song).
But they're also a resilient, welcoming, and historical place with a lot to learn and see, eat and drink, reflect and marvel at.
Best story: after lots of walking, more than a few depressing stories, and just barely a little bit of sunshine, we stumbled upon a newer bar that had a gorgeous patio with exposed roof and skylights. We thought it'd be a nice time for a cocktail. Espresso martini of course for Linedsey & Gianna. They even had it on tap! Gin cocktail for me (this was actually a mocktail, and just what I needed that day.
Immediately after we took our obligatory "drink in the air" photo, Gianna miiiight have spilled her entire glass on herself. Then an employee who was taking the same kind of photos for their social content handed us another cocktail, completely untouched. The Luck of the Irish was simultaneously working for & against us!
I wish I remembered this bar's name, but I think the bartender was ready for us to leave anyway.
We explored Ireland, so we did.
WHAT. A. TRIP.
Definitely a trip though. Not exactly a relaxing vacation.
Well, Ireland, we really love you.
We're grateful for fantastic cocktails, great cheap beer, and surprisingly awesome food.
We're grateful for hopping around authentic pubs, shopping on cobblestone streets, and understanding Irish accents without "subtitles".
We're grateful that pretty much every local we met genuinely loved Americans.
We're grateful for heartwarming conversations with friends, many hours of dancing to incredible live music, and too many cocktails and beers and potatoes to count.
And of course, we're grateful that we had a safe, eye-opening, whirlwind weeklong trip, despite our 24-hour flight delay.*
Maybe... we're even grateful for the rain, because it made the few hours of sun that much more enjoyable.
*We are not grateful for Aer Lingus, see ya never.
BONUS CONTENT:
Here are 5 other things to try in Ireland & Northern Ireland!
1. Try fish & chips with gravy. Yes, like the gravy you pour on mashed potatoes. Alt option, red sauce (aka tomato sauce aka ketchup) if you'd like two different flavors or both sauces combined.
2. Eat lamb for at least one meal. I went through this moral dilemma after driving around New Zealand in a van for 6 days, and a similar struggle when eating a kangaroo burger in Australia. There will be adorable sheep all over Ireland. If you visit Cliffs of Moher, you'll see them constantly. And, if you're not a vegetarian or vegan, you will eventually encounter a lamb option on a restaurant menu. The dichotomy is okay
3. Buy something wool from Aran Sweater Market. Check out one of the original stores in Dublin or Galway (not the knockoffs in tourist shops). I loved my cardigan & beanie purchase so much, I just ordered a crew neck, sweater vest & slippers from their online store.
Similar to above dilemma, but at least these sheep are treated great and are only sheared... not... ya know.
4. Visit the Cliffs of Moher (& looked for Dumbledore!).
Did we love it? Yes. Would we go back again? Probably not.
The roundtrip (pretty bumpy but stunningly scenic) bus ride is about 3 hours, and you'll only actually be at the cliffs for 2 hours. The Irish weather gods were really smiling on us. When we pulled up to the visitors center, it was downpouring and blowing crazy wind. About 10 minutes later, it all cleared up and the sun came out the whole time we were walking the paths and taking photos. Then it rained again :)
Our tour company drive was very nice & picked us up at a really cool hotel where we ate brunch on our own, but there was no commentary on the ride or at the cliffs. We basically paid for transportation, but still worth it.
5. And lastly... learn how to say "Slainte!" It means Cheers! Pronounced like SLAN-sheh.
Or be an Italian American like Paul & Gianna and just say "Cilantro!"
And a quick highlight reel below. Just a bunch of other favorite photos I didn't include yet.
Thanks for reading! Cheers, Slainte, and Be Excellent to Each Other.
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