Ireland--Places to Visit Before You Go!

[neca 166]

It's been a bad time to be a prospective immigrant from Ireland, with all the covid restrictions, the seemingly endless lockdowns, the embassy delays; I know there have been times I've been so frustrated with this country that I forget how beautiful and peaceful it is.

If the news/officials are to be believed, then lockdown restrictions should be easing soon, so hopefully that signals travel again!

 

I know we're all mostly trying to get out of Ireland, but before we go, what are some must-see or otherwise nice places to visit? So that when the time finally comes to leave, we can go knowing that we got a solid Irish experience.

 

Please share places you've been, what you recommend, what you don't, where you want to go, anything about experiencing Ireland.

 

Let's forget about covid for now, and remember what lies 5km+ away!

I can't wait to leave the house again.

[neca 166]

Phoenix Park

 

 

My favourite place in the park is the area just after the Knockmaroon Gate entrance, within the gray marked area. Loads of trees, inclines, declines; it's lush with nature to the point that you can almost forget you're in a park. Special mention to the area just next to the pond that is steeply declined, it's not usually as heavily peopled as the rest of the area and has a few branch/stick survival shelters. And squirrels, if you look hard enough.

 

I'm interested in what others have to say about the park, I feel like I've really seen only about a third of the place (mostly because I keep going back to the same areas lol). Hoping I'll be able to get into some of the tours if/when they resume.

[neca 166]

Bray

 

Bray is a beautiful seaside town, a bit farther from the hustle of Howth and the city center. It's got a nice, relatively short hike (easy enough if you're young or fit, but it does get a bit steep as you go on) up a hill to a large cross that I'm told you can see Wales from on a good day (I wasn't able to see when I went).

The beaches are all covered in stones, which of course you're not supposed to take, but there are a fair amount of hagstones that you can find, and some with quartz lines in them. There are old houses overlooking the beach that remind me a bit of San Francisco, they're quite lovely to look at. Granted, I've only ever seen San Francisco in pictures and on Full House, so I could be totally mistaken at the semblance.

If you've parked by the shops beachside, when you're walking up to the hike hugging along the coast, you'll find that the path kind of diverges left downward or right up to the hill. Going left brings you down to a really cool relatively secluded beach area with cliffs either side of you, graffiti, and plenty more stones. I enjoy bouldering there; you'll also find a fair amount of little critters around if you look close enough.

Of course there are a lot of shops too, and the chipper right next to the casino always has really fresh veggie burgers.