Five Days on The Green Shores of Ireland

My trip to Ireland was two and a half years in the making. In December 2006 I saw my favourite band, U2, play the last show of their world tour in Hawaii. After that show, I promised myself that I see them on their next tour, in Ireland. Flash forward to July 2009, where I honoured my promise. Now, some people’s ideal Irish vacation would be leisurely drives through quaint bed and breakfasts, soaking up the culture along the way. My Dad and I? We ran around Dublin for two days then clocked over 1300 km in three days touring the countryside.

When I booked my trip to Ireland in March I knew it wouldn’t be a ‘slow vacation,’ but even I didn’t think my Dad and I would be able to cram so much into five days. We arrived on a Thursday and immediately set out exploring the city. TRAVEL TIP: to avoid jet lag, be active after a long flight. My Dad and I checked into our hotel at 9 a.m. and didn’t return until 5 p.m. In between we toured Trinity College, Temple Bar and walked along the River Liffey. After a brief nap (you can’t stay awake forever) we did a hop-on hop-off tour of Dublin, including a stop at the Guinness Brewery. After visiting a few pubs it was 11 p.m. before you know it.

Our second day was spent covering the areas our previous walk tours had neglected. St. Stephen’s Green, Grafton Street and O’Connell Street. Along the way we saw many-o-U2 fans. If you weren’t wearing a U2 t-shirt, you were a minority. Every pub was blarring their music and every newspaper was wall-to-wall coverage. It was at a local pub that my Dad and I did what was, in my opinion, the most Irish thing possible:

1. We drank Guinness
2. Listened to U2
3. Watched Ireland played football on TV
4. Before heading to see U2

Driving through Ireland is a great way to see the country. I was responsible for navigating while my Dad was responsible for not driving on the wrong side of the road. Despite what you may think, navigating Ireland’s roads was as easy as driving any stretch of North America. Plus, by driving ourselves we were able to stop when and where we liked. Over three days we made stops in Cork, Waterford, Cashel, Howth, Mahlehaide and Slane.

A drive through the Ring of Kerry is a must. It takes you right along the Atlantic Ocean, and if the sun is cooperating, can provide you with some excellent photographs. The average tour takes 5 -8 hours, and sometimes extends to two days. My Dad and I, feeling the pressure of our condensed travel time, did the journey in 2.5 hours. We arrived at the ‘start’ of the Ring of Kerry at 6:30 p.m., meaning all of the bus tours and afternoon tourists were long gone and we were free to zip around at 100 km/h. Was it ideal for photography? No. But it did allow us to see all of the Ring of Kerry and make it home to a) eat and b) refuel. We arrived back at our hotel in Kilarney around 9:30 p.m. only to discover that almost every pub and restaurant stops serving food at 9:00. We were lucky to find a kind restaurant owner willing to fire up the grill for us. TRAVEL TIP: eat early in Ireland. Unlike Canada, food isn’t served late, and you may end up having a Mcdinner if you wait too long.

On our second day of driving we visited a little pub on the outside of Waterford. Now, I had previously thought that our day of U2 was the most Irish thing possible, but consider what we did inside this pub.

1. Ate local Irish fish. I literalyl had their last piece of salmon
2. Drank Guinness. What’s more Irish than a bartender convincing my Dad that, despite driving across Ireland, it’s acceptable for him to have a glass of Guinness with lunch
3. Watched an All-Irish Hurling Championship Quarter-Final Match on TV

In the end, my Dad and I can say we did everything that we wanted to do while in Ireland. We ate local food, drank local beer, saw about 1/3 of the countryside and oh yeah, we saw the biggest band in the history of Ireland play in their own backyard.

Being the U2 fan that I am, and just in case you’re curious, here is their setlist from July 24 at Croke Park in Dublin

1. Breathe
2. No Line on the Horizon
3. Get on Your Boots
4. Magnificent
5. Beautiful Day
6. Elevation
7. Desire
8. Stuck in a Moment
9. One
10. Until the End of the World
11. The Unforgettable Fire
12. City of Blinding Lights
13. Vertigo
14. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight
15. Sunday Bloody Sunday
16. Pride
17. MLK
18. Walk On
19. Where The Streets Have No Name
20. Bad
21. Ultraviolet
22. With or Without You
23. Moment of Surrender

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