The best way to see Ireland is by an Ireland road trip. But before we get to that… Did you know that St. Patrick was not born in Ireland? Or that blue is the color most associated with him, not green?
Like a lot of holidays there have been stories, myths, and twisted facts that have changed the way we celebrate them. Regardless of this, no matter who you are, you probably associate St. Patrick’s Day with Ireland (at least in your head).
This post may contain affiliate links. Which means I get a portion of the sales if you make a booking through my link at no extra cost to you!
Top Travel Resources
After decades of traveling, there’s 3 companies I tend to use over and over and recommend to everyone:
For that reason and in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m sharing my top 10 Ireland road trip stops. It’s been almost 8 years since my personal Ireland road trip. That means, I had to dust-off the scrapbook (because yes, I scrapbook) and remember the good times.
We did an Ireland trip for our first anniversary and it was lovely. There was amazing weather (this is not normal), the people are so nice, and the landscape is beautiful.
I was excited to go back and look at all the photos from our trip. However, before we get to that, let’s talk about St. Patrick’s Day and the actual facts behind it. Don’t worry, you can still wear green.
What is St. Patrick’s Day?
I’ll be honest, I knew very little about St. Patrick’s and his day. Plus, when we were in Ireland, I learned that we as Americans, celebrate it more than the Irish. That being said, I decided it was time to learn, and what I learned was very interesting.
10 Things to Know about St. Patrick
As with a lot of holidays there are myths, stories, and celebrations that are right, sort of right, and completely wrong. I’m a big fan of educating myself and others about the holidays I celebrate or promote. So here’s what you need to know
- St. Patrick was not born in Ireland. He was born in Britain. (source)
- He was kidnapped and enslaved at the age of 16 and kept for over 6 years. During this time, he turned to his religion to help him cope and became a devout Christian. (source)
- After escaping, he started his religious training which took over 15 years.(source)
- St.Patrick did not introduce Christianity to Ireland. It was already there. However, he was tasked with ministering to the Christians already living in Ireland and with converting others, after he finished his study. (source)
- St. Patrick chose to incorporate traditional Irish rituals into his Christianity teachings, i.e. the Celtic Cross. (source)
- St. Patrick’s day was more of a Holy day involving a religious feast in Ireland and the traditions we see in the USA were started here. (source) For Instance:
- Green has not always been associated with St. Patrick. In fact, blue was the color associated with the patron saint.( source)
- The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in what is now the USA. (source)
- Corned beef and cabbage was an American innovation. (source)
- The Irish are now adopting St. Patrick’s Day traditions from Irish America. However, some traditions they still find dumb. For instance “St. Patrick never drank green beer.” (source)
Now that you know a little more about St. Patrick’s Day, let’s talk about the amazingly beautiful country of Ireland. Regardless of whether you celebrate St. Patrick’s day or even care about it, Ireland is an amazing country to visit.
We did the southern part of the country, but I’d love to go back and see the northern part as well. Here’s 10 spots you should had to your bucket list.
Ireland Road Trip
The roads in Ireland are some of the most difficult I’ve driven. I don’t say that casually either, I learned to drive on the side of a mountain. I’ve gone off-roading, driven on roads where “only tours should go” and driven in 3rd world countries.
Every time someone tells me it’s tricky driving somewhere, I tend to roll my eyes, but this was the first time they were right. I don’t say this to tell you not to do it, you definitely should, just be aware, that’s all. Here’s the route we took below from Google Maps.
10 Spots to Add to Your Bucket List for Your Ireland Road Trip
1. Jameson Distillery & Guinness Factory
There are mixed reviews out there about Dublin. To be fair, it’s definitely not my favorite European city but it’s worth a visit. Personally, I think a weekend will do it, but you could spend more.
I’ve been twice and I thought it was at least worth taking my husband to since he didn’t go with me the first time.
If you do make it to Dublin, visit both the Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Factory. They are both worth a visit and can both be done in a day along with other spots in Dublin.
You can learn to pour the perfect pint at the Guinness Factory and taste whiskey from all over the world at the Distillery.
Top Tip:
Use the hop on hop off bus to get around Dublin quickly and easily
Book a tour of Guinness & Jameson for the best experience
2. Trad on the Prom, Galway
However, having said everything above about Dublin, don’t just do Dublin. I did this on my first trip to Ireland and was disappointed.
After my second trip to Ireland I saw so much more and realized how gorgeous it is. Plus, I tend to like the country-side better than cities anyway.
Our first stop on our road trip was in Galway. I can’t say much about this little town because our flight actually got delayed and we missed our full day here. Nonetheless, we did arrive in time to see the show Trad on the Prom.
Top Tip:
If you listen to nothing else here, listen to this.
Trad on the Prom is fantastic and you can book it here.
It’s a traditional Irish music and dance show and it is well worth attending.
In fact, I was so exhausted from our delayed flight that I thought I might just be ready for the show to end so I could go to bed. I was wrong, from the minute the show started, I was hooked. It’s brilliant.
3. Cliffs of Moher
The next stop on our Ireland road trip was the Cliffs of Moher. We drove to the Cliffs from Galway and spent the day there. Then we traveled to Gap of Dunloe where we spent the night.
This is about a 4.5 to 5 hour drive when it’s all said and done. We were starting the Ring of Kerry the next day and wanted plenty of time. It worked well for us, but we are early risers and don’t mind a bit of driving.
The Cliffs are amazing and did not disappoint. I wish we could have also done the boat ride but didn’t have the time or money for it.
However, I don’t recommend doing just the boat ride. My parents actually did this, but were a bit disappointed. I was happy we walked along the top of cliffs if we could only do one or the other.
Top Tip:
There’s several ways to experience the Cliffs of Moher:
Take a boat ride
Walk along the top with a guide
Skip driving and take a tour from the city
Ring of Kerry
These next 4 stops are all on the Ring of Kerry which is a whole trip in itself. This area is some of the best of Ireland’s wild side with mountains ocean views and dramatic landscapes. You owe it to yourself to do this drive, not just take a tour.
4. Ballycarbery Castle, Cahersiveen
Our first stop along the Ring of Kerry was Cahersiveen. Here we also saw the Ballycarbery Castle. You have no shortage of castles in Ireland but this one is lovely with the greenery on it.
5. Valentia Island
Next up is Valentia Island. This where you’ll really get those dramatic ocean landscapes. From here you can also get to Skelligs Island. However, you’ll need to check the boat times. We didn’t do this as the boat only leaves once or twice a day and it didn’t fit our schedule.
6. Fogher Cliffs, Valentia Island
Also on Valentia Island is the Fogher Cliffs which you should definitely make a stop at when you arrive on the island. You’ll also be able to view the Skelligs Island if you don’t make it over there.
7. Caherdaniel and Staigue Fort
After we did Valentia Island, we stayed in Caherdaniel and it was a lovely seaside town. there’s a lovely beach and our room had a view of the ocean.
From here we also did Staigue Fort which was one of the more interesting things we toured. It’s a circular fort and definitely worth checking out.
8. Blarney Castle
That wraps up the Ring of Kerry portion of our trip. We also made a stop at the Killarney National park which is lovely but not in my top ten. The next item in the top ten is the Blarney Castle.
Legend says if you kiss the stone here you will be blessed with eloquence and persuasiveness. We did it, but it’s a bit gross (I’ve heard some people pee on it so there’s that). However, the castle itself is definitely lovely.
Blarney is also close to the city of Cork. While not in my top ten, we did do a little kayak trip through the city that I would recommend as well if you’ve got the time. The cork gaol (jail) is also worth a trip.
9. Cahir Castle
After Blarney, we headed towards the Rock of Cashel, but made a stop at another castle (because why not?). Cahir Castle is also a lovely stop. We also took a tour of a Swiss Cottage that was beautiful as well.
10. Rock of Cashel
Number 10 on the list should be number 1 if I were ranking these in order of their awesome-ness on the Ireland road trip. However, I did this in the order we drove it so it’ll have to be 10. Do not miss out on the Rock of Cashel.
If you’ve done any research on Ireland, you’ve probably heard of it. It’s a spectacular castle with stunning views. The tour is also very good (or so my husband said, I get distracted taking the photos).
Top Tip:
If you don’t want to drive, you can see all three
(Blarney, Cahir, and Rock of Cashel) of these castles with a tour.
The Easiest Way to Plan Your Ireland Road Trip
That’s my top ten Ireland road trip stops. If this made you ready to plan your own trip then be sure to download the map above. I really think if you can get your route done, then that’s the easiest way to plan the trip. Just right click and save.
Travel Photography Home Decor
Shop our travel photography decor to bring your love of travel into your home. Each one can be customized and resized right online. You’ll even find photos from our Ireland road trip.
