Circle the Emerald Isle in 15 Days: The Best Self-Driving Itinerary. Part 3: Heading to the South of Ireland

Welcome back to part three of Circle the Emerald Isle in 15 days! This is the PERFECT self-driving itinerary that will help you see, experience and explore the best of Ireland. In case you missed it, in part one we started by flying into Dublin and worked our way up towards Northern Ireland as we circled the island counterclockwise. We explored the Antrim coast and stormed a few castles. We continued to loop around the island in part two as we explored a portion of the Wild Atlantic Way. In this part of our trip we spent time in some of the more remote parts of Ireland and got off the beaten path as we hiked Sliabh Liag cliffs and Croagh Patrick. We went to big cities and small towns and started to get a real feel for the pub culture! 
In part three, we will be continuing our loop around the island by staying on the west coast before heading south and then completing our loop back to Dublin before the trip is over. On this part of our trip, we went to the most remote island in all of Ireland and experienced our biggest tourist trap disappointment! I can't wait to share with you all the things we found along that way that helped to make this the best Irish road trip out there!

Circle the Emerald Island in 15 Days: The Best Self-Driving Itinerary. Part 3: Heading to the South of Ireland

Part 3: Heading to the South of Ireland

Don't miss this post: Renting a Car in Ireland; Everything You Need to Know!
Explaining the Pub Culture in Ireland
We aren't bar hoppers when we are home in the states. Neither of us are big drinkers. Most nights, we are home in bed in our comfy pants by 7 pm. But in Ireland, pubs are the best way to fully embrace the full Irish experience. Pub is actually short for the word "public house" and they are seen as more of an extended living room than a drunken bar scene full of debauchery. Spending time in the pubs was one of our favorite things to do every evening in any and all of the towns we found ourselves settling into. Which is why, I think it's important to make a special call out and explain the pub culture in Ireland.
You don't have to be belly up at the bar to enjoy a pub. I ordered plenty of non-alcoholic drinks as we enjoyed listening to live music in the evenings and no one batted an eye. Most pubs are open daily and children are welcome before 8 pm. You do have to be 18 to order a beer.
Some pubs serve food, some just serve drinks. Many host live music nights since music is such an integral part of the culture. Pubs are often crowded, warm  and cozy with a fire burning in the fireplace. Wear layers, you'll warm up! The outside of pubs often look very unassuming. Once you walk in, every pub has a different feel and a different vibe. Some of the most awe inspiring places we walked into were pubs that from the outside looked like literal holes in the wall.

If you're looking for live music, it's often not hard to come by. You'll sometimes find tables that have signs that say reserved for the musicians. Most music doesn't start until around 9 pm, though some pubs in the bigger towns will have live music starting earlier and will have multiple musicians playing throughout the evening, especially on a weekend. If it's traditional music you're looking for, there's often no shortage of that either and you'll often find a multi-generational band encouraging one another as they play a tune. 
If you want to make friends, don't hesitate to open up your table to others, or if you see an empty seat, ask if you can sit down. The Irish people are so incredibly friendly and won't hesitate to strike up or continue on in conversation. 
It's ok to pop your head in a pub and see if it's your scene. If it's not, it's fine to walk out and wander in the doors of another pub. Once you settle in at a pub you like, don't forget to order a little something. Usually just a drink {doesn't have to be alcohol!} for the evening will hold your spot while you settle in. And don't worry, the pubs are all non-smoking! 
Now get out there and enjoy the pubs! 
Pro tip: If you aren't a big drinker, but you want to try a Guinness, ask for a half pint. Don't rush the pour either! It's often a two part process where the bartender will let the beer settle before topping it off. 

Do You Need a Convertor or an Adapter on Your Next International Trip?

Get in the picture! Don't forget to bring a tripod for your phone. This one folds up smaller than an umbrella!

How to Use this Itinerary

Every person travels differently. What I enjoy doing on a vacation or trip, might be very different from what you enjoy doing on a vacation or a trip. We created this list with lots of options for things to do in each area. I'll highlight the things that we did every day with a sometimes long-winded diary, but feel free to make this trip your own! 
We did a lot of research before the trip and created a list of things in each location that looked interesting to see and do. We added those to a list on the itinerary and as we sat in the pub the night before our next day, we'd pull those things up and decide what sounded good to us, and we'd tackle a game plan. We also had the list on our phone, so that when we were driving or wandering around for the day, we could easily access the list and see what the landmarks were or do a bit more research to see if we wanted to make the time to add them to our list. 
I love to travel, but I don't know how many people actually like living out of a suitcase. Ideally, we like to stay at minimum in a location for two nights. There are only a few one-night stays and there is one three night stay, most of our stays were two-night stays that allowed us to relax a little and not just feel like we were living out of a suitcase the whole time. The number of nights we stayed is always noted so you can make your own hotel or Airbnb reservations.  

Pro tip: be open to letting things happen. Some of the best things we did on our trip just sort of happened!

I'll be breaking this itinerary up into three parts to make it easier to read, navigate, and plan. I have a lot of tips and 15 days is a lot of days when it's all put together in one place. The three parts will be broken up as follows:

Part 1: Northern Ireland and the Antrim Coast: Day 1-4Part 2: The Wild Atlantic Way: Day 5-9Part 3: Heading South: Day 10-15

The island of Ireland is made up for four provinces and 32 counties, each of them with very unique charms and traditions. On this itinerary, you'll be visiting 12 different counties.
Part 1 will include Dublin, Belfast, Portbradden, Ballycastle, the Antrim Coast, Portrush, and Bushmills. This will encompass County Dublin and County Antrim. You can find part 1 here
Part 2 will include Derry, Marble Hill, Rosguill, Donegal, Sliabh Liag, Glencolmcille, Fintra, Kilcar, Westport, and Achill Island. This will encompass County Derry {or Londonderry}, County Donegal, County Sligo and County Mayo.You can find part 2 here
Part 3 will include Galway, Killarney, Skellig Michael, Portmagee, Dingle, Cobh, Tipperary, and Kilkenny.  This will encompass County Galway, County Kerry, County Cork, County Clare and County Kilkenny and back to Dublin

Traveling with Teens? Read More About Outdoor Adventure for Teens in Ireland

Day 10: Galway to Killarney

We were upgraded at our hotel in Galway {The Hardiman} to a lovely corner suite that was massive. After so much of being on the go, we spent the previous evening discussing our plans for the day. We were really enjoying Galway and the time we were able to spend walking around the streets and exploring the city. Since we only had one day, we decided to ask for late check out, and changed a few of our plans so that we could spend more time in the city.
This is the perk to a self-driving tour! You can adjust your schedule on a dime. 
You might be shocked to hear what we decided to give up though!

I've Been to Ireland Twice and I've NEVER Been to the Cliffs of Moher!

75 km from Galway are the Cliffs of Moher. Having spent the past week and a half touring around some of the most remote areas, we made the executive decision that we felt like we'd be disappointed if we drove out of our way to go to the Cliffs of Moher. 

Here's Why We Didn't Go to the Cliffs of Moher

Recently, a few of the more open sections on the cliffs have been closed down due to several tourist accidents {please reference my fear of hazardous cliffsides mentioned in previous posts}, in an effort to make it more safe. Having just gone to Sliabh Liag cliffs, that are three times the size of the Cliffs of Moher, we realized that we'd already seen the beauty of Irish cliffs. Knowing that Sliabh Liag sees 200,000 visitors annually, and Cliffs of Moher sees 1.5 million, we knew we'd be fighting crowds to get a view in a much more consolidated area because of the restrictions. 
Not only that, it's expensive to visit! It's about 12 euro per person to park at the Cliffs of Moher. We knew it would be a quick stop that would be out of the way, so we decided that we were ok skipping this SUPER popular tourist stop. We felt like the reasons for going was just to check it off the list as something we had done, and we realized that was kind of silly! 
The Cliffs of Moher are popular for a reason, and they do look amazing from the photos. I was just afraid that I'd be disappointed knowing what I know about how I like to experience travel. You make your own judgement call on this.
Would you have skipped it?

Things to Do:

• Explore Galway
• Cliffs of Moher {75 km from Galway}
• Spanish Point {small village with beautiful beach, but not much more}
• White Strand Beach {another nice stretch of beach}
• Ennis {picturesque and historic town dating back to the 13th century}
• Ennis Friary {medieval Franciscan friary}
• Museum of Clare {free museum with items representing County Clare}
• Adare Village {charming thatched cottages in a tranquil village}
• Galway Cathedral

Where we Stayed:

Airbnb Downtown Killarney {3 nights}If a hotel is more your vibe, you'll find plenty on the map above. 

What we did:

We had a slow morning and ate breakfast at our hotel before wandering out into the city. Galway has so many lovely streets to wander. We made our way to Galway Cathedral and took a tour inside. It's free to enjoy. It was a newer church {building started in 1958}, but no less impressive than some of the older churches in Europe. We continued walking the waterfront. I was surprised to see that there were signs along the waterfront explaining the history of the buildings and how the land was used. That was an informative way to walk and explore. 
We found ourselves back in the Latin Quarter and saw one of the oldest Claddagh jewelry shops was open. The Claddagh symbol was founded in Galway, and this particular shop had a small museum in the back that was interesting. We walked down Quay street and back towards Eyre Square where our hotel was located. There is a lot of history to soak in along the way, so never discount how important it is to just wander!
After checking out of our hotel, we headed towards Ennis. We had read that is is a quaint little town not far outside of Galway. When we pulled up, I couldn't believe how much it felt like a mini Galway to me but with FAR fewer people! 
We found parking in a car park for free and decided to head towards the Ennis Friary. Ennis Friary is a medieval Franciscan friary that had a thriving school back in the 1300's. There is a small admission fee and despite it being in the middle of town, it was pretty empty. There are no restrooms at the Friary, but you can walk to the Museum of Clare just down the road. You can also find helpful tourist information as well as those free restrooms inside. 
While we were inside, the staff at the museum gave us a map with a good walking tour loop, some of her favorite spots for a meal and a little bit of history of the area thrown in. It's worth stopping in. 
After our walk around the town and a quick lunch stop, we continued on our drive to Killarney. We meandered through a few small towns. Several of which looked like they would have been lovely to explore {like Adare with their charming thatched cottages}. As we drove, I would do my best to find out about the landmarks that we were passing. There were several castles we passed along the way. Again, perfect for a stop if you wanted to make the time. 
We switched between hotels and Airbnbs on this trip, and we were headed towards our home base for the next three days. 

Pro tip: Many of the small towns in Ireland have charming little shops and restaurants. They often close around 6 pm. So it was often our goal to arrive to our next location to get checked in with enough time to explore before everything closed.
To our surprise, Killarney had many shops that stayed open later, though we were glad we popped in sooner because we were able to shop for some food for the next few days like the locals. We were happy to have laundry at this point in our trip as well as the option to cook meals. We don't eat out often at home, and eating out for every meal, no matter how good the meal is, gets tiresome for us.
We rented an apartment on the top floor of a downtown shop in Killarney. It was such a sweet location {the bed wasn't great, but the location was perfect!} over a Murphy's ice cream shop {if you know you know!} in the heart of downtown. Sleeping with ear plugs was a necessity! But we found it a small price to pay for the incredible central location. Do you see me sticking my head out of our apartment up there?

We took a little walk to the grocery and on our way, ducked into the local meat store just before they closed. We popped into the local French market and grabbed one of their last baguettes before they closed as well. Part of why I like renting Airbnb's internationally is because it does unintentionally force you to live like a local. You really do get a feel of what it would be like to live in that apartment in that city and even over the course of a few days, your presence there allows you to get a real feel for the town.
We went to the local Tesco grocery store and picked up some supplies. We knew we'd need to pack our lunch for our next day's adventure, so we picked up supplies for the day ahead since we had an early start the next day.
Pro tip: Tesco has a members only rewards card like many of our local US grocery stores do. However, in order to sign up you need to be an Ireland resident. The cashier told us that you can either ask a local in the next check stand if you can use their card or there are several listed online and a quick google search for "Tesco rewards card" will get you a screen grab. You get the discounts, the rewards member gets the points. It's a win win. It saved us about $10, and in Irish terms, that's two pints of Guinness!
After dinner, we treated ourselves to ice cream at Murphy's and found a lovely pub with live music where we sat with a handful of locals who were eager to chat long into the night! Don't be afraid to take a seat at an open table and strike up a conversation! You never know who you will meet.

Best Tips to Know Before Traveling Out of the Country for the First Time

Day 11: Skellig Michael and Ring of Kerry

Things to Do:

• Great Skellig {also called Skellig Michael, small remote island off of Iveragh Penninsula}
• Skellig Ring {extension of the better known Ring of Kerry route}
• Kerry Cliffs {spectacular cliffs 1000 feet tall}
• Ring of Kerry {loop around the Iveragh Peninsula starting in Killarney}
• Ladies View {scenic viewpoint on Ring of Kerry}
• Beara Peninsula {stunning coastal drive with breathtaking views}
• Gap of Dunloe {narrow mountain pass-jaunty carts {horse drawn wagons} are popular}

What to Know about Skellig Michael

Also called Great Skellig, it's a remote crag seven miles west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. It has a twin island called Little Skellig that is inaccessible. Skellig Michael is best known for it's Gaelic monastery that was founded between the 6th and 8th centuries. The monastery is in unusually good condition with multiple bee-hive stone stone buildings about 600 feet in the air. They are accessible by 618 ancient narrow and steep steps. It is a UNESCO heritage site.

Tourist season for Skellig Michael tours lasts from April to September and are very dependent on sea conditions. Conditions for visiting can often be rough and are often canceled. There are resident puffins on the island, but they tend to leave the nest in early to late August, so if you want to see puffins, plan the tour for earlier on in the season. You have to be at least 14 years old to go on the boat tour, so it's perfect if you are traveling with teens.

There are a few tours you can take to Skellig Michael, a landing tour {what we did} or an eco tour. The eco tour lasts a little over two hours and gives you an opportunity to get up close and personal {without getting off the boat} to see the islands {both Little Skellig and Skellig Michael}. The landing tour is very limited! Landing is dangerous and only offered to permitted boats and tours. Once you land on the island, you have two and a half hours to explore and while that seems like a long time, it goes by very quickly! After your visit to the island, the boat tour takes you around the back side of the island that isn't open to visitors, but in the past had a lighthouse and lighthouse keeper families living there. You'll also visit the very large gannet colony on Little Skellig and learn more about the history of both islands.

I'll be writing more about visiting Skellig Michael in a future post, so stay tuned. 

There are heritage guides who live and work on Skellig Michael and they monitor the conditions on the island daily to decide if it's safe for boats to land or not. These trips are often canceled and you should understand that when you book this tour. You must provide a contact number and you do have to check in by e-mail the day before so you can get more information about your particular sailing since it is dependent on the tides. 

All this to say, have a back up plan in place in case your trip does get cancelled. It's something that happens quite often. The launch takes place in Portmagee which is about halfway around the famous Ring of Kerry. If our trip was canceled we had planned on driving and exploring the Ring of Kerry.

What we did:

All this talk about Skellig Michael and you'll be shocked to know that's what we did! We were cautiously optimistic about the trip happening, and as the weather report started to unfold, we got a bit more excited. However, it's not all based on sunny days! There are some tide issues that can also come into play to put a damper on your day. 

We left our Airbnb early and were told to plan for a longer than normal drive based on GPS estimates. There are a LOT of tour buses that slow down the drive since the launch site is about halfway around the Ring of Kerry. We did arrive a bit early {about 30 minutes} and since everyone had checked in, we left early too. There were about 12 people on our boat and when we asked the boat captains about the sailing conditions that day, they said that it was one of their nicer days of the year with smaller swells than normal. 

If you are concerned at all about sea sickness I took this pre-emptively {though I would have been fine} and had these just in case. 

We were told to pack a lunch, and I've got to say, it was one of the most gorgeous lunch locations I've ever eaten at! There is a bathroom on the island. It's a new addition in the last few years, so some of the information you read online will tell you that there are no facilities.

Once you get off of the boat, there is a briefing you need to take before they let you loose on the island. There are about 618 steps to the top landing area where the monastery is, it took us about 20 minutes to climb them. We really enjoyed being on the island. The views are incredible. 

The day before, there were some warnings about tidal swells and several of the group tours cancelled. Thankfully, ours waited it out, and we were rewarded with just a few boat tours that day on the island. We were able to virtually have the top of the island to ourselves and explore on our own. 

After the tour, we decided to tackle the Gap of Dunloe. Many of the reviews I read, stated that this was the highlight of their trip. Renting a jaunty cart, basically a traditional horse drawn carriage, is a popular way to see this narrow valley that is about 10 km long. You can book these tours ahead of time, but we saw plenty just lined up and waiting for customers. I did inquire about the price, and they charge 35 euros per person for one-way. You can choose to walk back, but plan on it taking about two and a half hours. Most people pay the 70 euro fee per person for a round trip ride. 

Protip: I later read that this rate is negotiable. I didn't try to negotiate, but I could imagine if you wander up and find a few waiting, they might be happy to take a few euros off the end price.

We decided to simply walk the Gap of Dunloe and turn around when we were ready to turn around. We ended up walking a little more than half of it. We both thought it was a beautiful area, but honestly, I think people love this spot so much because they haven't seen Doolough Valley. If you're following this itinerary, you probably took time to meander through it just a few days ago. They are similar, but I think you could skip Gap of Dunloe if you took the time to experience Doolough. They are similar valley areas, but I think Doolough is superior. 

However, we could have felt differently if we shelled out the 140 euros {for two round trip tickets} to take the jaunty cart. The cart may be the magical part of this equation. I will never know.

Many people think that the Gap of Dunloe is closed to traffic. It is not. Some tourists "accidently" end up driving it. It is a long narrow windy road with a lot of obstacles {like people who walk down the middle of the street thinking the road is closed to traffic} from jaunty carts {yep, those again!} to grazing sheep. Don't be that guy. 

We were exhausted from our day, so after our walk through the Gap of Dunloe, we headed back to the apartment. This was the first time I took an afternoon nap, and I'm glad I did! We ended up spending the evening in the most delightful pub listening to music until after midnight!

Pro tip: If you like live music, don't skip Killarney! We went to a pub with live music nearly every night of our trip and outside of the buskers on Grafton Street in Dublin, Killarney had the best live music!

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Day 12: Dingle

What to do: 

• Explore Killarney 
• Ring of Kerry
• Killarney National Park
• Torc Waterfall {20 meter high, 110-meter-long cascading waterfall in Killarney National Park}
• Gap of Dunloe
• Dingle {1 hour, 64 km from Killarney}
• Dingle Sea Safari {boat tour of abandoned village with sea life along the way}
• Inch Beach {beautiful golden beach-good for surfing}

What we did:

We had a slow morning at our Airbnb in the heart of Killarney. It was nice waking up and walking to the coffee shop and French bakery pretending I was a local! We decided to explore Dingle, a town that seems to captivate a lot of visitors hearts!

We pulled up to Inch Beach on our way to Dingle and it was probably my favorite beach of the WHOLE trip {sorry Murder Hole Beach!}. I don't know if it was just because we came to it with all the best conditions, perfect sunny day and low tide, or because it really is just that special. There is a parking lot with bathrooms, or you can drive right on the beach. 

I'm sure this voids some rental car agreement, so probably stick to the parking lot like we did. One of the locals told me that there's a guy with a tractor that makes a killing pulling peoples cars off the beach as the tide comes in! 

Another 30 minute drive will take you to Dingle. We found free street parking easily and clean public restrooms. It was a busy town with a full lot of tour buses, but we could see why. I wandered into a boat tour shop when I saw the sign that they had had whale sightings earlier in the day. As I mentioned, it was a beautiful warm day with temperatures hitting the low 70's, so why not take a boat tour?

The next available tour was a few hours out, so we wandered the streets of Dingle stopping in shops and talking to the locals. Murphy's Ice Cream started in Dingle, so I had to go to original store to get a scoop. You'll find lots of stores with one-of-a kind items. Dingle is famous for the hardware store/pub combination. Something I'm surprised hasn't caught on in the states yet! Dingle is filled with wonderfully beautiful colorful buildings making it the perfect place to spend a day!

We checked in for our boat tour. The boat tour outfitted us with warm coats and waterproof pants, which was nice because we hadn't planned on going on a boat that day. While it was warm, temperatures always drop on the water, especially when you are cruising pretty quickly! We were glad we had the coats. The boat was half full, and we quickly went out to the coordinates of where a humpback whale was just spotted. Too bad for us, he had other plans and decided to not resurface, but we were greeted by curious bottlenose dolphins that were more fun! 

Having signed up for the boat tour on a whim, I was actually really glad we were seeing everything we were seeing from the boat, and not by driving around. At this boat, driving on winding roads and being in the car was feeling tiresome. We were able to see Slea Head from the water, as well as Blasket Island and White Strand beach. My favorite was being able to see Skellig Islands in the distance as well as getting able to see Thunder Cove up close, since this is often hard to get to based on tides.

I'd recommend the sea safari, but I'd only do it if you can make sure you are signing up on a nice day. I couldn't imagine taking the boat out in the rain on a cold day. I think that would be miserable. This is another vote for visiting Ireland during shoulder season, so you can have some flexibility in your planning and can grab those last minute spots and reservations.

We headed back to Killarney for another evening in town. We visited a few pubs, again, finding some incredible live music and spent the evening taking some time to plan our next day.

Day 13: The Biggest Disappointment 

Things to Do:

• Blarney Castle {medieval stronghold with Blarney Stone}
• Kinsale
• Cork
• Cobh
• Rock of Cashel {iconic castle & cluster of medieval buildings} 98 km from Blarney Castle
• Hore Abbey {ruins near Rock of Cashel}
• Kilkenny {62 km from Rock of Cashel-medieval walled town}
• Titanic Museum {Cobh was the final port before the Titanic sank-this museum is the original ticket office and follows the life of those passengers who went on board}
• Deck of Cards {Cobh colorful houses}
• St. Coleman's Cathedral {Cobh}
• Coumshingaun Lough {rewarding hike to a beautiful mountain lake} 60 km from Kilkenny
• Waterford {seaport in southeast Ireland; country's oldest city}

Where to Stay:

Pembroke Hotel Kilkenny {1 night}

free parking nearby

What we did:

We left our apartment in Killarney early {around 8:30} to get to Blarney Castle about 83 km away. There's a parking lot that will cost around 2 euros. We had chatted before, that kissing the Blarney Stone wasn't important to us, though we know there are a lot of people who visit and this is the highlight of their trip. 

After paying the 22 euro per person admission fee, we wandered inside around 10 am. We realized we were getting to the grounds before a lot of the tour buses, so we figured we'd hustle up to the castle so we could see it with fewer crowds. By the time we got to the door of the castle, we realized that the only thing that was available to see at the Blarney Castle was to stand in line to kiss the Blarney Stone. The other rooms were inaccessible, and one of the dungeon areas was closed due to nesting bats. 

FYI, there is a Disney-style wait sign that says "90 minutes from this point to kiss the Blaney Stone". Seeing as the line to the stone was the only way to see the only open parts of the castle, we did wait in line. In the five minutes we waited, the line did not move. The line time is a horrible estimation.

No worries, I heard that there's a manor house you can tour that the family who owns the castle lives at seasonally. We wandered that direction and found "private" signs. The family had come back to live in the house, and were currently residing in the home, making the tour of the manor house off limits. 

Again, no worries! I had read that the castle grounds are magnificent! There are 60 acres of gardens to explore. We found a few of the areas and wandered through them, and while they are magnificent we couldn't help but think that we had just paid a LOT of dollars for a castle tour and we didn't even get to see the castle! 

We spent about an hour at Blarney Castle and it was the biggest disappointment of the trip. Talk about overrated and expensive! Ireland has so many lovely gardens that are free, that we couldn't believe we just spent all that money for what amounted to a garden tour since everything else was not accessible. 

We decided to head to Cobh, a beautiful seaside town. Cobh has a long history of maritime tragedies including being the last port the Titanic stopped in picking up 123 passengers before the fateful sailing. We found free parking near St. Coleman's Cathedral and walked inside the church.

St. Coleman's was the most beautiful church we went into in all of Ireland. If you like churches, this one shouldn't be missed! After touring the church, we wandered down the hill towards the waterfront. There are lots of small shops and restaurants. I had the best cup of coffee I had on the whole trip {Coffee Cove in Cobh} and we wandered the streets and read about the maritime history. 

We walked up the hillside to get the popular view of the Deck of Cards with the church in the back. There was a sign written by a kid that was charging 2 euro for a peek of the view he had in his back yard. It was pretty spectacular! You can also get a similar peek from the park below, so if the gate isn't open and his wagon for collecting the euros isn't out, head down the hill to the park. 

I wish we had stopped in the Titanic Museum in Cobh on this trip instead of the museum in Belfast. The Titanic Museum in Belfast was more about the building of the ship and less about the stories of the passengers, which seems to be the focus at the Cobh museum. If you want to do one of the Titanic museums, I'd recommend the one in Cobh. I hear you get a card with a passengers name when you enter and you get to learn their fate at the end of the tour. 

After Cobh, we decided to drive on to the Rock of Cashel. We were starting to cut it close with the opening hours, so we headed straight there. We did have to pay for parking. There was an 8 euro fee per person to enter and you could have taken a guided tour that cost a little bit extra, but it was a large group that only had access to one extra room the self-guided group wouldn't have had access to. Rock of Cashel is quite large and you should plan on giving yourself about an hour to explore.

Rock of Cashel is a set of beautiful ruins with great views since it's set high up on the hillside. We had read about a lesser known set of ruins called Hore Abbey that was just a few minutes walk away. Don't miss this! Touring Hore Abbey is free! You enter through a working farm plot, so close the gate behind you and watch for cow patties! This set of ruins is more relaxed. There were a few kids playing a game of chase and you can easily find a quiet place to sit back and contemplate the history and feel like you are the only one around!

You also get some pretty incredible views of Rock of Cashel from Hore Abbey, so you don't want to miss it! Parking is a bit precarious at this location, so leave your car parked at the lot by Rock of Cashel and enjoy the walk down.

We were heading towards Killkenny for our next stop, so we decided to continue on. We checked into our hotel {Pembroke Hotel} and had a room with a castle view. There was a parking lot a few blocks away, and it was easy to navigate the town without a car. 

We decided to head out to explore the city even though this is one of towns that does shut down early. You can still wander around the Kilkenny Castle grounds and gardens and walk part of the Medieval mile. We found out by accident that the town of Kilkenny was walled at one point, and found a few of the gates. We also managed to make our way to St. Canice's Cathedral just as the sun was setting. Not going to lie, it was a little creepy walking the graveyard at dusk. 

We had dinner at Café 500 and I had one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten! There was also Rinuccini Restaurant near the castle that was Michelin star and didn't seem super expensive {think around 28 euros per dish}. When we talked to locals it always came highly recommended! 

After dinner, we wandered down more of the streets {the Butter Slip felt very Harry Potter!}, and popped into any of the pubs that we heard music coming out of before we found a band playing some fun covers. There's plenty of traditional Irish music at pubs, and we stopped to listen to lots of it, but there's also some really fun cover bands and those are my favorite!

What We WISH We Did:

As we wandered around Kilkenny, we realized that we really enjoyed this town and couldn't believe that it was only 130 km outside of Dublin. There weren't many times we wish we had changed anything about our itinerary {with the exception of planning an Airbnb with laundry earlier in our trip} but this was one of them. 

We would have stayed two days in Kilkenny instead of the one night we had planned, and since we had an afternoon flight out of Dublin, we would have left directly from Kilkenny and navigated our way back to the Dublin airport to return the car before our flight. 

At this point, we were also feeling like we were happy with how our trip had played out, and we could have ended it on day 14 instead of adding an extra day. If you are limited to a two week trip and still want to make your way around the whole island, don't fret! It can be done! 

Read More: 5 Things That Surprised Me On My First Visit to Ireland

Day 14: Kilkenny to Dublin

Things to do: 

• Explore Kilkenny
• Smithwicks Tour {beer tour in the heart of town}
• Medievil Mile {walking tour}
• Kilkenny Castle {large historic castle in the middle of the city}
• St. Canice's Cathedral
• Round Tower {one of the only towers you can climb for an incredible view of the city!}

Where We Stayed:

Arthaus Hotel Dublin {1 night}

What We Did:

It was another one of those days that we woke up wanting to explore more of the town. We really wish we had spent two days in Kilkenny. It is only about an hour and a half drive to Dublin, but it feels like a world away! We requested late check out at the hotel and we decided to take advantage of it! We really wanted to explore the city and since we got in the night before when most things were closed, it was time to see what Kilkenny was really like during the day!

After breakfast {not going to lie, Pembroke Hotel had the worst breakfast of any of the hotels we stayed at} we walked toward the Round Tower. If there's anything Mike wanted to do when touring any of the castles we had explored on our trip, it was to walk up the tower steps. The Round Tower at St. Canice's is one of only two towers in Ireland that they allow you to do that. We were glad that we did that first thing in the morning, because the steps are very narrow and steep. It's definitely worth doing this on a clear day because the view at the top is incredible.

We were the only ones at the top of the tower and as we descended four more people were starting to come up. I think we had perfect timing. The upper viewing area is very small. You could also add in a church tour for a nominal fee but if you saw the church in Cobh {that was free!} I feel like that was more impressive than St. Canice's. Unless you just love church tours!

As we walked back towards Kilkenny Castle, we stopped in several of the open shops. In particular, I'm a HUGE thrift shop girl, so any charity shop I saw, I popped in!

Pro tip: Nearly every town we were in had a charity shop. A quick google search will locate them. The hours are often short since they are run by volunteers, but the prices are reasonable. I always check thrift shops when I'm traveling because I think you can find more authentic souvenirs at a fraction of the price. 

The weather was lovely, and at this point, two weeks into our trip, I was getting tired of wearing the same handful of clothes that I had packed. I found a beautiful dress with the tags still on it for about 10 euro and when I tried it on, I decided to leave it on and walked out of the shop in it. After paying of course! 

There were a few more charity shops along the main road we stopped out as we made our way back toward Kilkenny Castle.

Once we got back to the castle, we paid the admission fee. We decided to do a self-guided tour again, because I'm sure you are gathering how we feel about tour groups. We prefer finding our own way around. Kilkenny castle was really easy to walk around since they not only gave you a really easy booklet with information highlighting each of the rooms, there were also docents around willing to take any questions. 

I was surprised at how many rooms were open to tour in Kilkenny Castle {Blarney Castle could learn a thing or two!}. Not only that, once you were done with your tour, you could enjoy the castle grounds. We ended up walking down to the Riverwalk at the edge of the castle wall and bumped into a lovely couple walking their dogs. We chatted with them for a bit and just really enjoyed meeting local people and couldn't believe how hospitable the Irish people are. This coming from a Seattleite who when walking, if you pass someone you avert your eyes trying NOT to notice the human coming towards you.

We decided to grab some lunch and since it was a nice day, we ate it at in the castle gardens. Had we wanted to experience more of Kilkenny, I had heard good things about a guided Medieval Mile walking tour as well as Smithwick's brew tour. 

The Pembroke Hotels breakfast might not have been great, but they were very kind to let us store our bags and leave our car in the parking lot for no extra fee. So there's that. We decided to head towards Dublin to return our car and check into our final hotel of the trip. 

Car rental return was easy! On the way, knowing our ETA, I purchased round trip tickets on Dublin Express. It cost us 20 euro roundtrip for the two of us to get from the airport to our downtown Dublin hotel and then back again the next day. Much cheaper than a taxi and honestly, it was just as convenient! When you purchase online you do save a few euros so keep that in mind!

That evening, we wandered the streets of Dublin. We finished off our trip with some of our favorite things that we had, Guinness Stew and sticky toffee pudding. We also listened to live music at a few different pubs in the Temple Bar area. 

Day 15: Leaving Dublin

Things to do: 

Explore Dublin

Explore Howth {affluent village on the peninsula of Howth Head in the outer suburbs of Dublin}

Howth Cliff Walk {circular route around Howth peninsula about 7 miles total}

Iveagh Park {central park with Victorian gardens}

What We Did:

We had a few hours in the morning to explore Dublin. I did a quick google search and found a handful of charity shops within walking distance. We decided to hit a few of those on our way to Iveagh Park. We thought about seeing St. Patrick's Cathedral when it was open {it was closed the first time we were in Dublin} but decided we had seen enough churches! We checked out of our room so we had enough time to listen to a few of the buskers on Grafton Street before catching our bus to the airport.

The airport is really easy to navigate and since we have global entry, it made going through customs a breeze. In Ireland, you do clear customs so that when you enter back in the US, you are entering as if you are a domestic passenger. It makes it all very easy. Especially if you aren't checking bags!

Read this post: Should I Get Global Entry or TSA Precheck?

How to Pack Everything You Need in a Carry On!

That's it! The perfect self-driving itinerary of the Emerald Isle put together for you in one easy place! I can't tell you what a labor of love this has been. We put hours and hours of time into researching our trip and I spent hours collecting all of the information in one place so that you don't have to! 

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

Planning your own self-driving trip can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to! I have the road map for you to follow and you'll hit all the highs and lots of those hidden gems along the way. This guide will give you the time you need to experience the whole island without feeling like you are rushing! 

I have all of the highlights from our trip saved as a highlight on Instagram. 

I can't wait to hear if you use this guide to help in your trip planning, so make sure you reach out! I'm happy to offer any guidance! E-mail me! rachel@rachelteodoro.com

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