Green Hills and Rocky Shores

Overview: Ireland is rife with history, from the Neolithic folks (and their graves "older than the pyramids," the Irish will tell you proudly) to the Celts to the Middle Ages all the way to the here and now. Blink, and you've missed another old church, ruined castle, megalithic tomb, or beautifully maintained manor house. Ireland is also filled with gently rolling hills (green, of course), stark cliffs, pretty waterfalls, and more wildlife than I am used to seeing back home.

Quick Tips:

Language: Ireland is bilingual. The Irish speak either their own language, Gaeltacht (and trust me, you don't want to even try pronounce the written words without extensive instructions beforehand), or English, though it often seems to require subtitles.
Tourism: Ireland is not as quiet as I had expected. July and August is the main tourist season, but June and September are relatively busy as well, especially in the south. Tours, especially by bus, are abundant.
Animals: There is plenty of wildlife to view if you know where to look: seals, many species of bird, dolphins, and, unfortunately, midges. They come out on overcast, warm days with little wind, so be prepared with some bug spray.

Best Way To Get Around:

Transport: A car is a must-have. Be advised that the Irish drive on the wrong side of the road (read: left). This isn't the scary part, however. They also drive like there's no tomorrow. And the roads are very narrow and not overly well maintained.
For hikers, Ireland offers many so-called Waymarked Ways. Be warned, though, as parts of those routes will often lead along (main) roads, and with no sidewalks or even shoulders to speak of, it is a scary undertaking.
Bikes can be rented in many places.
The Inner You: Most supermarkets, even small ones located within gas stations, will make fresh sandwiches to go, ideal if you want to have a picnic lunch in the country. Public restrooms, on the other hand, are scarce, so be warned.

Crystal Springs in Killarney offers the cliched (but true) home away from home. The breakfast options alone (lemon pancakes with fresh fruit, among other things) are worth a stay. The hostess, Mrs. Brosnan, is very helpful in finding things to do and can make reservations for tours or evening shows in the area. Crystal Springs is located about 1km from Killarney's center--an easy walk.

Newpark House is a 300+-year-old house near Ennis, Co. Clare, that offers B&B accommodations. It is located in a quiet park not far from the town (though too far for walking). Because the house is so old, the floorboards are creaking, everything is crooked, and it smells a bit musty. That said, it is equipped with all modern comforts, beautifully decorated, and has a grand breakfast room. The Barrons, the hosts, are courteous and helpful. Because we stayed four nights, we got a discount, which nobody mentioned until it was time to check out, so that was a nice surprise, though I still feel that the price/quality ratio was a bit lopsided.

We did have one somewhat funny experience with the shower. Generally, if there is a shower problem, it's that there is no hot water. Here, the water was boiling hot, but there was no cold water! The next morning, when we complained, the hostess offered to move us to another room, but first showed us we needed to wiggle the tap a bit. A summer of strangers using the tap had turned it a bit rickety, and Mrs. Barron told us that, as soon as the house closed for the season, they would replace all the piping.

Now that we had learned how to get the cold water running, we decided to stay in our room (which offered a balcony) and had a pleasant time at Newpark House.

Killarney National Park is located along the famous Ring of Kerry. It is not a very large park, but has some of Ireland's best to offer.

Not only will you find hiking trails that, despite the sometimes crowded park, will give you a feel of being far from the modern world, you can also visit the historic Muckross House.

Entry and parking is free (but make sure you get there before 11am, or all spaces might be taken), but a visit to the house will require an admittance fee (around 5 euros).

For the hiking trails, there are several options. Some are marked with numbered signs (though you have to pay attention as they might be half-hidden in the grass); for others, a trail guide will come in handy. The Lonely Planet guide Hiking in Ireland has several trails in and near Killarney National Park. Trails go through ancient oak forests, along cliffs, and past Muckross Lake and Lough Leane. You will be rewarded with amazing views, but beware of the bitemes that may be out in shaded, humid areas.

For those who feel hiking is too much effort, you can also hire a jaunting car for a tour of the House's grounds. The driver will even take you into the forests up to the point where Muckross Lake and Lough Leane meet. A tour should start at about 30 euros.

Carrigaholt Dolphin Watch offers the opportunity to see the bottlenosed dolphins that live in the mouth of the Shannon River. Reservations can be made on the morning of the tour you want to take, by calling after 8am to +353-65-905-8156.

There is never a 100% guarantee that you will see what you came for on a wildlife tour. This element of the unexpected is part of the excitement.

We sailed on a great day--warm and sunny. There was only one tour leaving that day, which turned out to be fortunate, as at first, luck was not really with us, and the dolphins were in hiding. But because there was nobody waiting for us to return, the captain decided to stay out a bit longer in hopes of finding more dolphins (which we did), while also taking the opportunity to sail along the coast of the Loophead Peninsula, where we caught sight of various sea birds, seals, and even wild goats!

Though Ireland is rife with megalithic tombs, and The Burren alone features over seventy of these ancient graves, the one at Poulnabrone is both the most accessible and the most photographed of them all.

It is located along route 480 and visible from the road. There is no parking available and during the tourist season it can be a bit crowded. Be careful driving past the site, as cars will be parked hither and tither on the shoulders. On the upside, it is totally free to visit.

Bantry House is a historic house in the southwest of Ireland. It is the ancestral home of the Earl of Bantry. On display in the house is an extensive collection of antiques, tapestries, furniture, artefacts.

Surrounding the house are stately terraced gardens that offer a magnificent view across Bantry Bay.

On the Bantry House estate you will also find the French Armada center, where you can learn all about the (failed) invasion plans of 1796.

Visiting the house and gardens requires a fee (5 euros for just the gardens and the Armada center; 10 euros if you want to look around inside the house as well). It is well worth seeing and a perfect activity for a rainy day.

The Cliffs of Moher must be among the most famous shorelines of the world. And rightfully so! They are a sight to behold, especially in the light of the setting sun.

In the past few years, the area around the Cliffs has been modified to handle the large amount of visitors that come gape at the sight each year. There is a large parking lot (for a fee), an information center and souvenir store, as well as a paved path leading up the hills toward the cliffs.

It can be crowded, and even more importantly, it can be very windy, so be prepared by bringing a windbreaker, even on a nice day. Though it used to be possible to hike along the cliffs, it is no longer. For safety reasons, it is also recommended you stay on the paved path.

The Aran Islands are a cluster of three islands in the Atlantic ocean, before the coast of Galway in the west of Ireland. Most people will visit only for a daytrip, take the ferry out in the morning and return to the 'mainland' (if you can call Ireland that) in the afternoon.

But it is when the last ferry has left, the jaunting cars and mini-vans have returned home, and the rental bikes have been parked indoors that you can get a taste of how desolate life must have been here for the fishermen in the past.

Inishmore, the biggest of the three, offers accommodations as well as several restaurants where overnight visitors can sleep and eat. During the day, one can take tours in a jaunting car or mini-van with a guide, or, for the more actively inclined, rent a mountain bike to explore the islands on wheels.

Aside from magnificent cliff views, the island offers wildlife viewing (among other things, seals) or the ancient monument of Dun Aongasha, one of the oldest ring forts. And of course a visit to the Aran Islands is not complete without bringing home a hand-knitted wool sweater patterned after local family designs.