Ireland
In May 2023, my Mom and I spent a week in Ireland, the first leg of one of the three trips we took together: Dublin, then the southwest — Killarney, Kenmare, Adare, Molls Gap on the Ring of Kerry, Inch Beach and the Dingle peninsula — and the Cliffs of Moher above the Atlantic, by way of Kinvara and the Burren, before we crossed to Belfast and took the ferry over to Scotland.
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Places visited
Places I visited in Ireland
Holy Trinity Abbey Church, from the square outside. Adare
Thatched cottages, a limestone abbey church, and a village street built for lingering.
The cliffs running away toward O’Brien’s Tower. Cliffs of Moher
Layered sea cliffs above the Atlantic, a round stone tower, and blunt warnings where the path ends.
Looking inland across the peninsula. Dingle Peninsula
Hedged fields climbing into the hills, a coastline scattered with islands, and a village mid-repair.
Molly Malone and her barrow. Dublin
Molly Malone’s barrow, Temple Bar under string lights, and the long oak vault of Trinity’s Old Library.
The strand at Inch Beach. Inch Beach
A long tidal strand on the Dingle peninsula, with hills standing across the bay.
O’Connor’s Bar, on a terrace of painted fronts. Kenmare
A painted pub front, a rain-streaked windshield, and a wool shop worth ducking into.
The lane along Noelle’s Café. Killarney
Lunch on a lane of painted shopfronts, then a carriage ride through the national park.
Low tide at Kinvara, with Dunguaire Castle across the water. Kinvara
A harbor at low tide with Dunguaire Castle across the bay, painted shop fronts, and the Friday market in the square.
The road down from the gap. Molls Gap
The N71 winding through a rocky pass on the Ring of Kerry, under low cloud.
The bare limestone hills of the Burren, above green pasture. The Burren
Bare limestone hills above green pasture, a coast of limestone pavement, and sea pinks growing out of the rock.