In June 2025, the sister who wasn't able to go on
my previous Ireland trip was able to join me for this one. Once again, I used
Vagabond Tours of Ireland (the Driftwood Track) because of the small-group, reasonable pricing, amazing "vagaguides", seeing "off the beaten path" sites, and learning more about the culture and history of Ireland. We chose the
8-Day Wild Atlantic Way Tour. (It looks like the company has changed the itinerary, so it will be different than the one we had.) This included some places I've been to, but there were also some places that were new to me. In this post, I'm going to focus on the "re-visits".
Even though I had been to the park before, it was a different area. We opted to walk to Mucross House instead of taking the jaunting car. It was a very nice walk with no hills. There was one time when we weren't 100% sure we were going the right way, but we saw people coming the opposite direction, so we assumed we were okay.
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| Torc Waterfall was new to me; this is where we began our walk |
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| We spotted a red Irish deer |
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| Muckross House was another first for me. We toured the grounds. |
Dingle
On my first trip to Ireland in 2017, my SIL and I got to spend a measly few hours in Dingle. It may have just been a couple of hours, but, nevertheless, it wasn't enough time. Since we spent 2 nights just outside of town (within walking distance), I feel like I got the full Dingle experience this time.
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| The symbol of Dingle: 3 men carrying a currach |
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| Inside St. Mary's Catholic Church |
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| We had dinner on our first night at Dingle Pub. Very touristy and crowded. |
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| Inside Foxy John's Pub & Hardware Store |
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| Foxy John's Pub & Hardware Store |
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| View of a Dingle Street |
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| We had dinner on our 2nd night at James Long. We didn't have reservations, but they found us a place to sit as long as we were out of there in 1 1/2 hours. Excellent fish & chips! |
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| Fungie the Dolphin was seen in the harbor from 1983-2020. It is believed that perhaps he passed away |
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| View of Dingle from the harbor |
Slea Head Drive
I have to note here that this time on Slea Head Drive was much different than last time, and I have Vagabond to thank for that. Even though the last time was a small group, this time the group was even smaller. It felt so much more personal, and Roisin, our Vagaguide for the day (since Shane had to take a mandatory driving break), was just lovely. She answered so many of our questions and told us a lot about the area. We even got a surprise when she took out her fiddle and played a song that she wrote, with the 3 Sisters Mountains in the background.
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| Our first stop was Dingle Crystal. We had a demonstration on how the glasses are handcut. No molds, no tracing the designs. Incredible! This is the set that I purchased (they are all the smaller glasses) |
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| Sean Daly founded Dingle Crystal after working in Waterford. When Waterford moved production overseas, Sean founded the company to keep Irish crystal actually in Ireland. |
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| Dunquin Pier. The bench was used to place coffins from the Blasket Islands when bringing them to the mainland |
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Dunquin Pier: shortest connection to the Blasket Islands
Photo courtesy of Bob Ward |
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| The Sleeping Giant: The northernmost Blasket Island (Inishtooskert) |
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| Clogher Head. Filming location for "The Last Jedi" from the Star Wars films. 3 Sisters is in the background |
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| Roisin plays with the 3 Sisters in the background |
Sheepdog Demo
This is a mainstay on all of the Vagabond/Driftwood Tours. Even though this was my 3rd demo, they are all different. I definitely thought this one was the best. Bridget from
West Kerry Sheepdog Demonstrations was fantastic. She took the time to answer all of our questions and was extremely informative.
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I didn't hold a lamb this time since I've done it before, but I did get a lot of loving from a rambunctious sheepdog puppy!
Photo compliments of MC Helldorfer |
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| The sheep using an ogham stone as a backscratcher |
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| This is a wagon that the "travelers" used. It is used on the farm during lambing season so the workers can escape the weather |
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| The demo |
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| This was Bridget's grandmother's home. On the wall is artwork made by Bridget from the sheep's wool |
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| Feeding time! |
Ferry over the River Shannon
Another ferry ride over the River Shannon. It doesn't get old!
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| The van on the ferry |
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| On the ferry traveling over the River Shannon |
Kilkee Cliffs
This time, we went to a different section of the cliffs. I was actually a little disappointed that we didn't go to the same place Robert & I went to because the views from there were much better. It may have had something to do with a cafe & bathroom available where we went.
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| Kilkee Cliffs, County Clare, Ireland |
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| There is a hike with 3 different trails available |
Cliffs of Moher
Quite honestly, after going to Kilkee Cliffs and Kerry Cliffs, I think everyone found the Cliffs of Moher a little underwhelming. I told my sister we needed to go toward the tower, but we should have gone to the other side. Someone in the group found out that if you go to the visitor's center, you can leave your driver's license in exchange for binoculars. Then, if you go to the opposite side of the tower, you can see the puffins. I'm definitely tucking that tidbit away for next time.
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How many people can say they danced at the Cliffs of Moher?
Photo Courtesy of Lian Mock |
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| View of the Cliffs |
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| O'Briens Tower built in 1835 |
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| View of the Cliffs from O'Briens Tower |
The Burren
When Robert & I drove through the Burren, I thought that's where we were, but I wasn't 100% sure until after we returned home & I emailed someone. This time, I felt like I was in the thick of the Burren. It really is quite a sight to behold. I saw signs to the
Aillwee Caves Experience and thought it was too bad that it wasn't on the tour.
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| Poulnabrone is a megalithic portal tomb containing the remains of at least 33 individuals, buried between 4200 and 2900 BC. One of the stones had to be replaced in the late 1980's due to fracturing; the original can be seen in the picture above, behind the tomb. |
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| Example of some of the flora. |
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| This may be Mullaghmore Hill. There is a stark difference between the limestone and the fields. |
Galway
We had just enough time to walk to the Cathedral, look around, and head back to the van. I thought we had another hour, so we were going to go to the Spanish Quarter, but thankfully, I sent a message through Whatsapp. We had to hightail it back so we wouldn't be late.
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| The road where the Cathedral is located |
Pine Island
Robert & I stopped just across the road from Pine Island, we just didn't know what it was! One of the scenes from the movie The Quiet Man (starring John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara) was filmed here.
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| Pine Island, on Derryclare Lough in the Connemara Region, is one of the most photographed sites in Ireland. The mountains surrounding it are called the Twelve Bens. |
Clifden
We were only in Clifden for 1 night. Since it was Saturday (and I wouldn't have a chance to attend Mass on Sunday morning), we walked to the church and then into town for supper. We didn't have time to look around much.
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| St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Clifden |
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| A view of Clifden |
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| Mural on the side of a building |
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| The fuchsia growing wild was absolutely stunning |
I enjoyed revisiting every place. It gave me a chance to explore other sections of them, or to see things I missed the last time. Coming soon: New places visited as well as where we stayed.
Slán go Fóill...
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