Dublin Airport to Cork!

Everything worked and we arrived in Cork by bus from the Dublin Airport early this afternoon!  We had to find a new hotel due to Hurricane Irma, as we weren’t sure we’d arrive in time and canceled our long-ago-booked reservation at Acorn Guest House.  

Tonight we’re sleeping at Hotel Issacs–tomorrow we’re not sure where we’ll be!  Cork is a busy and popular city!  We’ll stay here another night if they have a cancellation but so far, that’s not an option.

Our room is large and comfortable but since it was a last minute booking,  not inexpensive.  It’s well-located near the bus/rail station and city center plus, it has good Wi-Fi which is just what we need.  Our plan is to pick up a rental car tomorrow.

The English Market shown below is a popular destination for locals and tourists.  Shops sell an array of local produce, meats, fish, pastries and more!

It’s a breezy, sunny day so perfect for discovering highlights of  this walkable city.  The popular shopping street named Oliver Plunkett is pedestrian-only with many shops!

The Cathedral shown below, was built for the patron saint of Cork, Fin Barre.  It was rebuilt to its current style in 1870.  We thought it was worth a visit to see the design, mosaics, stained glass windows and to learn about its history. 

We found the perfect plate of scones and hope to find more when it’s time for breakfast tomorrow!

In the meantime, all is well and we’re happy to be discovering a new destination–Cork!

Itinerary For Ireland!

We’re pretty sure that our itinerary will include a local pub or two like Dick Mack’s in Dingle (shown above)!

Here’s our working itinerary–BUT, it could change at any moment!  We like to leave a day or two between some destinations so that we can stay longer if we like a place, or move on if we don’t.  It gives us some flexibility in our schedule.

September:

13-(Day 1)-Depart Atlanta

14-(Day 2)-Arrive Dublin-Bus to Cork

15-(Day 3)-Cork

16-(Day 4)-Cork

17-(Day 5)-Pick up rental car to drive to Schull on the Beara Peninsula

18-(Day 6)-Schull

19-(Day 7)-To be Determined

20-(Day 8)-To be Determined

21-(Day 9)-Drive to Dingle

22-(Day 10)-Dingle

23-(Day 11)-Dingle

24-(Day 12)-To be Determined

25-(Day 13)-Galway

26-(Day 14)-Galway

27-(Day 15)-Galway

28-(Day 16)-Dublin Airport Hotel

29-(Day 17)-Home to Atlanta

You’re welcome to follow along!

Next Stop! Ireland!

It’s been nine years since our last trip to Ireland. This time, we’re keeping it simple. We drew a line on the map between Dublin and Galway, and we’re traveling south of that line.

In 2008, we stayed with a family in the small city of Tula, Ireland and attended a local Music Festival. In the photo above, Tula’s Main Street is decked out for the festival–traffic and all!

For this trip, our plan is to fly into and home from Dublin; take a three-hour bus ride to Cork; then, pick up a rental car after a few days to drive to the Beara Peninsula; on to Dingle, Galway and back to Dublin.  Our total trip time is 15 nights.  Larry is fearless in driving–even on the wrong (to us) side of the road.  We look forward to scones for breakfast, rugged hiking trails, lively pubs with traditional music, dark Guinness, and maybe even a taste of Irish whiskey.