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Goin' To Ireland!!


Hartspank

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I'm not Irish, but sometimes I wish I were.

 

Seriously, the Guinness Brewery is the Mecca of brewery tours I'm told. If you can stomach the stuff, by all means sip from the mother's boob if at all possible. I'm not a fan of the dark drink, but I swear I'll make it to the brewery when I get to IRE one of these years. I may even enjoy it :D

 

Davy

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I just spent a week there in June for a family reunion. Beautiful place, if you're Irish you'll feel right at home, even if you've never been there. I'll give you a rundown of all the places I saw, and some reference pictures as well (I took over 800).

 

Dublin: Really neat place, like the east coast but cooler. The night life is excellent; a few of the pubs have live music/dancing. For daytime places, Phoenix Garden, Trinity College, and St. Patrick's Cathedral are all neat to check out. If you're a drinker, Guinness is based there, where you can take a guided tour of the brewery.

 

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Powerscourt Gardens: When I heard we were going to a giant garden, I was less than enthusiastic. Turns out, this was one of the best stops on my trip. It's an absolutely beautiful place. I spent three hours there and didn't get to see all of it. Try to allow yourself more like four hours if you really want to see everything. This one's a must see, if at all possible.

 

http://www.powerscourt.ie

 

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Waterford Crystal: Where they make most of the crystal trophies for the major sports, as well as things like the millennium ball, elaborate chandeliers, etc. The hour-long guided tour was packed with some pretty crazy stuff (for example, the cutters that cut the designs into the crystal have to know hundreds of complex patterns by memory). They also perform wallet lightening there as well, as your wife will not want to leave empty handed, and their crystal is both bright/shiny, and $$$.

 

http://www.waterford.com

 

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Cobh: Visited the Titanic museum there. Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic before New York. Nice display/miniature museum if you're passing through the town, but I wouldn't go too far out of my way for it.

 

 

Blarney Castle: Not much of an explanation needed, it's the castle where the Blarney stone is. Really awesome castle, though I didn't get to kiss the Blarney stone because it started pouring rain as soon as I got up there.

 

http://www.blarneycastle.ie

 

 

Muckross House: Very old mansion, full of history. If you're a history buff, the tour is filled with it, and would be very interesting. The stories the tour guides tell of the money the owners spent on this house is just baffling. Same thing as the Titanic museum; worth your time if you're in the area, but I wouldn't sacrifice a lot for it.

 

http://www.muckross-house.ie

 

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Cliffs of Moher: The second must see of the trip. They're amazing cliffs on Ireland's west coast. Really stunning beauty, and the view is even better on the 'private property' (see pic blow). If at all possible, fit this into your schedule.

 

http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie

 

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We also stayed at a beautiful hunting lodge, and ate dinner in a castle, but for the life of me, I can't remember the names of either of them.

 

Our tour basically made a big smiley face throughout southern Ireland, so I cannot recommend/reject anything in the north.

 

If you want any more detail on anything, just ask or send me a PM.

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