Ireland - Our delayed 3rd wedding anniversary trip (2008)

We spent almost two weeks touring Ireland and had a fantastic time seeing Dublin, Cliffs of Moher, Kildare, Blarney Castle - and kissing the Blarney Stone, Lahinch, Adare Manor and Killarney .  It rained only once and that was our driving day from Killarney to Powerscourt in County Wicklow (click here to see the Powerscourt pictures).

We picked up our car after arriving in Dublin.  Billy had to quickly learn how to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road and car along with using a stick shift.  I did my best to not be a 'Hyacinth,' but there were a few times where we hit tree limbs on my side!  As soon as we arrived at our hotel in Dublin, we headed out for a self-guided walking tour.

The above and below pictures are of Trinity College in Dublin.  We saw the Book of Kells and the Old Library's Long Room.

Then, we were off to St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Next stop was a walk through St. Stephen's Green

Dublin Castle is shown below

After all of that walking, 5.5 miles according to my map, we stopped off at the Temple Bar.

We left Dublin and headed for Doolin's Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch Golf Club.  On our way, we stopped at Kildare for a bit of shopping and to walk the town.

Because the weather was so fantastic, we had an excellent view of the Cliffs of Moher and North Atlantic Ocean.  I had seen pictures before, but it is so incredible to see the steepness up close.  The wind was horrible, but the views were great!

We stayed in the town of Doolin at a wonderful B&B.  This first picture is the view from our window.  After arriving, we went down to the beach and then hit the local pub.

On our way to Killarney, we stopped for golf at the Lahinch Golf Club, dubbed St. Andrew's of Ireland, where the wind was blowing 45-50 mph.  The links style course is situated on the Atlantic Ocean's edge.  Of course, everyone was in awe of Billy's golf game and impressive score.  I saved my 'golf dignity' by not playing, but Billy and my mom had a great time.  Dad & I drove on to Adare.

Below are some of the Adare Manor pictures, more are on the way!  The golf course is where the Irish Open is played.

We spent almost a week at this B&B in Killarney and had a fantastic view.  It was the perfect location for touring this part of Ireland.

This is the town of Killarney.

The next day, we took a driving tour of the scenic Dingle Peninsula.  The water was absolutely freezing, yet people were still surfing!

We stopped at Dingle, which is a really cute fishing town.

Billy and I took a boat tour out to find Fungi, the Dingle Bay dolphin.  He swims alongside the boats as they come in and out!  BBC filmed a special on Fungi the week before we arrived!

Next, we were off to see the Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney Stone.  I brought antibacterial spray for before and after!!

Billy went first!  On my turn, I didn't look down as it was a long way to the ground!!

The Torc Waterfall is in the Killarney area.  Billy & I went for a 5 mile hike all the way up and then down the other side along the water.

We took a tour of the Muckross House inside of Killarney National Park.  The gardens were absolutely beautiful and prepared for the visit of Queen Victoria.

Yes, I took a lot of pictures!!!  Click here to see the pictures from our Powerscourt stay in County Wicklow and the scenic drive through the Wicklow Mountains.