Introduction
I’m coming up on my third month in Ireland and it still shocks me how much traveling I’ve done in-country in such a short amount of time. One of my biggest hopes and goals for my time abroad was to ensure that I would travel in Ireland, not just to other countries. It was extremely important to me that I saw as much of Ireland as I could—after all, I came here for a reason. I need to make sure I get my fill! And so far I definitely think I have.
January
January was my first month in Ireland. My mom came with me and we immediately took a little weekend trip to the Cliffs of Moher, which was at the top of my bucket list. The Cliffs were jaw-dropping; powerful waves crashing up against rigid cliffs carved into the very landscape of the coast. We spent the night in Doolin as well, a little town near the Cliffs, that consists of a single road, four pubs, and a small inn. It was adorable. I had the most delectable, hearty beef stew in Doolin. If anyone ever visits this small town, please stop by McGann’s Pub—they’re famous for this stew!
January was certainly a big month for me and my friends to visit all the little towns close to Cork that are accessible by train. We first visited Cobh (pronounced “cove”); an idyllic coastal town about 25 minutes away from Cork by train. This was where I had what I think is the best chai latte I’ve had to date. Cobh is lined with vibrant, colorful houses (literally: there is a whole lane of houses on a very San Francisco-esque hill (steeper than should be allowed) that are painted neon orange sky blue, turquoise, lime green etc). Up on a hill in the not-so-distance, there is a stunning cathedral. In Cobh, you’ll also find a Titanic museum—I went with my friends and it was very interactive.
Next up was Blarney. We went to Blarney with the intention of going to the Erin Knitwear Gift Store for LaBaaBaas… but it was the off-season… so we took a detour to a pub and grabbed some delicious beef stew and visited the Woolen Mill, where I purchased an adorable green cardigan.
A few days later, we went on a bus trip offered by UCC to Kinsale. Kinsale is another cute town that is placed in a nook of the River Bandon. Kinsale is home to two fortresses that overlook the river, and we were actually given the opportunity to tour one of them, Charles Fort, which was incredibly interesting. Although, the weather was pretty harsh; needless to say our hoods were up the whole time, pulled close around our faces, and our hands were secure in gloves and pockets. Kinsale has many little shops and cafes that were so fun to peruse. One shop in particular was notably memorable. The exterior of the building was a bright orange and lime green, decorated with butterflies, gems, plants, flowers, and all décor whimsical. The interior was a genuine treasure trove of trinkets and gems. I felt like a fairy flitting from room to room, eyes wide and mouth agape as I tried to compose myself. I ended up speaking with the owner and she turned out to be born in California, not too far from where I’m from! She told me that she eventually moved to Boston and lived there before moving to Ireland. Kinsale was small and there wasn’t much to do, but it was great for a day trip.
The next day, I was able to go on another bus trip offered by UCC to Fota Wildlife Park. This was an absolutely incredible experience. Fota, in simple terms, is a zoo—and yet, not quite. You see, Fota is open concept, meaning some of the animals are free to wander around if they please. In fact, a lemur jumped off a fence and approached me, coming right up to my feet. It was unreal. They had ostriches, bison, antelopes, lions, tigers, wallabies, kangaroos, giraffes, lemurs, rhinos, a wide variety of monkeys, red pandas, and even a room of reptiles, fish, and amphibians. Just a five minute walk past the Wildlife Park was an estate with gardens. Because it was January and off-season, the mansion was closed, as well as some of the gardens, but the general grounds were open and I went on a lovely nature walk.
Next I visited Limerick, which was interesting. It wasn’t as visually aesthetic as some of the other towns I had been to, but it was still enjoyable. There were some cool shops that my friends and I went to, as well as a gorgeous cathedral that has been turned into a museum (since it contains historical artifacts) and King John’s Castle. My friends and I toured both sites and out of the two, we much preferred King John’s Castle. The first part of the tour was a walk through of an exhibit that explained the history of the castle. Then you were allowed out onto the castle grounds and were free to explore the various rooms and towers. There were some cardboard cutouts and courtyard games that my friends and I had so much fun interacting with. I’m definitely glad I visited Limerick, but I would say that it’s definitely a “one-time-visit.”
The final trip of January ended with a field trip I took with my Introduction to Irish Archaeology class. This was an incredible experience. We visited multiple archaeological sites that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to visit otherwise. We started off with the ruins of a 15th century Franciscan Friary. We learned all about the history of the Friary, what it would’ve looked like in its full construction, and the architectural aspects that were prevalent in the late medieval period. Right across the way from the Friary was a fortified tower house. This tower house was situated in the middle of a field that I had to hop a stone fence to get to, as well as traipse through deep mud. I nearly slipped multiple times, but it was absolutely worth it to see this tower house. After the tower house, we drove a bit more and we arrived at an early medieval Ring Fort. This was essentially a giant field defined by 3 huge banks and ditches. It was a royal site of the Éoganachta (or Olganach) Cashel, which was the seat of a lesser king of that era. We then took a lunch break in a nearby town and then headed to view a fortified house from the early 17th century. The property that this house is on is currently owned by a landlord who lives down the road. Again, we had to hop a stone fence to enter the field to see the house, as well as step over an electric wire, that my professor graciously held down with his boot for us all. Unfortunately, the landlord wasn’t home, so he wasn’t able to disable the second electric wire that encircled the house. This meant that we just had to take a look at it from a distance; still incredible, nonetheless.
Last but certainly not least (and definitely my favorite stop on this fieldtrip) was Drombeg Stone Circle. Drombeg Stone Circle can be dated back to the late Bronze Age and is comprised of 17 stones. The Stone Circle is aligned with the winter solstice and many of the stones each possess individual significance. Across from the Stone Circle are the foundations of a hut house as well as a Fulacht Fiadh, a cooking place (although its uses are still debated and not entirely known). It is possible that a religious leader lived in the hut house (a Druid), and that the Fulacht Fiadh and Stone Circle were used in tandem for religious ceremonies.
January was an absolutely incredible start to my study abroad journey.
February
February is when I started to settle into Cork and my school work, so I didn’t get the chance to travel that much. But I would say that the biggest trip I took in February was actually to Edinburgh, Scotland. Because this post is about traveling within Ireland, I’ll keep it brief. But we walked around the city, which was so magical and fantastic. Everywhere you looked, there was some sort of ancient structure and this curated some “dark academia” vibes; I loved it. We were also able to go to Swanson Farm and visit some Highland Cows! We were able to hike up a mountain (quite literally… we were climbing the mountain on all fours at one point because of how steep it was) and we got close to some free roaming cows—this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I would definitely love to go back to Edinburgh one day.
The other notable trip I took in February was to Galway, another big bucket list location for me! Galway was so much fun—we spent each day just wandering around town, popping into every shop, checking out the museums (one that we went to had a Lego figurine scavenger hunt that my friends and I partook in with glee), and most importantly, got Claddagh rings! I knew before coming to Ireland that I wanted to get a Claddagh ring (I know technically you’re not supposed to get yourself one… shhh…) and I purposefully waited for Galway, since that was where the original Claddagh shops are located! I got my ring from Thomas Dillon, and my ring is stamped on the inside with the authenticity marking; Thomas Dillon is the only Claddagh shop allowed to mark their rings in this manner. Galway also had a small market that was going on while we were there, so we walked down the street and checked out some of the stalls they had. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the best, so we didn’t stay long, but I purchased some adorable items to make my own Fairy Garden!
March
March was relatively calm when it came to travelling as well. One of my good friends from Salve who is studying abroad in London right now came to visit! She and I went to Blarney Castle together (and this time, everything was in-season and open!). Blarney was genuinely so amazing. In all honesty, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect, but when we got there, we realized that there was so much more to Blarney than just the Castle. After kissing the Stone and being bestowed the gift of eloquence, we strolled the grounds. And holy moly. These grounds were the most magical place ever. Waterfalls, greenery, flowers, a lake. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. I remember remarking to my friend that if I actually lived in Ireland, I would get a membership or season pass and come here all the time to read and write. I was inspired by every single thing we encountered. At one point, we came across the Wishing Steps. Legend has it, if you can walk down and back up the steps with your eyes closed while thinking only of your wish the whole time, it will come true within a year. Needless to say, I did it (I’ll keep you all updated…). I’ll definitely be writing a story about the grounds and gardens—how could I not! There was also a super sweet cat at the Erin Knitwear Gift Store that I befriended while my friend shopped around; a cat is always a plus!
March meant St. Patrick’s Day! So we all stayed in town that weekend because Cork has an annual parade that they put on. In all honesty, it was a tad underwhelming, but still a great experience to say I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland!
That weekend, my friends and I had our Visa appointments in Dublin. So we finally made our way to the capital! Dublin was incredible. On our first day, we toured Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. The Long Room was so gorgeous, I felt like I had just stepped into a dark academia novel. In the evening, I actually found a Greek Orthodox Church and attended a service, which was so lovely! The church was small, but the people were so welcoming of me—it was so comforting to be surrounded by other Greeks and hear the language. I met up with my friends afterward and we checked out the Temple Bar area. Our second day we visited the National Gallery, which was phenomenal. We spent a few hours just walking around, taking our time with each room and piece of art. We grabbed some lunch after and then took a stroll down Grafton Street! We ended the day with a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. This was also a super cool experience that I thought was totally worth it. We walked through the exhibit and learned all about how Guinness gets made and what makes it unique from other beers. We learned everything from the history of the factory and Guinness family to how the Guinness barrels got made to how marketing for Guinness evolved over the years. At the end of the tour, we were able to go up to the Viewpoint and try some Guinness for ourselves. I’m not the biggest fan of Guinness (sorry!) so I opted for their Hop House 13, which was a light lager with some fruity notes. It was quite good! The next day was our last day, but technically we didn’t spend it in Dublin. Rather, I took a bus tour with one of my friends and we were awake for 21 hours. We travelled from Dublin to the Dark Hedges (which were apparently featured in Game of Thrones), then to Giant’s Causeway and Belfast! Giant’s Causeway was a sight to behold. Our tour guide was also amazing because he was telling us not only the science and history behind the creation of the Causeway, but the mythology!
Just this past weekend, my dad arrived in Cork to help me move out and also to just see Ireland. We were able to take the weekend and go on a road trip to Dublin and Northern Ireland. Dublin was just a quick pit stop, considering we were heading to Derry, which was well over a 7 hour drive. In Dublin, we managed to tour Dublin Castle, which was extremely majestic, as well as walk through St. Stephen’s Green. St. Stephen’s Green is such a beautiful oasis of peace and quiet amidst the bustling city! The second we entered the park, all the noise from the city was immediately silenced. It was so calming to walk through all the greenery, taking in the scenic structure of the park.
The next day, we continued our drive up to Derry. We arrived pretty late in the evening, so we were really only able to grab dinner at a local restaurant. The next day though, we spent a few hours taking in the whole city. Our first stop was obviously the Derry Girls mural—in case it wasn’t obvious, the whole reason we decided to go to Derry was because I’m such a huge fan of the show! After the mural, we walked around and found some other spots that were mentioned in the show. Unfortunately, because it was Sunday, most spots and stores were closed, so all we could do was pass in front of them. Regardless, it was so fun to see these places in real life! We grabbed some lunch at a local sandwich shop, managed to find a gift store that was open (I got some wonderful souvenirs that were all handcrafted by local artists), and finished up by stopping by some final few filming locations. Overall, it was a lovely weekend and I’m so glad I was able to make it up to Derry! Especially considering it’s literally at the complete opposite end of Ireland from Cork.
Conclusion
Overall, I have been on some wonderful trips during my time abroad and I am so lucky to have all these wonderful memories, experiences, and stories! I will always remember my time in Ireland as an adventure.
Eleni Dimitrakos is studying Creative Writing & Publishing and double minoring in Psychology and Sociology & Anthropology and is studying abroad at University College Cork in Cork, Ireland. Eleni is passionate about all things relating to reading and writing. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Salve’s Student Newspaper, The Mosaic as well as the Treasurer for Salve’s Literary Magazine, The Willow. She looks forward to sharing all her experiences relating to studying abroad!
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