Hi Everyone,

I’m recently back from a trip to Ireland. This was my 5th journey. I thought I’d do a little trip report since some of my destinations are not regularly reported on. I visited Sligo, Donegal town and all around County Donegal, Malin Head, Antrim Coast, County Roscommon and Longford. I traveled alone.

Dates: June 8-17, 2025

Airfare: United, $924 RT, IAH-ORD-SNN

Car rental: Hertz through Conn’s Ireland Car Rental. Compact Automatic (Ford Focus) for €527, super cover insurance included. If you wish to cover tires and glass, it’s an extra €10/day. I didn’t add that coverage. I carefully checked those things before I left the lot.

Tip #1 – make sure you tell the car rental agent to charge you in Euro when you pick up the car and make sure he/she heard you.

Tip #2 – since Brexit, there is a €30 charge if you wish to cross into Northern Ireland. They won’t ask if you will be going into NI. I told the agent I needed that coverage and he didn’t listen. Make sure you confirm it was added before you leave rental desk. I had to make a call after I left to get it added.

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June 8 – Departure from Houston IAH - On time performance on both legs of the trip. By some miracle, on my transatlantic crossings, both directions, I got a whole row to myself. How that was possible in June, I don’t know, but I was very grateful!

June 9 – Arrived early and was already at the car rental counter by 7:30 am. Overcast day that would turn rainy as I proceeded north.

My first night was in Sligo. I first drove to Carrowmore Megalithic cemetery, but to my disappointment, it was closed. Even the parking lot was closed so there was no viewing from a distance. They don’t seem to consider June to be tourist season.

I proceeded on to my hotel, Sligo Park Hotel. I was there early but was able to gain entry to my room after a short wait. My room was very comfortable and quiet. After freshening up, I headed into town to see the abbey and putter around town. All parking seems to be for a fee, but it is nominal. There is a car park right next door to the abbey.

The abbey is €5 to visit. It’s in ruins but there’s still plenty to see and it’s worth the entry fee. I wandered around the town for a bit, but when the rain started coming down, I chose to return to my hotel, have a late lunch in the bar and then have a power nap in my comfy bed. I never slept on the airplane, so I was tired.

Restored by the nap and fortified by my chips and toastie lunch, I headed back to the car and drove to Markree Castle. I had wanted to splurge and stay at this beautiful castle hotel, but there wasn’t availability. I wandered the exterior of the property in the rain. It’s a beautiful piece of land. The castle inside was quiet. There wasn’t anyone at reception, so I took the liberty of wandering the public rooms in a discreet fashion. I think possibly there was a group who had the castle. I could see people in the dining room. While I can’t vouch for the bedrooms, I will say the hotel is lovely and I would recommend staying there based on what I did see.

Next up was a drive to Parke’s castle. It was about a 30 minute drive from Markree. It was 8 pm by the time I got there, so it wasn’t open and there was no one around. This is a lakeside property, more a true defensive castle, unlike Markree which is not a defensive structure. My original plan had been to return in the morning to see the inside, but I concluded that seeing the exterior was sufficient, and that I would skip returning in the morning to free up time for something else.

Dinner was a late, fast food affair near my hotel. I got back to my hotel by 10 pm. That was quite a long day and it was time to head to bed to be ready for the next day.

Sligo Abbey

Sligo Abbey

Sligo Abbey

My lunch at Sligo Park Hotel

Must have stash of goodies

Markree castle

Markree

Markree

Markree

Parke’s castle

Parke’s

I'm looking forward to your report!

June 10 –

Woke up to improved weather, hooray! Breakfast was a couple of sausage rolls from the Spar across the street.

I checked out of the hotel and hit the road. First stop was St. Columb’s church, just north of Sligo. WB Yeats’ grave is here. It’s a quick stop.

Next stop was a walk near Benbulben. I used Benbulben forest walk car park in my GPS. There is a really nice walk at the base of the geologic formation and I enjoyed getting some steps in. You can make this a short walk or really long walk.

Onward to see Classiebawn Castle from a distance. I first parked on the road just outside the entrance to the property. There was a cute little bunny on the private drive and I had to admire him/her. I proceeded to drive the Mullaghmore Head loop, stopping at the castle view point. It is a beautiful spot to look at the castle in the distance and the water at the base of the cliffs.

Crossing into Northern Ireland, I went to Boa Island to visit the Caldragh cemetery to see the intriguing sculptures there that are nestled in a small graveyard. I had always been intrigued by these figures and it was an easy detour to see them. I was by myself for a few minutes until a group of middle age “Derry girls” arrived. I swear they spoke like the kids of the hit show “Derry Girls”. I don’t mean because of their accents, although they did have distinct accents, but because of their conversations. It was entertaining, even if it did smash the ambiance I had when the cemetery was all mine.

Returning to the republic, I made a stop in Donegal town. I had been there 20 years before and it seemed pretty much the same. This is a lovely town, lots of shops and restaurants, easy and cheap parking, and a couple of attractions. I had lunch at the Blueberry Tea Room and it was delicious. I popped into church of Ireland church across from the castle and just meandered around the town since I had already visited the castle during my previous visit.

Time to head to my b&b for the next two nights, Bayview Country House in Ardara. B&B prices have really gone up the last few years. Ireland isn’t the bargain it used to be. My room was $150 USD/night. It is a clean and comfortable place with pleasant hosts.

After checking in, I headed out to drive the Glengesh Pass and go to Slieve League cliffs. With the weather good and bad weather on the horizon later in the week, I needed to pack as much in each good weather day. The drive is beautiful and super fun. For anyone concerned, there’s nothing scary about it. There is a stopping point where there’s a refreshment truck and picnic tables with a stupendous view.

Onward to Glencomcille. I stopped in a St. Columba’s Church of Ireland. In the village of Glencolumbkille, I stopped in St. Columba’s Catholic church and visited the graveyard which had a lovely view of the first church I visited.

Around 7 pm, I made it to the lower car park for the Slieve League Cliffs. It was pricey, 10 Euro for two hours. It’s a hike to the first lookout and the upper car park. It’s a very scenic hike though and included some sheep friends along the way. I was happy to catch my breath at the lookout. These cliffs are said to be three times the height of the Cliffs of Moher but don’t get anywhere near the visits. With me being there from 7-9 pm, I can’t really judge busyness. I kept hiking upward, going up a bunch of stone steps and uneven trail. It just goes up and up and somehow I kept going. Eventually, I decided to stop because there was no one else going up and I thought maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to go further. If I hurt myself, there would be no one around to help.

When I got back to my car, there were only two other cars there and the sun was getting lower in the sky.

I drove on to Killybegs. I had read in a travel book that the smell will get to you first, but I found that to be the case only once I was fully near the marina. You see, Killybegs is a major fishing town and it smells as such. It being late, nothing was going on so I continued back to my b& b. My dinner was just some nuts, an apple and some candy. Rural Ireland is not known for late night dining.

I was thrilled with my productive day and fabulous sights. This part of Ireland is really worth visiting and just doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Benbulben, County Sligo

Classiebawn castle - not open to public

Church of Ireland - Donegal town

Donegal castle

Bayview Country House

Glengesh pass

Graveyard in Glencolumbkille

Beautiful Slieve League cliffs

The hike up at Slieve League

Ireland has these markers from WW2 identifying it to pilots.

Trail friend

I am enjoying your report and your gorgeous photos! We hope to visit Ireland within the next couple of years. Just curious. What other months have you traveled to Ireland? Would July or August be a better time of year, such as less rain?

Hi Karen,
Of my trips to Ireland, four were in June and there was one in September. This trip was the wettest I’ve experienced. From my monitoring, May seems like a great month and will be my month of choice the next time I go. I heard repeatedly from the locals that this April and May had phenomenal sunny weather.
I believe July and August would be warm, but comfortable as long as you get lodging with AC. I’m not sure about precipitation, I have one friend going in two weeks and another in August. I’ll let you know what they experience! No matter what, Ireland is wonderful!

June 11 – Busy day ahead!

Breakfast at the b&b was delish. I appreciate a simple Irish breakfast with sausage, eggs and bread. I love staying at a b&b and having a breakfast that sees me through much of the day. I generally don’t need lunch if I’ve had a filling breakfast.

I was pleased that the weather was holding. It was cloudy and breezy as I set out for the Kilcooney portal dolmen just a few miles north of my b&b. Parking is at the dolmen center across the street and the path is between the church graveyard and a forlorn cottage. It feels a little peculiar because the journey is through a farmer’s land. One passes through gates and over fences with little ladders. I was kind of thinking I had things wrong but then I could see a gathering of people ahead and was reassured I was moving in the right direction.

The dolmen is really cool. There’s actually a big one and a little one. The group left shortly after I arrived and then I had the site to myself. Very cool!

Back to the car and off to Glenveagh National Park and Castle! The landscape on this drive is very interesting. Ireland really has an array of terrain. There were times during this trip that I felt like I was in Wyoming. Big, wide-open spaces and no one around. Many of my drives during my trip, particularly today, were in solitary territory.

I made a few short stops along the way to the park for a church visit and some scenic photos. Mount Errigal is an impressive formation.

I arrived at Glenveagh, parked the car, used the clean restroom just off the parking lot and proceeded into the visitor center to buy my shuttle ticket to the castle. Many people walk to the castle, but I was lazy and preferred to take the bus in the interest of time. To my surprise, the day I visited, the shuttle and castle were free!

It’s a short drive to the castle. The castle was on lunch break when I arrived, so I checked out the gardens first. They are beautiful and there’s plenty to see. For the ambitious walker, there are lengthy trails in the park.

The castle is waterfront and gorgeously situated. Once the castle reopened, I did the self-guided tour. It is lovely and very homey.

Next stop: Doe Castle! In June, there are no regular visiting hours for seeing the tower house interior, but in theory there is the possibility of setting up a tour by appointment. I had emailed the property manager, and he led me to believe, from multiple email exchanges, he would meet me out there to give a tour but when he asked me how many in my group and I responded that it was just me, he ghosted me. I found that to be the most disappointing interaction I had while on my trip. If giving a tour to just one person was not worth his trouble, he could have responded and told me so. Quite discourteous. I drove out there even though I knew I wouldn’t get into the tower house. There’s still parts of the property to explore and it’s neatly situated with water around it. The tide was out while I was there, so I don’t have any dramatic photos.

After exploring all I could at the property, I hopped back in the car to head to Fanad Head to see the lighthouse. This is a spectacular location! You can actually rent accommodation at the lighthouse and that must be quite an experience. The lighthouse is a classic and the scenery is incredible. I took a tour of the lighthouse (€12). I think it was 59 steps up a spiral staircase and 17 steps up a ladder.

This is the kind of location that you could linger, it’s so beautiful.

I moved on to Letterkenny and ran into Marks and Spencer to get my favorite goodies. I got in with just enough time before they closed. I had a funny chat with the clerk. He commented on the goodies I was buying and I said we didn’t have anything good like that in the States. And he said “But you have Walmart!!!”

I drove around Letterkenny and parked at the Catholic cathedral and was pleased to find it open. It’s beautiful and has great stained glass windows.

I made the trek back to Ardara. I had thought that Nancy’s, a pub that serves food, would be still serving by the time I got there, 8:30 pm, but, alas, they weren’t. Two very friendly guys (with accents so heavy I struggled to understand and felt dumb) recommended a food truck around the corner. The pub staff said I could bring food back to the pub and eat there but I would have felt weird. The food truck, to my surprise, was very good and it was reasonably priced.

I felt bad that I didn’t go back to the pub to hear some music, but it had been a very full day. I had a nice long chat with one of my hosts when I got back to my b&b and then went to bed.

June 12

Another great breakfast at the b&b. I could get used to a nice breakfast every day. I took a leisurely approach to this morning. The forecast was bleak and it dampened my energy. Once I bid my nice hosts goodbye, I went to check out a beach and an overlook that my host told me about. It was not a day to actually walk the beach though.

What to do enroute to the Inishowen peninsula where I would spend the next three nights? It was really rainy and quite a miserable day. I had been on the fence about driving the Hornhead loop even in good weather and I was concerned about it in the rain, but I decided to do it anyways. It’s a rather scary drive because it’s single track, cliffside for much of it and it’s technically two way. It’d be a nightmare if a car came from the opposite direction. The local government needs to make it such that it is absolutely only one way. There is one single good spot along the loop where one can park and admire the views. On this foul, rainy, low cloud day, there wasn’t anything to see. I’ve seen gorgeous photos taken on a nice day and it was nothing like that in the pouring rain. I should have skipped it since there was no reward for the effort. It was a relief to get through the drive without confronting another car.

The rain and wind were unrelenting. I needed something to do, so I decided to go back to Letterkenny and do some shopping. The weather was so dreadful that after two stores, I decided to move on. Traffic was awful because of a car crash along my route.

There’s a ringfort, Grianan of Aileach, that was along my path. I stopped in, tromped through the pouring rain and wind and climbed the ringfort. It’s really neat. It would be amazing on a good weather day, but there was no visibility on this day. It is free and an easy stop.

Back in my car, I continued my automotive march to my next b&b, Dunagree in Greencastle. My hosts were waiting for me and gave me a warm welcome. The home is very clean and I had a large room on the second floor. I was their only guest for three nights.

They recommended a pub, Rosato, in the nearby town of Moville. The pub interior is charming, but the food was forgettable and there was a family with the most unruly and loud young children disturbing everyone in the place. I was eager to get out of there. Such a pity. Selfish parents put their interests over everyone else in the pub.

There’s a cute pub just down the street from my b&b, so I stopped in on my way back. It’s called Michael John’s. I was the only one there besides the owner for a while. I had a nice chat with him, enjoyed a beverage and it was a relaxing way to close out the day.

Up next, Malin Head and an alpaca trek!

Hi Karen,
we have travelled to Ireland in April/May and September/October.The first trip in April/May we went to both Eire and NI We had no rain both times..Cooler weather for this trip. The Sept/Oct trip was for a wedding and we didn't need coats. The 2nd trip was just down South.

Simple and yummy

Portal tomb just north of Ardara

Mount Errigal

Glenveagh castle

Gardens of glenveagh

I love flowers. They are so happy in Ireland. Where I live, it’s too hot to have such beauties.

Doe

Doe

Fanad head

Fanad head

The lovely lighthouse at Fanad

Fanad

St. Eunan’s

St. Eunan’s cathedral, Letterkenny

Awful weather

Horn head loop

Grianan de Aileach ring fort

Dunagree b&b

Love the toucan

Rosato’s

Michael John’s

What a wonderful trip! Enjoying your trip report!

June 13

The day started with a delicious, leisurely breakfast of sausage, hashbrown, pancake and scone. I followed with a drive to see the lighthouse and beach down the road, followed by a visit to the Greencastle golf club. I don’t play golf, but this was very nice real estate, so I wanted to look at it. It’s right on the waterfront and quite gorgeous. I had a nice visit with the sales lady in the pro shop. If you are a golfer, this looks like a great place to play. I also checked out the Redcastle club. It’s nice, of course, but if I were playing, I’d pick Greencastle.

I dawdled too much and needed to hit the road to Malin Head to squeeze in a visit before my afternoon appointment for the alpaca trek. I really shortchanged Malin Head. Had I not had the alpaca appointment, I’d have spent a couple of hours at Malin Head. It is very beautiful. I walked as much of the trail as I could before I needed to head onward. There are clean restrooms here, fyi.

My appointment was at 3 pm at the “Wild Alpaca Way”. The drive was scenic and gained elevation along a single track road for much of the way. Thankfully, I didn’t meet up with any cars along the way. I had booked my appointment the day before. It was $27 USD.

Lots of alpacas were frolicking on the hillside. Other participants turned up, about 8 of them. We were led through the gate and up the hill to a corral where we were each matched with an alpaca. I was hoping to pick out my companion as I had my eye on a couple of handsome fellows. I was not matched with them, but with Badger. Badger was not an affectionate dude and didn’t want to be pet at all. When I tried to pet his back, he made some funny sounds and gave clues that he might spit at me if I continued! Ok, so no cuddles with him! Perhaps he has read my mind and knew I favored his buddies.

We trekked uphill with our companions, walking them as if we were walking our dogs. We stopped at a scenic overlook with a stupendous view of the beach below and surrounding hills and mountains. Gorgeous! We loitered there for a long time. The trek didn’t have a whole lot of trekking.

Much of the walk, Badger and I were alongside another alpaca named Frank. Frank is a very nice alpaca and at the end, I socialized with him.

It was a fun excursion and I’m glad I did it, although I do wish there was more trekking and less standing around.

I took in the scenic Inishowen peninsula as I made my way to Buncrana. I stretched my legs with a walk through Swan Park. This is a lovely, popular park adjacent to a lake and a river. There’s an old castle keep (nothing exciting and no entry) and a manor house that appears to be abandoned behind a fence.

I was back in the Greencastle area by 8:00 pm and dinner was at Cavanaugh’s pub. It has a cozy atmosphere and is great for drinks, but I don’t recommend the food. The choices are limited to fish and chips or pizza. I got the pizza and it was the most bland thing.

Up next: relentless rain and the Antrim Coast.

Brekkie

Lighthouse near my b&b

Malin Head

Malin Head

Malin Head


Malin Head

Frank



Badger

What a great trip report! Your pictures are wonderful and it is a treat to see different places. The Alpaca walk looks fantastic! Thank you!

Karen, we were in Ireland in May 2022 for 10 days and we had a downpour the first day and then it was sunny and in the 60s for the rest of the trip. We felt so lucky. When we returned I checked Dublin's weather and they had a week of downpours. Then 3 weeks later they had record heat. So you really never know. We did enjoy the light crowds in May.

June 14

After lucking out with good weather the day before, this day was awful. I had an early breakfast and then set off for the Foyle ferry. This ferry connects the Inishowen peninsula in Greencastle to Northern Ireland, avoiding Derry. It is a quick ten minute journey. It rained all day long. I really should have just gone into Derry for the day and done city sights, but I was holding on to hope the weather would change.

I first went to Coleraine to do some market shopping, hoping the rain would stop. I drove to Portrush golf club and visited the pro shop. Everything was super expensive. The facility was feverishly getting ready for the Open that is coming up soon. Then, off to Dunluce castle. The rain didn’t ease at all and my time outside at the overlook was brief. I’ve been through the castle before so I didn’t feel the need to go through it in the heavy rain. I ate an octopus shaped iced sugar cookie in the car. Still raining hard. I decided to keep driving and drove all the way to Glenarm castle, foolishly trying to escape the rain. I passed gorgeous scenery, but it was not a day to properly enjoy it. I made it to Glenarm only to find that the castle was closed as the family in residence for the day. You can’t even view it from afar. Bummer. On my way back, I stopped at the Bonamargy Friary and explored it in the rain. I also got out at the viewpoint for Dunseverick castle. There is not much left of the castle, ditto for Kinbane, but the scenery is gorgeous. I tried to go see the rope bridge, but the parking lot was closed. Ditto for Giant’s Causeway and I was not up for finding the alternate parking lot and walking in the rain. I drove back to Dunluce and the viewpoints, lamenting the weather. There was so much rain, the roads were starting to flood in low places. I’m lucky that I visited the Antrim coast years ago and had fantastic weather. While it is still beautiful in the rain, it is glorious in sunny conditions. It’s truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

When I arrived at the ferry landing, there was no activity. It felt very weird. I waited half an hour and then the ferry turned up. I was the only car to board! It was my personal vessel!

Dinner was at the Boathouse in Redcastle. It’s waterfront and has good service and food. And, naturally, with the sun going down, the weather was clearing. I closed out the night back at Michael John’s to visit with the owner and have a drink before calling it a night around 11 pm.

June 15

After breakfast and bidding my kind host goodbye, it was time to start making my way south. First stop was Enniskillen. I wanted to visit the religious ruins on Devenish Island and explore the town. I booked the boat tour the night before, selecting the 12:15 pm departure.

It’s a scenic sailing, passing Enniskillen castle and another castle ruin. Once at the island, you have 30 minutes to explore the grounds. Sadly, you can only go to the first level of the round tower. I enjoyed the journey. I had been curious about it for a long time and I was glad I finally made it there. I was lucky that it didn’t rain during the journey but when we got back to town, the rain commenced. I wandered the lovely little town for a bit, under my umbrella, going into two beautiful churches.

I had originally intended to visit a couple of castle ruins enroute to my next hotel, but I was tired, so I continued south. The weather got better and better the more south I drove.

My hotel for the night was my big splurge of the trip, Lough Rynn Castle. This is not a castle, but a beautiful manor house on lovely, lakefront grounds. I had a gorgeous room with a big four poster canopied bed. I felt like royalty with the furnishings and décor.

The property has a beautiful walled garden and I walked around the property after I got over how incredible my room was. I had an early dinner in the drawing room. There’s a formal dining room, a bar and then the drawing room for informal meals.

After dinner, I decided to drive to Drumlish. My reason for staying in this part of the country was to go see my great grandfather’s hometown. I went to the cemetery and stood at the graves of my great, great grandparents. That was a really cool and special experience. It was in the evening, but with late sunsets, I was able to have a nice visit. Eventually, another person entered the cemetery and I ended up speaking with her. She was very friendly. She didn’t know my family (there are some cousins who moved away in the past ten years), but she knew of them.

I went into a pub which was completely packed on a Sunday night. There was live music and people of all ages. It was standing room only, so I stayed for about three songs and then headed back to the manor house in Mohill.

I wish I could say my gorgeous looking bed felt as good as it looked, but alas, it was a very awful old mattress that was very uncomfortable.

The bathroom was hazardous with an awkward step up. I figured I would get killed if I used the bathroom in the middle of the night since I was already whacking my foot while I was not sleepy. I moved a chair in front of the bathroom door so that when I got up in the morning, it would cue me to look for the step.

Also, I don’t know what it is with some European showers and tubs, but they are often elevated in a manner that is unsafe. It boggles my mind. The tub at Lough Rynn had a tall wall to climb over and the basin was so elevated, it was more disconcerting than being near the edge of the Slieve League cliffs! It also took me an inordinate amount of time to figure out all the shower knobs to control the water!

June 16

I was up earlier than I wanted to be, having not slept well in my beautiful, but awfully uncomfortable bed. I threw on some clothes and walked the grounds of the property. It was a pleasant morning.

Breakfast was in the formal dining room. It’s a lovely room, but I have to say that my meals at my two b&bs were superior in taste.

I took my sweet time getting ready and packing up. I really loved my room décor and didn’t want to say goodbye to it.

This was my last real day in Ireland and I needed to make my way back to the Shannon area. I stopped in Roscommon to explore the castle ruins and the cathedral. My great grandmother was from County Roscommon. Since I don’t have information about where relatives are buried in her hometown of Castlerea, I just stuck to the big town.

Roscommon castle is a large ruin and it’s free to explore. There was only one other person there, but it’s next to a nice park that many people were enjoying. I took my time exploring the ruins and then I drove around the town, eventually stopping in Sacred Heart Church. It is beautiful and has wonderful stained-glass windows.

I proceeded to Bunratty and checked into my last lodging, the Bunratty Courtyard. It is clean, comfortable and convenient to Shannon Airport. After unloading my stuff, I drove to Blarney Woollen Mills to look around. I bought something for my brother who was taking care of my pets back home, but that was it.

I hopped back into the car and decided to check out Quinn Abbey about 15 minutes away. This is a really neat old ruin and I recommend it as an activity when you are in the area.

Now what to do with myself??? Well, crazy me decided to drive to the coast. I drove to Lahinch and got out of the car there to look at the ocean. It was windy and choppy, but plenty of people were in the water.

I continued along the coast. I decided to forgo paying the fee to park at the Cliffs of Moher. I’ve seen them three times before. I proceeded to Doonagore castle. You can’t actually tour it as it’s a privately owned tower, but it’s a very scenic spot.

After admiring the view for a bit, I proceeded through the Burren. I love Ireland’s wildly varying terrain!

Yes, this was a crazy amount of driving today, but I couldn’t just call it a day. After I returned to Bunratty, I tried to find dinner. Durty Nelly’s, the Creamery, and other spots were no longer serving food. I got something from a food truck right before they shut down. It’s so funny how cultures vary. In Spain last year, dining was super late. Ireland, not so much!

The village was very quiet and I was surprised to see a fox outside one of the stores. He and I watched each other until some people came around and spooked him. I walked back to my b&b and felt watched. I looked across the street and found the fox trotting down a slope. I stopped, he stopped. We just looked at each other. I was fascinated with him. I finally found the souvenir to the bring back! The magic was broken when a family came along and scared him off.

When I got back to my b&b, I didn’t want to pack so I went to the common lounge where I met a nice family and chatted with them for a good while. It was quite late when I decided I had better go back to my room and get organized. I had bought a lot of chocolate goodies to bring back and had to figure out how to make them fit!

June 17

While I didn’t get enough sleep because I stayed up too late, my bed and room were very comfortable. I was sad to not get my last Irish breakfast, but the host doesn’t open the dining room until 7:30 and I needed to be on my way to the airport before then to return my car and catch my flight to Chicago. Just in case I forgot all the rainy days, it started to rain when I walked out the door of the b&b!

United botched the priority boarding that I paid for (all legs of my trip, actually), but the gate agent was cool and let me board with group 1. 😊

Amazingly, I had another row to myself. How that was possible in June, I don’t know, but it was awesome.

I won’t talk about my flight from Chicago to Houston. It was terrible, but why go there.

Ireland, while very wet, was still awesome and I’m already thinking about what I’ll do next time I return there for trip #6. I think I need to start going there every other year.

Thank you for reading!

Swan park

Dunseverick castle

Clifftop cows

Dunluce

Antrim coast

Foyle ferry

Michael John’s pub

Portora castle

Round tower on Devenish Island

Devenish

Devenish island

Devenish

Devenish

Devenish

Enniskillen castle

Lough Rynn Castle

Walled garden at Lough Rynn

My beautiful room at Lough Rynn

Bathroom with tall tub wall

Roscommon castle

Outside Sacred Heart

Doonagore

Mister Fox

Bunratty castle

TravelTherese, this is the first chance I've had to finish your report. Your trip sounds wonderful. I love your last batch of photos: the castles, your lodging at Lough Rynn, the cows, the alpacas, and the gorgeous scenery. All are so wonderful! Your report is very helpful, and I plan to re-read it in October when I hope to start planning our trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland. Unless something unforeseen comes up, we hope to go in 2026, and we are seriously thinking of May.

coral22, I remember reading your TR from May 2022. So happy to hear you had good weather in May. Obviously, that is not guaranteed for every May but gives me hope. We are seriously thinking of visiting Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2026, and unless something unforeseen comes up, we are seriously considering May. This will be a 3-week trip. I will re-read your report in October. Can't do any serious planning now as we are leaving in a few days for Romania and Hungary.

TravelTherese, I came a little late to this thread, but applaud all of you who take the time and effort to pen TRs after your travel, hats off to you! I do the planning part and travel a lot, but the only TR I wrote was after our first visit to Turkey in 2013!

KarenWoo, we spent a fortnight in Ireland the second half of June 2017 and had glorious weather, bright sunshine with no rain except for a few slight showers. Have fun planning your trip, and enjoy your upcoming one to Romania and Budapest.

nice trip report