It’s a splurge, to be sure, but if your Ireland vacation won’t be complete without an Ireland castle hotel on the itinerary you can’t beat a stay at Ashford Castle. While I was planning our fall 2014 trip to Ireland, our dates happened to coincide with Halloween. It was only a few days prior that I…
Please note: The original Doolin Hostel is now the Doolin Inn. Read my Doolin Inn review here. The Doolin Hostel is now in the building across the road and while still a very nice hostel which features dorm & private rooms and a complimentary continental breakfast each morning, the information in this article is not…
When planning your Ireland family vacation it’s very easy to fall into what I call a ‘lodging rut’. To put it simply, a ‘lodging rut’ is when you think that your trip can have only one type of lodging, be it hotel, B&B, or self catering cottage. Depending on the length of your trip, your…
It’s fair to say I do quite a bit of packing for travel. And, while I tend toward over-packing (especially when we are driving to destinations), I do try to keep my packing for Ireland a bit lighter. Our most recent trip, however, had a mix of activities – from outdoor pursuits which required warm gear,…
Enclosed by high walls and water, Enniskillen Castle feels every bit the intimidating stronghold it was built to be. Once inside, however, the feeling is quite different, with exploration waiting around each corner. Built nearly 600 years ago by the Maguires, Enniskillen Castle was important for its strategic placement at the juncture of Upper and Lower…
Summer in Ireland won’t offer you and your family huge commercial theme parks or even guarantee you sunshine but you can be sure that you’ll experience nature like you’ve never seen it, discover history that you never dreamed of and find yourself immersed in a culture that can only leave you wanting more. Check out…
There are some places you just return to again and again. For my family, one of those places is Woodview Farmhouse. It certainly helps that this B&B is only 15 minutes from Dublin Airport, but there are quite a few B&Bs which are just as close. So what brings us back to Woodview Farmhouse again…
The Mamore Gap, in the Inishowen Peninsula, offers some of the most stunning views along the most northerly part of the Wild Atlantic Way. It is also home to Donegal’s Magic Road. A ‘Magic Road’ or ‘Gravity Hill’ is actually an optical illusion. A slight downward slope appears to be sloping upward, due to the…
Lower Lough Erne which, on a map, looks like it should be Upper Lough Erne, is a liquid paradise for boaters, fishermen, and escapists searching for tranquility. For those of us on land, a drive around the lough reveals its isolated treasures to those who take the time to search them out. The Treasures of…
It had only been a year since our first visit to Birr Castle Demense and a return wasn’t initially in our plans. Until I received an invitation to come play at their newest attraction. But, as luck would have it, we had just returned from Ireland mere days before – a return trip just wasn’t possible….
We didn’t set out to find the best hot chocolate in Ireland. In fact, the first couple days it entirely slipped my notice that my youngest daughter, Caelan, was ordering hot chocolate every time we sat down to a meal – be it breakfast, tea, or dinner, her request was always the same, “Do you…
The Christmas period offers us many great opportunities to get out and about with the family, with so many things to do, people to see and places to visit. This week, we thought we would take a look at one of Ireland’s most popular travel destinations; the stunning and friendly county of Galway. Often called…
Christmas is one of those times of year that just has something special about it. For many of us Christmas is a time of celebration as we gather with friends and family to exchange gifts, share stories and create memories. With Christmas well and truly on the way, one place to look for gifts, share…
I am planning an extended summer stay in Ireland for 2-2 1/2 months. I am in hopes of a cottage so that we can experience Ireland as much as locals possible yet as cheap as possible! I will have my 20 yo daughter, 16 yo daughter and 13 yo special needs son. There is a…
I’m going to be very (very) honest when I say that I had thought about creating an Ireland Scavenger Hunt for my kids when they were a bit older, but had kind of written it off as too much work. And, knowing my Type-A self as I do, it likely could have been and overwhelming project….
Ireland has an amazingly vast history for such a small island. Celts, Picts, Vikings, Normans, and the English all called Ireland theirs at one time or another. A stroll through Ireland’s history at Craggaunowen takes you from the late Bronze age (1200-500 BC) through the Elizabethan Period (1558-1603) in an interactive history lesson that is…
Ireland Family Vacations reader question: As we prepare for our first trip to Ireland this summer with our 7 and 3 year-old, we are a little nervous about the food, and making sure we can find things the kids like. They are finicky eaters as it is — never mind throwing foreign fare into the…
Bringing home fragile items like bottles of mead, Bulmer’s or Irish Whiskey – not to mention a lovely Kerry Glass vase – has always been a bit nerve wracking for me. These items breaking could likely ruin a lovely gift or a souvenir for myself. Not to mention the mess. No one wants to see…
Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny is the perfect hotel for your visit to the north of County Donegal, Glenveagh National Park, and the stunning Inishowen Peninsula. The hotel is easy to find as you enter Letterkenny via the N56 or N13/14 and is just east of the Port Bridge Roundabout and its stunning Polestar sculpture….
Ireland Family Vacations reader question: We are touring Ireland with a family of 8, including a 7 year old and and infant. Besides renting a self catering cottage, are their B&Bs that would accommodate us and, should the baby be fussy, not bother other guests? We will stay in the southwest much of the time…Dingle,…