I will discuss a few weekend trips I took exploring Ireland for my next three editions! While I did take many weekend trips outside of Ireland all over Europe, there are plenty of great experiences on our new home’s turf.
For my first of the three editions, I will discuss the few days I spent with my family when they visited! Now, this was early August, during our early start program (which you can read about in my August Adventure post!), I did have to travel back and forth to Dublin a bit to catch the field trips, which was quite a feat. However, it does go to show how easy transport is in Ireland!
I began my journey with my family at the Rock of Cashel. It is located in Cashel, County Tipperary, between Dublin and Cork. The Rock of Cashel is only the name for the manufactured rock landform on which the three structures find themselves. The Rock includes Cormac’s Chapel, the Cashel Cathedral, and a tower house. The area turned hands many times (evident by the many different structures). However, it was intended to be the seat of the King of Munster or the region where Cork is. Overall, it’s a beautiful sight with amazing architecture and views. It’s definitely worth a stop!
Next, we made it to Dublin and stopped at Croke Park. Croke Park is Ireland’s national GAA (Gaelic Athletics Association) Stadium. It is also used for events and performances as it is the third largest stadium in Europe.
Finally, we ended the day at the Guinness Storehouse. Seeing the history of such an institutional brand in Ireland was great. We even got to see some cool old-school ads! Then I took the train back home to Cork for our school Dingle trip the next day!
I took the train back to Dublin that night and went to mass with my family the next morning. We attended mass in the courtyard of Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle was the seat of the English Parliament in Ireland before Irish independence. It was an interesting place with tons of history and not far from the iconic Trinity College!
Then we went to Aviva Stadium to watch Notre Dame take on Navy! It was a very fun day, and the Irish won!
That ends my tales of the wild adventure I had with my family. Stay tuned for the next weekender edition! (PS. My sister and I met Martin Short!)
