This past weekend was quite the action packed trip. We took a trip to the west coast of Ireland and saw many different attractions. We stayed in Galway for two nights and I loved spending time exploring the beautiful city. We also took a trip to the Cliffs of Moher which was shocking to see in person. Other excursions included a day trip to Inishmore, an island off the west coast of Ireland, and Kylemore Abbey.
Historic statues in Galway
I had a great time in Galway and it is one of my favorite cities I have visited. There was a busy city center with different pubs and restaurants which caused a lot of foot traffic. It was a very friendly environment as I was able to converse with some locals about my hometown of New York. Everyone was sitting outside drinking and chatting with each other which was really awesome to see.
Friendly environment in Galway pub
Another one of our trips that was breathtaking was the Cliffs of Moher. I’ve seen pictures of the cliffs, but seeing it in person is a whole other ball game. A group of us were able to walk down to the end of the cliffs and take in the beautiful views that the cliffs had to offer. As we kept walking away from the main area, the path thinned and there were no more barriers so we were able to get close to the edge. It was an exhilarating experience being able to get a better view by getting near the edge. We were blessed with a sunny day, which is rare in Ireland, so the pictures were perfect.
Cliffs of Moher
One of our day trips was to an island off the coast of Ireland, Inishmore. We took a ferry to the island and were able to explore the island on bikes. A group of us decided to bike to this old castle and hike all the way to the highest point of the island. It was very cool to see the entire island from above and we were even able to see the Cliffs.
View from highest point on island
As we were getting ready to head back to Dublin on Sunday, we visited some amazing places on the way back. One of them being Kylemore Abbey which was a beautiful mansion that was built out of love from a husband to his wife. The entire estate was around 1000 acres with a beautiful garden and lake. I was very excited to go to the garden because there was an area where you could see ponies. Kylemore Abbey had their own garden where they grew bananas, pineapple, and watermelon which is not native to Ireland. After exploring the entire estate, I couldn’t imagine living in this beautiful complex so I was grateful to explore that area.
I had a pony!
My favorite part of the trip has to be the trip to the Killary Sheep Farm. On the walk to the farm, there were sheep roaming around and there was the great sound of sheep echoing throughout the land. Once we arrived, the owner showed us his herd dog and its incredible ability to wrangle sheep. We also got the opportunity to feed and hold the little lambs which was super fun.
Me with the lamb