5 1/2 Mistakes We Made in Ireland

You know something, Karen and Chris, you're both dead sound and decent. Hope you both come back again. 👍😊💙🇮🇪🇺🇸

We went in late Feb of last year. I started planning the trip in September. I deep dove into all things Ireland. The food, the sites, the culture, the slang, etc. etc. and still didn't know everything without coming off as your regular American tourist so don't worry about the Derry mix up. The only reason I knew the difference was because I had watched the Netflix show 'Derry Girls ' I would urge you to take a tour bus on some of your travels. It's so educational. We took PaddyWagon tour, from Dublin, to Rock of Cashel, Blarney Stone Castle and a quick stop in Cork. Very informative. They will also make sure you know the famine was not becasue of a potato blight, as we in the USA were told in our history books. There was plenty of food at the time but Britain shipped 30k boats full of fish, grain, and livestock from the Island to feed the people of Britain. Virtually starving out the population of Ireland. That's one of the reason for the historical bad blood they have towards the Empire. That and Cromwell and the Easter Uprising but that's for another day. I would encourage you to take a ferry from Galway to the Aran Islands. Very beautiful and one of the highlights if our trip. We fell in love with Galway as well❤ We took a tour bus while in Galway as well. It was the Galway Tour Company. We went to the Cliffs of Moher, The Dolmen in the Burren among other stops. The driver gave us a non stop history lesson as he drove. Literally non stop and I absolutely loved it. We stopped here and there along the way so we could get out and take photos and he pointed out various castles and Abbey's and their history. If we would have taken a car we would have missed a ton of fascinating history along our way to the Cliffs. That made the trip to the Cliffs and our memories 10x better than If we had just driven up by ourselves. There is so much to see and do you could spend months in Ireland and not see everything. Good luck and safe travels!✌🏼

I was in Bushmills yesterday. I live in Northern Ireland. I am so glad you got to see the most beautiful part of Ireland, the North Antrim coast. ❤ The Carlton is a great hotel. We were going to Chicago and had an early flight so stayed the night there. We cleared customs and my husband realised he had left his insulin in the room fridge. I went to an Aer Lingus member of staff who contacted the hotel, walked me to arrivals where the manager of the Carlton hand delivered me the insulin. Yes the Irish are so accommodating and helpful. Glad you had a great holiday.

A suggestion for someplace to visit that's not on the usual US tourist map - The Hook Lighthouse, Co. Wexford. It's the oldest working lighthouse in the world and it's where the saying 'by hook or by crook' was derived. Nearby is New Ross where the Dunbrody famine ship is moored. It's a reconstruction of a ship used to take Irish emigrants to the US during the Gorta Mór - the Great Hunger (the Great Famine). Very poignant. Then onto Waterford City, the oldest City in Ireland and where Strongbow married Aoife and the occupation of Ireland began. After that then to Cork and then Kerry and An Daingean (Dingle). Enjoy...

hahahaha A new subscriber here & golly gosh, you both made me have a good old laugh out loud, which is just what I needed most tonight. I almost choked on my sandwich! lol It's funny because on one hand, you went through a lot together & it must have been quite the experience/challenge, but on the other hand, you created really personal, fun & challenging experiences together (which can bring us even closer to each other) & you have learnt much more about new travel to Ireland. I'm sure your next trip will be more smooth sailing, but even if you do encounter some minor challenges, that's ok too & just keep creating fun experiences. Also, challenges will always be a good learning experience for all of us & even a time for personal growth. We just returned from Ireland & although we didn't encounter any issues @ all, I can certainly appreciate the myriad of challenges that many can & do face during the your travels. For our family, my husband sorted everything out booking wise & thank goodness all went very well, so I was utterly appreciative for his good work. You guys come across as a very chilled, down to earth & sweet couple & I'm glad I found you by sheer accident. We so love Ireland & as we have strong roots there, visiting was a truly heart warming & precious experience. I'd always wished to fly there, but never had until now & it was a dream come true. Finally, I'm so glad that you don't take yourselves too seriously & I personally find this very refreshing. Thanks for sharing your experiences with we viewers. Cheers & peace✌

A small tip, when you visit again (welcome back!) don’t say you’re visiting “southern Ireland” / like Derry it may trigger some people ❤

Enjoyed your comments and watched your videos on your visit to my country.(I'm a Dub) Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork, Kerry all beautiful though my favourite spot is in Mayo Achill Island. Take time in the National Park in Killarney. Cong in Mayo is very pretty and right beside Ashford Castle.

Thanks for a great video. So glad to read all the helpful and informative comments.

Thanks for another lovely video. At the end as you discuss your return trip to Ireland you draw a line over to Galway City. You should seriously consider the western part of Galway county, a region known as Connemara. A trip to the national park, Kylemore Abbey and a short detour to Doolough in County Mayo would be high on any Ireland travel itinerary. (Doolough is probably the most beautiful place in the country!) And then there’s the Aran Islands….! 🇮🇪

I love the video, hope Ireland didn't cost you too much....If you want to enjoy Ireland then just ask an Irish person to help you out, we are a very friendly people. Don't over think it. Remember the Irish spread all over the world, it wasn't well thought out. 🤣. There is a joke I love. How do you know the Irish are taking over your country? One of us showns up with a sleeping bag and the name of a lad with a couch. The next thing you know there are Irish bars eveywhere and Paddy's day becomes a holiday.....

Thank you both for the info. We're going in a couple weeks and looking forward to it!

I'd definitely recommend flying into Shannon and doing the west coast from there. The west coast is much different from the east coast. Including the people 😊

Go to the copper coast in Waterford around Dungarvan and stradbally. Try the cycle greenway from Waterford to Dungarvan along old railway track. There is a lot of them being developed in ireland now and they are stunning. Go across to youghal and kinsale in cork and on through glengariff to Kerry. That should keep ya happy for a week or so 😅😅. Enjoy.

I'm from Kerry and I recommend you do Kerry and West Cork. These counties have a micro climate from the gulf stream which makes them particularly lush. The west coast gets rockier the further north you travel. In Kerry we have the highest mountain range in Ireland. Kerry and West Cork are very geared towards tourism and not in a bad way. Lots of restaurants and hotels. You will read about the Ring of Kerry which is a circular route anti clockwise around the middle of the county. I wouldn't recommend it. It's long, it will be very stressful for you to drive and you will spend the best part of the day in the car rather that getting out and about and meeting people. I would recommend you do the Dingle Penninsula instead. It's much shorter and lots of bang for your buck scenery wise. There are a number of routes to drive the Dingle Penninsula including the Conor Pass. This is really scenic but look at videos of it first to see if you would be comfortable driving it, sections are very narrow, only 1 car wide. Definitely book a walking tour while there . That will get you out of the car and chatting to people. I would recommend South Kerry, Derrynane, Ballinskelligs and Valentia Island. Killarney. In west cork I would recommend Ballydehob, Clonakilty.

Hope ye had a lovely time. Don't be afraid to come again and explore other parts of the country

Just came across your channel, thanks for your info on Ireland. I am heading to Ireland in April from Australia and are doing the south. Will keep you informed.

Thanks for sharing!!!

I love your positivity

I just got back from Ireland, and I made a few mistakes. I planned too much time in Dublin, booked a standard instead of automatic car, booked too much time in hotels and not b&bs, did not fly direct, transferred in London/Heathrow (which I will never do again), used a private car to go from Dublin to Kilarney instead of using the train. When I go again, I will do all my own driving (not a big deal), I will fly direct into Shannon and use air b&bs exclusively. Plan more time in the small towns and avoid the real tourist spots.

Another informative video, thanks Guys. In the southern part of the country visit Watertford and the copper coast. Beautiful town and countryside, but the coast is special and not as well known to the tourists.