Mix & Match: Ireland Self Drive

Collect your rental car at Dublin Airport and drive to the city centre. You may wish to explore Temple Bar's cobbled streets where traditional music spills from pub doorways, or walk the Grand Canal through Georgian doorways painted in signature Dublin colours, each one different. Trinity College's Old Library houses the Book of Kells, illuminated gospel pages from 800 AD showing Celtic knotwork and animal figures. The Long Room stretches 65 metres with barrel-vaulted ceiling and 200,000 antiquarian texts on oak shelves. Walk through St Stephen's Green to Merrion Square's Georgian architecture, then visit the National Museum of Ireland (free admission) for Viking gold hoards, Bronze Age treasures and the Tara Brooch. The GPO on O'Connell Street still shows bullet holes from the 1916 Easter Rising. Alternatively, explore Phoenix Park, Europe's largest enclosed city park, with wild deer roaming 700 hectares, or drive to Howth's cliff path and harbour village, or Malahide with its 12th-century castle and coastal walks. Suggested Activities: Book of Kells & Old Library - admission ticket from €26 per person Jameson Distillery Bow St - experience with tasting from €26 per person St Patrick's Cathedral - admission ticket from €11.50 per person Dining Recommendations: The Brazen Head - Dublin's oldest pub (since 1198), Roaringwater Bay mussels and beef and Guinness stew, nightly traditional sessions The Winding Stair - over the Ha'penny Bridge, Irish seafood chowder and Dingle Bay crab, river views The Woollen Mills - riverside spot for Dublin coddle, the city's classic potato-and-sausage casserole dating to the 1770s The Celt - traditional pub, smoked fish chowder, live music, old-school Dublin atmosphere Local delicacy to try: Dublin coddle and fresh oysters, for which Dublin Bay was historically famous. Special Information On arrival in Dublin you will collect at Dublin Airport. The vehicle is a standard sedan or SUV class, with seating recommended for up to 3 people, and the actual model depends on availability at pick-up. For this self-drive we use a number of small boutique 4-star manors, inns and castles chosen for their character. The exact property is confirmed at the time of booking, but some examples of properties we could use in Dublin include Barberstown Castle and Fitzpatrick Castle. If Inspiring Vacations has not provided your international airfares, please ensure you provide your flight details via your Traveller Hub portal no later than 90 days prior to travel so that your car hire can be confirmed for the correct pick up time If you are arriving early and have made your own arrangements prior to your tour commencing, car hire will not be included.

This morning after breakfast drive south on the R115 Military Road through the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland's highest road, crossing blanket bog and heather moorland. Stop at the Sally Gap viewpoint overlooking Lough Tay, the “Guinness Lake”, with its dark water and pale sand. Descend to Glendalough, where St Kevin's 6th-century monastery sits in a glacial valley beneath granite cliffs, its Round Tower rising 30 metres beside twin lakes. Continue via Rathdrum and Arklow, with a possible stop at Avoca village, before arriving in Waterford. In Waterford, explore the Viking Triangle, the medieval lanes around Reginald's Tower from 1003 AD. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: House of Waterford Crystal - factory tour (50 minutes) from €18.50 per person Dining Recommendations: Crystal Café, House of Waterford Crystal - try a Waterford blaa, a soft flour-dusted bread roll unique to the county (Protected Geographical Status), with dry-cured bacon Local delicacy to try: the Waterford blaa, hard to find with the same authenticity anywhere else in Ireland. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3.5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 200km (based on the suggested route) For this self-drive we use a range of 4-star hotels. The exact property is confirmed at the time of booking, but an example we could use in Waterford is the Waterford Marina Hotel.

This morning after breakfast drive west on the N25 through Dungarvan, a good place to pause at the harbour. Continue to Youghal, a walled port where Sir Walter Raleigh once lived and is said to have planted Ireland's first potatoes. Drive southwest to Cobh (pronounced “Cove”), the Titanic's last port of call in April 1912, where pastel Victorian terraces climb the hillside above the harbour. Visit the Titanic Experience museum and walk up to St Colman's Cathedral with its 47-bell carillon. Continue to Cork, whose English Market has traded since 1788, selling farmhouse cheeses, spiced beef and oysters shucked to order. Kinsale, around 30 minutes south, is an alternative for seafood chowder. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Titanic Experience Cobh - admission from €13 per person Dining Recommendations: The English Market, Cork - historic covered market since 1788; farmhouse cheeses, spiced beef and oysters shucked to order Fishy Fishy, Kinsale - around 30 minutes south of Cork, known for seafood chowder Local delicacy to try: spiced beef and drisheen, a traditional Cork blood pudding, both distinctly Cork. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.Approximate distance driven: 150km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast, drive northwest to Blarney Castle, where you can lean back over the battlements to kiss the Stone of Eloquence and explore the Poison Garden's locked beds. Continue west via Macroom into County Kerry and Killarney National Park, with views across Lough Leane. Alternatively, drive directly to Killarney and spend the afternoon on the Ring of Kerry, following the N71 and N70 loop. Ladies View looks over the Upper Lake towards the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, named by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting in 1861. Continue through Kenmare's colour-washed shopfronts to Sneem's village greens, returning via Killorglin. Kerry lamb stew and seafood chowder feature on most pub menus here. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Blarney Castle & Gardens - admission from €24 per person Dining Recommendations: The Killarney Royal - set three-course menu, good value, known for duck and dessert Local pub fare is strong across the area, with Kerry lamb stew and seafood chowder on most menus Local delicacy to try: Kerry lamb, raised on the hill pastures around the Ring of Kerry. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4.5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 230km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast you may wish to drive west on the N86, past Inch Beach's 5km sandbar, to Dingle town, a fishing harbour with brightly painted shopfronts and trawlers at the quay. Murphy's Ice Cream on Strand Street is known for its brown bread and Dingle sea salt flavours. The R559 Slea Head Drive circles the peninsula past Bronze Age beehive huts and the Iron Age walls of Dunbeg Fort on the cliffs. At Dunquin, the abandoned Blasket Islands lie 5km offshore, evacuated in 1953. Return over the Conor Pass on the R560, Ireland's highest road at 456 metres, with views down to Brandon Bay. Dingle's pubs serve fresh fish and chips landed that morning, and traditional music sessions run into the evening. Suggested Activities: Dingle Distillery - tour from €25 per person Dining Recommendations: Murphy's Ice Cream, Strand Street - hand-made, try Dingle Sea Salt or Dingle Gin flavour Dingle Distillery - award-winning Dingle Gin with local botanicals (rowan berries, bog myrtle, heather) Local delicacy to try: Dingle Gin and Murphy's ice cream, both distinctly Dingle. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.Approximate distance driven: 140km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast drive north through Listowel and cross the Shannon Estuary at Tarbert into County Clare. The Cliffs of Moher stretch for 8km, with vertical faces of 214 metres and Atlantic swells below; puffins nest on the ledges from May to July. O'Brien's Tower marks the highest point, with views to the Aran Islands. Continue north across the Burren's limestone pavement, 250 square kilometres of exposed rock where Arctic-alpine flowers grow in the crevices. Follow the coast road to Galway, arriving in the early evening. In Galway, walk Shop Street past the 16th-century Lynch's Castle to the Spanish Arch, where the medieval walls met the harbour. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Dining Recommendations: Galway oysters - in season, widely available around Shop Street and the Latin Quarter Tig Coili and Taaffes - traditional music pubs combining food and sessions Local delicacy to try: Galway Bay oysters, best enjoyed with a pint of Guinness rather than wine. Special Information Your Cliffs of Moher admission is included in the package. Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.Approximate distance driven: 260km (based on the suggested route)

This morning after breakfast explore Galway's Latin Quarter, where Saturday markets sell farmhouse cheese and freshly baked soda bread. Drive east on the M6 to Dublin. Arriving in the afternoon, you might visit the Guinness Storehouse at St James's Gate, seven floors telling the story of the 1759 brewery, with Arthur Guinness's original lease on display; the top-floor Gravity Bar serves a complimentary pint over the Dublin rooftops. Alternatively, shop Grafton Street and St Stephen's Green, or return to the National Museum for its Viking and Bronze Age collections. Continue to your accommodation, your final stop for the day. Suggested Activities: Guinness Storehouse - experience tickets from €22 per person Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.Approximate distance driven: 220km (based on the suggested route) For this self-drive we use a number of small boutique 4-star manors, inns and castles chosen for their character. The exact property is confirmed at the time of booking, but some examples of properties we could use in Dublin include Barberstown Castle and Fitzpatrick Castle.

This morning after breakfast check out and drive to Dublin Airport, where you drop off your rental car before departing for your onward journey. Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience. Special Information The rental car is returned at Dublin Airport, with the rental period ending at 11 AM.