Family Road Trip: One Week in Ireland
Four generations. One car. One week exploring Ireland. Let’s go!
Over our April term break, Josh’s parents and grandma (whom we call Nana) came to visit us in Lincoln, England. This was a momentous occasion—it was Nana’s first trip EVER across the pond—plus we got to plan a weeklong road trip around Ireland to celebrate Nana’s 81st birthday. Nana has Irish heritage and it has been her lifelong dream to visit Ireland. We feel so honored to be able to help bring her bucket list trip to reality!
Our challenges: managing everyone’s energy levels and physical stamina, and coordinating transportation and accommodation for a total of 7 people (Nana, Josh, his parents, our two kids, and me). Oh, and 5 out of the 7 of us are prone to motion sickness… What could possibly go wrong?
Actually, everything really did go just fine.
Thankfully, our planning paid off and everyone had a great time. Was it perfect? Nope. But we managed to visit all of the bucket list items on Nana’s wish list (and more), plus made some incredible family memories, so I’d call that a win.
Nana’s wish list:
Visit Dublin, Cork, and Galway
Kiss the Blarney Stone
See the Cliffs of Moher
Killarney National Park
Visit a Doyle pub (since her maiden surname is Doyle)
Here’s how we made it happen!
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DAY 1: Arrive in Dublin
Since Josh had just returned home from a work trip, we gave ourselves some breathing room and booked afternoon flights from Birmingham to Dublin via Ryanair. We couldn’t all fit in our car, so we ended up arranging an airport shuttle to get to the Birmingham airport from Lincoln. When we arrived in Dublin, we hopped on a shuttle bus to the city center. By late afternoon, we were checking in to our hotel.
Tip: Dublin Airport has an easy shuttle system to get from the airport into the city center. We went with Aircoach, since the 700 bus route put us closest to our hotel. It was 10€ for a one-way or 12€ for a return. More info on shuttles on the Dublin Airport website (link here).
We didn’t have a ton of time remaining in the day to do much sightseeing, so we decided to stay close to the hotel and visit the National Leprechaun Museum. This was not what we expected—I made the mistake of not researching this before arriving. It’s actually an immersive storytelling experience, NOT an interactive museum, and therefore not recommended for young children. It was risky, but our kids were interested so we decided to go for it. The luck of the Irish must have been with us because miraculously, they sat still and listened the entire time. The very kind staff even gifted them each a piece of leprechaun gold for being so well-behaved!
After the National Leprechaun Museum experience, we went in search of dinner. I had hoped to visit Darkey Kelley’s, which Josh and I visited in 2017 and loved, but they don’t take reservations and it was PACKED. So we backtracked to Lundy Foot’s, another pub with similar vibes but much less crowded. After dinner it was back to the hotel to wrap up day one!
Hotel: Leonardo Hotel Dublin Parnell Street
Activity: National Leprechaun Museum
DAY 2: Galway
We picked up our rental car from the city center in the morning, checked out of our hotel, and got on the road to Galway. It’s about a 2 hour drive to Galway from Dublin, depending on traffic, and please note there are a couple tolls.
Tip: renting a car from the city center can sometimes be less expensive than renting at the airport. Since Dublin Airport has great shuttle buses to the city, this was convenient for us, so make sure to compare prices if that works with your trip.
We didn’t rush the morning since we needed to run a couple errands after breakfast: a pharmacy stop, and to an outdoor gear store since someone (me) forgot to pack the kids’ raincoats. Then we stopped for a leisurely lunch at a services (aka rest stop) along the way that had a nice indoor play area.
When we arrived in Galway, we dropped off the car and luggage at our hotel then took a bus in to the city. We spent the afternoon exploring the Latin Quarter, did a bit of shopping for Claddagh rings and Nana’s family weave at Aran Sweater Market, and walked out to Eglinton Canal Sea Lock.
Then we walked back to the Latin Quarter for dinner. Our hotel receptionist recommended The King’s Head, but they were full so we instead went down the street to Quay’s Bar. The ground floor had an extensive bar and live music, and the restaurant was located downstairs. We were seated in a corner with a neat little whisky collection display. After dinner, we caught a city bus back out to the hotel and got the kids to bed.
Bonus: the grandparents’ watched the kids after bedtime so Josh and I could go back out for a pint at O’Connor’s, the iconic bar where part of Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl” music video was filmed. Whether you’re an Ed fan or not, this pub is genuinely cool and laid back without being touristy. Highly recommend visiting here!
Hotel: Radisson Red Galway
Activity: exploring the center of Galway + shopping
Dinner: Quay’s Bar
Late night: O’Connor’s Pub
DAY 3: Cliffs of Moher
After a hotel breakfast buffet we got on the road toward the Cliffs of Moher. It was Nana’s actual birthday that day, and we had arranged the schedule this way intentionally because seeing the Cliffs of Moher was a top item on her Ireland bucket list (so no pressure!). On the way we made a spontaneous pit stop at Bishop’s Quarter Beach, which was windy but lovely, and the kids were thrilled to run around and throw rocks.
In lieu of visiting the official main visitor center for the Cliffs of Moher, we decided to check out Liscannor Walk Parking, a family-owned car park open to tourists. There’s an honesty box for €5 per car (which was SO much cheaper than the official visitor center parking). From there it’s a 1 km walk out to Jordan Denning Point, a southern viewpoint of the cliffs and access to the cliff walk trail. Unfortunately, the walking trail was closed the day we were there, so we weren’t able to hike past the telegraph station to get any further up the trail for a better view of the cliffs. But the viewpoint was open, so we still got to see a bit of the cliffs.
Here’s the Google Maps link to Liscannor Walk Parking:
From there, we drove down to Killarney for the night. The best part about this hotel was how kid-friendly it is, with several play areas and even a kids’ club!
To cap off Nana’s birthday day, we celebrated with a nice (but still family-friendly) steak dinner at the Porterhouse Restaurant in Killarney.
Hotel: Hotel Killarney
Activity: Bishop’s Quarter Beach + Cliffs of Moher
Dinner: Porterhouse Restaurant
DAY 4: Killarney National Park + Ring of Kerry
This was perhaps my favorite day of the entire trip. We started the day with a 1-hour jaunting tour around Killarney, which took us through part of Killarney National Park to see Ross Castle. After the carriage ride, we stopped in town for a quick souvenir shop and a coffee at Good Boy Coffee Roasters.
Tip: Killarney has a city-wide initiative to reduce waste by no longer offering disposable takeaway cups. Either be prepared to pay a few extra euros for a reusable cup or plan to bring your own.
Then we hopped on the Ring of Kerry, a scenic drive around the Kerry peninsula. We were INSANELY lucky with the weather and couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. We drove straight out to the Kerry Cliffs, which I personally much more than the Cliffs of Moher.
After the cliffs, we continued our drive to St. Finian’s Bay, where we stopped for a late lunch and ice cream at An Bothán. Then we went on to Derrynane Beach, where everyone enjoyed playing in the sand and seashell hunting.
These photos look serene, but in reality this was one of the moments where things had gone a bit awry. We had planned to stay at an Airbnb near Cork that night, but that fell through so we had to pivot. In between driving and activities, Josh spent the day searching for a suitable alternative, and as we walked Derrynane Beach he found a hotel nearby off the Ring of Kerry in Sneem.
For a last-minute hotel decision, Sneem Hotel worked out beautifully and had the most incredible view. We had dinner at the hotel—Nana was very pleased with her fish & chips—and we called it a day.
Hotel: Sneem Hotel
Activity: Killarney jaunting tour + Ring of Kerry scenic drive + Kerry Cliffs + St. Finian’s Bay + Derrynane Beach
Dinner: Coastal Restaurant at Sneem Hotel
DAY 5: Blarney Castle + Cork
Probably my second favorite day of the trip! After breakfast we hopped back on the Ring of Kerry then drove toward County Cork. We went straight to Blarney Castle, which is in Blarney village, just outside the city of Cork.
That morning, the rain finally caught up to us. Despite the sporadic rain showers throughout the morning, we loved visiting Blarney Castle and exploring the gardens. All of us, except our youngest, kissed the Blarney Stone. He was a hard pass on that.
We then drove through the city of Cork and out to Cobh to see the Deck of Cards, a row of colorful painted houses. The rain and wind had become pretty miserable by that point so we didn’t stay long, but we did pop in to St. Coleman’s Cathedral, which Nana especially loved.
Then it was back to Blarney for dinner at Christy’s Pub, which was just next to the Blarney Woolen Mills Hotel.
Hotel: Blarney Woolen Mills Hotel
Activity: Blarney Castle & Gardens + Cobh
Dinner: Christy’s Pub (adjacent to BWM Hotel)
DAY 6: Dublin
It was time to make our way back up to Dublin. We passed the Rock of Cashel on the way, which I would love to see on a future visit. It took about 2.5 hours to drive from Blarney to Dublin.
We checked in to our last hotel and had the afternoon to explore. Initially, we had hoped to visit the Guinness Storehouse, but they were sold out for the day so tip: book Guinness tickets in advance. Instead, we decided to walk from our hotel past Dublin Castle and Temple Bar on the way to check off the last big bucket list item on Nana’s wish list: visiting a Doyle pub.
This ended up being the most beautiful way to wrap up our visit. Nana’s maiden name is Doyle, and she was on the lookout for anything with the Doyle name our whole trip. She asked if we could find a Doyle pub, and we found one—THE Doyle’s Pub—in Dublin.
The staff were so kind and welcoming, and they even showed Nana around the pub like she was family. We even got to take a peek at the upstairs event space where the Ruby Sessions happen—Josh and I were nerding out about this, knowing some of our favorite artists like Dermot Kennedy, Hozier, and Ed Sheeran have performed there.
We spent the remaining rainy evening at Doyle’s Pub, drinking Irish coffees, and stayed for an early pub dinner. I think this may have also been the best pours of Guinness from the entire trip! Between the good food, drinks, company, and family time, it was the sweetest way to spend our last night in Ireland.
Hotel: Radisson Blu Royal
Activity: Walk past Dublin Castle + Temple Bar en route to Doyle Pub
Dinner: Doyle’s Pub
DAY 7: Depart Dublin
Our last morning didn’t give us much leave to sightsee. If everyone had had the energy for it, we could have walked over to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral since it was nearby the hotel. However, it was pouring buckets and everyone was worn out from the week, so we weren’t too fussed about getting out early to squeeze in any more sightseeing.
After returning the rental car, we caught the Aircoach line 700 back to the airport, and waved goodbye to Ireland on our return flight back to England.
And that’s a wrap on our family’s Ireland road trip! Are you planning a family road trip around Ireland? I hope sharing our experience offers some insight and inspiration for your trip.