Having spent our summer holidays in Portugal, my boyfriend’s homeland, we decided to also spend some time in the place where my family comes from; Ireland.
Each year, my family on my dad’s side reunites in the County Mayo town where my Granny grew up and got married to my Grandad. I’d missed the annual gathering for the last few years since there are no direct flights from Paris to the nearest airport and didn’t have the days to take off from work, but this year I booked some holiday time to enjoy a long weekend trip.
Here were some of our favourite things to see and do in West Ireland:
- Hike in Connemara National Park: A traditional region of Ireland where Irish is still spoken and sheep have priority of way on the open roads, Connemara should be on the to-do list of anyone visiting western Ireland. We took a hike in the National Park along the Upper Diamond Hill trail where we were treated to some stunning views and learnt more about the local wildlife and history.
- Drive along Wild Atlantic Way: This 2500km stretch of coastline takes in some of the most breathtaking scenery that Ireland has to offer. We only drove a few portions of this, visiting Killarney Harbour (Ireland’s only fjord) along the way, but even if you can only commit to that, the landscapes are truly worth it.
- Visit Kylemore Abbey: One of Ireland’s most iconic attractions; a beautiful old castle set against a wall of greenery overlooking a dark lake. We stopped by just for a look at its impressive exterior as we were short on time, but you can also step inside or visit the surrounding grounds which include a walled Victorian garden and Gothic church.
- Stop by Swinford: Now I may be biased since my family comes from this area, but stopping by a traditional market town like Swinford should definitely be on your west Ireland road-trip list. The population may only be around 1,500 but that doesn’t stop them from having a dozen or so bars to grab a pint of Guinness or Smithwick’s.
- Take a trip to Achill Island: Connected to mainland Ireland through a bridge, this island is the largest of the Irish isles. Drive (very carefully!) up the tall sea cliffs to reach Keem Bay on the other side for a beautiful beach view and try to spot a school or dolphins (or whales as we did!) just off the coast
- Eat out in Westport: Voted the best place to live in Ireland, this colourful harbour town is a great spot to eat some seafood and admire from a distance Ireland’s tallest mountain, Croagh Patrick.
Speaking of eating, there’s a couple of local specialities that you should definitely try when visiting Ireland. The first is a Full Irish Breakfast; a variant on the English counterpart with the notable additions of white pudding and perhaps some potato bread if you’re lucky. The second would be colcannon (mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage or kale) along with a slab of roasted bacon. And my final recommendation and personal favourite would be a hearty Irish stew – perfect for warming you up after a day outside braving the elements.
As a kid/teenager visiting my Irish family, I don’t think I really appreciated the beauty of the place. For me it was just green countryside, which I saw enough of back home. I didn’t see the winding carless roads and rugged mountains, the stunning ocean views and weathered sea cliffs, the quaint villages and just the sheer tranquility of it all. Of course, Ireland is still green – it is the Emerald isle after all – but I now see it through different eyes, that want to see even more.
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