Ireland has been on my “to visit” list for some time now. For one reason or another it’s just never been booked. So, over a long holiday weekend, I impulsively booked it with some credit card points and planning began.
Ireland is one of those places that you could spend weeks in and never see the same thing twice. It’s a country full of a long rich history from the Celts, to the Titanic, to the Irish Republican Army and the fight for independence from England. Numerous artists, musicians, actors, and authors hail from the Emerald Isle; my favorite, in fact, from Dublin: Oscar Wilde.
That being said, planning this quick weekend getaway was difficult: what did I want to prioritize?
My cousin G gave me incredible suggestions that included Galway, Cork, Belfast, and the Aran Islands. With only two full days, and one of them booked with a day tour of the Celtic Boyne Valley, I decided to focus my second day inside Dublin. I spent half of the day on a self-planned/self-guided Oscar Wilde tour the took me to many of his old haunts, passed the house he was born in, the statue across from the house he grew up in, then into his childhood home at Merrion Square. I finished off the day with a delightful little bits of Dublin tour that ended with The Book of Kells at Trinity College.
I took a late night flight from Frankfurt, which landed me in Dublin near midnight. It gave me two full days to explore, so it was worth the heavy fall into bed after my flight.
The next morning I was up early to stop for a cappuccino and pastry on my walk to the meeting point for the tour. Early morning is always my favorite time to walk through any new location. The mass of tourists have yet to flood into the streets, but all the locals are bustling to work, or preparing for the day ahead. It gives one the true experience of the place, in my opinion… and also gives one the opportunity to jaunt down hidden roads and alleys, or stop to take a clear photo. I also tend to see little things that I wouldn’t usually take notice of while weaving in and out of crowds.
One thing that really stood out to me, but that I didn’t adequately capture in photo’s, is the love Dublin has, and expresses, for their own. They seem to take so much pride in their Irish creatives and activists… even beloved characters. Every where I looked there were little reminders of Sally Rooney, Sinead, Marianne and Connell (if you know, you know), Molly Malone, and of course Wilde.
Our tour group was on the smaller side, no more than 12 or so, and quite a few solo travelers. The meeting point was at the Molly Malone statue in Dublin, but we quickly boarded the van to adventure out of the city and into the beautiful Boyne Valley.
The Hill of Tara was our first cold and windy stop. This site is unique in that it has been in some semblance of use since the Stone Age. Through the ages, its uses varied from a burial site, to the place of the high kings of Ireland. Much of what was once there has been eroded with time, but some history remains, like the coronation stone called Lia Fáil, and the Mound of the Hostages. Learn a bit more about the many different ruins at this beautiful site here.
The area is profoundly beautiful. There’s a sense of something more lingering in the air; a space between time and planes. I took a quiet moment attempting to gaze into it; whispering to my grandmother, somewhere out there in the universe. I felt at peace.
After popping into the little cafe and gift shop, we climbed back into the van and made our way down the winding roads. We made stops at an old abbey, Trim Castle, the Loughcrew Cairns, and Fore Abbey.
But, the Boyne Valley has so much more to offer, like Tlachtga (The Hill of Ward), Slaine Castle, and especially Brú na Bóinne.
Something I greatly enjoy about solo traveling are the opportunities to meet new people. Meeting people from all over the world broadens cultural and societal horizons. We learn new ideas, cultural norms… expand our own personal universe. We see that there is more out there; more to life than what we see in front of us.
On this trip I met a nurse from Amsterdam and a sweet lady from Mexico. We had lunch, laughed as we ran into shelter from a sudden downpour, and marveled at the scenery together. They became two of many wonderful people I met on this trip.
The day ended back at the Molly Malone statue with plenty of time to meander through sweater and nicknack shops before my dinner reservation.
The following day started a bit later as I had a more leisurely morning planned. It started off in a local cafe before heading off for my self-planned tour of Oscar Wildes life in Dublin.
I highly recommend touring the Oscar Wilde house! The staff are kind, knowledgeable. An informative video is played before you can freely explore the rest of the house. It is lovingly maintained and I thoroughly enjoyed climbing the same stairs and ambling around the same rooms he once did. It is always incredible to me to walk in the footsteps of those long in the past; to run my fingers over the chisel marks that carved ancient stone.
Later, I had a fantastic lunch with a view of the river Liffey, then met up with the walking tour group. We toured Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Christ Church, and ended at Trinity College for The Books of Kells Experience.
I ended my evening with fish and chips from the famous Leo Burdock’s and an early night.
I barely scratched the surface of Ireland – barely unearthed Dublin and all it has to offer. There is just so much to see and do – so much to learn, experience, explore.
phoenix & magpie 
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