Irish eyes are smiling: Spring Break in the Emerald Isle!
By: Caitlin Williams
Caitlin’s daughters enjoying the sites of Ireland this spring!
Our eldest daughter is leaving for college in the Fall, and we wanted to make our last Spring Break trip before that major change to our family’s life memorable. So, we chose a destination that we have all always wanted to visit but none of us had ever been, Ireland. Fair warning if you are planning something similar: the weather in Ireland at this time of year hasn’t quite decided whether it prefers sunshine or mist. The skies shift constantly. Soft gray one moment, pale blue the next, and the rain arrives just enough to keep everything impossibly green. It’s the kind of weather that challenges you a little as a traveler, but also invites you to slow down, layer up, and lean into the experience. That was exactly our mindset when we decided to make Dublin our home base for the trip. Instead of packing and unpacking every night, we decided to spend the entirety of our trip at the Iveagh Garden hotel.
Pros: Not in the touristy Temple Bar area but on a cute street near everything we wanted to see in Dublin, safe, nice but not exorbitantly priced.
Cons: Dublin has a vibrant nightlife scene.
Pro tip: Request a room that does not face the street.
We had heard that Dublin does not have enough to do for an entire week, and there was so much of Ireland we wanted to see, so we decided to alternate each day of our trip: a day exploring Dublin and then a day trip to sites around the country. We considered renting a car and quickly rejected it because of the challenges we envisioned with driving on the other side of the road and finding parking in Dublin. We also considered a tour bus (check out this amazing commercial for one, but beware, you’ll never get the song out of your head) but wanted to be able to customize our experience a bit more and we have two family members that get car sick in buses; therefore, we opted for a private family tour with day trips radiating out from the city. It turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. There was no stress about navigating narrow country roads on the “wrong” side, no rigid schedule, and no concerns about motion sickness on a crowded bus. Even better, we had the same guide, Brian O’Connor, for each of our three day trips. He was a retired “Guiness man” and a lifelong resident of Ireland. By the end of the trip, he felt less like a guide and more like an honorary member of the family, offering not just facts but perspective, humor, and a genuine sense of what it was like to grow up and live in Ireland.
DAY 1: Our first day began, as these things do, slightly disoriented after an overnight flight from Charlotte. Still, the moment we stepped into the city and checked into our hotel; there was a shared sense of excitement that carried us through the jet lag. We eased into the afternoon with tea at Old Music Shop Restaurant, and from there we walked to Trinity College Dublin to see the Book of Kells. There is something unexpectedly moving about standing in front of a manuscript that has survived for more than a millennium. The girls seemed genuinely impressed, especially when we stepped into the Long Room library with its towering shelves and unmistakable sense of history, but with the startling addition of a giant modern globe.
Trinity College and The Old Music Shop
Dinner that evening at Davy Byrnes felt like a proper introduction to the city: warm, unfussy, and rooted in tradition but with hearty food and a charming atmosphere.
Delightful tastings at Davy Byrnes
DAY 2: The next morning, Brian picked us up in a brand-new sprinter van right outside of our hotel and we set out for our first full day beyond Dublin. The drive to The Rock of Cashel unfolded through rolling countryside that looked almost deliberately arranged for visitors. The site itself rises dramatically from the landscape, a cluster of medieval buildings that tells the story of Ireland’s early religious and political history.
At Blarney Castle, we joined the line to kiss the famous stone, an experience that was equal parts awkward and entertaining. Watching each other lean backward over a gap while trying to maintain some dignity quickly became one of those family moments that will be referenced for years.
After we all kissed the Blarney stone and gained the gift of gab, we visited Cork. Brian, a lifelong Dubliner, informed us that the people of Cork have an inferiority complex: they think everyone else is inferior to them, which gave us both a laugh and a glimpse into the friendly rivalries that shape Irish identity. Back in Dublin that evening, dinner at The Unicorn Restaurant offered a quieter, more refined counterpoint to the day’s travel. A short walk later, we found ourselves inside O'Donoghue's Bar, Lounge & Guesthouse, where live Irish music filled the room. There is something about hearing traditional music played in a crowded pub that resists description; it feels less like a performance and more like participation in a living tradition.
DAY 3: Our third day focused on Dublin itself. At Dublin Castle, we traced the layers of Irish governance, from medieval stronghold to modern state functions. The nearby St. Patrick Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral, each offered their own distinct atmosphere—one expansive and grand, the other slightly more intimate but no less historic. Lunch at Irelands Oldest Pub - The Brazen Head, provided not only a meal but a sense of continuity, as the city’s oldest pub has been serving travelers for centuries. That afternoon, we toured the Jameson Distillery Bow St. Even for those of us who weren’t sampling the product the storytelling and presentation made it engaging. Dinner at Hugo's Restaurant closed the day with a sense of calm sophistication, a reminder that Dublin balances its history with a quietly contemporary edge.
DAY 4: The fourth day took us west. We paused briefly at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, before continuing to the Cliffs of Moher. Photographs do not quite capture the scale of the cliffs or the force of the Atlantic below. Standing there, with the wind pressing against us and the horizon stretching endlessly outward, felt like encountering something elemental.
The Cliffs of Mohr
The coastal drive that followed along the Wild Atlantic Way and through Burren - National Parks of Ireland offered one view after another, each seeming to outdo the last, until we reached Galway. We did some shopping (a scarf and a claddagh ring for our girls, the hat that every male American tourist over 40 appears to buy when he’s in Ireland for my husband) and then caught some more live music at The Quays Bar.
Quays Bar
DAY 5: Our final full day in the city began with a visit to Kilmainham Gaol Museum, a sobering and powerful experience that brought Ireland’s struggle for independence into sharp focus. The jail may look familiar to fans of really great movies as it was a filming location for Paddington 2! After lunch at The Patriot's Inn, we shifted tone with a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, which manages to be both informative and entertaining. Later, we joined a haunted walking tour, which highlighted the way that Irish history blends the solemn and the playful, the real and the fanciful, the tragic and the theatrical.
On our last day trip, we ventured north to experience some of Northern Ireland’s most striking sites. Crossing the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge required a brief moment of courage, rewarded by sweeping coastal views. At the Giants Causeway, the geometric basalt columns felt almost implausible, as though they had been arranged rather than formed. The ruins of Dunluce Castle added a dramatic note, while the Old Bushmills Distillery offered yet another perspective on Ireland’s long relationship with whiskey. Finally, the avenue known as The Dark Hedges provided a fittingly atmospheric conclusion.
By the time our trip had concluded, all four of us were in love with the striking Irish landscape, the fun and variety of the city of Dublin, and the charm of the Irish people. For a family traveling with teenagers, Ireland offers an unusual balance: it is accessible without feeling simplistic, historic without feeling like homework, and structured enough to be manageable while still leaving room for spontaneity. Making Dublin our base and exploring outward with a guide gave us both freedom and depth. It allowed us to experience the country not as a checklist of destinations, but as a series of connected stories. During our cab ride to the airport, we had one final taste of the classic Irish wit that we got to enjoy throughout our trip. Our cab driver talked about the places we were passing throughout the ride, and then we came to a small, fairly nondescript church. As we passed it, he said “that is the site of one of the most heinous crimes ever committed in Irish history.” We were a little hesitant to ask for more information, because we had spent all week hearing about the potato famine and the 800-yearlong oppression of the Irish by the English, but my husband gamely replied, “what was that?” Our cab driver smiled, and replied, “that’s where I married my wife.” And that is Ireland in a nutshell. Funny, witty, beautiful, fun, historic, and one of the most charming places I have ever visited. If you have never been, I thoroughly encourage you to consider making it your next travel destination. If you would like some more tips or assistance, please contact me and I will be more than happy to help. Sláinte!
