Seriously Scenic Stuff

Alrighty then... What have I been up to you might be asking yourselves...

Scenery, scenery and more scenery. The last week and a bit of my stay in Ireland has been geared towards the prettier part of the country down South West way. Down there they've got all sorts of things to see, the most famous being the 'Ring of Kerry' in Kerry province and the famed 'Cliffs of Moher' in the Clare province.

On my way to the south-west corner of Ireland, I rocked on by the second biggest city in Ireland, Cork which is situated right on the South coast. Here I stayed at the nicest hostel I've stayed at in the UK and Ireland. It felt like more of a hotel than a hostel which was nice for the same price. I only spent a couple of days in Cork but whilst I was there I managed to have a little kick around town and even got offered 24 euros worth of gig tickets by the receptionist who couldn't attend it! So another Australian fella and I went to check it out. Had a ball.

The next stop out of Cork was a sleepy little town called Killarney. I stayed here because in a bit of research I did on the Ring of Kerry I found out that it was a good place to base oneself whilst heading out to tour the peninsula. After I settled in here I set out to the tourist information centre where I was able to book a Ring of Kerry tour for the following day. The tour was great.

I took tonnes of pictures which you'll all see when I get back soon but here's a few of the crackers (the first pic is of Killarney national park which I stumbled into accidently whilst waiting for check-in time). Not bad eh.

And yes, that is indeed a chiwawa sitting on a donkey... Don't ask me...

And this is me flying through the air like superman.

After Killarney and the Ring of Kerry, I caught a bus to Galway which is supposed to be one of the more happening cities in Ireland on the upper West coast. It is indeed a pretty cool city and there's this really nice walk you can do along the water on the edge of these green as green sports fields. And in case you're wondering, I haven't become an alter boy just yet. I was just playing dress ups in the hostel with that pope attire in the pic below.

After Galway I set off to check out this tiny little village (not even a town) called Doolin. The only reason I even considered going there was cause I heard that it was the heart of traditional Irish music. Having heard this, I thought they would at least have a proper place to buy food etc. but I would soon find out that my food was to be bought from another hostel that cooked Irish scones daily.. Needless to say, I couldn't survive here for long, not just because the only options for food were scones or 15 euro pub meals but also because the closest ATM was at the Cliffs of Moher.

And I was really running short on cash haha. The brief time I did spend in the town was cool though. During the day I took pictures of my hostel's neighbors (namely cows and horses) and during the afternoon I went to 'Gus O'Connors pub'. Here, my trip out to the sticks became worth it. At around 6pm a group of raggy looking musicians started to conjugate on one of the tables in the pub. One had a guitar, one had a flute, one had some form of percussion and two had instruments that I've never seen before (one of which sounded a bit like the bag-pipes). So after a bit of tuning and getting comfortable, these guys began to belt out the sorts of Irish tunes that induce an infectious knee-bounce. The place lit up and that's exactly what I came to see.

The next day I woke up early for breakfast and to check out the bus time table for buses to the cliffs. True to the spirit of the sleepy village, there was only two buses running that way all day and the first one was not for three hours so I headed off to buy some more Irish scones.. When the bus finally did come, I boarded it and enjoyed the 20 minute drive right up to the cliffs. When I got off I drew out some cash at the only ATM in and hours radius conveniently located in the gift shop before heading up to the top viewing platform. Check this stuff out!!

If I received a dime for every beautiful thing I've seen on this trip of mine, I wouldn't be sharing a bunk with some fella called Rico from Portugal tonight..

Shamrocks & Leprecons

Diddle di taters, I'm in Ireland!

It was a bit hard leaving the hostel in Edinburgh. I'd lived and worked there for 5 weeks and had become pretty close with the people staying long term at the hostel. There was a brother figure, a sister figure, a father figure and a mother figure.. We even called here Mum!

My flight pulled in at around 9:20am in Dublin airport. The flight only took an hour but I slept literally from the moment I put my seatbelt on to the moment rubber made contact with the tarmac. The quickest flight ever!


I haven't had long to get a real feel for Dublin yet, only having been here for two days but from what I see, the next two weeks is geared to be a cracking time! Dublin itself isn't quite what I imagined. I expected a really dull, grey and cold city but thanks to the walking tour I did yesterday I was exposed to a whole new perspective. What's more is the history. Like many other European capitals, Dublin boasts a whole world of antique buildings, lanes and stories which the Irish are only too keen to tell. The Irish themselves are amongst the most friendly people I've come across so far on this trip. It's amazing. They actually say sorry when they bump into you here on the street. I was shocked haha.


The walking tour itself covered a whole range of things. Our guide talked passionately about everything from old Celtic and Viking routes right through the tale behind the Easter rising to the rising of U2. He even took us to the the venue where they were first noticed. The venue for their celebratory pint was just across the road!

Speaking of pints, after the tour I was quite buggered from all the walking we'd done but as our guide wrapped up his talk he pointed out the Guinness factory which towered over the city in the distance. My afternoon had just become booked out... This factory was AMAZING. Like nothing you've ever seen. I haven't been to every brewery in the world but I wouldn't be too bothered in saying that the Guinness factory would have to have the best brewery tour available. They've converted this old fermenting plant into this massive tourist centre. It's about 9 stories high and at the top there's this 360 degree panoramic platform bar where you're offered your complimentary pint at the end of the tour. The views of the city were grand!


The night before, together with some Aussie girls from the hostel, we went to the world renowned Temple Bar area. The Temple Bar is this massive network of traditional Irish pubs and bars bound together by a cobble-stoned road. As the cultural centre of the city, the Temple Bar has a whole range of things to see. Everything from traditional folk music to men in big leprecon suits!

We thought it was only right to have my first pint of Guinness at the Temple Bar's Temple Bar. I gotta hand it to the place, it is a crackin' little venue. They have live music on offer at night and the place just has a good vibe whatever time you're there. It was about 8pm when I went to the bar and asked for one pint of "your finest Guinness". When this cheeky little Irish fella told me how much it was I thought I was having trouble hearing him over the live music so I asked him again: "How much sorry mate?".. To which he repeated: "Yes mate, you heard right. 7 Euros. Welcome to Ireland." .... THAT'S 14 AUSSIE BUCKS!!!

... We only had one pint there.