For some places, a certain time of the year beckons
visitors. Like Paris in April. But if you want to visit Ireland, go in autumn.
There is a scent in the
air particularly Irish. Special,
unhurried, and mixed with the warmth of a peat fire.
The Irish pubs that are filled with music take on a different feel, softer and more textured. And, the roads to those pubs often belong to you when autumn comes takes over nature’s gate.
The Irish pubs that are filled with music take on a different feel, softer and more textured. And, the roads to those pubs often belong to you when autumn comes takes over nature’s gate.
Autumn’s Ireland is lush and green and cool. It rains,
but mostly intermittent showers.
Touring the southern and western coasts of the Irish
Republic is especially wonderful in the fall.
The weather changes roll in off the coast as you pass through picturesque villages like Dunmore East and Ardmore on your way west toward the Ring of Kerry.
The weather changes roll in off the coast as you pass through picturesque villages like Dunmore East and Ardmore on your way west toward the Ring of Kerry.
While that ring attracts most tourists, the nearby Ring of Beara is equally lovely. Allow at least a
day to explore the large druid stone circle on the way to Gleninchaquin,
a private park that allows visitors to hike over the huge falls there. It’s
worth the muscle strain; the view from up top is breathtaking.
On the Iveragh Peninsula (Ring
of Kerry) to the north, the fishing village of Port Magee is
a picturesque place to stop and gaze eight miles out to sea at Skellig Michael, a rocky pinnacle once inhabited by sixth-century monks. If the weather
cooperates, you can take a boat there and climb the steep, hand-carved steps
the monks once trod.
Go inland to enjoy the thatched cottages in the village
of Adare southwest of Limerick. Then go north
and east, stopping for Dysert O’Dea Castle on your way to the Cliffs of Moher.
You won’t really experience the northwest of Ireland if
you don’t visit Donegal Town. There the people are friendly, the pubs
are lively and there’s great shopping, too. Wander down side streets to find
genuine, old-fashioned Irish pubs if you want to talk to folks not in the
tourist industry. It’s not glamorous, but it’s real Ireland.
The Rock of Cashel in County
Tipperary is a huge medieval castle set high on a hill and once was the
fabled power base of Munster kings. Inside, many ancient carvings remain in
wonderful condition. At its foot crouches Hore Abbey,
which visitors reach through a farmer’s field.
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