Ireland Travel Adventure: March 22-31, 2018
Disclaimer: I’m writing about this trip 7+ years after the fact, so I may not be remembering things exactly as they happened. But hey, that’s what makes family stories better, right? Time has a way of turning disasters into comedy gold.
The Cast of Characters
When Norwegian Air started offering those too-good-to-be-true direct flights from our tiny regional airport to Dublin (RIP Norwegian Air – we hardly knew ye), we thought, “What could go wrong?” Famous last words. Our traveling circus included our 6 and 5-year-old adventure seekers, plus Nonna and GPC (Grandpa Champion), because nothing says “relaxing vacation” like herding cats across the Atlantic with senior citizens in tow.
Jennifer, our trip planning mastermind, carefully crafted an itinerary that would supposedly accommodate both tiny attention spans and aging joints. Spoiler alert: Ireland had other plans.
Day 1: Welcome to Dublin (Sort Of)
The Red-Eye Revelation
Our first mistake was thinking we could sleep on a budget airline red-eye flight. The plane’s entertainment screens apparently never heard of the concept of “off,” creating a flying casino atmosphere at 30,000 feet. Sleep? What’s that? By the time we landed in Dublin, we looked like extras from a zombie movie.
The Great Immigration Gauntlet
Dublin Airport greeted us with what can only be described as architectural sadism. We followed a maze of stairs, hallways, and what felt like inter-dimensional portals, somehow managing to avoid every single bathroom in the entire airport. How is that even possible? It’s like they designed the route specifically to test human endurance.
The immigration line was so long it had its own weather system. With exactly three windows open for what appeared to be half of Europe, we stood there like sleep-deprived sardines while the kids transformed from adorable cherubs into hangry gremlins. The whining reached symphonic levels – and that was just from the adults.
Driving on the Wrong Side of Everything
Remember how I mentioned we were sleep-deprived? Well, that’s exactly when they handed me the keys to a right-hand drive manual transmission van. Because apparently, learning to drive on the opposite side of the road while shifting with the wrong hand wasn’t challenging enough – let’s add total exhaustion to the mix!
The highway wasn’t too bad, once I stopped doing victory laps around the airport exit. But Dublin’s city center? That’s where things got spicy. Our GPS, clearly having a nervous breakdown, guided us down “alleys” so narrow our van’s tires kissed both curbs simultaneously. I’m pretty sure we accidentally drove through someone’s living room.
Then came the traffic jam from hell, just blocks from our hotel. For 10 minutes, we sat motionless in a sea of cars, close enough to see our destination but as unreachable as a mirage. With a van full of tired, hungry family members providing a continuous soundtrack of complaints, those were the longest 10 minutes of my life.
Hotel Hell: The Door That Wouldn’t
Finally reaching the Central Hotel felt like victory, until we discovered our room’s door had apparently taken a vow of eternal closure. The key card was useless. Every family member became a lock-picking expert, offering their sage advice while the door remained smugly sealed.
Two trips to the front desk, one maintenance crew, and 45 minutes later, they had to literally break down our door. Nothing says “welcome to Ireland” like watching hotel staff take a battering ram to your accommodations.
Our reward? A new room directly above what sounded like a rave for elephants. One song, on repeat, all night long: boom, boom, bom-boom-boom. The kids, bless their adaptable souls, slept like angels. Jennifer and I? We became involuntary participants in Dublin’s underground music scene.
Room Number Three’s the Charm (Sort Of)
The next morning, we begged for mercy and got moved to the top floor. Quieter, yes, but apparently built by people who’d never heard of temperature control. Windows open meant street noise; windows closed meant recreating the surface of Mercury. And just to keep things interesting, the fire alarm decided to throw a 2 AM party. Nothing like a middle-of-the-night fire drill to really test your parenting reflexes.
Dublin Adventures: When Things Started Looking Up
Despite our accommodation adventures, Dublin itself was magical. We managed to hit the Viking museum (Dublinia), which was fascinating enough to hold the kids’ attention – no small feat. Trinity College and the Book of Kells were genuinely impressive, though explaining medieval manuscripts to a 5-year-old requires some creative interpretation.
The DART train to Howth was a hit with everyone. There’s something about trains that makes kids happy and grandparents nostalgic. Howth offered beautiful coastal walks, a lovely castle, and most importantly, restaurants that didn’t require us to break down doors to access.
The covered shopping alleys (the original malls, as I like to call them) were perfect for Dublin’s unpredictable weather. Much more civilized than modern shopping centers, and the kids loved the old-world charm.
Countryside Calling: Adare and the Rainbow Welcome
Leaving Dublin meant another round of right-hand driving adventures, but this time we had a stop at Dublin Castle. Cold, wet, and absolutely worth it – though I’m starting to think “cold and wet” is Ireland’s default setting.
Then came the magic: arriving in Adare under brilliant sunshine with an incredible rainbow arcing over the thatched roofs. It was like driving into a postcard, the kind of moment that makes all the travel chaos worthwhile. The Dunraven Arms Hotel was everything the Dublin hotel wasn’t – comfortable, quiet, and with doors that actually opened on the first try.
Playground Paradise
While the grandparents recovered from our Dublin adventures, we discovered Adare’s playground gem. The kids found a zip line and basically set up permanent residence. For hours, they slid down while I got an inadvertent CrossFit workout helping them drag it back to the starting position. Sometimes the best travel discoveries are the simplest ones.
Ferry to the Aran Islands: Darwin’s Travel Theory in Action
Doolin to the Aran Islands on a windy day? Ireland apparently believes in natural selection when it comes to ferry passengers. The seas were rough enough to make seasoned sailors nervous, and here we were with a 5 and 6-year-old on the top deck because, naturally, that’s where they wanted to be.
Nonna and GPC retreated below deck with Henry after the boat started doing its impression of a mechanical bull. Meanwhile, we stayed topside, making sure Elias didn’t become Ireland’s youngest overboard statistic. Henry did spot a porpoise before retreating, so he got his nature documentary moment.
The Aran Islands were worth the aquatic adventure – shipwrecks, ancient ruins, and lunch at Teach An Tae, which was… well, let’s just say it was food, and sometimes that’s enough. The limited menu and remote location made it the least memorable meal of the trip, but the setting was unforgettable.
Cliffs of Moher: Nature’s Grand Finale
The Cliffs of Moher were absolutely spectacular, even with the tourist crowds. Standing at the edge of those dramatic cliffs with equally dramatic skies overhead was one of those moments that makes you understand why people write poetry about Ireland. The kids were appropriately impressed, though more by the gift shop than the geological significance.
Countryside Exploration: Getting Lost in Style
Our Limerick adventure featured roads so narrow they made Dublin’s alleys look like highways. But picturesque? Absolutely. We explored potato famine ruins – heavy history made accessible for kids through good storytelling and impressive landscapes.
The stone circle tour was a hit with the grandparents, who love that kind of historical deep dive. Jennifer somehow found us a guide who could make ancient history fascinating without putting anyone to sleep. The kids enjoyed pretending to be ancient druids, which probably wasn’t historically accurate but was certainly entertaining.
Airport Exodus: The Sequel
Our departure proved that Dublin Airport’s immigration complexity wasn’t just an arrival special. Security, maze-like corridors, US immigration on Irish soil (because why not?), then another security screening – it was like an airport escape room designed by someone with a sense of humor.
Despite a few minor hiccups that delayed us slightly, we made it to the gate and eventually back to Stewart Airport, tired but triumphant.
Final Verdicts
The Good: Ireland’s food scene is absolutely fantastic. Not one bad meal (well, except for that forgettable island lunch). The landscapes are every bit as magical as advertised. The people are genuinely warm and helpful, even when you’re clearly the confused American family causing traffic jams.
The Challenging: Irish weather has a sense of humor. Hotel doors apparently have trust issues. Driving on the left while shifting with your right hand after no sleep is not recommended. Dublin Airport was designed by people who clearly never had to navigate it with children and elderly relatives.
The Strategy: Limiting ourselves to just two hotel bases was brilliant – less packing and unpacking, more exploring. Though it did mean more driving, which in Ireland is always an adventure.
Would We Do It Again? Absolutely. The challenges became the stories we still laugh about today. The beauty, history, and magic of Ireland made every moment of chaos worthwhile. Plus, now we know to pack earplugs for Dublin hotels and maybe take a driving refresher course in right-hand drive vehicles.
Accommodations That Worked (Eventually)
Dublin: Central Hotel, 1-5 Exchequer St, Dublin 2
Pro tip: Test your door key immediately upon check-in
Adare: Dunraven Arms Hotel, Main Street, Manor Fields, Adare
Perfect for families, with doors that actually function as intended
Looking back seven years later, what started as a series of travel mishaps became the foundation of our best family stories. Sometimes the best adventures are the ones where everything goes slightly wrong – because those are the trips that become legendary.
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