Dublin, Ireland, a Passionate Beauty

Dublin, the Friendliest City in Europe

Dublin, The Friendliest City in Europe

 

Dublin, a pasionate beauty, was voted the friendliest city in Europe by several of the biggest names in the travel industry.

It’s no surprise.  Her heartbeat pulses down streets and alleys.  It flows down the River Liffey and runs into the sea at Dublin Bay.  Embraced on one side by soft hills and on the other by a tempestuous sea, Dublin is a pure pleasure any time of year.

Like all interesting people, Dublin has a mysterious past.  Her ancient Celtic founders, farmers and fishermen, built megaliths older than the pyramids on the outskirts of their community.  These places await you.

Roll with the flow of Dublin’s unique energy. Leaves flutter through the Temple Bar area past vibrant theatres and dazzling pubs.  They circle the ankles of street performers, gathering in the doorways of pubs filled with music.  Wander down elegant Grafton Street.

Very quiet, on a cool evening, you may hear the lyrical voices of Dublin’s literary children: Nobel laureates William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, and Samuel Becket.  The creator of Dracula, Bram Stoker.   Listen, now, there’s James Joyce…

Looking for a taste of ancient magic?  Dublin is a focal point of Celtic art and wisdom.  Stop and see the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and don’t forget the Beatty Library.  With a collection of rare books and intriguing art that’s more than 4,000 years old, a flight of fancy is limited only by your imagination.   There has never been a better time to visit Dublin.

Come to the city with a heartbeat as familiar as your own!   Best to you from the Authentic Ireland Crew!

Writer:  Meredith Blevins for Authentic Ireland Travel

St. Patrick’s Day: The Ancient Irish Hangover Remedy

Even Dogs get Hangovers on St. Patrick’s Day 

Even dogs get hangovers after St. Patrick's Day festivities

There’s an ancient cure used in Ireland, and has been used, for thousands of years to cure a hangover.

Here it is:  Dubliners cured their after-party St. Patrick’s blues by drinking from the well of a spa beside the Weaver’s Hall in the Coombe.  Now… There was just one problem here.  They often visited the nearby tavern, quite nearby, after they’d taken the waters of the spa.

On the other hand, at least they had a fresh start for a new round!

Have a happy St. Patrick’s Day, and make sure your doggie has a sitter.

Medieval Ireland of Poets, Music and Family

Medieval Ireland

Medieval Ireland conjures up brocades, ladies at court, feasts, jousting knights, early scientists, lush gardens and a world where magic was still very much alive.

Ireland’s medieval reality is actually more interesting. Beliefs were flexible, and new religion sometimes flexed its muscles.  Kings were created and tossed over.  Heroes were bold and heroines were born.

The history of Ireland has been turbulent. (Does that sound like an understatement?  It is.) Raiders came from all directions, each leaving their mark, upon Ireland.  But  castles stood. In manor houses and sod homes people played music and told stories. The early Irish lived in close-knit groups and poets were revered. This unity and love of beauty is what you’ll feel in Ireland, particularly in the west and the heartland.  And, it is this unity that preserved the Irish over and again.

It is this feeling of community that will make you feel welcome when you come home to Ireland.  With so many people coming and going during the centuries, everyone here is related, and some of them are most surely related to you.

At Authentic Ireland, we can provide you with a medieval-themed adventure filled with feasts, traditional music, a viking tour of Dublin and an evening of ancient Celtic storytelling.

When you’re in Ireland, relax. The adventure is the land and her people. It is her vibrant present and mystic past that welcome you.

Writer: Meredith Blevins for Authentic Ireland

Explore Dublin, Discover Ireland’s Wild Side, and Enjoy Castle Lodgings

Stay in an Irish Castle!!

Discover the Heart of Irelandfor 50% off, while the packages lastThere are few spots where you can travel in Europe that are as timeless as Ireland’s wild countryside. Craggy coastlines and rolling meadows, dotted with sheep and an occasional crumbling castle, belong to the misty past. They shoot us back in time and we are there.

Dublin, Ireland’s capital, is an electrifying combination of history and a cutting edge art and music scene. Sample fine food, wine, beer, traditional music.  Step 1500 years into the past and discover the Book of Kells.

  Authentic Ireland Travel’s seven-day, six-night Dublin and Castles of Ireland custom tour provides a taste of all that Ireland has to offer.  You’ll follow a flexible itinerary that includes transportation. lodging, a rental car, unique guided walking tours, and some incredible meals.

Below is the itinerary.  Let your imagination take you for a ride!

Days 1–3: You’ll arrive at Dublin Airport and hail a cab to Pembroke Townhouse. This is an 18th-century Georgian Manor House. Luxurious and cozy, it’s your perfect Dublin base for three days.  Dublin is a walking city.  Get out and explore! You’ll arrive with a three-day pass for a hop-on, hop-off bus which goes by the city’s landmarks. One day in Dublin, you’ll take a guided walking tour that meanders through some of the overlooked pockets of this vibrant city. In the evening, enjoy music and brew in a legendary pub or kick back in front of the Pembroke’s fireplace with a drink and a book.

Days 4–5: On the 4th day, your rental car is waiting. Now, journey into Connemara.  The heritage home of many Americans, this is a wild country, and beautiful, on Ireland’s western coast. You’ll stay two nights in Abbeyglen Castle, a sprawling stone fortress with ivy wandering up the towers. This storybook lodging features sumptuous guest rooms and amazing views of mountains, seas, and the dreams of queens and kings.  Connemara National Park, a wild protected area, offers a wonderland of lakes and glens to explore.  While staying here, you’ll enjoy a luxury catamaran tour on Ireland’s only fjord. Dine in peace aboard ship and savor your three-course lunch.

Days 6–7: A four-hour drive through Ireland’s rolling countryside takes you to Bellinter House, a country manor built in 1750 for a wealthy landowner. Enjoy the gorgeous grounds, play billiards, take advantage of the natural spa treatments. You can use this as a base to explore Newgrange. Newgrange, older than the pyramids, is an ancient site built into a large mound. The structure was used to calculate the movement of the heavens and it measures the winter and summer solstice. 

Feel the magic!  (And right now magic is 50% off while these packages last!)

Writer:  Meredith Blevins

 

Where’s the Best Place in Ireland to Eat?

Kinsale, Ireland Houses by the Bay

When you think of Kinsale, imagine enchantment.  Narrow winding streets, cozy homes, amazing shop fronts, and windows filled with flowers tumbling toward the streets.  There is also the steady rhythm of the harbor.

This enchantment is perfectly offset by the infamously raucous good humor and zest for life of the Kinsale locals. And the new locals now include an amazing number of top-rated chefs from all over Europe.

Is anyone making plans to go to this foodie heaven, or have you been?  Give us the inside scoop!

Ireland’s Cupid and Heroine, St. Brigid

St. Brigid is a symbol of Ireland’s Loving Heart

IRELAND’S LADY

Couples in Ireland could legally marry on St. Brigid’s Day, February 1st, in County Meath. As recently as the 1920s, they just had to walk toward each other.  If the marriage didn’t work out, they could divorce by walking away from each other at the same spot on St. Bridid’s Day the following year.

St. Brigid lived in 6th century Ireland.  Her lavish generosity, with food and help as well as love, sometimes put her at odds with her family.  Later, her monastic community sometimes had to do without as she emptied their cupbaords for guests and strangers.

Miracles that run through tales of Brigid are usually about providing bounty. Most of her recorded miracles are feats where she  creates an abundance of food for daily living and for festivals. Examples? The bacon she slips to a dog miraculously reappears in the pot. A stone turns to salt. Water becomes milk, or beer, or an aphrodisiac. Brigid’s miracles also brought dignity to the daily tasks that women devoted so much of their lives to.

The fire in paintings of Brigid symbolize her ability to transcend her position. She is a strong influential woman of transcendent power who sees inside the heart.

And so, one day each year, she gives us a path to eternal love.  And, in an act of compassion, she creates a path out of the woods if love goes wrong.

A few days late, but we celebrate the magic that is St. Brigid!

Romance in Ireland for 50% off. (Until the packages are gone!)

Castle stay, one-week, 50% off

Irish Castles and Romance make the Perfect Travel

Authentic Ireland has a Groupon special that we’d like to share with you.  It’s about romance, staying in castles, and one week in Ireland.  All for 50% off.

Ireland is the soul of romance fueled by fantasy, ancient castles, heroic myths, magical forests, Guinness, pulsing music, and warm cuddles by the fire.

You’ll enjoy exquisite Manor Houses and Intimate Castle Lodgings.  In Killarney, there is a banquet of activities nearby, yet your hotel is filled with the texture of peace, easing you into a gentler era.  Is a castle stay on your itinerary?  Absolutely.  As their special guest, you’ll have everything you need to treasure your romance as if it were an elegant dream.  Finally, we top off your experience in a Manor House Hotel tucked in the heart of a historic village.  It is the best of old world elegance and charm, fused with modern amenities. Each destination is unique, and all invite you to unwind and enjoy each other.

We have arranged a horse and carriage ride through legendary Killarney Forest and its magical ring.  On another afternoon, hold hands as you wind through the ancient paths of an Ireland Walking tour.  Your last evening will find you reveling in a 16^th century castle, enjoying a medieval banquet.

Wander cobbled streets, duck inside a pub and warm yourselves by the fire.  What good fortune—fine food, drink, and your sweetheart by your side.  There is no better place to celebrate your romance than Ireland.  Come to Ireland, and fall in love all over again.  At 50% off, you can make your romantic dream a reality.