Golf in Ireland — the Best!

Golf by the Atlantic in Lahinch, County Clare

Ireland is one of the world’s premier golf destinations.

With over 400 golf courses, you can travel anywhere in Ireland and rest assured that you are close to a golf course with a terrific reputation. Pretty wonderful!

Of the world’s twelve top-ranked courses, three are found in Ireland: Ballybunion, Royal Portrush, and Royal County Down. Considering that we’re a fairly small island, this is truly an amazing place for golfers.

You will find that Ireland’s hospitality and good cheer spill over into her clubhouses. Any level of golfer is welcome, and the courses are exceptionally well-kept. You can follow one of our suggested itineraries or create one of your own. Regardless, Authentic Ireland can help you create an itinerary that works—-and plays—-for you!

Your dedicated Authentic Ireland writers:  Meredith and Win Blevins

Scotland in the Movies

Edinburgh Castle Overlooking the Streets of Edinburgh, Scotland

Hollywood loves magnificent settings, allure, and places that spark our imagination.

It’s no surprise that the movie business has had a love affair with Scotland for years. While there, explore the footprints of classic movies and their stars.

Callander is a colorful town and the gateway to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.  Explore Doune Castle, used in the movie Monty Python and The Holy Grail.  Doune also co-stars in The Game of Thrones.

Glencoe, a charming village, has starred in many movies including Harry Potter & Rob Roy. Visit Eilean Donan Castle, one of Scotland’s most beautiful castles, and featured in many Hollywood movies, including The Highlander, The World is Not Enough, Rob Roy, Loch Ness, Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Entrapment, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age & Made of Honor.  (Thirsty?  Nearby Blair Athol Single Malt Distillery is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland.)

End your Scotland movie vacation in Edinburgh, and visit Rosslyn Chapel.  With its unique sense of mystery and wonder, it was showcased in the Da Vinci code.  Pull out the popcorn and enjoy.

Your dedicated Authentic Ireland writers:  Meredith and Win Blevins

Daniel Day-Lewis… We’ll Take Him!

Daniel Day-Lewis, Irish Citizen and Actor Extraordinaire

Daniel Day-Lewis became an Irish citizen in 1993.  We are proud to count Daniel as one of us!

If you haven’t seen the movie, LINCOLN, go see it.  Now. You’ll experience one of the finest performances imaginable by, yes, one of our very own.  Simply brilliant.

Authentic Ireland’s dedicated writers: Meredith and Win Blevins

Dublin’s Literary Pub Crawl

James Joyce in 1902

Enjoy some of Ireland’s best literature-as-theater as you travel from one infamous Dublin pub to another. (Dublin’s Pubs and Writers are a perfect match.)

No city is as rich in pubs and poetry as Dublin, and Dublin’s literary pub crawl is a genius amalgam of both: a 2½ hour walking tour with Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Behan, Beckett, Shaw, O’Casey, Gogarty and other literary greats.

In the style of Leoopold Bloom, the pub crawl meanders through the streets of Dublin, taking in the sights, the smells, the sounds and the scenes. A team of rambling players and minstrels completes the ensemble, giving renditions of verse, prose, drama and song from the literary hall of fame.

When you join this fun-filled evening of literary greats, you’ll discover some of Dublin’s finest pubs and sample the finest Irish Whiskey and brews.  The wit and humor of the troupe is almost as potent as the drink.

“It combines street theatre with the ‘craic’ that makes Dublin’s pubs the liveliest in Europe and successfully avoids tourist cliches that could ruin an evening of high art and low life”. — The London Times

Authentic Ireland’s dedicated writers:  Meredith and Win Blevins

7 Unforgettable Irish Landmarks

1. St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin is an historic Irish institution with more than 800 years of faithful service.

2. Visitors to Ireland love to kiss the Blarney Stone. Located at Blarney Castle, it was originally a timber lodge built in the 10th Century and replaced by the stone castle in 1210. Get a picture!

3. The Cliffs of Moher are, quite simply, breath-taking. Overlooking the wild and windy Atlantic in County Clare, they rise straight up over 700 feet.

4. The Four Courts governing the whole of Ireland are the Irish Supreme Court, the High Court, the Circuit Court and the District courts  They’re grouped together in historic buildings. (Learn more about the Four Courts on our Historical Walking Tour of Dublin!)

5. The Oscar Wilde Statue, Merrion Square, Dublin. Wilde is lying back on a rock, as if he hasn’t a care in the world. Take our Literary Pub Crawl to learn more about Wilde, Beckett and other famous Irish writers as you visit local Dublin pubs.

6. When in Ireland, visit at least one castle–there are hundreds. Consider Belfast Castle, more than 400 feet above sea level with panoramic views of Belfast and Northern Ireland.

7. Grafton Street, Dublin, is a historic area with great shopping, pubs, restaurants and a cutting edge art scene.

Visit Ireland and make you own list! (Ours changes from week to week.)

Your dedicated writers, Meredith and Win Blevins

Northern Exposure, the Irish Variety

The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, Magic Steps to the Ocean

Northern Ireland.  Think about discovering her sights and sounds. It’s truly a hidden gem, and the place many Americans have their roots.

Belfast is the capital and largest city in Northern Ireland. It is a banquet of lovely gardens and neighborhoods, sublime Victorian homes and buildings.  There are extraordinary museums, great shopping and plenty of pubs filled with trad music and banter.

After all the hum and surprises that the big city has to offer, you might want to wind down and head to the countryside. Northern Ireland has one of the strangest and most exciting coastlines in the world. Explore the volcanic Giant’s Causeway. It’s made of 37,000 basalt columns running straight into the sea.  And, under the water, it leads to Scotland.  Many ancient tales surround the Giant’s Causeway.  How many are true?  There’s simply no way to know for sure, but let your imagination fly.

You’ll also want to explore the nine Glens of Antrim and experience the Mountains of Mourne sweeping down to the sea. And, a ramble through wild and gorgeous Donegal is a must, as is the serene Lake Country of Fermanagh.

Ireland is emerging unified, its troubles healed, its beauty and mystery made whole.

Your dedicated Authentic Ireland writers:  Meredith and Win Blevins

Traditional Music Pubs of West Clare

Traditionional Pubs and Music in West Clare are Cozy, and Rocking, Affairs.

People come to Clare from all over the world to hear traditional Irish music, or trad for short. Of course it can be heard in most counties of Ireland but nowhere are the people more passionate about it than in Clare. And it shows. The quantity, quality and variety of pub sessions going on across the county throughout the year is simply unmatched anywhere else in Ireland. It would be a shame if you came to Clare and missed out!

Here’s our guide to the trad music pubs of West Clare, pubbing from Kilrush in the south to Ballyvaughan in the north.

Kilrush: Crotty’s Pub – every Tuesday, festival mid-August. The Way Inn – nightly during the summer

Carrigaholt:  The Long Dock – Wed, Friday to Sunday during the summer. Morrissey’s Village Pub – trad music and set dancing at the weekends. Eat here: Fennell’s – top notch seafood

 Kilbaha (near Loop Head): The Lighthouse Inn – irregular sessions

Kilkee: O’ Mara’s – irregular sessions

Doonbeg : Eat here: Morrissey’s Seafood Bar and Grill

Milltown: Malbay Home to the Willie Clancy Summer School.  If you are here for the week commencing the first Sunday of July, you will be treated to the best traditional music this country has to offer all week long in all bars and all free. Do yourself a favour. Outside this week try:

Lynch’s Bar – Wed, Fri & Saturday Hillery’s – Mon, Wed, Fri – Sunday Eat here: Berry Lodge and Cookery School, south of Milltown, great restaurant (reservations essential) Eat here: Black Oak, north of town, sea view location

Lahinch: The Cornerstone – Thursday The Nineteenth – Saturday, The Claremount Hotel – Sunday Eat here: Barrtra Seafood Restaurant. Excellent seafood 5km north of Lahinch Eat here: Atlantic Hotel – great food and a friendly atmosphere

Ennistymon: Daly’s – Thur & Sunday Cooley’s House – Wed & Friday

Liscannor: Eat here: Vaughan’s Anchor Inn – easily the best seafood in County Clare

Corofin: The Corofin Arms – Tuesday, Friday & Sunday Campbell ’s – Tuesday The Inchiquinn Inn – Friday

Kilfenora: A little inland, but Kilfenora can rightly claim to be the capital of the trad music kingdom that is County Clare. Linnane’s – sessions most nights, the Kilfenora Ceili Band (the Arcade Fire of trad music) play here on Wednesdays. Vaughan ’s Pub – set dancing in the barn (no kidding!) – Thurs & Sunday, session in the pub on Tuesdays Nagle’s – Sunday

Doolin McGann’s: – 363 nights a year and weekend afternoons McDermotts’s – 363 nights a year and weekend afternoons O’Connor’s – 363 nights a year and weekend afternoons Eat here: Cullinan’s Seafood Restaurant

Aran Islands:  Tigh Jo Mac’s, Inishmore – sessions throughout the summer Joe Whatty’s, Inishmore – live music all summer though not always trad Tigh Ruairi – Inisheer – most nights during the summer Tigh Ned’s – Inisheer – irregular nights during the summer Eat here: Pier House, Kilronan

Lisdoonvarna: More famous for tangos and slow waltzes, however.. The Royal Spa Hotel – Thur to Saturday Eat here: Sheedy’s Country House Hotel

Fanore: O’Donoghue’s Pub – middle of nowhere bar where anything can happen, Saturday night ballad sessions. Sunday afternoon Irish dances, be ready.

Ballyvaughan: Hyland’s Burren Hotel – M

That should be a good start for you.  Enjoy!

Your dedicate writers:  Meredith and Win Blevins

The Highlands and Whisky, a Natural Pair in Scotland

Rob Roy’s View of Lockomon

The highlands and lowlands meet in the town of Stirling, Scotland.

This area, blessed with castles and tales of people larger than life, is associated with Camelot’s King Arthur.  It’s also the setting for Rob Roy’s heroic nationalism and deeds. Robert the Bruce, the man known as Braveheart, left his spirt in Scotland’s city of Stirling.  Wander the winding streets.  It’s a sensory delight.

Next stop is Fort William.  Revel in the raw, magnificent scenery and the mysterious islands of Mull and Iona.  Enjoy Oban, one of Scotland’s oldest sources of single malt Scotch whisky distilleries, and just a stone’s throw from the wild sea.

Take your time.  Enjoy the whisky distilleries, 100s of years old, and the tasting rooms. Meander along the back roads. This area speaks to the soul of a time when secret ceremonies, Highland bravery, and the heathered peat taste of Scotch whisky all meet.

Step back in time and feel your heart take wing.

Dedicated AIT writers:   Meredith and Win Blevins

Connemara, Ireland’s Wild Child

Get Lost in Wild Connemara, Ireland

Connemara, or Land of the Sea, is a wild region of bogland, pristine lakes and mountains.

Connemara is Ireland’s big sky country and is in the west of County Galway. Unlike the more famous Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula, Connemara is sparsely populated and the landscape is open–both foreboding and forgiving.

Wonderfully, because the area is so remote, the Irish language and traditions have survived here. Irish is the first language of many Connemara people, particularly those along the south coast.  Connemara is a beautiful place to drive. More than any Irish area, Connemara is about open air, and you’ll find activities ranging from hiking to fishing, horseback riding and scuba diving.

Connemara is the ultimate antidote to life in the fast lane. Two days is fine. A week is fabulous. Any longer and you may not want to get back on that freeway.

Authentic Ireland’s dedicated writers:  Meredith and Win Blevins

We’re Thankful for You

We want to thank all our Authentic Ireland Travel clients, many of whom have become close friends and correspondents, for their loyalty, support and good cheer throughout the years.  We do believe we have the best clients in the known universe.

Our aim has always been to find out what you want, and arrange your perfect Irish holiday.  We appreciate the time you spend with us, and we thank you for sharing your dreams.

Happy Thanksgiving to our good friends, one and all!

Best — The Crew at Authentic Ireland Travel

Authentic Ireland’s dedicated writers: Meredith and Win Blevins