Ireland travel tips¶

Originally shared by Brian Bullard, July 18 2026. Lightly reformatted for the site.

Car rentals¶

They drive on the left side of the road, and most cars are manuals.
Insurance can be expensive. We researched ahead of time and confirmed that our insurance through American Express would be sufficient.
When we declined the rental counter's car insurance, they put a $5,000 hold on our credit card.
Rental companies are notoriously picky — we took several photos and a walk-around video before we got the car and when we returned it, in case we needed proof. Thankfully we didn't have to fight with them afterwards.
If you might drive through Northern Ireland, notify the rental counter. They add a small fee (about $30) that allows you to travel back and forth.

Dublin¶

We didn't spend much time here. It's like every other old, dirty city — reminded us of Birmingham, AL.
We prefer natural beauty and getting off the beaten path. We try to experience things like locals, not from a tourist-first lens.

Derry & Belfast¶

Northern Ireland.
These cities have a lot to show too. I can make recommendations if you want.

Game of Thrones tour ¶

Definitely worth a few hours of your time if you're in the area and you like the show.
On a side note, we also did a tour in Croatia where they filmed several scenes.

Slieve League ¶

One of the most beautiful places I've ever been — I'd put it on par with Iceland in terms of natural beauty, but different.
It's a bit of a drive, but a beautiful drive. It's in County Donegal, and some consider it to be one of the most authentic representations of Ireland.

The Forty Foot ¶

Located in Dalkey, a wealthy coastal suburb southeast of Dublin. Cillian Murphy and Bono are some of the famous locals that are out and about a lot.
There are two sections: Sandycove Beach and the Forty Foot. When you first get there, you'll need to follow it around so that you see the Forty Foot. We went to the other, smaller beach area (Sandy Cove) on the first day by accident until some locals helped us find the Forty Foot.
Ulysses by James Joyce was written here. There is a free museum also.
If you've seen the show Bad Sisters, they go here sometimes.
This is maybe 40 minutes from Dublin.

Do the plunge

I highly recommend doing the plunge. We did it twice. You can reserve a sauna there and pay for 30 minutes at a time. We went in the sauna first to warm up, then did the plunge, then back to the sauna — did that several times.

We were able to just walk in, but they highly recommend reservations via social media or their website.

Had a great seafood dinner at Bubbas.

Ballinesker Beach (Curracloe Strand)¶

The famous opening D-Day landing sequence of Saving Private Ryan was filmed at Ballinesker Beach (also called Curracloe Strand), in County Wexford, on the southeast coast of Ireland.

Cork¶

I had the best scone of my life there — at a cafe just outside the cruise terminal.

Seal Rescue of Ireland ¶

Very cool to see. Pretty cheap. We paid to feed them, but if that's not available the regular tour is nice too.

Guinness Storehouse (Dublin)¶

Even if you don't drink, it's cool to see the old buildings and history.

It's a self-guided tour, but gives you time to stroll around.
There's a viewing area towards the top where you can see most of the city.
They had a lot of cool Irish music and entertainment. Got to see traditional dancing (see the pics and videos in the shared link).
They have parking closer to the storehouse. We didn't know that and parked further away, walking a few blocks.

Coastal towns and cliff walks¶

There are lots of cool coastal towns, and some have cliff walks. We did one on Cahore Point that was amazing.

Greenhill Farm (Wexford)¶

Some of the best strawberries we've had.
Bought some fruit and sat outside the cafe, talking to locals while we had a coffee.