In honor of leaving for my next trip to Ireland tomorrow, here is my last journal entry for my time studying abroad in Ireland four years ago. Don’t take this to mean I won’t have more to write about Ireland. I will have my new adventures to write about, but also I have so many more tips to write about as well as other aspects of Ireland I really was to explore deeper. I just don’t have anymore more blog type posts about what I did during my time studying abroad in Ireland. I am wrapping it up here with my weekend travels around Ireland with my parents when they came to visit my while I was studying abroad.
If you haven’t been following along in my Ireland posts then let me fill you in. My parents came over to visit me in Galway for a week. During that time we rented a car and drove south along the Wild Atlantic Coast. We started at the Cliffs of Moher and Doolin which are both places I had already been to with friends. Then we headed over to Dingle where we spent the night in a B&B and explored a bit of the town in the morning, but the weather was really not great so we didn’t see or do a whole lot. We then headed towards Killarney. After checking into our next B&B we headed to the little town of Kenmare to see the stone circle. Then we headed back to Killarney for a night in the town and that is where we pick up!
The next day we would be heading back to Galway and I was quite eager to. I was really missing my friends and I was feeling really left out seeing what they were up to that weekend. I was of course really happy to see my parents and travel around with them, but I did have a life here- a life that would at some point in the near future end- so I was quite disappointed to miss out on a weekend full of memories with them (like seriously they had a cuddle puddle and googly eyed the town). It was also just a bit weird being with my parents in Ireland. In the last post I wrote a little bit about how it was strange being an adult in a foreign country on my own and then having my parents show up and it completely throw me for a loop.
That night in Killarney we wanted to go to some pubs. Mostly we wanted to see music, but couldn’t really find it. Killarney is a bit different from Galway in that sense. You won’t find it in every single pub. We still found a nice place though where we had a good meal of potato cakes. This is when I finally for the first time ordered a Jameson and Ginger Ale. I had been scared to thus far because what if it wasn’t a thing? What if they looked at me funny and thought “American”? I finally ordered a Jameson & Ginger at this pub since it was being advertised and it was everything I could have hoped for and better. The lime really ties it together. I had never had it like that at home. But then my parents had to ruin the moment by saying how weird it was to be drinking with me out in public. I know I was only 19 and that wasn’t allowed at home in the US, but it had just become normal to me at this point. I had been doing this for 2 months now. It just made me feel a bit uncomfortable, like maybe I shouldn’t be out drinking at a pub with my parents.
We didn’t stay up to late because my mom wanted to go to mass at the church in Killarney in the morning which was quite early, like 8 am early. I know that’s not too bad, but in Ireland that is considered early. The earliest classes at the colleges are at 9 am and that was considered the early class that nobody wants. I have a theory that the drinking culture influences all the other aspects of life. Nothing opens really early because people need to sleep so that they can spend the evening in the pubs. Its a working theory anyway.
We went to mass and my mom got a kick out of how fast it was. She tells people about it to this day. “That’s Irish mass! They just get it done!” I guess I do appreciate the short mass, but man does that accent get difficult to understand during mass sometimes, especially because they talk so fast! It was a nice mass though. The church was very beautiful and the early morning was very peaceful.
From here we headed northward towards Limerick. We had one stop on our way though, Killarney National Park. Oh wait, make that two. I needed McDonalds first. I finally achieved my goal of going through the drive through the other way. I bet you never thought about that before! Because they drive on the other side of the road and the steering wheel is on the other side of the car, the drive through is opposite. You start on the other side of the building and go around like a clock. It was fun, trust me. I also discovered my total and complete love for brown sauce when I ordered a breakfast roll that had it on it. I seriously don’t know why it is not a thing here in the US where quite literally everything has a sauce. I think it would really elevate our breakfasts.
We arrived at the national park a little before 10 am. I could have spent all day in this national park. Someday I hope to go back and see more of the trails and nature or at least drive further through it because it is beautiful. We just wanted to visit Ross Castle. I think this was probably my favorite castle to this day that I have visited in Ireland. Its maybe only rivaled by Blarney Castle. I think what made it so cool was that we had a tour. We had someone to explain what life was like here and what things were intended for, like the slits in the walls for arrows. I had a better understanding of medieval life in Ireland because of it. It also had just absolutely amazing scenery! We got lucky with a somewhat sunny day that made for photos that much better too. I promise that Ireland is the only country that you have to take a nice camera to. Most places you can get by with just your phone, but you will regret that in Ireland because you will constantly come across amazing scenery that will make everyone jealous if taken with a nice camera.
We were then back on the road heading towards Limerick where we planned to stop for lunch. I’m not going to lie. Limerick is definitely not my favorite city in Ireland. I actually found it to be a bit of a disappointment. It’s nowhere near as pretty as Galway, Killarney, or Cork. I’d say it has more of city vibes than most of the towns in Ireland. Its probably more similar to Dublin than any of these places, so if you want a cute small town, then I would not recommend Limerick. It still was a good place to visit. My mom really wanted to go because our family name, Flannery, comes from this area of Ireland. There were a million Flannery pubs. I stole my mom’s pictures for you, because I didn’t take any pictures in Limerick. That’s how unimpressive it was to me, because I am constantly taking pictures when I am abroad. I am kind of kicking myself for it now because I can’t look back on that part of the trip and reminisce.
Before finding a pub to eat lunch at we went to the Milk Market which actually sounds really cool because it seems like it would be like a farmers market where you could get lots of great milk products, but in reality it was just a small food hall. As for lunch, we could find any at any of the Flannery pubs so we just ended up getting some sandwichws from a little place.
Limerick to Galway is just little over an hour drive and as we returned we were left with views of cute small Irish towns and castles on the side of the road. We didn’t get back terribly late. It was maybe about sunset when we returned (which in Ireland is about 4 pm this time of year), but it felt a lot later. My roommates were upstairs with our other friends cooking up some pupusas and I was so happy I was back in time to have some while hearing about their weekend. Then I got to make my own memories with them when the hallway light started flickering and I was convinced the place was haunted.
I did actually enjoy this time with my parents, although maybe the way I wrote about it sounds like I didn’t. Beyond seeing more of the country, it was nice to see them and to show them the place that I considered home, and the place where I truly felt like I belonged. I think it just reenforced that feeling even more when they left. It was like truly seeing how far I had come in just those few month abroad. A part of me was sad to see them go, but there was also a part of me that was really excited to continue growing and flourishing on my own in my favorite place in the world
That is a wrap on my travels throughout Ireland during my time studying abroad in Galway. To check out more of what I did during those four months or what I have done there since, head on over to my Ireland page. Also stay tuned for more because I am heading back and I have quite a few new adventures planned!
The Journal of Wanderlust 