Recently updated on July 1st, 2025 at 04:31 pm
Our Irish Highlights trip began in Dublin and we set off straight away on an orientation tour of the city with our group and Travel Director, Geraldine. “We” being my dad, Neil, and our family of four – Grant and me and our two daughters, Roxy and Paula.
We stopped at Trinity College, a really beautiful university, where we got to see the Book of Kells which is housed in the library there and was absolutely amazing to see. The library is awe-inspiring. Continuing on, we drove through Phoenix Park, a huge park that borders on the President’s home and we were SO lucky to see one of the herds of wild Fallow Deer that roam freely there!


That evening we gathered for a Welcome Drink and a friendly introduction to our travel mates. Geraldine asked us to say who we were and where we were from. We knew we were in for a great time with this group when one chap stood up and said “I’ve had a pint of Guinness and now I don’t remember who I am” and promptly sat down! That broke the ice!!
Next morning our first stop was at the Irish National Stud, which was way more interesting than I had expected. Our guide showed us the various paddocks, some with young colts, others with mothers and foals and finally we got to see the stallions. I found the stallions absolutely fascinating – the bottom price for one of their moderately “famous” stallions to cover a mare is €10,000. The prime stallion at the stud is charged out at €60,000 a… ahem, “shot”! Good grief, who knew?!


Then it was off on the next leg of our journey, to Kilkenny. The drive was lovely, Ireland is really, really pretty. Kilkenny was a very attractive town and the castle was beautiful, with lovely rolling lawns lined with trees spreading out from it… lots of people picnicking there.
Our final stop of the day was the town of Waterford, which I really liked. First up was our Local Speciality visit to the Waterford Crystal factory. Much of the original factory has closed down but a small part remains open, making trophies and other specialised pieces. We had a tour of the factory and it was really interesting seeing the craftsmen at work.


Our optional excursion that evening was to a local pub where we were entertained by a little band. What characters! We had a really lovely evening, listening to them play and sing and joining in here and there. Grant even got to do some Irish dancing!
After our hearty Irish breakfast consisting of fruits, yoghurt, cereals, eggs, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, baked beans and toast with tea or coffee, we headed for Blarney Castle. It was so scenic, we had a stop to take photos of the stupendous views along the way.
We arrived at Blarney Castle and immediately joined the queue up the winding staircase to kiss the Blarney Stone. Once you get to the top there is a guy who tells you to lie down on the padded cushion, grab onto the two metal struts to support yourself and lean far back to kiss the stone! Another chap takes photos that you can buy as a memento of your feat.


After lunch and fantastic shopping at the Blarney Woollen Mill, we set off on the very pretty drive to Kenmare. The town of Kenmare is gorgeous. We had time to settle in at the hotel and then left on our optional excursion to the bay, where we took a cruise, seeing the sweetest seals and two lovely castles, followed by dinner at a restaurant on the bay.
Next morning we drove around the Ring of Kerry and sadly, the weather took a turn for the worse – of all days for it to rain! Despite the mist and rain, the views were unbelievable. The scenery was much more rugged than what we had seen so far, but so, so beautiful. We stopped at a quaint little pub where they claim to serve Ireland’s finest Irish Coffee, so we felt we had to put them to the test, and they were indeed fine! First time in my life I’ve had an Irish Coffee before lunch!


Gill Richardson – South Africa