Ireland Road Trip | County Cork
Not all the roads in Ireland are narrow and full of curves. While we enjoyed the beautiful tunnels and scenery, it was nice to spend a day traveling to County Cork along the motorway.
The best views and rhythms of the country are best seen by driving the country roads, but driving the M9 (motorway) to County Cork was a much easier and less stressful drive. We enjoyed a day of easy driving and just getting to the next destination.
We spent the night along the beach in Garretson at the Blue Horizon B&B. It wasn’t quite what we expected and in retrospect we would have chosen a place closer to Kinsale. However we have a wonderful dinner of seafood chowder and salmon at The Speckled Door. Once again we enjoyed great company as Harry from England sat right down at the table with us, asked about our trip, and proceeded to explain how driving on the left side of the road is the “right” side of the road.
The following night we stayed at the Trident Hotel in Kinsale and loved every minute of it. The walks along the water were beautiful, we had wonderful food, and just enjoyed the vibe of this quaint little town.
Like every town in Ireland, there are amazing ruins and old structures right in the middle of everything.
Church of St. Multose
Because I overpacked, once again, I did not do much shopping while in Ireland. However, I just couldn’t pass on this awesome bag, and it was the perfect way to carry more of my stuff. We had a wonderful conversation with Jen who was working in the shop. I was so excited to see she mentioned us on her blog Jen Conroy Photography after our visit. There is no question, the Irish people made our trip. They were so kind, enthusiastic, and went out of their way to be helpful – just awesome!
More friendly people we met along the way – these guys were practicing their tightrope in the park and invited us to come “give it a go”. My friend Bill might just have a future in the circus!
We continued through County Cork and into County Kerry for a one night stay at the Park Hotel in Kenmare. This was another Irish Country home we found in Ireland’s Blue Book. This particular hotel was a little more formal than Mount Juliet had been, but was still a very nice room. As we were checking out we realized what an awesome pool and spa they offered. Oops – missed opportunity.
One thing there was never a shortage of was ruins to photograph. We stopped often at places we spotted alongside the road. I wish I knew the story behind this cool old house.
After a long day of driving and stomping through the rain, we took advantage of a great meal in our room while watching Arsenic and Old Lace. Somehow it seemed appropriate as we spent the night in this historic building full of antiques.
