5 Reasons Why You Should Travel to Ireland

From the landscape, the people and the food, there are so many reasons why you should travel to Ireland.

I’ve only been to Ireland twice and yet somehow both visits have left a long lasting impression in my heart.

The first time I went, I travelled with my dad and stayed there for a max of three to four days. We spent most of our time exploring Dublin, taking a day drive to County Caven to search for our family history (we didn’t get very far with our research – amateurs LOL) and spent a lot of time immersing oursleves in the Irish pub culture of Ireland – which is amazing by the way.

The second time I went, I travelled with my partner Greg and we spent over a week travelling from Belfast to the west coast and then followed the whole coastline all the way back up into Dublin. This was incredible and Greg and I found ourselves experiencing a side of Ireland your travel agent simply just won’t tell you.

Not because they don’t want to, but because they simply just don’t know. And, in case you haven’t already noticed (if you have been following my blogs for a while now), mst of my holidays are all self-drivem. Except for Egypt and France. Travelling by car and creating your own itinerary realyl is the only way to feel and experience a country at its best.

Here are five reasons why you should go to Ireland:

The People:

Don’t listen to what anyone says about the Irish, they are super friendly and make for great conversation. Especially if you have an accent from another country, they love to share a yarn or to about their beautiful country and tell a tale of a time long ago. Just don’t mention anything about Politics LOL. As you may never get them to shut up.

They love sharing with you their political views on pretty much everything. And as much as I love a good political debate with someone, when the Irish start getting real passionate about a topic, their accent gets richer and they become harder to understand.

The Landscape:

The landscape of Ireland is nothing short of awe inspiring and there is no wonder why so many films and television shows are filmed in the incredible landscapes Ireland has to offer. Movies such as Braveheart and television shows such as Vikings are all filmed at a variety of locations across Ireland.

Even the movie Star Wars used Ireland for many of their scenes in all of their movies, from original to current. The landscape can vary from desolate mountain ranges where trees don’t grow and mini alps are topped with snow, to rocky green cliffs and rolling green pastures. Seriously picturesque.

The Castles:

When driving through Ireland from county to county you find you are never too far from a castle or medieval church. They are literally everywhere you look. Especially when you take the back roads. And where a lot of them are marked on the historical maps of exploration for Ireland, many are not and you need to discover them on your own. Of course many of these castles and churches are located on private property.

Expert Travel Tip: You can enter any property you see a castle or old monastary on. Yes, you heard that right. As long as no land is destroyed and no livestock are disturbed in the process, the farmers leave their gates open in some circumstances so you can drive through and visit the historical site. Or, you are welcome to jump the fence as long as you don’t disturb anything or anyone, you’re good to go exploring. Preatyy neat huh?

The Food:

Believe it or not, the food in Ireland is fantastic. They have really stepped up these last few years and are becoming quite the foodie nation. We had no problems finding good, quality and healthy food, with a large serving of greens. Which for those of you who know me well, you know I love a good serving of mixed greens LOL.

Everywhere you go, there are great restaurants where you can order four to five star quality food at a very reasonable price. I’m also huge cafe lover, so, I was happy to see Ireland offered a great choice in cafe cuisine, serving great coffee and trendy eats.

The Impressive Estates:

Much like the castles and churches, everywhere you look, there is an abandoned Estate, boasting lush green landscapes and stunning old mansions. And where some are owned by the Irish Government and only opened certain times throughout the year, there are many located on private property.

Expert Tip: Some estates may close down for seasons such as Easter or Christmas, however you are more than welcome to still wonder the grounds and take photos. The owners don’t mind at all. And if you see any abandoned estate houses, all boarded out and with no love sitting in the middle of a field of cattle, the law states you can go exploring it. Just don’t disturb or destroy anything and you are good to go.