St. Patrick's Day Getaway Vacation to Ireland

You enter the Emerald Isle at the airport in Shannon before heading north, seeking the most sensational scenery that this beautiful nation has to offer: fortunately, as you’ll discover throughout your visit, in Ireland inspiration is never far away. Your first stop takes you to Western’s Europe’s most renowned sea cliffs, the iconic Cliffs of Moher, soaring more than 300 feet above the breaking surf of the furious Atlantic Ocean. Make your way to O’Brien’s Tower and seemingly gaze upon the entirety of Ireland nearly seven hundred feet about the rock-strewn shore: a cloudless day will afford glimpses of the Aran Islands far to sea in Galway Bay, while inland lies the unconquered ruggedness of romantic Connemara, crowned by the Maumturks and the Twelve Bens, Ireland’s most impressive mountain ranges.

Further into County Clare lies the seemingly other-worldly landscape of the Burren, an alvar that is among the largest in Europe, stretching almost one hundred square miles. Besides being an area of geological majesty, the Burren is also one of the most ecologically diverse areas in Ireland, home to thousands of species of flora and endemic to some of the most unique species of butterflies in the world.

Your evening is spent in the delightful city of Galway, a thriving university town that is the center of the Gaelic-speaking west and a colorful mix of students, shepherds and storytellers. A short tour designed to familiarize you with the ins and outs of this medieval city’s polychromatic streets will be motivation enough to get you out among the locals for some of the most boisterous and entertaining nightlife in Ireland.

Today takes you deep into the poetic wilderness of Connemara, the former home of Celtic kings and one of the most beautiful stretches of land in the Irish west. Farms that have been tended for generations mingle with the lush pasturelands for sheep and their lambs, and across the plains roam the legendary Connemara ponies, allegedly descended from elegant Arabian horses that washed ashore following the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The lyrical lilt of the native Gaelic of Connemara’s inhabitants will softly soothe you into quiet contemplation of this amazing region’s limitless allure.

Further on, situated on a striking perch overlooking the serene Lough Corrib, lies Kylemore Abbey, once the home of a wealthy English tycoon and currently the last residence of Benedictine nuns in Ireland. Requisitioned by these intrepid sisters following their escape from Belgium in the midst of the savage violence of World War I, the Abbey now serves as a boarding and day school for girls from all parts of Ireland, and features gorgeous residences, meticulously maintained walled Victorian gardens, and the longest double hedgerow in the country.

Your final destination of your breathtaking tour is to the town of Leenane, straddling the border between Counties Clare and Mayo and sitting on the inland shore of Killary Harbour, one of only three glacial fjords that grace Ireland’s soil. You return to Galway City for another stirring evening of classic Irish entertainment.

Travel against the route of the sun as you head east through the center of Ireland, bound for Dublin, the Republic’s famous and singular capital. Your route takes you across the mighty River Shannon to Clonmacnoise, a major center of learning in early medieval Europe and one of the most venerable sites on the island. First constructed by the near-legendary St. Ciaran in the mid-sixth century, Clonmacnoise lay at the crossroads of the major routes in Ireland in the first millennium and, as such, attracted the most learned and most devout to study within its walls for more than five centuries; and, as seat of the ancient Kings of Tara and of Connacht, the monastery found itself as the resting place for a number of these mythical monarchs.

You end today’s trek at the far east of Ireland in the city of Dublin, where you’ll be transferred to a chic and comfortable hotel in the heart of the city.

The first steps you take in this one-of-a-kind world capital will delight all of your senses and awaken your inner Irish, leaving you desirous to discover the best this city by the River Liffey has to offer.  Those with a penchant for retail therapy would do well to start south of the river on Grafton Street, Dublin’s premier shopping destination and the nation’s center for high fashion. Cordoned off from all vehicular traffic, this sophisticated thoroughfare boasts Ireland’s finest clothing and fashion accessories, housewares, jewelry, keepsakes and more, with excellent cafes and restaurants that will replenish you stores of energy and give you the stamina for an extended buying spree.

Fine Irish wool and Donegal tweed can be found on Westmoreland Street on the south end of Trinity College, bibliophiles can visit the Hodges Figgis that earns a mention in Molly’s soliloquy in Joyce’s Ulysses, and even the most highbrow of imbibers will find their wildest dreams fulfilled at the Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street, specializing in whiskeys from around the globe that are as hard to find as they are easy to drink.

Hearty and delicious Irish meals can be found throughout the city center, and, of course, the public houses here are as eclectic as they are numerous. Those looking to enjoy a cocktail in high style would do well to visit the bar in the renowned Claremont Hotel on St. Stephen’s Green, where the vivid crimson of the walls is matched by the delectableness of the champagne cocktails served up by tuxedoed barmen.

While Dublin is a city beloved by walkers for its wide sidewalks and compact layout, there are certainly sites that are beyond even the most dedicated of perambulators. Today, then, offers the perfect opportunity to explore these farther-flung destinations and to gain a better sense of all that can be found here.

History buffs will want to head back west along the northern bank of the Liffey to encounter the testaments to Ireland’s revolutionary past. Collins’ Barracks now houses a museum dedicated to the varied history of Irish resistance, while further down stands the forbidding fortress of Kilmainham Gaol, where the main instigators of Ireland’s Easter Rebellion of were held for their crimes of high treason against the British Crown. There is older history on display as well, particularly in the still imposing battlements of Dublin Castle, the seat of British and Protestant dominance in the city for more than half a millennium, and the soaring spires and belfries at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the national church of Ireland and the center of the Anglican faith on the island.

Those with an eye towards levity will certainly be better served by visiting the home of two of Ireland’s most famous contributions to the culinary world: the amber hue and clean, sharp taste of Jameson Irish Whiskey, and the heady full blackness of Guinness Stout. Both offer engaging tours dedicated to describing the art of the craft as well as the uniqueness of these quintessential Irish libations. Jameson’s Bow Street distillery features an in-depth look at the vatting process whereby Jameson’s transforms from barrels of different whiskeys into one of the smoothest blends in the world, and concludes the tour with a snifter of Ireland’s most popular water of life: while Guinness’s Storehouse at St. James’ Gate offers insight into the special ingredients that give Guinness its characteristic flavor and body and concludes with a free pint, perfectly poured by Guinness employees and served in a modern bar with 360-degree views of the city below and the undulating scenery beyond.

The feast day for Saint Patrick has become something much more than an austere celebration of the life of the man who introduced Christianity to Ireland (and, allegedly, expelled all of the island’s snakes); it is now the foremost celebration of Irish heritage and the Irish nation, and nowhere will this sentiment be more acute than in the heart of Dublin. New York’s celebrations may be larger, and Boston’s more boisterous, but no other city can match the fervid pride of Dublin in the throes of the celebrations for her benevolent patron. The Festival Parade winds through the city on its major thoroughfares, passing the major sites on either side of the Liffey, and street performers, poets, musicians, and dancers will all be out in full force to mark this momentous occasion. Travel the parade route south from Parnell Square down O’Connell’s Street and through the core of south Dublin, or plant yourself in a favorite pub lining Dame Street or Westmoreland Street and watch the wide-ranging gaggle go by.

Today takes you back home from Dublin, with stirring memories of the incredible celebration from the day before certain to remain in your head and your heart.