You almost never hear anyone say, “We were in Ireland and never needed an umbrella!” But aside from the final day of our photo trip there last May, I could have. Not what we expected from “the emerald isle,” but we weren’t complaining. I’d led a trip there once before, and it was pretty obvious why it earned that nickname. Rain is a regular, if not daily, occurrence, which is why the land is so green. This time though, we actually got tired of day after day of clear blue sky. Oh, how we suffered!
Another trip put together by my good friend Rene Bastien of Highlight Photo Tours, we spent the first couple of days in Dublin before working our way west (see the map of the trip below). A beautiful city, it’s very walkable, although we did take taxis to visit the botanical gardens. Let me take you on our tour through photos of the places we visited, starting with Dublin itself…
Someone added eyes to this sculpture on the Ha’penny Bridge, one of the classic locations in Dublin. The name refers to the toll charged to people who wanted to cross, up until 1919.
Kids headed home from school in late afternoon. Their uniforms went well with the red door in the old brick building.
We found a beautiful waterfall in Iveagh Gardens, surrounded by foliage that looked like it belonged somewhere other than Ireland.
Busts of famous scholars, both Irish and foreign, adorn the Long Room in the Old Library at Trinity College. Part of our visit there included viewing the Book of Kells, an ancient manuscript. No photos were allowed of that.
We spent the better part of one morning exploring the National Botanic Gardens, which included this sculpture.
The gardens also have a number of greenhouses, allowing them to grow non-native plants.
One day we met our Dublin guide at the Garden of Remembrance. The bottom of the pool is decorated in a tile mosaic showing broken shields and swords, a reminder of the island’s violent past.
The Temple Bar is perhaps the most well-known of the many pubs in the city.
Here’s a map of where we went on the our photo trip, starting in Dublin in the east and driving west, then exploring that side of the country. 
As we headed out of from Dublin, our first stop was at the historic Kylemore Abbey.
There’s a small Neo-Gothic Church on the grounds. Described as “a cathedral in miniature,” it was built to honor Henry Mitchell’s wife, Margaret, who died in 1874.
It took bit of route-finding, but eventually our driver was able to get us to an overlook of Clifden Castle. Remants of Ireland’s history, ruins like this are common across the country.
We spent one night in Clifden, and after dinner explored the streets of the small town.
Taking a walk just after sunrise, I found this lovely scene along the river in Clifden.
Continuing west across the middle or Ireland, we stopped to photograph this lone cottage set in the midst of a marsh.
There’s no lack of sheep in Ireland!
Reaching the west coast, we took a ferry to Innishmore, largest of the Aran islands. We’d hired a local guide to give a tour of the island, and this donkey was one of the inhabitants we met.
Innishmore is incredibly rocky, so the inhabitants use that as building materials and for fencing
The islands are famous for their Aran sweaters, a popular purchase for the tourists who visit.
One of our stops allowed us to wander the ruins of the Seven Churches of Aran.
Our guide was explaining that there’s so little arable land on the island that the people create it by bringing seaweed up from the shore and mixing it with sand. Later that day we drove past a couple doing just that, and our driver waved to his father and mother.
After returning from Innishmore, we drove into Galway, our home for the next two nights. Quay Street is the beating heart of the city, filled with shops, restaurants and pubs.
You can step into a pub along Quay Street to enjoy local music, or just catch one of the performances going on in the street.
Leaving Galway, we headed to the Cliffs of Moher. Along the way we were treated to more classic Irish country scenes.
We spotted this set of abbey ruins from the road while touring the countryside around Galway.
The Cliffs of Moher are dramatic sandstone cliffs facing the Atlantic ocean, with walkways that follow the edges in both directions from the visitor’s center.
Rene booked time with a few of the performers from the Irish Dance Experience in Galway. We met them near the river and took advantage of the late afternoon light to make some nice portraits. Here, Ronan demonstrates a jump.
Old boats nearby made for good backdrops as well, and Siobhan strikes a great pose leaning against this one.
Siobhan Manson was the leader of the group, and happy to pose among the seaweed left behind at low tide.
We made a short stop in the picturesque village of Killarney to stretch our legs. It will play host to the 2027 Ryder Cup, which will take place at a course on the edge of town.
Nearing the end of our trip, we visited the Dingle peninsula, where we met some inquisitive sheep while touring ruins of old buildings.
Dingle, on the Dingle Peninsula, is a great place to stop for lunch and to take a little time to explore the scenic town.
That afternoon we toured the Ring of Kerry, then photographed a sheep dog demo. It’s pretty amazing how well trained the dogs are in managing the sheep.
Some of the rock walls and old homesteads along Dingle Peninsula.
Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park.
Like England, Ireland has right-hand drive cars. For us Americans walking by, it looked like the dog was behind the wheel!
Live music at Paddy Sheehan’s, in Killarney. The people there are justifiably proud of their music, and you can catch performances just about anywhere you go.
On our final night in Killarney, we took an evening walk to Ross Castle. A rowing club was out on the lake working out beneath the darkening sky.
On the last day of the trip we finally had a little rain during our drive to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Fortunately, by the time we got there it was nearly finished, and the wetness combined with the overcast sky gave a different feel to the photographs we made.
Main street in the Folk Park at Bunratty Castle. The restored old buildings and cottages let you get a feel for what life was like in the Ireland of old.
The Folk Park ended up being the only place during our entire time in Ireland where we had a chance to experience the rain common to the island.
One of the highlights of the trip, and the last place we stayed, was Dromoland Castle. We started that afternoon with a falconry demonstration there.
Bob brings in a hawk with a piece of meat held on the heavy glove he’s wearing.
In addition to hawks and falcons, they also have a number of owls. Used to being around people, I was able to get within inches of it with my wide-angle lens.
Dromoland Castle after sunset. We had a wonderful meal there for our final dinner of the trip.
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