Ireland's appeal is rooted in its culture from trad music whose echoes bring sleepy coastal towns alive at night to the thriving local and sustainable agriculture found in almost every dish- and every drink.
| During the last 8 days, I've had the privilege of exploring this Emerald Isle and learn first hand what is Ireland. Though one trip is never enough for a traveler, I present you with some of my favorite experiences in Ireland. |  |
We began our trip, as most traveler's do, in Ireland's famous capitol, due to being home to Ireland's busiest airport, Dublin. The sky hung low in this hangover city, filled with tourists, home to Guinness, and the guy who invented the crossword puzzle- the locals won't let you forget it.
 | Dublin: While having an affinity for all things whiskey, I spent a lot of my time in Ireland visiting distilleries. I began my trip at the Jameson experience and started the morning in Dublin (fresh off the flight) with a dram you can only enjoy at this Jameson location. Finished in a sherry barrel, this special edition tasted like Jameson, only sweeter and more complex. Yum. While Dublin nights were filled with ghost tours, karaoke with the locals, and the Mayweather vs McGregor fight, we managed to sneak out to Ireland's countryside after just two nights and made our way to Dingle. |
| I found that Dingle, a picturesque town located off the coast of the North Atlantic, is great for exploration and relaxation. Walk around, and you'll find locally made sea salt ice cream, fresh seafood, and take a small boat in nearby Ventry far out enough, and you may just find a large seal colony, like we did. This small town is also home to one of Ireland's only remaining independent distilleries: Dingle Distillery. The mash's aroma filled the small distillery the morning of our tour. |  |
The tour outlined the history of Irish whiskey, in relation to the scotch industry, and ended with a tasting of their signature gin and whiskey. This small scale distillery is in high demand in Ireland, so you'd be lucky to find a bottle in shop or at bar. On a more positive note, the Dingle Gin can be found in Murphy's Dingle Gin ice cream, just down the road.
| | After two nights in Dingle, we hit the left side of the road to make our way to Doolin, for those famous cliffs. Arriving with 45 minutes until sun down, we parked, walked up, sat on the edge of the cliffs, patiently, as birds guided by the wind soared past and over the water. We looked left and right, and from as far as we could see, we were watching the sunset alone and had the cliffs, that evening, to ourselves. No noise pollution, just the roaring winds. It was magic. |
| The next morning, the shuffling of other guests from the hallway to the dining room woke me. Guests were laughing and talking about their experiences and the activities they were looking forward to that day. Our Emohruo Bed and Breakfast host smiled warmly and offered french toast, fresh fruit, and coffee- I gratefully accepted. For the day we had planned, we needed all the fuel we could get. |  |
 | We took a boat out to the Aran Islands, rented bikes, and took a very scenic drive to and from one of the oldest civilizations of western Europe, and met donkeys, goats, and horses along the way. |
Of course, we made other great memories throughout the trip, and it was easy to make them in Ireland, an unforgettably magnificent country.
Author
Writer and Blogger Brittany Lucero studied both PR and Fine Art and graduated with honors at Reinhardt university. Upon completion of her certifications, and after saving funds earned from nanny and restaurant jobs, she took two months to travel Europe alone. Since then, Brittany has made her way to several countries, including Thailand, Iceland, Japan, and recently, Ireland. Through her experiences traveling, she discovered another passion of hers: whiskey-making. From the Bourbon Trail to Japan, she's explored this subject, and currently wears many hats in her role at a local, organic distillery in Chicago while still finding time to travel- of course.
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