Inspiration and Ideas for your Ireland Road Trip

The sheep of Ireland

St. Paddy’s Day and Irish Pubs

I’m curious why Saint Patrick’s day gets celebrated so much outside of Ireland. Each year there are festivals and events across the world, and the United States is a hub of these celebrations. In Chicago the river is dyed green, and the parade in New York gets attended by over two million people each year (undoubtedly not this year, but usually).

We’ve just spent a month in La Rochelle France, and out of all possible nationalities, the Irish are well-represented in this gorgeous town—there’s two Irish bars and one Irish shop. We spent our last night in town at the Irish pub called The Jolly Sailor, and the decoration leprechauns had adorned it with balloons, banners, and Saint Patrick’s Day bunting. Now that France is on lockdown, they won’t be able to celebrate with the usual spirit and raucousness of previous years. But why is it that wherever we seem to be in the world, we’re never more than staggering distance away from an Irish Bar?

Despite my confusion about the popularity of Saint Patrick’s day and the prevalence of Irish pubs around the globe, Ireland is a country that has been on my list to visit for years. I would dearly love to travel extensively through Northern and Southern Ireland but wouldn’t know where to start. So I reached out to my fellow bloggers in the Not So Young Female Travel Bloggers Facebook group and asked them to share their favourite blog posts about Ireland—here’s their response.


Where to go in Ireland – Ultimate 14 day road trip

Faith is an avid house sitter which allows her to spend longer at her chosen destinations and enjoy immersion into the local culture. She explored Ireland’s nooks and crannies during her 14-day road trip, which can be started from Shannon, Dublin or Belfast—whichever you fly into.

Faith Coates 14 day roadtrip around ireland
image copyright: Faith Coates

Read Faith’s article to discover:

  • Dublin, North Newgrange and Boyne Valley, Belfast, Causeway Coast Tour, Derry (Londonderry), Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway City, Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty County Clare, Dingle Peninsula Drive, Ring of Kerry, Skellig Michael, Blarney Castle and Kilkenny
Looking for a 14 day road trip to explore the magic of Ireland? Take at look at this itinerary from @daehder who blogs at ZYU and Beyond. #ireland #SaintPatricksDay #travelblog Share on X

23 Exciting Things to do in Dublin

Jen is an aspiring world traveler who wants to travel without going broke, she put together this list of 23 things to do in Ireland’s historic capital of Dublin.

Jennifer Ortego Rankin Cliffs of Moher
Image copyright: Jennifer Ortego Rankin

Read Jen’s article to discover:

  • Dublin, Giants Causeway, and the Cliffs of Moher
#Dublin has a plethora of museums, pubs, boutiques, restaurants, and historic buildings. One could easily spend a week just exploring this beautiful capital city. @pickinntripin #Dublin #ireland #SaintPatricksDay #travelblog Share on X

Top 20 Irish Experiences Along the Wild Atlantic Way

Heather left her 9-5 job to become a digital nomad and travel full time, her post features the tourism trail that runs along the west coast of Ireland.

Top 20 Irish Experiences Along the Wild Atlantic Way Heather Raulerson
Image Copyright: Heather Raulerson

Read Heather’s article to discover:

  • Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Slea Head Drive, Dingle, and Inch Beach.
Exploring the Wild Atlantic Way is great way to see the west side of #Ireland @Raulersontravel #SaintPatricksDay #travelblog Share on X

Exploring the East Coast of Northern Ireland

Jan is a serial travel addict whose favorite way to travel is to rent a car and drive to remote, scenic places, avoiding big cities and highways, and taking the smaller inner roads.

Jan Banerjee East Coast of Northern Ireland
Image Copyright: Jan Banerjee

Read Jan’s article to discover:

Belfast, Larne, Islandmagee, Carnfunnock, and Torr Head.

Are you looking for road trip inspiration to explore the Northern Ireland? Join Jan from @leisurelydrives as she tours the east coast of the Emerald Isle #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

Things to do in Bray

Sinead started her blog to document our family travels and encourage and inspire other families to explore together. She writes about the pretty coastal town of Bray, County Wicklow which is a one hour drive south of Dublin city centre and around 45 minutes by DART train.

Map Made Mémoires Brey
Image Copyright: Sinead Camplin

Read Sinead’s article to discover:

  • Brey
Visit #Bray to enjoy a perfect day trip from #Dublin to the seaside. #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

6 cool things Ireland is Famous for

THE LIBRARY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN IS THE NUMBER ONE MUST-SEE SIGHT.
Image Copyright: Talek Nantes

Read Talek’s article to discover:

  • Dublin, Blarney Castle, Mizen Head, Cliffs of Moher, and the Wild Atlantic Way.
Ireland is famous for many things including Irish dancing @travelstalek #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

12 Fun Activities for Kids in Dublin

Elizabeth believes that learning doesn’t have to be dull, and can easily be wrapped up in the adventure of a day’s travel without the kids even knowing their trip is educational as well as fun. Where better to start than Dublin?

Elizabeth Hilton
Image Copyright: Elizabeth Hilton

Read Elizabeth’s article to discover:

  • Dublin and Waterford
Teaching kids history in Ireland is fun says Elizabeth @advens_fluency #Ireland #Dublin #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

Top 5 Things to do in Donegal

Corinne and her husband Jim have traveled the world together for more than 35 years. Their travel philosophy focuses on the journey being part of the adventure. Join them as they visit the rugged and sparsely populated Donegal County.

Discovering The Top 5 Things To Do In Donegal, Ireland
Image Copyright: Corinne Vail

Read Corinne’s article to discover:

  • Donegal
One of the quaintest towns in the country, Donegal does not disappoint @corinnevail #ireland #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

The Ring of Kerry, A 3 Day Self-Drive Itinerary

Sue blogs to inspire other women to grab life by the balls! Here’s her itinerary for a 3 day road trip around the Ring of Kerry on the Wild Atlantic Way, so you can do some grabbing of your own.

The Ring of Kerry, A 3 Day Self-Drive Itinerary
Image Copyright: Sue Cockell

Read Sue’s article to discover:

  • Killorglin, Cahergill, Leacanabuile, Valentia Island, Skellig Michael & Small Skellig, Kenmarem, St Finian’s Bay, Ballinskelligs, Kenmare, Killarney, Torc Mountain, and Muckross Abbey.
Why take 1 day when you can do it in 3? Take your time on the beautiful Ring of Kerry! @suewherewhywhat #Ireland #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

A Dublin to Sligo Road Trip for Fans fo WB Yeats’ Poetry

Jennifer blogs to inspire people who have a demanding job to see that it is possible to achieve work-life balance and travel extensively, and this post is about the stretch of coastline along the Wild Atlantic Way that features prominently in the poetry of W.B. Yeats.

A Dublin to Sligo Ireland Road Trip for Fans of W. B. Yeats' Poetry
Image Copyright: Jennifer Petoff

Read Jennifer’s article to discover:

  • Lough Key, Sligo, Ballina, Northern County Mayo, Mount Falcon Estate, Easkey, Carrowkeel, Glencar Lough and Drumcliff
Love poetry? Why not take a road trip from Dublin to Yeats Country in Sligo, the most underrated County in #Ireland. @SidewalkSafari #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

Irish beauty and wisdom in Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher

Travel is something Kathy does between stints at work, and on a recent road trip she found peace and wisdom in the broad skies, rocky cliffs and pastoral scenes of Doolin.

Irish beauty and wisdom in Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher
Image Copyright: Kathy Tilden Fenton

Read Kathy’s article to discover:

  • Doolin
There's nothing like a hike to the Cliffs of Moher! @bankerchicktravels #Ireland #SaintPatricksDay Share on X

Reading through these articles has made me realize how much I need to prioritize a trip to Ireland. I know we’re in the throes of Covid-19, and who knows when we’ll be able to enjoy the freedom of traveling when we want and where we want, but when were can—let’s all do our bit to support the tourism industry. Ireland’s on my list, and I can’t wait. Where in Ireland would you like to travel?

Are you looking for ideas and inspiration for your next roadtrip around #Ireland? Here's plenty of ideas to get your travel juices flowing. #SaintPatrick Share on X

Author: Roving Jay

Jay is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a travel writer. She works with authors and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their self-publishing goals and reach their target audience through content marketing. Jay has published a series of travel guides, a travel memoir, and nonfiction books about travel writing. She housesits and volunteers around the globe with her husband, a Hollywood set painter, and she’s never more that 10 paces away from a wi-fi connection.

22 thoughts on “Inspiration and Ideas for your Ireland Road Trip

  1. I am embarrassed to say that I have only ever spent 2 nights in Dublin but have not ventured further to the other parts of the Emerald Isle. This is a great collab using full blogs about the many places to visit around Ireland and I have pinned it for future reference as after reading just one of the blogs about the Ring of Kerry I feel I need to explore Ireland a little more.

  2. The best part of not being able to travel is reading about places you want to visit when this c-word is all over. Exploring Ireland has been on my wishlist for a long time. Been to Dublin a few times but never to the country. The Wild Atlantic Way is particularly appealing!

  3. Reading your posts make me realize that I would not only like, but I need to see more of Ireland. I have only been to Dublin for a weekend of new year celebrations, and that does not really give the city justice since we only say the party-part 😛

  4. Never been to Ireland before.This one make me yearn for it though. What beautiful monuments and landscape!

  5. A brilliant collaboration post. Covering much of the breath and width of Emerald Isle. Bringing back memorable and joyous moments, having spent time visiting Ireland on three occasions; and seeing that there is still much more to see. Lots of wonderful inspiration here. 🙂 <3

    1. Thanks Marilyn, it’s been a while since I did a collaboration post, and I enjoyed reading other people’s blog posts about Ireland. Plus I read their about pages and feel I know them all a little better now.

  6. Like you I’ve not been to Ireland yet, but I am really eager to do so. There are so many great itineraries in this post that I will definitely use when I finally get that trip booked! I am especially eager to drive the Ring of Kerry–I’ve heard so much about that region.

  7. Although I’ve lived in and traveled throughout Europe, I’ve never been to Ireland. Just that sweet fluffy sheep face makes me want to fix that immediately. What a great list of recommendations when I get the chance to go!

  8. I loved my trip to Ireland. I was there solo for about 6 days a couple of years ago. I can’t wait to read through all of these articles because I would love to go back!

  9. Wow! So many places, so little time. I spent a week in Ireland a few years ago and it wasn’t nearly enough time. I would love a week in Dublin alone. Thanks for all the great info.

    1. It’s great to get such varied input from other bloggers. There are a few places that pop up again and again, and they’ll have to make it onto our must-see list!

  10. The closest I’ve got to see Ireland is Dublin on a boozy weekend! I had no idea it was so colourful! That pink cottage at the start sold it. What a great selection of places your writers in this article have suggested. This looks like the beginnings of a fabulous road trip – thank you for the inspiration.

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