Ireland wasn’t just another trip for us. It was five years in the making. Back in 2020, we were supposed to get married at Slane Castle. The pandemic canceled everything – you can read more about that here – and somehow we moved forward in life without ever having a wedding, or even wedding photos. This trip was our second chance.

We packed a dress, a suit, and two huge suitcases filled with anticipation. Over two weeks, we crisscrossed Ireland by cab, car, ferry, and foot—seeing the sights, eating our weight in fish and chips, and laughing through the inevitable rainy days. But the heart of the trip was this: finally stepping into the castle where we had been planning the celebration of a lifetime and redeeming that dream with photos we will treasure forever. A special thanks to everyone who helped make all this happen for us: my mom, for taking on caring for Sawyer while we were gone; Margaret, for being my Irish fairy godmother – she not only did my hair, she helped me find the most amazing wedding vendors to bring my visions to life; and Ivana, who took the most beautiful photos!

DUBLIN

We began our journey in Dublin, bleary-eyed from an overnight flight with zero sleep, but running on excitement (and lattes, thankfully). Dublin is full of coffee shops, which made my coffee-loving heart very happy. We wandered the streets near our hotel, grabbed our first fish and chips, and tried to stay awake long enough to make it to dinner. That first night, we found an off-the-beaten-path restaurant called The Landmark. I had a bowl of Irish stew and one of the best espresso martinis I’ve ever tasted. Dessert came from a little hole-in-the-wall spot we found called Dolce Sicily. By the time we finally collapsed into bed, it was 10:15 p.m. local time. The next day we had brunch at a cute French cafe called Ladurée before heading to the Guinness Storehouse. The self-guided tour itself was just okay. I would have appreciated it more if it felt more historic and less… Wonka Chocolate factory. The highlight of that tour is ending at the Gravity Bar on the top floor, where you sip a pint of Guinness while looking out at a 360-degree view of the city. That moment was worth it. Later, we stopped into Ryan’s pub for lunch, then squeezed onto the tram back toward our hotel in what felt like the Irish version of a clown car—cheap, but very crowded. That afternoon we visited Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Library. It was beautiful, though a little underwhelming. Perhaps we would have had a greater appreciation for that experience had we not been still so tired. Dinner that evening was at Pichet, a Michelin-awarded restaurant, and then we ended the night wandering the Temple Bar area where live music poured out of every doorway.

BELFAST

We had breakfast at the Mercantile and then hit the road! From Dublin we picked up a rental car and drove north to Belfast. We checked into The Fitzwilliam, one of the nicest hotels of our trip, and grabbed a quick pizza lunch before heading to Titanic Belfast. This museum ended up being one of the most fascinating experiences of the entire two weeks. It walked us through everything from the building of the ship to the discovery of its wreckage. That night, we had dinner at a really cool place called The Muddler’s Club, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a six-course tasting menu that felt like an experience in itself. I will forever dream about the amazing cherry tart dessert… The next day we fueled up with a huge breakfast at a cafe called Maggie May’s before driving out to the Giant’s Causeway. It poured rain the entire drive up there, but luckily we caught a break in the storms for our hike out there. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, we were glad we went. The landscape is unlike anything else in the world—endless hexagon-shaped stones stretching out into the sea. For those who don’t know, Belfast is in Northern Ireland, a separate country from the rest of Ireland, which is part of the UK. So we had to use British Pounds there, whereas the rest of Ireland uses Euros. Back in Belfast, we kept dinner simple, and Shawn ended the night playing a few rounds of pool at a local pub. Breakfast the next morning was at our hotel and it was excellent!

SLANE

Then came Slane. This was the heart of the trip; the moment we’d been waiting five years for. We arrived at Slane Castle with my wedding dress tucked safely in our luggage and spent the evening taking photos in the place we were supposed to marry in 2020. We had the entire castle to ourselves, and I’ll never forget the feeling of walking through those grand halls in that gown that had never been worn. Halfway through our photoshoot, the rain started—because of course it did. But then, in true Irish fashion, the clouds broke just as we finished, and a rainbow stretched across the sky. It felt like Ireland itself was redeeming the story for us. We had dinner that night in a nearby town called Navan. And yes, I wore the dress! The following day we had another kind of once-in-a-lifetime moment: a private tour of Slane Distillery. The woman who had done my hair for the photos knew the guide personally and sent him a text. He opened up the distillery just for us. It started with delicious Irish coffees and ended with a whiskey tasting, and it was hands down the best tour of our trip. We also got a private tour of the castle before our departure, and a signed bottle of Slane Whiskey from Mr. Conyngham, the owner of the castle and distillery. After our tours, we drove out to the Hill of Slane and then had dinner at the Conyngham Arms Hotel.

GALWAY & DOOLIN

From Slane we drove west, stopping in Athlone to peek inside Sean’s Bar, which claims to be the oldest pub in Ireland. It sounded cooler than it actually was (and they didn’t serve food), so we quickly moved on to lunch at a café down the street. Eventually, we made it to Galway. I had pictured a smaller coastal town, but Galway felt much bigger, almost like Dublin. We spent the evening wandering the Latin Quarter, eating shepherd’s pie in a pub, and browsing in some of the shops. The next morning, we left Galway behind and headed to Doolin. The roads narrowed to what felt like one-lane paths through the countryside, and more than once we had to pull over to let another car pass. Doolin itself was charming—small, colorful, and full of life. We ate at The Ivy Cottage where I had the most delicious bowl of Atlantic chowder, then headed to the Cliffs of Moher. They took my breath away. Shawn was less impressed, but I could have stood there for hours staring at the waves crashing below. We ended the night with a pint and live traditional music in one of Doolin’s pubs. The next day, before leaving Doolin, we took a tour of the Doolin caves.

KILLARNEY

From there, we made our way to Killarney. We had to take our car on a ferry across a river to get there. We stopped at Ross Castle on the way in and luckily snagged the last tour of the day. Ross Castle was built in the 1400s and beautifully restored and furnished to show what it would have looked like back then. The setting—right on a lake with mountains in the background—was stunning. After settling into our hotel, we had dinner in the downtown area. I had already decided this was one of our favorite places so far. The next day confirmed it. Killarney National Park is the kind of place you could spend days exploring and never get bored. We took a horse-drawn buggy ride through the Gap of Dunloe, wandered to Torc Waterfall, and capped the day with a couples’ massage and dinner followed by live music at a pub. Before we left Killarney, we stopped at Muckross House, a sprawling estate built in 1843 with manicured grounds that are now part of the national park.

CORK

From there we drove into Cork. To be completely honest, Cork was not our favorite. Another city that was bigger than I anticipated, it felt crowded, hilly, and a little dirty. We grabbed burgers for lunch and decided to check out a local pool hall called The Crucible. We were shocked when we walked in and saw nothing but a bunch of kids. Apparently billiards is quite a thing among Irish teens! Shawn played a couple racks with a kid named Calvin, who definitely put up quite a challenge. After wandering the city center, we ended the day with pizza that was about as “meh” as the rest of our Cork experience. Thankfully, the surrounding towns made our time in Cork worth it. We drove to Blarney Castle the next morning and kissed the famous stone, then headed to Kinsale, a pastel-colored coastal town that was much more our speed. We wandered Charles Fort, checked out the shops downtown, and found ice cream before heading back to Cork for dinner. The day ended with Shawn crushing me at bowling. The next day, we left Cork behind for good and stopped in Cobh. A beautiful harbor town, Cobh is the second largest harbor in the world, and the Titanic’s last port of call before it sank. We decided to do the Titanic Experience there as well, where each guest receives the identity of a real passenger who boarded at Cobh. The exhibit walks you through what sailing on the Titanic was like, and at the end, you learn if you survived. Shawn and I both did!

KILKENNY

From Cobh we drove to Kilkenny, where we missed the last tour of the castle, but found an incredible Italian restaurant in the neighboring village of Kells. It was tucked inside an old mill and ended up being one of the best meals of the trip. On our final day, we toured Kilkenny Castle. I thought it was neat to see how these fortresses, originally built for protection, eventually became family homes passed down through generations. Afterward, we drove back to Dublin. We prepared for our flight home, full of stories, photos, and memories that would never have existed if we hadn’t finally said yes to this trip.

Two weeks in Ireland gave us more than souvenirs or checkmarks on a map. It gave us our story back. We laughed through rainstorms, drove down roads barely wide enough for one car, ate chowder on the coast, kissed the Blarney Stone, and stood in a castle that was once nothing more than a distant dream.

If you’re planning your own trip, here’s what I would tell you. Don’t be afraid of the rain—it’s part of the charm, and sometimes it even brings a rainbow. Hotels have more luxuries in accommodations than B&Bs. Though, we did have a couple of hosts who made the B&B experience worthwhile. And I don’t recommend you spend a ton of time in places like Dublin or Cork. A lot of the bigger cities that are common tourist destinations kind of all felt the same. I personally much preferred the smaller villages like Slane and Doolin. We did have a great time doing all the stereotypical Ireland touristy things. However, if we ever make it back to Ireland, I’d to try to stay more off the beaten path next time.