Ireland and Scotland, 2025. If you’re into meeting locals, digging into history, and stumbling across the odd dramatic cliff, here’s your boarding pass. There will be photos, mishaps, and at least one castle or village whose name I’ll likely butcher.
And So, It Begins
Every good Irish story deserves a proper beginning, and mine started where so many do — in Dublin, a city that greets you with equal parts charm, history, and a little jet lag.
I landed at 5:30 a.m., which doesn’t even sound romantic, but it’s amazing for speeding through customs! Luckily, I had followed my own travel advice before I even boarded the plane — I booked my hotel room for the night before. That meant no desperate “just keep moving” plan, no dozing off in the lobby until check-in. Instead, I had a lovely room all ready for me.
My hotel was the Arthaus, an Art Deco boutique number that I had stayed in and enjoyed once before. We had exchanged several emails regarding my booking and arrival time, so they knew exactly who I was when I walked in the door and got me checked in tout suite!
Day One- Streets, Greens, and My First Pub
Once I’d caught my breath (yep, I mean a nap!), I eased into the city with some wandering. Grafton Street (which is about a block from the hotel) was alive with buskers and shop windows, flower sellers, and an unusual amount of bright blue sky! With temperatures around 70, it couldn’t have been nicer! Just beyond, St. Stephen’s Green offered a green bit of calm in the middle of the bustle.
It was during that Grafton Street stroll that I spotted The Duke, a classic Dublin pub, and decided to pop in for lunch. My first pub visit of the trip — though I knew it wouldn’t be the last. I love the feel of a pub, the smell of the wood and the years (yes, you can smell years) mixed with the tang of stout in the air. Arriving at 11:45, I did learn most pubs don’t start lunch service until straight up noon, so I lingered and enjoyed the ambiance – and then a lovely plate of fish and chips!
Day Two – A Pint and a Lesson
With a proper night’s rest behind me, day two was the day for Guinness. Not just a wander through the Storehouse, but the Connoisseur Experience — a tucked-away tasting for the curious (and the thirsty). Under the guidance of someone who’s probably forgotten more about stout than I’ll ever know, I learned to pour the perfect pint. It’s all about the angle and the patience — two things I’m still working on in other areas of life. Along the way, you also learn about the history of the brewery and sample flavors dating back to the 1800s. (It’s an experience worthy of its own blog post – stay tuned!)
I even got to hold the little plastic ball that lives inside the cans — the widget that activates the nitrogen and creates that signature creamy head. Fun fact: it once won Invention of the Year… beating the internet. Yes, the internet.
The Storehouse itself is a wild, multi-story carnival of stout: part museum, part amusement park, fully crowded. There are plenty of shops, and I spotted folks having their faces immortalized in the foam of their pint. There’s no shortage of places to eat and (of course) drink. Book ahead — the line snaked down the block when I arrived.
Pro tip: If you’ve booked the Connoisseur tour, you skip the line entirely. They waved me right in.
Pro tip II: I’m not a huge fan of beer by any stretch of the imagination, but the Connoisseur Experience was absolutely worth it, even if stout isn’t your “cup of tea”.
Day Three – Kilmainham to Kells: A Glimpse into Ireland’s Soul
Kilmainham Goal (pronounced “jail”) was my first taste of the deeper Irish history I’d come to see, read, and feel throughout the trip. This tour would be my introduction to the many stories of Irish revolution and resilience. Walking down those cold stone corridors and peering through the bars into the tiniest of cells was a powerful and moving experience. This was a hard-to-get ticket as visitor numbers are limited, and I was very glad I lurked at my keyboard the moment tickets dropped—full-on digital stalking mode—to snag a spot. Pro tip: Tickets go on sale on the website 28 days in advance at midnight Dublin time.
From there, I made my way to Trinity College for a campus tour and to take a peek at the Book of Kells. I took part in the interactive experience, which brought the manuscript’s artistry and symbolism vividly to life. Walking into Trinity Library, I realized just how lucky my timing was. The collection is being digitized, so I’m not sure what the library will look like in the future. Many of the books had already been removed as part of the project, but there were still definitely enough in that room that I felt surrounded by centuries of knowledge and the smell of books. That scent – old paper, leather, and history itself (oh, history has a smell, alright!)– felt like a gift.
A Taste of Dublin, A Promise of More (Oh, I’ll Be Back This Trip!)
My few days in Dublin left me wanting more — more history, more stories, more Ireland altogether!
Over the course of my stay in the city, I had the chance to sample two different hotels (very important to be able to make good recommendations to my clients!) – after my jet lag recovery day and one more night at Arthaus, I moved over to the Mespil Hotel alongside the Grand Canal. It was a lovely stay, and I even scored an unexpected upgrade with a couch and fireplace. It was a great way to stretch out and shake off some lingering jet lag!
Next stop: the train to Kerry for a birthday weekend at Muckross Park Hotel & Spa — where the pace slowed, the views got bigger, and the celebration began!
