DAY 5: Southern section of the Dingle Peninsula

Day 5 in Ireland had us change up the routine a little bit. Instead of heading out in the morning for an adventure, we had a slow day around the town. We rented bikes from the resort, headed out to the playground in town, and spent some time in Killarney with the plan to head out on an adventure in the afternoon. There was something special about the change in pace, the slow start to the day followed by a bit of adventure in the evening. No one had to be ready by a certain time and the kids had a chance to play before getting into the car.

I read that Dingle Peninsula (and the smaller part of the peninsula Slea Head drive) is a beautiful part of Ireland and one of the best scenic drives. Scenic drives can be tough with kids with longer times in the car. While a lot of options to get out of the car and stretch your legs help, it's a lot of in and out of car seats which comes with its own set of headaches and tears. Traveling with kids means a lot of "less is more" so we decided to shorten the drive and do a few spots on the southern part of the peninsula instead of the entire 58 mile loop. 

We stopped at Inch Beach, Minard Castle, and a sheep farm before turning back and having dinner in Dingle. If you are interested in the full peninsula loop, check out this map from The Irish Road Trip and head to their page for the full loop details. 

Our first stop on the peninsula was about a 40 minute drive from Killarney (our home base) which made it a pretty easy day trip. Inch Beach is a 5km long stretch of sand and dunes at the start of the peninsula. It was truly stunning and the kids had fun splashing around in the water and playing in the sand. It was early May and the weather wasn't quite warm enough for a swim but it was still worth it to take in the scenery of coastal Ireland. If you visit in the summer months, you will have a chance to swim at a "Blue Flag Beach". A Blue Flag has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag international eco-label meaning it meets high standards for water quality, environmental management, safety, and other criteria.

Inch Beach

Inch Beach

Minard Castle

Minard Castle is a 16th century Tower House set on a hillside overlooking the water. While it was a pretty scene, the Disney-like castle set against the hillside, there really wasn't any parking and it wasn't worth getting the kids out of the car. The views from the water looked lovely but traveling with the kids, this was more of a drive by than a stop. 

Minard Castle

Dingle Sheep Farm and Sheepdog Demonstrations

The turn-around point for us was a sweet little sheep farm at the end of the peninsula by the Basket Islands. If you want to see the sheepdog demonstrations, you will have to plan in advance as the demos typically only happen once a day at a certain time. You still can visit the farm and if you visit at the right time, hold a baby lamb. We really enjoyed taking the kids through the farm, seeing the VERY friendly farm animals, and taking in the coastal views on the peninsula. 

Dingle Sheep Farm

Dingle Sheep Farm

Dingle Sheep Farm

Dingle

I heard so many amazing things about Dingle and we loved the couple hours we spent in town. We ended up driving through on our way down through the peninsula and instead of doing the whole peninsula, turned around at the Sheep Farm near the end and stopped in Dingle for dinner and some shopping. If you have time and the kids, the Dingle Aquarium looked like it was worth a visit. We of course visited the local playground and Dingle had a great one. We had a great meal and enjoyed the shops before heading back the way we came. Dingle is constantly rated as one of the best little towns in Ireland and it's worth a full day and an overnight if you have the time. 

Dingle

Dingle Playground

Dingle Playground

Dingle

Next Time

If we had more time (and maybe the kids were older) we would ABSOLUTELY do some whale watching around Dingle or the Blasket Islands. I would also love to come back and spend a night or two in Dingle. I've heard the pub and night life is iconic Ireland and I would love to come back and experience it (again, probably without kids or with older kids). And then of course there is the entirety of Slea Head Drive (a section of the peninsula) we didn't get to experience and the northern portion which we skipped and drove back the way we came. 

Traveling with young kids is all about accepting that you can't do it all, and learning how to pivot. 

DAY 4: A Day Trip to the Blarney Castle and Kinsale (with kids)

I spent some time going back and forth, trying to decide if a visit to Blarney Castle would be worth it. By now dear reader, you probably have noticed that I don't love crowds and I tend to chose the path less traveled (and in the shoulder season). It's always a fine line when it comes to some of the more popular tourists attractions. Popular places are usually popular for a reason but sometimes, they are just tourist traps famous for a silly gimmick or a few instagram worthy photos. I did some research and decided that the consensus was this: the Blarney Stone (a very small part of the castle) is very skippable, the castle itself is beautiful, but its the garden and grounds that really make a trip to the Barney Castle worth it. I decided it was the perfect place to lets the kids explore, experience an Irish castle, and my mother in law was looking forward to kissing the Blarney Stone.

We spent a few hours at the Blarney Castle and grounds and I whole heartedly agree with the reviews I read. The castle is lovely and worth visiting but the grounds and castle collectively make the fee and drive over worth it. The grounds are stunning and kid-friendly with a little playground, awesome walking trails, various gardens, a cafe and courtyard, caves to explore, and more. Because we visited during the week in the shoulder season, we were able to get through the castle rather quickly and my in-laws were able to kiss the Blarney stone with just a five minute wait. The day felt like it was out of a fairy tale, spending the morning with my kids wandering the iconic grounds. If you are wondering if it's worth visiting with kids my answer is yes. Head out early, avoid the weekends, try to travel in the shoulder season, and enjoy. 

DAY 3: Gap of Dunloe and Boat Ride through the Lakes of Killarney

This day is Ireland may have been one of the highlights of our entire trip. While many people visit the major attractions like Killarney, after talking to friends who had visited Ireland, no one had heard of or visited the Gap of Dunloe. I spent some time reading through travel forums on ideas of what to do while abroad and this mysterious Gap of Dunloe kept coming up. One of the comments stood out when he commented that the day he spent in the Gap, hiking through and taking the pony trap with his new bride was still one of his favorite memories 20 years later. I immediately planned the trip, booked the necessary guides and tours, and Adam and I gifted this beautiful day to my in-laws for Christmas. We had the most perfect 65 degree sunny blue bird day for this adventure and we all loved every aspect of the trip. 

Ross Castle

The day went like this

1. Meet at the Old Weir Lodge in downtown Killarney
2. A bus takes you to Ross Castle
3. From Ross Castle, you hop on a 1.5 hour boat ride through the lakes and rivers of Killarney National Park
4. From there, you have lunch at an old hunting lodge, Lord Brandon's Cottage
5. From the cottage, you have the option to hike the 7 miles through the gap (a now paved tiny single lane road), or hire one of the ponymen for a pony trap (horse and carriage ride) down through the gap.
6. The hike or ponytrap ride takes you to Kate Kearney's Cottage. From here, you can grab a coffee or a bite and wait for the bus to take you back to your car at Old Wier Lodge. 
   You can book the tour here

Day 2: Killarney, Ireland (Castlerosse Park Resort and Killarney National Park)

We spent days 2 through 6 in Killarney (Sunday through Thursday, 4 nights) and it was magical. Ireland's beauty is quiet here in the states in the sense that you don't hear much about it, but it is so apparent when you spend time in this country, especially outside its major city. The greenery, the restaurants, the outdoors, the friendly people, the amazing food, we fell in love with Ireland and it started right here in Killarney.

Between the resort we stayed at, the access to the trails and National Park, the city/downtown area itself, and the launching point to Gap of Dunloe, Blarney Castle, Kinsale, and Dingle Peninsula, this corner of Ireland was our favorite. The town itself is dreamy with busy cobblestone streets, live music, quaint shops, a ton of restaurants with outdoor spaces, and everyone out on the sidewalks enjoying a pint. 

Ireland with Kids Day 1: Red Eye, Rock of Cashel, Aherlow and Mallow Castle

International travel has always been important to me. I love to experience a new culture, new food, new scenery, and a different part of the world. You probably won't believe me but I promise I've done the math but more often than not, a trip to Europe is more affordable than a trip I can take within the states. While flights sometimes cost a little more, everything is cheaper once you are there, lodging especially. I knew when we had kids the gift of international travel was something I wanted to share with them and so, every year we try to visit a new country. Whitney has a few stamps on his passport first to Portugal at 15 months (Lisbon and the Algargve), then to Italy and Switzerland at 3 (focused on the Lake Iseo region). This year his newest passport stamp was Ireland and our newest challenge was traveling with both kids at the challenging ages of 2 and 4. Let me start by saying that traveling with kids is not for the faint of heart and it will test you and your marriage in ways you can't imagine. Yet, every time we do, we get through the hard parts, we have an amazing trip watching our kids enjoying life abroad, and do it all over again.

I picked Ireland for my first international trip with both kids for a few reasons: direct flight from our smaller international airport right in Connecticut, affordable with a lot of options to explore the outdoors, and a relatively small country that is easy to see with kids. With that being said, I knew a few things were going to be challenging: the time of the red eye (6pm to midnight - truly couldn't be any worse), the 5 hour time difference, and driving a car on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car.