Day 8: Connemara and Kylemore Abbey

Our last full day in Ireland was spent driving around the beautiful Connemara area to experience the National Park and the famous Kylemore Abbey. This area of Ireland was so beautiful and we didn't have enough time to explore it. The abbey itself is about an hour and 15 minutes from downtown Galway making it the perfect day trip if you have a car. If you don't have a car, there are a lot of options for tour busses heading out to the abbey and around the coast. 

We made our way to the abbey driving the loop, passing through the rocky, barren mountainous terrain. that Connemara is known for. We were blown away by just how beautiful and untouched a lot of this part of Ireland was. The Pine Island Viewpoint off N59 was the perfect pit stop to take in the views in the area. This is the point where we vowed to come back to Ireland to spend a few days exploring this area alone. 

Day 7: Exploring Galway the with kids

Before going to Ireland, I didn't have a ton of knowledge about the city of Galway besides a few lyrics in an Ed Sheeran song. When planning our trip to Ireland, I knew we were going to avoid the major city of Dublin and Galway looked like a smaller and more kid-friendly city to spend a few nights for the last part of our trip. 

I am so glad we did because we had so much fun exploring the city of Galway. Like most cities, you have your options of shops and restaurants, bars and cafes, and a mix of urban and suburban landscapes. We stayed just outside the city walking distance to a big town park. When we went into the city, we spent some time walking the pedestrian streets (always a peek especially when traveling with kids), visiting the playgrounds, and stopping for treats like donuts and ice cream. 

We had a car so it was easy for us to slip in and out of the city and to use it as a launching point for other day trips. We stayed by Doughiska playground which was perfect for daily trips to let the kids play and meet other kids. 

After lunch, we discovered a scenic river cruise on the Corrib River and Lake through "Get Your Guide". We spent 42 euro on two adult tickets and kids are free 3 and under. The ride was 1.5 hours round trip and the boat had a full bar, coffee and snacks available for purchase. A river cruise was the perfect way to soak up the day of Irish sun and slow down a bit. The kids loved being on the boat and the adults loved enjoying a cold Guinness on the top deck in the sunshine while the guide narrated the river cruise and shared some history of the area. 

Galway with kids highlights:

• Doughiska playground
• Millennium Children's Park on University Road (near Galway Cathedral) 
• Walk Quay Street, the pedestrianized street in the heart of the city
• Scenic river cruise on the Corrib River and Lake through "Get Your Guide"
  
• Amazing donuts at Dungeons And Donuts

Day 6: Drive from Killarney to Galway (stops at Cliffs of Moher and Limmerick)

Day 6 was the day we left beautiful Killarney behind and headed to our second home base of the trip. We had spent four nights in Killarney and used that as our home base to explore Killarney National Park, the Gap of Dunloe, Blarney Castle, and Kinsale.

The last and final leg of our trip would be spent exploring the City of Galway and Connemara National Park on the Connemara Peninsula. We loved the trip until now, having Killarney National Park in our backyard and the resort at our fingertips really made the trip special. We were trading in our resort for an AirBnb just outside the city of Galway, specifically picked for its proximity next to a big park and a short drive into Ireland's fourth largest city on the western coast. Planning the trip in this counter clockwise direction also put us a 2 hour drive from Dublin when we had to catch a mid-day flight back home. 

Day six was our longest drive yet and we made an out-of-the-way detour to explore Ireland's famous cliffs. Spoiler alert, the Cliffs were quite skippable, at least the way we saw them from the visitor's center, but more on that later. 

Mungret Park, County Limerick

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. 

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.