We only gave Ireland 2 days one in Belfast Northern Ireland and one in Dublin which is in the Irish Republic. Since we had such a limited time in both places I opted for the early flights to Ireland from Edinburgh, arriving before 10:30 am, so we could see as much in Belfast before leaving for Dublin. Belfast was a lot of fun, we did a hop on hop off tour which took us to Belfast castle, which we explored on our own. It wasn’t as castle-y as Caerphilly but more Biltmore like which is now mostly used for weddings and ceremonies.
When we got back on the bus, I may have taken a nap before waking up when looking at the murals to commemorate those who have sought peace in Northern Ireland and around the world. We decided to go back to the hotel and nap after a little souvenir shopping and walking around as we wanted to hear some Irish pub music that night. While walking around we stopped by to see the Belfast Fish, which our bus guide said if you kiss it you get knowledge…or at least that is what they tell the tourists…
We had dinner at The Crown which is apparently the oldest pub in Belfast. Afterwards we went to Robinsons just next door for music, I had water everyone else had a Bushmill shot. When in Ireland!
The next morning we caught a bus from Belfast to Dublin, I was hoping for a train for the ambiance but they take too long. So a bus it was, I napped as I’m sure everyone else did. When we arrived we took the shuttle from the drop off at the airport to our hotel which wasn’t far, from there we just bought a bus pass for the day. We started by getting off at Temple Bar and eating in an old Irish pub in downtown Dublin. I had Irish stew which was beyond amazing, if it was culturally acceptable to lick my plate I would have. From there we visited Trinity College and the book of Kells. Which it turns out happen to be a very very old ornate copy of the gospels from the 12 the century. The details and unique combination of Roman and Celtic styles converge in one book. This also reinforces my love of an illustrated faith lifestyle and way of studying my bible. See they have been doing this for several thousands of years! Being in Dublin and Travis being a huge U2 fan, he and his dad wanted to see the U2 wall or graffiti wall. We asked a few people and finally found someone who knew what they were looking for…after walking across town, we found it but the area was under construction and we couldn’t see it.
So we headed to the the old Jameson distillery for a tour and tasting. Along the way I picked up a Dublin mug for my friend Stacie, Pursing Stacie, as a thank you for watching my bunny Ebenezer while we were away. The tour was a. Rey convinced version of the MacAllen one but with a 3rd distilled step. (MacAllen has only 2) at the tasting we had a Jameson, Johnny Walker Scotch and Jack Daniels Whiskey. Frankly I didn’t care for any other them. But the Jameson and ginger ale at the very end wasn’t half bad after a while…
After the tour we desperately needed to eat, we were told at lunch by a couple sitting next to us that we should try to eat at The Brazen Head if we could, it is the oldest pub in Ireland. From the 12th century. We found it and had a great meal, I tried an Irish cider which was nice but I enjoy Strongbow and the reckon linger from Wales better. The bus ride back to the airport/hotel was fun as we sat at the front on the double decker bus. It was a wild and fun day in Dublin but the next morning we caught or next flight out of Dublin to Paris to enjoy for a few days.
That night in Dublin they were doing a run after dark run, if only I had know I would have brought my gear…
Stylishly Shelby 
I dream of traveling to Ireland and wandering through the hills…
Because of time constraints we weren’t able to do that, but we did a little walking in Scotland which I would go back to in a heart beat if given the opportunity!