I love hiking. And in San Francisco Bay Area, people hike every weekend. So initially I really…read moredon't want to do a hike. However, the hike in Ireland totally blew my mind. This is an easy trail and takes about 90 minutes to finish if you don't stop. I stop to take gazillions of pictures, so it takes about two hours to complete. You will see a rock mountain and can hike over it. There is a beautiful costal view when you get to the tops. Many local wild flowers and cute house are along the road too. I was surprised to see an old castle style a banded house there. My favorite part of the hike is to see those sheep. They are so cute and running around everywhere. There is no fence to separate the hiking trail and the sheep. So I got to stand very closely and say hi to them. You can ask Dingle visitor center about this hike. We part our car at the Blasket Island Experience center. And walked outside, turned left, and followed the green arrow. I mean, it's Ireland. You can't go wrong by choosing a green hiking trail. Overall, I had a fantastic fun and relax evening hiking this route. Highly recommended if you are looking for a true Ireland hiking experience without tons of tourists.

If you fancy getting away from Dublin city for a day then jump on a DART headed south and get off…read morein Bray. Walk the length of the promenade to the foot of Bray Head 'mountain' and there you will find the beginning of the 'Cliff Walk' to Greystones. The cliff walk winds around base of Bray Head and offers beautifully clear views of the sea to your left and the wildlife of Bray Head to your right. It is not called the 'cliff walk' for nothing. Walkers are literally overlooking the tide as it crashes against the shoreline below and it's not advisable on a blustery or windy day. It takes less than two hours at a leisurely pace. You will notice the occasional DART zooming by below as you walk and you can jump on one of these to get back to town once you reach Greystones. Stop for a coffee (or something stronger) in one of Greystones' many pubs/cafes first though! Basically, tis a great way to get some fresh, sea air into your lungs while you take in some stunning coastal views! Captain Birdseye would approve!

Acres of beautifully landscaped walks around the estate. I didn't have any expectations when…read morevisiting the first time last week and was really surprised at how well kept it is. The old Oak/Beech trees are enormous, they must be hundreds of years old.

Doneraile Wildlife Park is beautiful park, full of rolling hills and secluded trails. There's a few…read moredeer herds on site, and the excellent playground to keeps the smallies busy as well. There's plenty of great spots for a picnic. There's also a tea room, just make sure to check the Heritage Ireland site for opening hours as these change seasonally.

Best carriage ride in the gap of Dunloe. Bob was very entertaining, told great stories and sang…read moresongs. This was a major highlight of our trip and I intend on going back to Bob when when we return. I included a link to a youtube video of some of the ride. https://youtu.be/IIryS1hjqck

Bob is great and makes the ride fun and enjoyable! We have been talking about it for years and will…read morecontinue for years to come!

This was a top ten day! Geoffrey was a marvelous guide. Funny, smart, so knowledgeable, and a great…read morestory teller. I loved that it was a private walk...just my daughter, me and Geoffrey. His love for nature and these beautiful creatures is apparent. He made us comfortable handling these magnificent birds and was genuinely happy to see our expressions of awe and wonder. He helped us set up pictures on our cameras because he knew how to get the best shots. If you do nothing else while in beautiful Killarney, visit this falconry!!

John was great! The birds even more fabulous!! It was a hoot for sure!! This was the highlight of…read moreour port stop in Cork. We took a private taxi tour and asked them to take us to Killarney for the one hour hawk walk. This was all planned ahead. These hawk walks are by appointment only. The location where this is done is on a farm or wooded area. Our taxi driver was luckily familiar with the area so it wasn't much trouble for us to find. However, we were emailed specific directions to the site if we had drove. If you are coming from the port Cobh, it's about an hour and 15 minute to hour and a half drive. It's definitely worth it!! The price ranges per person or group of people. Communication via email was great from prior leading up to the day of. John, our falconer drove up in his van with three feathered friends. Two owls- Rocco, a barn owl and Riley, a tawny owl and a Harris Hawk, named Tex. As we walked through a wooded area John proceeded to educate us on the Harris Hawk and how they are trained, but not tamed. They are free to fly away as they wish. However, to train them you get the hawk to a certain weight where they are hungry enough to come to you for food. They are not starved and In fact they are very capable of still hunting on their own. In fact, Tex was scouting out the land when we were doing the hawk walk and was ignoring us a little. Haha.. The hawks are not harmed when trained, it takes a lot of trust for you to train them, and when you train them in numbers or together with family they are more apt to train. For the hour we had the Harris hawk, Tex flew to our glove several times taking turns. John even has one set up to take a cool slow mo of the Harris hawk flying over your head!! There are plenty of photo ops and John gladly takes them for you. At the end we got to hold and pet the tawny and barn owl. These are all such lovely birds and it was truly an awesome Experience!! I learned so much! Forewarning, you are feeding the hawk either a rabbit or a chick. I didn't realize it until later. But if you think about it, those are quarry. John was great and I'm sure he got way too many laughs from mine and my sister's ridiculous comments!! I highly recommend this company! You won't be disappointed!! I recommend wearing long sleeves and pants and sneakers since you're in the woods.

My main reason for wanting to go to Sybil was because the Star Wars movie for Episode VIII…read morerecreated their beehive huts here rather than returning to Skellig Micheal. Unfortunately when I came here, the huts had been dismantled and honestly I was too tired after all the mucking around at Blasket Island to make the walk all the way up to the actual cliff heads where the filming took place, However when I did visit this area in Aug 2016, you knew you had reached the place by the jizzilion cars parked on the side of the 2 lane narrow highway. There's really no proper parking, just a long trail that winds away from the highway to the peak and where the Star Wars film-makers lay down a 1.5km metal roadway (that roadway also no longer exists, just the trail). It was lovely area of great unspoilt otherworldly natural beauty and I hope it stays that way, even if the Star Wars fan club will shortly descend upon this location . Note: #273 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016 Note nos 2: #801 of Yelp reviews

Hiking the Eask Tower Path is an absolute must when visiting the Dingle Peninsula…read more The tower is on private property. The landowners are incredibly friendly - I highly recommend allotting some time just to chit chat with them. They ask for a humble €2 entry fee per person. Bring coins! So for €2, you are permitted to traipse through their fields & through their herds of sheep. They trust you to close each gate properly behind you on the way up & down so that the sheep don't get out. They even offer their spigot & some brushes to clean your shoes off at the end of your adventure. The tower is constructed similarly to a barrel & it's fascinating. The panoramic views are breathtaking & the gentle breeze is so appreciated after the hike up. I would allow yourself 90 minutes for the whole adventure: - 10 minutes of chit chat - 30 minutes to the top - 30 minutes to enjoy the views & the tower - 20 minutes down LNT - Leave No Trace!

Derrynane House Park encompasses 120 hectares (nearly 300 acres) of land and Derrynane House, home…read moreof one of Ireland's most well-loved heroes, Daniel O'Connell, aka "The Liberator." Dun dun dun! He was a pacifist (in Ireland! gasp!) who lobbied for equal rights for Catholics. He was instrumental in the passage of the Catholic Emancipation Act, essentially granting Catholics equal rights in Ireland. Easy to understand why he is much beloved. The Historical Park is definitely worth a visit if you are on the Ring of Kerry or staying in or near Caherdaniel (itself a ridiculously charming and non-touristy town). The House now serves as a museum of O'Connell's early, later, and political life. The furnishings are well-kept and the house well-maintained, providing a glimpse of upper-scale Irish life from the early 19th century. The cherries on the cake here, however, are the grounds which are much like botanical gardens here in the States. There are lovely manicured gardens, more Romantic and wild gardens, woodlands, and an incredible expanse of beach at Derrynane Bay...with ample warnings about not venturing too near the surf for fear you might get sucked in, sucked out to sea, and never be heard from again. A highlight of the Park is the Druid stone monument featuring the Ogham "language," which you come across on your walk up to the Park grounds. Admission to the whole park is also a real deal at under 3 Euros. A nice way to spend a few hours on your trip to the Ring.

While the house tour is fine, it was really the gardens that won me over here. They are so…read morebeautiful that I regretted not packing a picnic and spending my day here. It was so lovely to wind my way through the beautiful woods of Derrynane. And to think, I didn't even make it to the beach! I'd definitely recommend visiting the botanical gardens here. Stop in the Blind Piper on your way out for yummy food!