Taking a tour with MacCoole Tours is a must if you are staying in Dublin. Caroline and John Connolly are extremely friendly and will give you an experience you are sure never to forget. The family farm is amazing! Can I please just be a Connolly cousin and hang out on the farm too? We took a beautiful (and semi-challenging) hike through the Burren, played with a baby mountain goat, and ate delicious home-made treats. Amaretto brownie with fresh berries and fresh cream. To. Die. For. The family should seriously think about lodging, because I know that I would stay there in a heartbeat!
After making sure you never want to leave the farm, you are whisked away to all the other beautiful sites along the west coast of Ireland. You make a pit-stop at Poll na mBrón, which is probably the oldest thing I have ever seen in my life. So old that your brain cannot even begin to comprehend how old and awesome Poll na mBrón really is. Then you go to the Cliffs of Moher, which is one of the most stunning places in the world. Seriously, if I fell off the cliffs, I would die happy because it is such a beautiful sight. After, you get to go to Doolin for lunch. We stopped in a little pub that had great food. Try the fresh salmon. As a potato lover, the best part was when the man gave me boiled potatoes and then scooped a heaping pile of mashed potatoes. Potato overload. After a long day, you are finally dropped off in Galway and free to wander the city for an hour and a half.
The only small complaint I have is that I thought it was odd to keep changing buses, but I guess being dumped on the side of the road in the middle-of-nowhere Ireland is part of the adventure. The rest of the trip is so mind-blowing that it really doesn't matter. read more