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Top 10 Trip Highlights

1. Castle climbing

Seeing this castle off in the distance would have been notable enough. But getting to go up and climb all over it was awesome. And like much of Ireland, there was hardly anyone else there. I'm sure at some point they've got to do a better job of cordoning it off, because it's going to collapse, so I'm glad we got this chance while it was still open. (We still did climb under barbed wire to get to it, so "open" is kind of relative.) G on the map. See all photos >

2. Mountain pass

We took a detour one day at the recommendation of our bed & breakfast hosts to drive part of the Ring of Beara. They claimed it was superior to the much-more-popular Ring of Kerry, but after driving it for awhile, we were nonplussed. Then, as our car started to climb up a mountain pass, we emerged from the woods to see a beautiful valley spread before us. Our hosts had not done it justice at all. Continuing through the rest of the mountain pass, the views remained spectacular (and the (lefthand) drive remained harrowing - nice job, Marc.) H on the map. See all photos >

3. Irish dancers

Unfortunately, I don't really like dancing, wearing suits, drinking, or religious services, so even though I'm happy to spend time with my friends and happy for the newlyweds, weddings are usually a mixed bag for me. It takes something special to make a wedding stand out for me, and happily Stacy and Paul's wedding had lots. Besides being held in an amazing castle, the kicker for me was Celtic Dance Fusion, an Irish dancing group that performed at the reception. Click through to watch some amazing videos of the group. B on the map. See all photos >

4. Small towns

When we arrived at Kilkenny, our first small Irish town, we were blown away at how adorable it is. Overflowing with pubs, shops, flowers, a castle, sidewalk crossings that urgently beep at you, cobblestone streets, and ivy-covered mansions, we thought we had hit the jackpot and found the cutest town in Ireland, and maybe the world. Then we went to the next charming town. And the next. After 20 or so towns that all looked equally adorable, we realized that this is just what Ireland is like. It seems that perhaps Dublin and Cork are the only real "cities" and that the rest of the country is organized around these small towns with charmingly multicolored main streets. Though all the towns were similar, I think Kilkenny and Kinsale were my favorite. A and E on the map. See all photos >

5. Pub singers

We went looking for traditional Irish music one night in Kinsale, and boy, we found it. In the back of a quaint little pub were a group of guys who looked like they met there every night to just play their instruments and sing. We happened to come in when one chap stole the "mic" (there was no mic) and sang a long, hilariously cynical tale about how corrupt politicians were. Everyone knew the words. This was followed by traditional Irish songs as well as others we recognized. I got a clandestine video of "You Are My Sunshine", which is a favorite that Rachel sings to Sienna. I liked that the musicians were a mix of older and younger guys, and a variety of cool instruments like the fiddle, accordion, and some drum things. Marc thought that the whole thing was just a ruse for tourists, but I don't see that as an issue. It's not like they were secretly not musicians, or had fake beards. If they want to play music so tourists come to their pub, good for them. E on the map. See all photos >

6. Grafton Street

Grafton street is the main shopping boulevard in Dublin, and it really reminded me of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Musicians playing, a few people in costumes, and all ending at St. Stephen's Park. It doesn't really have a parallel in NYC since we don't have that many closed-off streets; too many cars. (I guess Broadway, but having it just for pedestrians is really nice.) The side streets around this whole area were cool, too. J on the map. See all photos >

7. Dublin nightlife

Dublin had a lot of hopping areas at night, and I think I enjoyed it because it reminded me of home. A week of visiting quaint small towns and rural farm roads made me miss noisy human activity. The last two nights of our trip were in Dublin, and we got to enjoy delicious restaurants, nice bars, beautiful sunsets, and seeing beautiful people all out on the town. J on the map. See all photos >

8. Trinity clubs

Trinity College was one of the main things I wanted to see in Dublin, but we didn't know we would happen upon it during the annual "Welcome Freshers" sign-up-for-clubs fair. We got to walk around and evaluate which clubs we would join in our spare time. Fencing? Rowing? Philosophy? Comedy club? Literary Society? And then Lawrence bumped into someone he knew, which is beyond improbable. J on the map. See all photos >

9. Mall woodworker

I love malls, and I liked walking around this small mall we found in the middle of Dublin. Like other city malls, it's really just a large building that's been converted to have about 10 stores, although with a beautiful atrium of restaurants in the middle. While my friends were eating their highfaluting lunch, I discovered a woodworking store, with dozens of brightly painted children's names decking the walls. Sienna was one of the names, which was totally surprising! (It's one block of wood, not just assembled from separate letters.) I bought it for her, and had a nice conversation with the owner/artist. He hand carves all of the names and puzzles himself, and was super interested in names and how we came up with Sienna's name. Check out his web site and this video above, which is hilarious. J on the map. See all photos >

10. Mizen head

This was a beautiful sightseeing stop and would probably be higher on the list for most people. But for me, it was completely terrifying. It was the single windiest place I have ever been. You can see my fingers in some of the photos because I was desperately gripping my phone to keep it from being sucked out of my hands. I do a pretty good job in the photo above of projecting nonchalance while holding on for dear life. But this still makes the top ten, though. What a crazy place. I on the map. See all photos >

We did lots more on our trip, click here to see all the photos and videos together. These are the best of mine, Marc's, and Lawrence's photos.

Start: We flew into Dublin at 4:00 am Sunday morning, September 15th, 2013.

A: First, we drove (on the left) to the small town of Kilkenny. See photos

B: Next, we went to nearby Durrow for Stacy & Paul's wedding, which was all-day Monday. See photos

C: Tuesday, we checked out the Rock of Cashel (a castle). See photos

D: Then we drove to Cork, the country's second-largest city. See photos

E: That night we stayed in charming Kinsale, near Cork. See photos

F: On Wednesday, we drove the famous, scenic Ring of Kerry around this peninsula. We started with Kilorglin and ended at Kenmare. See photos

G: As part of the Ring of Kerry, we climbed over Ballycarbery Castle. See photos

H: The next day, we decide on a whim to drive half of the Ring of Beara, another peninsula. This includes a beautiful mountain pass. See photos

I: We decide to go all-out and see the cliffs at Mizen Head as well. Then, that night we drive an insane five hours straight back to Dublin. See photos

J: We spend all day Friday in Dublin and leave Saturday morning. See photos

See all the photos from the trip