We visited Ireland in winter of 2017, this was my first time traveling overseas and it was an amazing adventure! We flew in from JFK, and the day before was the huge blizzard that hit the east coast, Winter Storm Stella. We drove in from upstate New York which was covered in feet of snow! We were worried we wouldn't be able to fly out but it turns out the state was really prepared and had the roads cleared really well the day after the storm. The flight from JFK to DUB isn't that bad, a short 6 hour flight. We flew on Aer Lingus and I have to say I was really pleased with the airlines as a whole. The food was tasty (for airplane food) and they served Irish dishes. The plane was nice but I did feel like there wasn't as much leg room as other aircrafts. As I mentioned earlier there was the huge snow storm so while we were flying we went right through a lingering storm and it was THE WORST turbulence I've ever experienced, but I tried to go to sleep so I wouldn't have to deal with it. Once I woke up we were almost to Dublin.
    At the time of this trip I was 23 and my boyfriend was 24 so we had a few issues trying to rent a car here. In Ireland the age to rent a car is 25, however we booked through a 3rd party site who assured us we would have no problems as long as we had the required insurance which came with our booking. The man at the rental counter tried to give us a hard time but we prepaid and eventually he let us get the car without paying ridiculous credit card holding fees, which are common. Did I mention we landed in Dublin the morning of Saint Patrick's Day? Well we did, so most things didn't open until 11am so to kill some time we drove to Howth to watch the sunrise.
   Since it was St Patty's day I booked the Guinness Storehouse tour which was interesting. You get to learn about the history of the malt beer company through a walk through museum format and you also get a pint included in your entrance fee. At the top floor they have a bar that has a 360 degree view of Dublin.

Guinness Storehouse 360 Bar (St Patrick's Day)

We were in Ireland in March so we weren't sure if we would see all the lush greenery that you think of when you imagine Ireland, but there was no shortage of that despite it being winter. The rolling green hills were stunning and something I will never forget. The weather was usually a bit nippy and rainy but that didn't affect our trip at all, if anything it made it more memorable.

Rock of Cashel

      After our visit to the Rock of Cashel we continued on our way to our next stop, Killarney. We stayed at a cute bed and breakfast that had a typical Irish breakfast included in our stay. During the first day of our stay in Killarney we visited Torc Waterfall and checked out the pubs in town. For dinner we ate at the Jarveys Rest at the Muckross Park Hotel, where I enjoyed the fish and chips. The next day we opted in for the Dingle Peninsula Drive as opposed to the more famous Ring of Kerry drive. This one was far less crowded than the other driving tour which I heard can be full of tour buses on the tiny roads. The Dingle Peninsula drive includes a few attractions of the side of the road that you pay to visit like the Fairy Ring Circle that is rumored to have druids magic, plus you got to feed some sheep. Another stop is the Dunbeg Fort right next to the Cliffside of the Irish Sea. There was also some really nice beaches at the bottom of the cliffs and the beehive huts that were from 2000 B.C. After reading numerous reviews on both the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula Drive I decided to go with this drive and I was very happy with my decision!

Fairy Ring Circle (Lios)

Ballyferriter Beach

Dunbeg Fort (500 B.C.)

Beehive Huts (2000 B.C.)

Have you visited Ireland and visited any of the places I mentioned? If you have leave a comment below and tell me about your travels! Stayed tuned for part 2 coming soon, subscribe and follow so you don't miss it.