City Life

I never imagined I would visit Ireland in my life and certainly didn't plan on it when I left for Italy in January of this year. Luckily, I have been fortunate to meet some wonderful people and gain some great experience. Most of my time has been spent in beautiful remote places ... on islands, peninsulas and in the countryside.  However I have also been able to visit some of Ireland's great cities too. 

Galway: On the west coast, chock full of great pubs, cafes, seafood and wonderful musicians playing nightly at the pubs.

My first "Murphy" sighting began in Galway.

Kilkenny: Enjoyed the fabulous Cafe Mocha with my cousins Laura & Maia

Kilkenny Castle with my cousins. 

I also enjoyed walking along the castle park grounds, cute streets, shopping area and doing a bit of pub crawling.

Dublin: My first hitching experience

Saw many of the "must see" sites in Dublin. Here I am on the River Liffey which divides the city.

Dublin: Temple Bar

Dublin: Grafton Street- the most popular pedestrian shopping street, full with tourists, street performers, musicians, cafes and coffee shops. 

No Dublin adventure is complete without the tour of the Jameson Distillery. I volunteered on my tour to be an official Whiskey Taster. Here you can see my certificate. Yum!

Cork: A city of diversity. 

Loved Cork! Happened to be here on a weekend that was hosting a gay pride parade on one day and a marathon on the next.

Cork also had some nice shopping areas, was set along a river with hills in the background and also had some industry based here (Apple has a huge site in Cork). 

Loved the sunshine and bar that had a deck on the river- enjoyed a beer here while making some new friends. 

Kenmare: Beautiful little culinary town at the start of the Ring of Kerry and the Killarney National Park. 

Killarney National Park: Ladies View Overlook. You can see the lakes of Killarney in the distance. 

One of the lakes in Killarney National Park

Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park. I loved Killarney, not for the city (though that was cute too) but for the nature and beauty that was just outside of it. 

This captures the essence of Irish city life in one shot.