If there is interest in a round of golf on Wednesday the 9th of July, RSVP please. We will organize a round at the Westport Golf Club.

We are partnering with a friend of Jim's who works with one of the largest tour companies in Ireland. We have set up an RSVP to gauge interest in various private guided tours that would take place a few days before our wedding, or a few days after our wedding. The tours would be built to accommodate the wedding plans and would end/start in Westport and pick you up/drop you off at either Dublin or Shannon airport. More to come on this!

Dublin is a great city, safe, walkable with loads to do. Great pub scene, Guinness Brewery, Trinity College, shopping, Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Phoenix Park, Jameson Distillery, St. Stephen's Green, as well as great museums. If you are looking to stay in Dublin overnight at some point, reach out, we can give some great suggestions for accommodations.

Northern Ireland has lots to offer if you wanted to jump up there too! The coastline is stunning. Loads to do and see, Giants Causeway (see pic above), Derry, Belfast to name a few. We just got back from a trip to Derry and Giants Causeway and it was well worth it.

Click on HERE for the Ashford Castle link. They have an amazing wine tour in their 'dungeon' followed by a great wine tasting. There is fishing, boating, golf, falcon training, restaurants, and lots of hiking.

Distilleries in Ireland are plentiful! Check out this link for an updated list. There are several exceptional ones on the west coast of Ireland.

Irish breweries are plentiful as well. The craft beer scene is really growing in Ireland which is great to see. This link has all the craft breweries and a map. If you are going to drive around Ireland, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stop at a few of these!

If you are up for it, Croagh Patrick is a great hike, which the die-hards do barefoot, though most do wear shoes. It is about 15 minutes outside of Westport. We are organizing a hike to the summit for those interested.

And then there are the national parks, which are beautiful and have loads of hiking. Below are some of the national parks that I would recommend if you want to fit some nature into your trip.

Burren National Park is between Shannon Airport and Galway, about a 2 hour drive to Westport.

Connemara National Park is less than an hour drive and south of Westport. This is a beautiful part of the country.

Wild Nephin National Park-Ballycroy is less than 45 minutes north of Westport. Again, great hiking and stunning views.

Killarney National Park is a very popular park. It is four hours from Westport in the southern part of the country, so if you are designing a tour to include the Ring of Kerry, etc. I would put this on your list. This park is beautiful.

Note: Ireland National Parks are not as 'dangerous' as American National Parks. There aren’t any animals that could cause you harm. But like any outdoor experience, there may be insects. They have tiny little biting flies (midges) that can be annoying, but nothing to worry about. Maybe bring some repellent. There is the rare tick, but those of you from the East Coast of the US are no stranger to them, so just be on the lookout. Lyme disease isn’t as bad in Ireland as it is in the US, but there is the rare case, so be aware.

The Cliffs of Moher are spectacular. Lot of walking involved, but once up there it is lovely. This would most likely be on the tour mentioned in the private tour tab, however, if you are renting a car and driving anywhere around the west coast, make this a stop.

The Ring of Kerry is a roughly 100 mile loop around the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. This link will give you some additional insight. The tours mentioned in the Private Tour tab will most likely be including this loop. It is worth the trip for sure, so if you are renting a car, we would highly recommend to include this route in your journey.

Obviously this list is very subjective, but these are just a few that stand out that we enjoy driving through when given the chance. Some are bigger than others, all offer something unique.

Dingle: A quaint and charming seaside village on the Dingle Bay. There are pubs, shops, restaurants, and the world famous Dingle Distillery.

Clifden: Small village, pubs and accommodations, beautiful part of the country.

Kenmare: Kenmare really is a beautiful village. Much larger than most but it still has that small town feal. Kenmare made the short list of areas to purchase a home in.

Galway: Galway is a very fun town (small city really) with simply loads to do. This town will be on the private tours as well.

Doolin: Doolin made the short list too, if you visit there you will understand why. Small, quaint, great little pub scene and one of the best trad music scenes in Ireland.

Adare: Very cute village often winning awards for its beauty. Worth the drive through if you are in the area.

Honestly, there are soooo many more, but you won't be disappointed by these if you were in the area. Again, if you need any advice on a driving route, just let us know.

The Aran Islands are three inhabited islands off the coast of Galway. Inishmore is the largest and most commonly visited. It has Dún Aonghasa an Iron Age fort which is a must-see when there. Inishmann is the least populated of the three. Inisheer is the smallest of the Aran Islands. Irish is the primary language on the Aran Islands, but they all speak English as well. Visiting these islands is as close to stepping back in time as you will find in Ireland. Primarily fishing villages, each of the islands only has between 200-900 people living there. There are several ferries (here too) running to the Aran Islands, just keep in mind that it is generally a whole day trip.