Wishful Wednesday – My Ultimate Travel Wish: Ireland – 37 Places to Visit and See & Things to Do in Ireland

Until I met hubby I had never left Western NY except to travel across the border 20-30 minutes to Niagara Falls Canada. I can still remember my excitement as I drove over the Pennsylvania state line for the first time in a short trip in search of sparklers and bottle rockets around the 4th of July. I was in my 20’s and actually teared up a little… (Dorky, I know.) I was so excited to see something new and be in a state other than NY, even if it was only for an hour or two. Since then hubby and I have gone to the Thousand Islands in NY, North Carolina (a handful of times – Beautiful Wilmington and Oceanside Topsail Island, Carolina Beach and Nags Head – Love, Love, LOVE), Washington DC/Alexandria VA, and the state of Washington (Seattle, San Juan Island, Forks – words cannot express the beauty).

I feel so blessed to have been able to see the places I have been. The only problem is I yearn to explore and see more! Which brings me to my wish for this Wednesday – to visit and vacation in Ireland!

My great grandparents on my mother’s side are from Ireland (Kilkenny to be exact) and my Grandma Lily always wanted to visit. There is just something that seems tZZZZZZZo pure and magical about Ireland. I would love to someday see the country first hand!

If I am ever lucky enough to visit here are some places I would love to see and things I would love to do while there!

1 – Slieve League Cliffs

#donegal #slieveleaguecliffs #slieveleague #instadonegal

A photo posted by Shirley Carson (@shirley.carson) on Jan 10, 2016 at 10:36am PST

2 – Classiebawn Castle

3 – Swim Forty Foot

4- Killarney

5 – Lough Gur / Ballyhoura

6 – Kylemore Abbey

Photo by @jeffmauritzen. Kylemore Abbey can be found on the west coast of #Ireland in County Galway. Located in a beautiful natural area known as #Connemara, a visit to this castle & abbey are a welcome addition to any Ireland #bucketlist. I can’t recommend it enough. Enjoy! #kylemoreabbey

A photo posted by National Geographic Travel (@natgeotravel) on Jul 29, 2015 at 4:26am PDT

7 – Dingle Peninsula

Photo by @jeffmauritzen. A drive down the #dinglepeninsula to Slea Head in #Ireland is every bit as beautiful and spectacular as you might imagine. Beware though, the stunning scenery surrounding you at every curve will tempt you to take your eyes off this small little road, that actually has to fit two way traffic, including cars, buses, tractors and the occasional herd of cattle or flock of sheep. Enjoy! #Ireland #bucketlist

A photo posted by National Geographic Travel (@natgeotravel) on Aug 4, 2015 at 9:07am PDT

8 – Giant’s Causeway

9 – Ballynoe Stone Circle

10 – Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle, Co. Cork, Ireland (no I didn’t kiss the germ infested stone while hanging upside down, backwards from the top!) #ireland #contax645 #blarneycastle #irelandphotographer

A photo posted by A S H L E Y S L A T E R (@ashleyslaterphotography) on Jan 1, 2016 at 11:06am PST

11 – Dublin

• Sun kissed Dublin 🏙🍀 • #dublin #dublincity #discoverdublin #dublinireland #igersdublin #lovedublin #vscodublin #instadublin #visitdublin #igdublin #irelandaily #insta_ireland #tourismireland #loves_ireland

A photo posted by Monika Peuc (@monikaharmonika) on Jan 13, 2016 at 5:54am PST

12 – Eas a’ Ranca Waterfall at Ardara

13 – The Dark Hedges Co. Antrim, Bregagh Road5

14 – Knockpatrick Gardens

15 – Ring of Kerry

Photo by @jeffmauritzen. Elevated view of Rossbeigh strand, one of #Ireland’s exceptional Blue Flag beaches. A great place to go for a sunset walk, horseback ride or simply go for a swim. This easy to get to beach is found along the incredibly picturesque #RingofKerry.

A photo posted by National Geographic Travel (@natgeotravel) on Dec 6, 2015 at 1:11pm PST

16 – Steps at Dunluce

17 – The Mermaid’s Cave, located beneath Dunluce Caste

Mermaid’s Cave Underneath the 17th century medieval castle of Dunluce north Antrim coast #MermaidsCave #Dunluce #NorthAmtrimCoast

A photo posted by Ireland In Europe (@ireland_in_europe) on Sep 7, 2015 at 1:02am PDT

18 – Connemara National Park

Bring on some sunshine – I definitely need to visit #LoughInagh in #Connemara Co. #Galway #Ireland – Stunning shot by @glarch #irland #irlanda #irlande #discoverireland #Wanderireland – Who has been here before?

A photo posted by Ireland (@wanderireland) on Jan 10, 2016 at 9:43pm PST

19 – Glendalough

This could be a postcard – Another stunning shot of #Glendalough in Co #Wicklow by @ronanhdphotography #irlanda #irlande #irland #discoverireland Don’t forget to #Wanderireland your photos from around #Ireland

A photo posted by Ireland (@wanderireland) on Jan 9, 2016 at 10:04am PST

20 – Dun Angeus, Aran Islands

21 – Skellig Islands

“Did you kno’ the new Star Wars is filmed there?” #skelligs #skelligmichael #ierland #skelligislands

A photo posted by Willem Pirquin (@willempirquin) on Jul 18, 2015 at 9:59am PDT

22 – Horn Head

#HornHead north of #Dunfanaghy cliffs in #Donegal are 600 feet high and not a barrier in sight, pretty scary looking down and can easily compete with the famous cliffs of moher. Thanks for the rundown @futterauto 👍#wildatlanticway #Ireland #seacliffs #Ireland #irland #irlande #irlanda #discoverireland #Wanderireland

A photo posted by Ireland (@wanderireland) on Jan 12, 2016 at 12:20am PST

23 – The Burren

Stacked some rocks for luck. #ireland #theburren

A photo posted by Lucy Clough (@lucyclough) on Jan 13, 2016 at 9:47am PST

24 – Game of Thrones Filming Locations

25 – St Canice’s Cathedral & Round Tower

26 – Kilkenny Castle

#BTtakeover @goodvybesdaily: Kilkenny was not on my list of “to-do’s” when I set off to travel around the world. Lucky for me, my host in Dublin, Rory, was kind enough to set up a trip for me to check it out. Man, I’m glad he did! The castle was incredible, the town was beautiful, and you really couldn’t ask for much more. My only recommendation would be to check out Glendalough on the way if you’re coming from Dublin. The drive from Glendalough to Kilkenny was roughly 2 hours. It can be done quicker, but we took the scenic route, which was definitely worth it. The first stop we made after getting off the coach bus was to Kilkenny Castle! The castle was enormous and it forced me to move back a number of times to get the entire building in the frame. It’s a really cool feeling getting to see something that was built back in the 90’s. The 1190’s of course. #kilkenny #kilkennycastle #ireland #loveireland

A photo posted by Budget Travel (@budgettravel) on Nov 21, 2015 at 11:07am PST

27 – Black Abbey, Kilkenny

Black Abbey Church. Founded in 1228. #BlackAbbey #church #kilkenny #Ireland #irishfall #traveling #discover #solo #solobackpacker

A photo posted by Kiki✨Lune (@kiki_lune) on Oct 20, 2015 at 4:05pm PDT

28 – St. Patrick’s Rock of Cashel

Outside the Rock of Cashel castle. GAHHH can I just move to Ireland?? 🏰 🍀 #rockofcashel #cashelofthekings #stpatricksrock #ireland #emeraldisle #castle #medieval #celtic #photography

A photo posted by Kate Benson 🎵 (@thecurlykate) on May 28, 2015 at 4:04pm PDT

29 – Ireland’s Eye / Howth Cliffs

30 -St. Finan’s Bay Beach

31 – Spanish Point

32 – Bundoran Beach

A view from the beach #population2000 #bundoranbeach #ireland

A photo posted by Cora (@sincerelycoradavis) on Jan 13, 2016 at 7:40am PST

33 – Lough Corrib

34 – Fastnet Rock

Mother Nature vs man. #theseas #fastnetrock #ocean #lighthouse

A photo posted by sneaker_10 (@sneaker_10) on Sep 23, 2015 at 8:12am PDT

35 – Mangerton Mountain

36 – Newgrange

37 – Quietman Bridge

These are just some of the beautiful places I hope to check out if I am ever lucky enough to visit (although I’d probably have to be there a month+ to see it all!)

Have you been to Ireland? Do you want to go? What places do you want to visit?? Comment below!