Flying to Ireland will necessitate car hire once you get there, but the airports have dealers in convenient locations. You might get a brand of American car you never heard of before. The major manufacturers have different models in European countries that may have a bit more style even if they are basically the same as the American versions.

The Dingle Peninsula, Ireland by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

The Dingle Peninsula is a good example of a driving tour. Starting in Tralee, go west and around the peninsula ending at Castlemaine Harbour. Take in the Gallarus Oratory, a stone chapel built by monks some time after 600 A.D., that still stands in excellent condition.

Another trip that car hire easily accommodates is just south of Dingle in the Ring of Kerry. Starting at Killarney on the Iveragh Peninsula, circle west and around to Killorglin. Muckross House, just over three miles from Killarney, is a 65-room estate with lovely gardens. Queen Elizabeth visited the estate in 1861.

These two peninsulas are some of the most beautiful places on earth, and National Geographic agrees. Driving is the best way to see them because there are so many possibilities for sight-seeing and photography all the way around both areas. Rain or shine, these locales have been photographed extensively by professionals and visitors for decades. Being able to stop and get out of the car any time is invaluable. The right photograph can be framed and enjoyed for years.

Ring of Kerry, Ireland by DI Florian Fuchs

The coastal areas around the entire country are quite photogenic, and car hire touring is the best way to stop and take advantage of the scenery at a whim. Tour buses whiz by fields with ancient stone walls and hillsides of patchwork squares in different shades of green.

There are mountain vistas in various places in Ireland, as well, and seeing them by car is a sure way to enjoy them at leisure. County Wicklow has impressive mountain areas most easily accessed by car. There is no public transportation up into the mountains, so seeing the whole county is easiest by car.

Also in Wicklow is the Powerscourt Estate and Waterfall. It takes time to see all of the gardens, the house and the waterfall, so a car allows for an entire day of sightseeing. Don’t worry about a tour bus leaving without you; go by car and enjoy it fully. This is another site that has been photographed too many times to count.

Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland by DorinRodina

Glendalough, also in Wicklow, is an important historic site in a glacial valley. The name means “glen of two lakes.” Ireland is blessed with unparalleled beauty, and this is one more place in which to witness it in panoramic views from the hills. The remaining chapel and other structures from the seventh century are good reasons to go, and the lakes are unbelievably picturesque.

Many visitors come down to Wicklow from Dublin to hike, but the whole county has attractions that should not be missed. The shoreline is stunning as well. Don’t miss any of it. Hop in the car and see all of Ireland’s majestic views at your own rate.

This has been a guest post from Skedaddle, your best friend when it comes to planning road trips.

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Doolin, County Clare, Ireland by Peter Gorman

Feel it with your hand and you’ll realize that its almost bathwater warm. There is sun and warmth on the west coast that is not often seen in Dublin. It gets hot in the afternoon and feels like summer in the US. As great as this is, it is not the only reason to see Doolin.

Doolin is known for its traditional Irish music, all year round. It is more frequent in the summer during tourist season, but worth checking out. O’Connor’s is a warm, cozy place where the musicians sit in a booth near the front door and play all evening. The pub was packed in June and serving up food as fast as they could put it out. Naturally we had fish and chips and Irish stew, which was delicious.

Gus O’Connor’s Pub, Ireland by Carlos Mejía Greene

We met a couple from Atlanta, GA, one of which was originally from northern Ireland. She sang like an angel and knew every folk song they sang, and there were way too many to count. Her husband was as clueless as we were about the lyrics.

We had such a good time we stayed very late, and eventually the guitarist played “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver, the only song we knew, and we sang loudly which I blame on the Guinness. It’s better in Ireland.

The friend from Northern Ireland said, “It’s all about the craic.” This is pronounced “crack” and means fun, gossip, news and entertainment. Without the craic, what have you got? It’s found in pubs.

Live Music at O’Connor’s Pub, Ireland by Emily OS

Craft shops in Doolin are worth a look too, and the natural beauty of the area with old stone walls in the pastures is very picturesque. The Village Crafts Shop, owned by Gus and Maeve, has woolens, tweeds and the like where we bought Irish sweaters that actually smelled like sheep. They were not processed by some factory; they were handmade locally and will last forever. The color is natural and not whitened; they’re warm and remind us of Doolin.

We stayed at a family-owned B&B and the owner found out that my wife was a professional jazz guitarist, so the jam was on. It was a nice country cottage with good amenities, much like others in the area, and the owners were friendly. It was an all around great experience.

Kevin Caldwell wrote this article for DublinTempleBarHotels.com who help travelers find hotels near Temple Bar in Dublin.

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Tower of London, UK by Fernando Nunes

The Hour Before Midnight

It is the ghost of Henry VI that haunts the Wakefield Tower. Henry met his death on the 21st May 1471, murdered ‘in the hour before midnight’ as he knelt in prayer. This quite tragic and ineffectual monarch is believed to have met his death at the hands of the sinister Duke of Gloucester, being stabbed repeatedly in what was by all accounts of the time, a frenzied and brutal attack, with his body being describes as being ‘full of deadly holes’. It’s on the hour before midnight, every year, on the anniversary of his death that he reappears, his spectre is said to pace around the inside of the Wakefield Tower until, when midnight finally strikes he fades away.

The White Lady

The cold stones of the narrow and winding corridors of the great tower are the haunt of the White Lady. She has been seen waving to visiting children from a window in the tower, who eagerly waved back at her from an opposite building. Most haunted residences seem to have a white or grey lady but this one is different. With the white lady of the tower you smell her approach, as the air is said to fill with the pungent aroma of cheap perfume, which is especially noticeable around the area of the entrance of St John’s Chapel, the scent is so strong that it has been known to make staff and guards retch.

Tower of London – St. John’s Chapel, UK by Nick Mehlert

The Screaming Countess

Out of all of the men, women and children that met their death here, either through murder or execution, one of the most alarming ghostly visitations is that of the Countess of Salisbury, Margaret Pole. Sentenced to death at the respectful age of seventy two by Henry VIII, as an act of vengeance towards Cardinal Pole, her son, she was sentenced to be executed on May 27th 1541. The Countess refused to kneel at the block, stating that to kneel would be to assume the role of a traitor, which she was not. The executioner unfazed by her refusal wielded his axe at her where she stood; she tried to flee for her life but was literally hacked down as she ran. This incredible scene is not replayed every year but it has been seen, and heard on many occasions by the guards and staff that work in the vicinity of where the scaffold and block once stood.

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Levoča is a charming medieval town with approximately 15.000 inhabitants. The historic center is surrounded with walls built already in the 13th and 14th centuries. Master Paul’s Square is the largest preserved medieval town square in Europe. More than 50 burgher houses represent the Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance styles. In main Church of St. Jacob you can see the highest wooden altar in the world, one of the works of well-known Master Paul from Levoča. The altar is 18.6 meters high and 6 meters wide.

The gothic cathedral is surrounded by burgher houses and the entire historic center is secure by the stone walls. Very interesting is also the Town hall with allegorical frescoes on the south facade, dating from the 15th century.

The centre of Levoča is included in UNESCO World Heritage List. Ancient Levoča is situated very close to the Spiš Castle, making it the ideal tourist destination. If you decided to visit Slovakia, this magnificent city you cannot miss.

View Levoča town in Slovakia in a larger map

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