When my sister in-law asked us if we wanted to bring the family to Ireland for my brother’s 40th birthday, I was all in! We hadn’t been to Europe since before we had kids and the thought of going on a big adventure with the family was super exciting. The kids were 6, 4, and 9 months at the time we went. It was tiring, but worth it!
How to Get There
There are a few different airports in Ireland, but Dublin had the most direct flights and the most options. We were able to fly out of our local airport (Bradley Airport in CT) direct into Dublin. We flew out at around 6 pm ET and arrived very early in the morning Dublin local time.
We booked private transportation through Luxury Irish Tours (a 16 passenger van) for our time in County Clare, including airport transfers. I cannot recommend this company enough. Our driver, Noel, was a gem and gave us such good insights about Ireland and the area. It couldn’t have worked out better.
When we landed in Dublin, we loaded up the sleepy kids in the van and made our way to County Clare. All the kids slept almost the whole way from Dublin.
Our Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Dublin and travel to County Clare Airbnb. Stop in Ennis
Day 2: Explore Galway, including a walking tour of Galway
Day 3: Head to Bunratty Castle & experience a medieval dinner at Bunratty Castle
Day 4: Day trip to Doolin/Aran Islands, including a boat tour of the Cliffs of Moher
Day 5: Travel from County Clare to Dublin. Stop at Kilkenney along way and visit Kilkenny Castle
Day 6: Explore Dublin – Tickets to Hop on & Hop Off Bus. We walked the Temple Bar area and Grafton street. We also explored St. Stephen’s Green (which was right next to Airbnb) and the kids loved walking around the park and playing at the playground.
Day 7: Trinity College Tour & Book of Kells in the AM and Guinness Storehouse for lunch and tour
Day 8: This happened to be Father’s Day. Guys headed off to Teeling and we brought the kids to the Dublin Zoo. Headed to Jameson Distillery for an afternoon tour.
Day 9: Traveled to the airport! Bye Ireland!
Details by Location
- Ennis – Ennis is a very small town in County Clare and the closest town to our Airbnb. We grabbed breakfast at Cafe Aroma, toured the Ennis Friary, and stopped in a few shops. There’s a grocery store close to town so we were able to pick up some basics before heading back to our Airbnb to rest.
- Galway – We had such a fun day in Galway, the coastal town on the west side of Ireland. It was lively and filled with people, the cutest shops, and restaurants. We signed up for a walking tour to learn about the history and main attractions and then grabbed lunch at The Kings Head. After lunch, we stopped at Murphy’s for ice cream, did some shopping, and made our way to the beach to see the water. I would love to spend another afternoon here. I got a cozy sweater at one of the shops!
- Bunratty Castle & Folk Park – The castle and folk park was the ideal spot to bring our young kids. There is so much to do and see here that we really spent the entire day. We explored a historical castle, saw animals, singers, went to playground and roamed through the fairy park. After a little break in the afternoon, we came back to the medieval dinner hosted at the castle. This dinner was a lot of fun! There are songs and stories being told throughout dinner. Lot of songs and good food!
- Doolin/Aran Island and Cliffs of Moher: Cliffs of Moher are the iconic cliffs on the west side of Ireland. There are different ways to see the cliffs – by foot or by boat. With the kids being so young, we opted for the boat tour. We spent the morning taking a boat to the smallest of the Aran Islands (Inis Oirr). The island is small, but there are a few shops, a restaurants and an epic play ground. We got some classic fish and chips at the restaurant and took a horse and buggy to tour the island. We then headed back for our Cliffs tour where we got to see the side of the famous cliffs! The tour company is linked above! If we went again, I would love to see the cliffs from the top for a different perspective.
- Kilkenny: We started the drive from County Clare to Dublin in the morning and stopped at Kilkenny to break up the trip. The day we stopped in Kilkenny there was a lively market steps away from the castle. We did a castle tour, explored the garden, and headed out to make our way to Dublin. The kids did get a bit ancy during the castle tour, but we were able to bring them outside to the gardens to get some energy out.
- Dublin: There is so much to see in Dublin! The first day we didn’t book too much except the hop on and hop off bus. We explored, ate lunch, went shopping, and played at St. Stephen’s Green. It was a nice day for the kids without too many plans. My highlights from Dublin are: Trinity College and the Book of Kells, The Guinness Storehouse, Jameson Distillery, The Dublin Zoo, Temple Bar area, Dublin Castle, Grafton Street and the park at St. Stephen’s Green. The Guinness Storehouse is surprisingly kid friendly with restaurants, a walking tour, and graphics/videos everywhere. The kids were entertained! They also really enjoyed the zoo and spending a day seeing the animals.
Other highlights: We snuck out for a parents night and were able to experience the Temple Bar at night. There was live music and it was extremely crowded, but glad we got to experience it! We also did some high end shopping at Grafton street and I picked up a beautiful Celine bag. The prices are a lot cheaper than the States and it makes for a nice memory.
Ennis
Galway
Bunratty Castle
Aran Islands/Cliffs of Moher
Kilkenny
Dublin
Where to Stay
We stayed in two Airbnb’s throughout our trip. In County Clare, the Airbnb was on sheep farm and had two distinct buildings with a patio in the middle. It was idyllic. The owner also offers catering so we ordered some dinners through her to have in the house. It worked out so good! This spot was not in a city center/town. This was fine for our purposes because we had hired the driver to take us to the various locations. We arranged pick up times with him directly and it couldn’t have worked out better. The kids enjoyed running around on the grass and looking at the sheep.
Our Dublin Airbnb was in a central location outside of St. Stephen’s Green. While location was perfect, and technically it fit our group, it was a bit small. I’d recommend the Airbnb for a much smaller group than what we had.
