The Killarney Bookshop

Ireland is a country where it’s still possible to find high quality handmade goods.  It has a worldwide reputation for knitwear and woollen items, so if you’re in the market for nice winter jumpers, scarves, capes, etc. this is the place to shop.

Woollens and cashmere

Traditional Irish Aran sweaters have a unique style all of their own.  Good places to look for traditional Irish knitwear are Kilkenny Design, Blarney Woollen Mills, Dublin Woollen Mills and Avoca Handweavers. Blarney Castle is a popular tourist attraction and is on most tour routes, so it’s easy enough to get to the Blarney Woollen Mills.

Apart from the traditional designs, you’ll also be able to find elegant capes in a mix of cashmere and wool.  If you prefer something more contemporary, some of the Irish designers have made it to the international scene, like Lainey Keogh’s designer knitwear or Lucy Downes’ Sphere One cashmere collection.

A Crystal or Glassware for your home

Ireland is famous for its exquisite crystal and glassware with brands like Galway, Tipperary, Tyrone and Waterford Wedgewood leading the pack. If you’re looking for something typically Irish to add to your home decor, a piece of these crystalware or glassware is a possibility.

Unfortunately, the 250 year-old Waterford Wedgwood Company, which makes the world famous Royal Doulton and Waterford Crystal, is under administration and hopefully a buyer can be found soon.

A place for pottery

Ireland also has a strong reputation for pottery and ceramics with styles ranging from contemporary to the traditional. Leading names to look out for include Stephen Pearce, Louis Mulcahy, Nicholas Mosse, and Michael Kennedy. If you’re in Kilkenny or Dublin, a good place to browse through a selection of Irish pottery is Kilkenny Design.

Books

Reading is a national passion in Ireland so you’ll find good bookshops here.  Eason and Son is one of the biggest bookshops in Dublin and if missing news from home you’ll be able to find international newspapers here.

Other Souvenir choices

Other souvenir shopping opportunities include Parian china from Belleek, linen from the Irish Linen Centre, lace products from the various craft shops, and, of course a bottle of Jameson Whiskey, or Bushmills Whiskey from the oldest licensed distillery in the world.  Unless you’re planning on drinking the whiskey during your stay in Ireland or intend packing these in your case (a bit risky), it’s better to buy them at the airport duty-free, after immigration.

The quaint looking Blue Door Restaurant

Traditionally, the Irish start the day with a calorie-loaded Irish breakfast. This cooked breakfast can contain fried bacon, sausages, eggs (or boiled eggs), black and white pudding and tomatoes. It’s served with a couple of slices of home made soda bread. Dinner was the main meal and this was served at midday, with a ‘lighter tea‘ in the evening.

These days, eating patterns have changed a little, with people settling for a salad or soup with sandwich at midday, reserving the main meal for the evening.  It is a shame as we all know that the lighter meal in the evening is the healthier option.

What do the Irish eat?

We’ve all heard of Irish Stew and have most probably eaten this thick casserole at some point in our lives. I can personally confess to having been fed a diet of this when I was a younger. Growing up in Singapore, there’s definitely no Irish blood in my Chinese family but for some reason my mother thought that Irish Stew was a tasty dish to feed the kids and we were fed this most famous of Irish dishes on a regular basis.  Irish Stew is supposed to be full of goodness as the meat and vegetables are slowly boiled in their juices and then you eat the meat, vegetable, juice and stock.  Our Irish Stew however came out of a can!

So apart from the Irish Stew, what else do the Irish eat? Irish cuisine has mainly been traditional and wholesome home cooked foods. The focus in Irish cooking was always to use fresh, locally sourced ingredients and to cook enough to feed everyone as Irish families were traditionally quite large.

Irish dinners consist of simple meat dishes and boiled root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, turnips, and parsnips. The meal may be accompanied by a sauce or gravy. Classic examples of traditional Irish cooking are the Irish Stew or Bacon and Cabbage, served with plain boiled potatoes. Coddle is a traditional Dublin dish made from pork sausages, rashers, cooked in stock with sliced onions and potatoes. It’s normally consumed with a good pint of Ireland’s favorite drink!

Seafood option

Whilst meat stews are the basis of traditional Irish food, Ireland does have quality seafood as well. With more than 3,200 kms of coastline, seafood is plentiful and smoked salmon, oysters, and mussels are all favorites. Smoked salmon with brown bread is a popular seafood choice!

For travellers to the Emerald Isles who don’t eat meat or prefer more spicy food, the good news is that Ireland is going through a gourmet revolution. A new breed of young chefs have come on the scene and are turning their high-quality, homegrown ingredients into sophisticated and unique meals, and new restaurants are popping up all over the place.

For a real taste of Ireland

However, to get the real taste of Ireland, having meals in one of their many pubs accompanied of course by a creamy pint of stout or two is a experience to have. Irish pub food have improved in standard and you can now get good hot meals.  Pub carveries are particularly good value.  Whilst I’ve never had a bowl of steaming mussels in an Irish pub, I believe it’s just as available as a dish of hearty Irish stew. You don’t have to travel too far to look for a pub.  Dublin alone has some 750 pubs, each with its own special character.

Colourful hotels and pubs in Killarney

Situated in the south-western corner of Ireland, Killarney is the tourist capital of Kerry, and the second most popular tourist destination in Ireland.

Killarney National Park is world famous and its three lakes and surrounding mountains and woods are a great attraction for visitors who come to enjoy the mesmerizing scenery, fish on the lakes, enjoy boat trips, mountain-climb or walk the trails.  In spite of its popularity, the area remains pretty unspoilt.

Killarney is also rich in stately homes, historical castles and monuments. Some of its attractions include Muckross House, Ross Castle, Muckross Abbey and Inisfallen Island with its monastic ruins.

Killarney Village

Killarney village has a wide variety of accommodation, ranging from excellent hotels to cosy guesthouses and farmhouses.

This bright and cheerful village is a hub of activities, with many colourful restaurants, shops and pubs. What stood out most for us when we explored this quaint town was the number of pubs in this little place.  No one goes thirsty in Killarney as pubs abound.

Food is also easy to find in Killarney as most pubs and hotels usually serve food at the bar during the day. Cafes and restaurants can be found on virtually every street in the village and the smell of freshly baked breads wafting from the bread shop makes you want to stop for food.

Gaby's Restaurant

We searched out Gaby’s Restaurant as we had read that it is the best seafood restaurant in town. Its interior incorporates seafaring memorabilia and the menu is interesting, but a touch pricey.

The Flesk Restaurant also specializes in seafood and is apparently very popular with American visitors. Its drawcard – hearty meals at reasonable prices.

Killarney is pleasant village to be in and an ideal base for touring West Cork, the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and Tralee. We thoroughly enjoyed our stop here.

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Blarney Castle - the Blarney Stone is at the top!

Ireland travel is remarkably relaxing. Somehow, the pace of an Irish tour, no matter how crammed full of sights and activities, seems slower and more leisurely than travelling elsewhere in Europe. Ireland may have a thriving, world-class IT industry, but in the countryside and villages life still has a certain unhurried, picture-book quality; somehow I feel it would be more fitting to be travelling around in a horse and buggy than a car or luxury motor coach.

Touring Ireland is essentially a rural, even bucolic experience. To be sure, there are major cities like Dublin and Belfast, but with a total population of just 3.9 million in Eire (including 1.5 million in Dublin) and 1.6 million in Northern Ireland it’s obvious there’s plenty of room to move in the countryside. Travel Ireland by car and you’ll gain new respect for the roads and signage in your own neighbourhood, but in a way, it’s all part of the fun.

Historically, Ireland has been divided into four provinces: Munster (6 counties) in the south; Leinster (12 counties) in the east; Connacht (5 counties) in the west; and Ulster (9 counties) in the north which is still part of the United Kingdom and is called Northern Ireland.

To give you an idea of the size of the country, its greatest length is 485 km (302 miles), its greatest width 304 km (189 miles), and its coastline extends for over 5,631 km (3,500 miles).

Ireland, home of the Little People and Celtic myths, has a magical quality to it, whether you’re gazing across the Giant’s Causeway, wandering past colourfully painted cottages in a village street, or crammed into a crowded Irish pub with a pint of Guinness in your fist and the music of a traditional Irish fiddle band in your ears.

Our other Ireland pages

Tour Routes in Ireland

When to travel to Ireland: weather and seasons

Useful facts, dates and links to help you plan your tour of Ireland

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