Everyone has that one location that they want to see and once they see it they choose their next. I have yet to go to my bucket list destination, but I’m hoping I will by the end of 2025 – lofty goal, but I want to be there for awhile which means saving up more money than I usually save for vacations. That destination is:

Ireland.

This has been my dream vacation for as long as I can remember. I love everything about it including the music, lore, myth, culture, history, and landscape. This trip would take at minimum two weeks to see everything that I want to see; and I know I won’t see it all. For now, my list of places to visit and see include:

• Hike Burren National Park and Killarney National Park
• Visit the picturesque Giant’s Causeway
• See the archaeology of Newgrange
• Tour Guinness Storehouse and Tullamore
• Have a drink at Temple Bar
• View the amazing Book of Kells at Trinity College
• Stand at what seems like the edge of the world at the Cliffs of Moher
• Imagine I’m in a fantasy land at The Dark Hedges
• Explore the beautiful grounds of Ashford Castle
• Dance in the streets in Galway
• See the Great Skellig
• Take an expedition to the Aran Island
• Walk in the steps of Grace O’Malley, Oscar Wilde, and Bram Stoker
• Eat authentic bangers and mash and boxties
• Peruse the aisles of Hodges Figgis, the oldest bookshop in Ireland
• See the mysterious Glen, a microvalley in the side of Knocknarea Mountain
• Embrace ancient life at the Drombeg Stone Circle
• Make a wish at St. Brigid’s Well
• Experience Kylemore Abbey
• Shop at Aungier Street, Dublin to see Lidl Archaeology

I’d love to know any other suggestions you might have for me for Ireland – my list is quite long but it’s open for tinkering and changing. Especially since the trip isn’t booked yet!