Mystical Ireland - suggestions needed

[Apofay]

I am heading to Ireland for my first trip out of the US. Heading there in early November. Looking for some experiences! Any suggestions? Must be in the southern half!

[East Sun]

I wish you luck, the luck of the Irish although I never did know what that meant? even though I am Irish, born and bred as they say.
What does that mean anyway? I do wish you luck and hope you enjoy every minute of your time there.

PleaseLet me know how you get on there

[ashva]

Hi Apofay,


I am Irish (I grew up there) and am more than happy to help you here.

I am not sure what you are interested in, but for those interested in the esoteric, the Boyne Valley suggests itself. It's the home of a good majority of Europe's Neolithic remains, including Newgrange. The area is about an hour out of Dublin, but during November you will have your choice of accommodation. For natural beauty, try the Burren (Co.Clare), Connemara (Co.Galway) and the Ring (of co.Kerry). There are also some interesting sites off the coast. But as I said, I am not sure of your interests (or how long you intend to stay), so please advise here if you want any more information.

[Apofay]

Looking for the "magical". No touristy stuff. I love the thought of the faeries, and the stone circles, but I know those are for tourists, looking for authentic Ireland

[Star Tsar]

My mother often tells me of days of her youth playing @ The Giant's Causeway, County Antrim & Is my next port of call upon my return to the Emerald Isle.

YK-aZ-HalIU

[CurEus]

I lived in Ireland for a few years. Will be there again in Octber to see family.

I am unclear what you mean by mystical....do you want to meet the Irish Druids and stay for a few days and do a ceremony?
Or would you prefer a tour of Megalithic sites, musical adventures, museums and history?

For a basic but very thorough introduction to Ireland for a Tourist I suggest Rick Steves. https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/ireland

[Aurvandil]

Oh, this is on of my favourite topics! Congratulations to going to this magical island!

I can absolutely recommend Newgrange and Hill of Tara where the high kings were inaugarated at the Lia Fáil-stone, both are truly magical although a bit north of Dublin, I have been to both of them. You should be able to find bus tours, not sure if they run in November.

North of Dublin you also can visit the monasteries Clonmacnoise and Monasterboice, I have not visited them but they are on my to-do list next time I go to Ireland. Of course, as already mentioned, Connemara and the Aran islands, with the beautiful celtic hill fort Dun Aengus. In the south you have the impressive castle of Cashel and the castle of Blarney with the famous Blarney stone.

If you are interested in spiritual places, you can find so called "thin" places all over Ireland, read more at this site: http://www.thinplace.net/2010/12/5-thin-places-in-ireland-you-must-see.html

I also found this site that might be of help: https://sacredsites.com/europe/ireland/index.html

[loc333]

I would go to a small town in county kerry called Dingle and just hang out. Havent been there in years but have great memories of the town and people .

[wondering]

I came on a book a few months ago by Tanis Helliwell, called Summer with the Leprechans. She went to Ireland to spend a summer “becoming enlightened”. Her experience is wonderful to read about and you can draw your own conclusions. I am enjoying it very much and will hate to finish it. Published in 1997, I got it on Amazon.

[snoman]

September or October is magic mushroom time.
Some pickers store them so if you're in luck finding someone who can furnish you with some would aid your search for the mystical among the mist.

[Gunther]

A couple of visits to the Whiskey distilleries and Beer Breweries and you'll be seeing leprechauns, guaranteed… :)

But seriously, there are so many great places to visit in Ireland, it is difficult to make just one recommendation. You generally can't go wrong with the West Coast, my personal favourite being the Beara peninsula. Achill Island and Connemara is another hidden gem. In terms of cities, Dublin and Galway are definitely worth a visit, but I'd give Cork and Limerick a miss. If you are near the Cork city, head for Kinsale instead. Do not miss Fishy-Fishy under any circumstances. It is the best seafood restaurant in Ireland.

[pueblo]

Hi Apofay,

There are many magical places to see, for example the neolithic passage tombs at Newgrange and Knowth in Drogheda are impressive, although firmly on the tourist map.

The ancient holy sites included mountains, wells, and forests (not many left now). To see something off the beaten track I would suggest visiting some of the islands off the south and west coast like the Blaskets and the Aran islands.

The most magical experiences i have had in ireland have been camping. Climb a mountain or hill somewhere in the Comeragh Mountains like Coumshingaun, (it's not a difficult climb) and enjoy the magic at the lake at the top which is one of the finest examples of a corrie lake anywhere in the world. These moutains were used for many purposes by the ancients an when you get up there you will see why. November is not the best month to be camping in Ireland due to the weather and shorter days but I have camped out all year round it can be done if you are prepared and know a little about camping.

Croagh Patrick in Mayo is perhaps Ireland's best known 'spiritual' mountain through it's connection with Saint Patrick. However St.Patrick is not top of my favourite people list as the "snakes" he drove out of ireland were of course the Druids, though the mountain would have held much spiritual significance for the Druids before St. Patrick.

Also, I have found lot's of Liberty Caps growing wild on these mountains, if that's your thing. They are easy to identify and will add an extra dimension to your mountains experience :)

An island trip is a must. As mentioned the Blaskets and the Aran islands are amazing. Omey island in Connemara is spectacular and can be reached by car at low tide. There are rentals/air B&B available on the island though the island has no permanent residents.

The country is full of ring forts, old castles, dolmens, raths and mesolithic/neolithic monuments that are not on any tourist itinerary, the best way to find these is to talk to the locals in the area where you are. People still remember old stories of pre-Christian sites and legends.

Cities that hold some magic for me are Galway and Kilkenny.

Please feel free to PM me if I can be of any help. Hope you have a great trip.

[Justplain]

This may not match your agenda, but 'academic' or 'archeological' tours can give you a taste of Irish pre-history. Dublin should have some of those. I took one such tour of 'Antrim' and visited ringforts, zigzaged road walls that made it difficult on approaching right-handed aggressors, etc. In early Christian times it was recorded that the 'best fun times' were raids of one clan on another, often at night, where the targets were cattle and women.

The Irish have psychic abilities in their genes. And, some of the best people i have ever known were Irish. Have a nice trip.

[gord]

If and only if you're a fan of traditional Irish music I would think it would be mandatory to find the nearest music session and just hang out and listen.