What to Do in Ireland

In traditional Gaelic, the Irish call their native Whiskey “Uisce Beatha” or the water of life, a staple of the Emerald Isle since the middle ages. The country’s devotion to this noble spirit is easy to see with distilleries across the island, most of them mashing, fermenting, distilling, barreling, and greeting daily visitors for tastings and exploratory tours of the whiskey-making process. In Dublin, scour the skyline for a striking illuminated church spire made from glass to find the Pearse Lyons Distillery making whiskey and Gin in a converted cathedral. In Northern Ireland, try County Antrim’s Bushmills Distillery, Ireland’s oldest whiskey distillery, and in County Cork, the Jameson Experience and Distillery introduce whiskey connoisseurs and those just getting their tongues wet to Ireland’s best-selling whiskey.

Amongst the historic beauty of the heart of Dublin, nestled into its cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings stands Trinity College Dublin. Established in 1592, the College is Ireland’s oldest and most prestigious, steeped in cultural significance and hiding a trove of intrigues. Amongst the most important is the Book of Kells, said to have been created by Irish or Scottish monks in the ninth century, and a stunning example of illuminated manuscript art, with the four Gospels of the New Testament, presented amongst a colorful collection of patterns and complex illustrations. The Long Room is the highlight, a 300-year-old, 65-meter-long library with stunning wooden interiors lined with marble busts and filled with 200,000 books.

Ireland’s castles are delightful, grand, luxurious, and evocative of a time of kings, queens, and storied knights, and staying in one is perhaps one of Ireland’s most beguiling travel experiences. Although each is different, imagine spacious rooms with vaulted ceilings and elegant four-poster beds, windows looking out onto breathtaking countryside views, and public spaces indented with ancient nooks and medieval crannies, warmed by the romantic crackle of wood fires. Often set into vast woodlands, peaceful gardens, or along the beaches of the wild Atlantic coast, an Irish castle hotel is as excellent an option for a prolonged romantic escape for two as it is for a family retreat between Irish cities.