Ireland: THINGS I BROUGHT BACK WITH ME & OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

I’m home from my most wonderful first trip back to Ireland since moving and I truly had the best time. There were a good few moments of “oh god, why did we leave” 

At the end of the day we know we made the right decision and also - how great is it to love & call two places home?

Before I left for our trip, I made a list of things I missed and needed to bring back with me. I succeeded in having all our luggage overweight. While documenting my shenanigans on instagram stories, i got a lot of people asking for me to compile my go-to’s and suggestions. I got you ;) Below I will go into too much detail on things I brought back to the USA with me, my favorite places to visit, eat, shop, and places i always used to take visitors (touristy things that I think are actually worth it).

THINGS I BROUGHT BACK WITH ME:

Bars of soap were at the top of my list to bring back. I love the Irish brand The Handmade Soap Company’s bars the very most. They use natural ingredients and the scents are unreal. I buy my soap from Irish Design Shop because they carry scents that are exclusive only to their shop and TBH i think they’re more interesting than the ones available directly from handmade soap co! Another place I like to go for Irish soap (Dalkey Handmade Soap) is Scout Design Store. It’s an incredibly well-curated shop with a mix of local things and just nice things. I brought back 8 bars of soap with me.

I brought 5 large jars of jam back with me which was really annoying when it came time to pack, but worth it. I love The Clare Jam Co. and their Extra Rhubarb & Ginger Jam. You can find a lot of locally made jam that is all naturally delicious, don’t need to stick to my rec, any of them will be good.

Baklava. We used to live a couple blocks away from Turkish Foods Market Ayla and I frequented their Baklava counter. I brought back a box of it and I will try to make it last as long as possible.

Wild Irish Seaweed (seaweed bath). I can’t remember where I bought this but you’ll see them around… little bags of dried seaweed for the purpose of bathing in it. I took my first seaweed bath with Wild Atlantic Seaweed Baths and I had a skin-changing experience.. I have seasonal eczema and dry, sensitive skin and the power of sitting in a hot bath with Irish seaweed cured my skin in one go! Not kidding or exaggerating! My husband (Dave) used to travel to the West Coast of Ireland for work and he’d bring back a cooler of fresh seaweed from the water. I love thinking of how ridiculous he must’ve looked doing this :’)

On that note - Voya is one of my favorite skincare brands. Their whole biz is built around the healing powers of Irish Seaweed. My fave things I brought back is their night cream and their hand wash. The lime & mandarin smell has a chokehold on me.

Honey. Irish honey seems better to me? I think they’re more serious when it comes to “raw” honey and they aren’t interested in being misleading. Irish Heather Honey has been said to be better than Manuka honey. It’s everywhere, it’s always local, and it’s always at a good price. The most handwritten-looking label you find is my recommendation! I brought back 3 jars.

I love things that will really weigh down my suitcase - local magazines and books. Favorite place for art magazines & smaller publications is The Library Project and my favorite place for all other types of magazines is Easons (the one on O’Connell street has the biggest selection). Favorite place for books is Hodges Figgis - thought to be one of the oldest bookshops in the world. Their selection of Irish interest books is massive and beautiful. I brought back 7 magazines and 4 books.

Pottery. I used to surf Adverts.ie a lot (similar to craigslist / FB marketplace) and before our plane even took off for Ireland, I found a set of Irish stoneware & was messaging the seller for pickup. Lol. I regret nothing. They were my entire carryon on the way back, it was ridiculous.

I’ve been cut off from buying more Arran St. East pottery (we used to live on Arran St. where their studio is, so i was popping in… a lot…) but their pieces make the best gift or addition to your home.

I’m not a big coffee drinker, but my husband (Dave) has a true appreciation and he cannot recommend Unfiltered Coffee Co. enough. Juljano (owner) will talk you through the flavors you will experience as the coffee hits different temperatures of cooling. The shop carries a rotating selection of beans and you can trust that they’ve been vetted and will only be the best. Dave brought back 4 bags of coffee with him (all from the roaster Kungpow Coffee).

I’m not a huge spirits person but this is different. Gin lovers, Bertha’s Revenge Irish Milk Gin - best gin I’ve ever had. Really nice with cucumber and cracked pepper. Little-to-no tonic needed. Made using whey from cows milk. I got one bottle in the airport on the way home in Duty Free.

Wool! Knitwear! Wovens! Obvi I think you should buy some wooly things while you’re in ireland. I did not, because like pottery, i have also been cut off from buying more wooly things. Ireland has such a beautiful textile history and culture. If you’re in Dublin, Cleo has the most beautiful and thoughtful selection of wool blankets and Irish knitwear.

TOURIST RECS! Dublin Edition:

One of the first things I did when I got to Dublin was b-line it to the cheese counter. Ireland has some of the most delicious cheeses and dairy. The countryside is extremely lush & grazing animals outnumber people. My faves are Killeen Goat (mild and nutty. Good for those with sensitivities to cow's milk), Cais na Tire (a sheep’s cheese), and Cashel Blue (cow’s milk, v popular for those who enjoy a little stank). A non-irish cheese that I LOVE and frequently eat with a spoon is Lincet’s Délice de Bourgogne (french, cow’s milk).

Where I get cheese (Dublin Specific): I love going to Sheridans, Fallon & Byrne, and Loose Canon. 

Sheridans is a cheesemongers and is Ireland’s largest retailer. They sell some other bits in their shop like wine and quince and crackers, but mostly just cheese. Not for sitting in.

Fallon & Byrne is a specialty grocery on the ground floor, a restaurant upstairs, and a wine cellar downstairs. If you’re going to Fallon & Byrne (i’m specifically talking about their Exchequer St. location) might I suggest you go Sun - Tues for €1 corkage in their wine cellar where you can also order snacks off the food menu.

Loose Canon is a wine and cheese bar that serves natural wines and toasties (grilled cheese sambos), really lovely environment to sit in and meet a friend.

Are you a beer person? Sometimes I am too.. When you’re in the mood for a beer that’s not Guinness, I suggest you stop by Stephen St. News (on Google Maps it says Craft Central? Idk). It looks like an average newsagent from the outside, but toward the back wall is the most wonderful selection of craft beers by the can. They do a deal depending on # of cans you buy. It’s a great way to try some craft beers you mightn’t find elsewhere. I personally <3 Mikkeller.

If you’re going to Stephen St. News you are right next door to Bambino, the best by-the-slice pizza in town. I love the burrata square but everything on the menu is good! Hot honey as a side drizzle is not to be missed.

More Dublin food suggestions! These are just places that i’ve been to personally, Dublin has a seriously gorgeous food scene and there’s so many places on my wish list i’ve never been, so don’t go by my list alone here! Pls check opening hours because a lot of places don’t open Monday, or only open for lunch, for example.

Assassination Custard - (19A Kevin Street Lower)  Small plates. Very under the radar and kind of hard to pin down, i won’t include addresses on all of these recs. Open only for lunch from 12 - 2pm Tues - Fri. Sign out front says “Little Cafe.” knock on the door and hope there’s a seat left (only 12 seats!)

Two Boys Brew - Favorite breakfast, very delicious, love it much. If you’re with another person, get the hotcake and the avo toast and split both of them.

Bang Bang - a very lovely and very local spot. We used to live around the corner from here and went all the time for lunch or a morning walk. I would always get the breakfast croissant. This is a good place to pickup things like local honey!

Bread 41 - delicious bakery, get the cruffin (croissant muffin)

The Fumbally - great environment, bakery, breakfast, cafe - big on fermented foods. Breakfast & lunch. Another good place to pick up local bits!

Hens teeth - delicious food and great shop with local art and other carefully chosen goods

Host - nice spot for a nice dinner. Small menu, everything’s delicious. Good wine menu.

Washerwoman - another nice spot for dinner. Little further out, casual but no compromise on the food - has something for everyone. They also have two other restaurants (The Woolen Mills and The Winding Stair) both are located in a more convenient location (on the River Liffey in the centre of town) all three menus are different but all are good!

Bastible - Tasting menu style fancier spot for a foodie dinner

Namaste India (Dublin 7) - unreal indian food (takeaway only) I always get the chicken special and it's ALWAYS GOOD.

Pickle - unreal indian food (fancier, make a reservation)

El Grito - Ireland is not known for its Mexican food. It’s typically not very good at all…. But El Grito changes all of that because it is delicious. Don’t eat Mexican food in Ireland if it’s not here, ok?

You’ve all heard me talk about Spice Bags and Taco Chips if you’ve been following closely. Sorry, they’re probably not actually that good? Comfort food maybe? I can ONLY recommend taco chips from Macari’s at 115 Ballygall Rd. W, Finglas East, Dublin, D11 TP44. I’ve tried taco chips from a lot of other chippers and they are mostly fine, some horrendous. This particular Macari’s is king.

Spice bags I feel less of an allegiance to - you can find good spice bags in a lot of Chinese Takeaways. Xi’an Street Food on South Anne Street is good and conveniently located in the city centre!

Below are some touristy things (still Dublin centric) I don’t think you should snooze on, but you can decide what sounds worth it to you!

Guinness Storehouse – If you like Guinness, this is a worth-it tourist stop. Impeccably designed self-guided museum. You can get “certified” to pull your own pint. The top floor is a “gravity bar” with a 360 view of Dublin. Just be careful, it’s huge and you could easily suck a whole day into it if you’re conscious of time.

Howth – a village on a peninsula north of Dublin city. Still considered Dublin, but a bit further out / more difficult to get to if you aren’t driving. If you like scenic walks, do the Howth Cliff Walk. Kind of more of a hike? Stunning. You can also get a small boat out to Ireland’s Eye, a small island off Howth where you can have a nice walk, sit on the beach, and they’ll pick you up on the hour whenever you’re ready to be taken back. Nice seafood in Howth too. 

Trinity Library/Book of Kells – worth it to see the library. It’s in a lot of movies and very historic.. you do have to pay in and it is typically pretty crowded FYI.

St. Stephen’s Green – think of it as Dublin’s Central Park. Worth seeing / walking through.

National Museum of Archaeology – free museum, must go see the Bog Bodies. Just walk in and ask which direction the Bog Bodies are, or else you’ll be walking in circles. If that’s the only thing you see, it’s worth it. Very centrally located too so you’d probably find yourself walking past it.

Dead Zoo / Natural History Museum – free. Gorgeous building filled with really rare and bizarre taxidermy. So very cool.

Glasnevin Cemetery / National Botanic Gardens - they’re connected so good to see both at once. Big celtic style cemetery with a lot of historic people buried there (heroes of the rising against british rule). Botanic Gardens have massive green houses. Rose garden is beautiful in the summer. Go to Kavanagh’s The Gravediggers pub - at the back entrance to the cemetery (where the gravediggers would historically drink) - one of the more historically intact old pubs (the left side of the pub is the old side), been used for filming 

The best thing to do in Dublin is just walk around! The city is very walkable and small, you’ll cover a lot of ground just aimlessly walking.

Outside Dublin:

You could spend your whole trip outside Dublin and not regret it… but depending on how much time you have, maybe just pick one destination and spend 2 nights away. You’ll be glad you have two nights if it’s anywhere on the west coast. One night isn’t really enough. Would recommend renting a car. The motorway is not scary, only gets uncomfortable when you’re on the small windy roads.

Aran Islands – you can get a Ferry to the islands from Doolin, or you can get a small plane from Connemara Airport (this is my recommendation).  You can go for the day or you can stay overnight (again, my recommendation. The tourists leave about 4pm, so you feel like a local and really get the experience when you stay). They’re very historically preserved islands, modern, but not developed.

Galway – Easiest west coast city to reach (straight shot from Dublin) and a really excellent smaller city.

Galway Food Recs:

Ard Bia at Nimmos - One of our favorite places for dinner, apparently great breakfast too. Also has a beautiful view.

Kai - Considered one of the top restaurants on the west coast. We went for breakfast, can confirm it’s delicious.

Lignum - Excellent and unique dining experience with ten courses (dinner) or five courses (lunch).
**located 40 mins outside Galway city but on the way to/from Dublin so still very convenient.

Donegal - Northern and one of the more difficult places to get to but the reward is great if you’re looking for an adventure! Would highly recommend Sliabh Liag. The most impressive landscape and cliffs I think!

Dingle – Excellent small town that will bring you on a most beautiful drive to get there. 

Cork & Kinsale – Cork City is really nice, if you go make sure to stop at the English Market. Kinsale is a smaller coastal town outside Cork that I love and is known for being a foodie place with great restaurants (Saint Francis Provisions, Man Friday - both very good but you could also just stumble into something that looks good as the town is small).

Giant’s Causeway – northern Ireland, kind of a pain to get to, very cool to see. Quite touristy.

Cliffs of Moher – you’ve probably heard of these as one of the main destinations. I have to say, it wouldn’t be tragic if you didn’t go see them. There’s a lot of cliffs on the west coast, those ones just have a public bathroom! They’ve re-vamped the tourism there and now they have a wall that separates you from the cliff edge.. sounds like a good idea but I have to say it doesn’t feel as naturally exciting as a good ‘ol cliff edge. *See previous recommendation for Sliabh Liag in Donegal.

Tip for traveling anywhere: save or flag places on google maps that you’d like to go. When you’re walking around a city, you can see what you’re close to & pop into more places easily & organically. <3