Ireland travel guide + our wild ride

Wow, Ireland. Where do I even start? I have Irish roots, my birthday is on St. Patrick’s day, and it’s a place I claimed I lived in my past life to my mom when I was little...how did it take me so long to visit?

I am so thankful for finally having the opportunity to travel to this incredible country and share my top recommendations with you!

I do not hear of many people planning trips to Ireland, but I can assure you it’s definitely somewhere you should add to the top of your list.

Do you like...tasty food? How about music? Friendly people? Nature? Taking the scenic route?

Ireland has it all! And you never have to wonder if you took the scenic route or not, it has 360 view of scenery.

Howth

My trip to Ireland was a bit different than most might plan. Austen and I flew over to the island to film a pilot pitch episode for a TV show starring Celtic Rider Ireland Motorcycle and Car Tours. Austen received this opportunity after reaching out to the company last year offering a marketing video—they said yes and in May 2018 Austen and his brother toured Ireland on motorbike filming a video. Of course Austen’s work was a hit, but CR loved it so much they asked Austen to come back to film a TV show!

The past year we’ve been planning, writing, organizing the trip, gear, and a crew to travel to Ireland to film and of course explore a little.

Below is a quick list of my top recommendations for your trip to Ireland:

Dublin

• Get drinks at The Temple Bar + tag your sticker on the way to the bathroom

• Visit the castle

• Book a fun tour (singing history tour, secret spots in Dublin, etc.)

• Lemon Jelly Cafe in Dublin for the biggest crepes of your life for a great price (savory + sweet)

• Do some shopping

Naas

• Canvas Cafe sweet potato pizza in Naas

Westport

• The newest town in Ireland...only 300 years old haha

• Matt Malloys for drinks and music

• Augusta Lodge—sweetest owners Stephanie + Dave

Donegal

• Harvey’s Point Hotel hidden in the countryside on a lake

• Stronach Gallery for lunch—amazing food and amazing views

• Slieve League Cliffs—incredible viewing area

Slieve League Cliffs

Kilkenny

• Kilkenny castle

• Cathedral

• Downtown shops

• Say hi to Shamus + his eyebrows at Delaney’s Pub

Kinsale

• The Baumann is unrivaled for food

• The Trident Hotel—every room has a waterfront view

• Sovereign Sailing yachting experience—DIY yachting

• Dino’s for Bailey’ cheesecake—incredible

Everywhere

• Order a “glass of Guinness with a drop of black” it’s what the ‘lady’s order’ and it’s my new favorite

• Sing songs in the pub

• Soup + brown soda bread for lunch always hits the spot

• Order a scone any opportunity you have

• Drive down every random country roadIf you see a sign for an abbey or monument of some sort, follow it

• Ride a motorcycle along the winding roads

• Make friends with strangers because everyone is friendly!

• Watch the sunset

• Hike, walk, jog along the paths

• Go sheep and cow gazing

• Choose a random Bed & Breakfast vs. an AirBnb down some old country road, you will not be disappointed

And if you’re curious about the ins + outs of our filming adventure keep reading.

On our journey we endured some challenges. Our first flight to Iceland was delayed and this our flight from Iceland to Dublin left as soon as we stepped on the plane...i.e. our bags didn’t make it. Filming a TV show without equipment is as useful as a spoon with holes...

However, we did have a helpful crew. Austen’s mom came along for support in any way she could do so, which ended up being more ways than we thought. Adam Adsel from Denver, Colorado also joined us on the crew as a second camera operator for the TV filming. A motley crew for sure, but the most supportive and diversely talented group of people you could put together.

We arrived in Dublin happily greeted by Paul the owner and creator of Celtic Rider. He picked us up in the courtesy van and brought us to their headquarters, which happens to be next door to their lovely home.

They graciously welcomed us in to their home and family like they have known us for decades. Siobhan, Paul’s wife, made us dinner, tea, and showed us our rooms. The people in Ireland are all so incredibly kind and hospitable, but Paul and his family take the cake.

The next day their daughter Louise came over bearing her infamous homemade scones—wow, I’ve never tasted anything better...I ate 3 (don’t tell anyone). Lou is the sweetest, most energetic ball of excitement and ideas. She’s the reason Austen was asked back to film and we are forever grateful for her belief in him.

We went with Lou to her motorcycle riding class and filmed her training. We then headed to Dublin for breakfast/lunch at Lemon Jelly Cafe where we indulged in savory AND sweet breakfast crepes. We asked to share them and they came out separated on plates, we told them we only ordered one and they assured us that was only one split on to multiple plates...we were shocked at the portion size, but ate it happily. Definitely a place I recommend! Later that day we drove around Ireland following Louise on her motorbike to the waterfront town of Howth.

The next couple days of our trip we spent waiting for the rest of our gear to arrive on its separate flight from Iceland to Ireland. During that time spent at CR HQ we got to know the family of the family run business. Celtic Rider is basically run by three people: Paul (owner, sales, tours), Louise (marketing, gear, client relations), and Liam (motorcycle repair, maintenance, and abroad outreach), however, it’s supported by many more characters. They all do so much and literally run around the house and shop all day long. Each of them are so unique and made our stay so special. I am so happy to see a company treat their guests with such kindness and care.

As Paul says, “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice.”

The boys filmed lots at the headquarters: cinematic close ups, drone footage, time lapses, interviews, Liam singing, and reality follow-alongs. One day we went over to Lou’s house to film her making her legendary scones with her two beautiful daughters Annalou and Eliza. Throughout the trip I took behind the scenes photos, but by far my favorite shoot was with little 3-year-old Eliza waddling around. She is so photogenic and easy to work with. Her three favorite words are: “What’s that?” As she points, “Rawr” as she shows her teeth or chases Henny Penny their chicken (RIP*), and “No dat’s mine” when you show her something. *Henny Penny was captured by a fox the day after we filmed her when the girls were making scones. Her clucks will live on through film.

The days were long and the nights seemed so short. We’d wake up and start filming at 8AM and take a 30 min break to have a bite to eat for lunch then went back to filming until 8PM most days. It didn’t help that the sun barely goes down, so you never really felt like it was the time the clock said. So it’s safe to say we rarely slept, but made the most of it.

Austen worked on 6-8 cups of coffee a day per usual and shit got done!

After a week of filming at the HQ the first tour group arrived that we would be filming on the road. It was a couple who had ridden with CR the past year and were engaged on the trip. Lou loved them and invited them back for a feature and they ended up deciding to get married this trip as well—makes for great TV. The couple through it had to be divine intervention at play 1. Merging their lives back together after meeting in elementary school, being married previously, and eventually being asked back to Ireland to marry in the same spot they were engaged the year before. Safe to say the beautiful couple deserved this love.

So off we went following Paul and the lovebirds on their motorcycles towards Donegal (north). The boys piled all their gear in the van and sat in the back filming the riders out the truck. This was a serious adventure because I had the amazing opportunity to drive a full size touring van on the left side of tiny winding country roads with two reckless boys hanging out the trunk with thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment—I don’t know anything more stressful. Actually I do—let’s add roaming goats, sheep, and runaway cattle to the mix...that sure added to the excitement. But in all seriousness I love road trips and driving, so I was in my element.

During the long car rides (sometimes close to 5 hours) we laughed, joked, had deep convos, shared ideas, and sang a lot. You know that song “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson? Yeah that’s our theme song and we belted that ballad so passionately. We actually didn’t turn the stereo on until our last drive to Kinsale...funny. There was just so much to talk about and joke about with Adam, Lorraine, Austen and I. We truly make a great crew.

We stopped along the drive to many picturesque locations to shoot with the riders. We grabbed lunch at an observatory that was stunning and the food was great too. We ended up at Augusta Lodge in Westport where we stayed a night and I had my first “glass of Guinness with a drop of black”. It’s a Guinness with a splash of black currant and it is sooo tasty. I never liked beer, but this stuff is so creamy and sweet!

After Westport we headed to Donegal, a step closer to the Slieve League Cliffs where the wedding was planned to be. Donegal is a cute town, well all the towns are super cute, but we stayed at Harvey’s Point Hotel which is a magnificent hotel on the lake out in the countryside. We saw so many baby animals and their mamas when driving out the the hotel.

The wedding day came and we were so prepared...until we met the wind. Austen had to make an executive decision and film without audio because the wind reached up to 100km gusts—enough to knock you over the edge. Lou organized the event so perfectly. She brought beautiful white chairs and lined them up on the deck, she surprised the bride with a flower crown, and she even organized a priest AND musician. The couple rode up to the venue, I mounted their bikes and stripped down to their wedding attire...it was motorbike magical.

After the wedding ceremony Adam, Austen, and I played in the gusts of wind leaning against it to see how much it could hold our weight. It literally felt like skydiving—that’s how strong the winds were.

After our shenanigans we drove back to the hotel filmed some more. Austen decided to send the drone up to capture the sunset at the hotel. He took out his Inspire 2 (already set up from flying it at the windy cliffs earlier in the day) and launched it. We both watch in horror as one of the blades pops off and goes flying. I watch the drone try to stabilize and land with only 3 blades. It dances around and flips over spinning upside down. It was horrific. The drone was done. The wiring inside was somehow disrupted and unable to connect. We still had half the trip left and so much more to capture via sky. Thankfully Lou was on a mission to make sure we’d get the shots so she went out and snagged a drone for us to use the rest of the trip. After that incidence we headed back to CR HQ.

When we arrived back the the HQ Paul asked us his signature question, “Are you happy?” We answered yes!

And Paul exclaimed, “Happy days!”

We thought this was “grand,” haha. The Irish have such fun with their words and we had such fun hearing them all.

Not many people realize how much Austen and I work because from our social media it looks like we’re goofing off 24/7. While we always make sure to have a good time we do work around 12-14 hour days (if not more) and don’t take days off. At this point it’s just what we’re use to. Work come first, so if we do finish something early we usually just get started on the next days to do list. Sometimes, but very rarely we’ll take time to just enjoy things, but this trip to Ireland was jam packed with things we had to do in such a short amount of time that there was minimal room for our own exploring and adventures. This is fine though because we love what we do and wouldn’t want it any other way!

The next day after arriving home from the trip with the lovebirds we met the lady riders tour group, which was our second group to follow along and film. Before coming out to Ireland we had all the tour groups write little bios about themselves so we could think about what we might want to focus on filming for the show. I read and organizing all the bios and had been jumping with excitement to meet these ladies from the start.

The lady’s roll up in the courtesy van and are cracking up in laughter from the moment they stepped on the pavement. We filmed their arrival and interaction with Liam where they reminded him about how they pulled a prank on him throwing down a fake oil spill under their bikes 3 years back when they toured with CR. I was so excited to get on the road and adventure with them.

We packed up all the gear again and set off south this time. We first stopped at Arthur Guinness’s grave—which by now I should know the significance because Paul told me about a million times, but it didn’t stick. I know he’s really important to Ireland though! What I do remember is the drone attacking the tree and Austen jumping into nettle to find it...that wasn’t great, but the drone was fine.

After the cemetery we made our way to Kilkenny to stay at the Rivercourt Hotel on the river next to the Kilkenny castle. Along the way we stopped for lunch, joked around with the lady riders, and sang our songs in the car. In Kilkenny we took a tour of the castle and the cathedral, they were both beautiful. Paul is like a walking history book. He knows all the facts, all the dates, all the people involved. It’s insane! There’s no way to fact check it all, so we believe him.

Another place Paul took us was Delany’s Pub which is the oldest pub in that town. The man behind the bar Shamus (owner) served us beers with his bushy eyebrows. Paul asked him if we could put him on film the old man walked away.

Paul yelled after Shamus saying, ”you’re about to be on Hollywood make sure to brush those eyebrwns nice!”

We asked Paul “So did he say yes?”

Paul said, “Yeah he went to go brush his eyebrows it may be a minute” and a man sitting at the bar chimed in and said, “or two."

We all burst out laughing.

After Kilkenny we hopped on the winding country roads and headed towards the coast. As we drove along the twisting green lined roads going in and out of tree tunnels almost immediately pink flowers started popping up and sprinkling into the green hedges like polka dots. Then all of a sudden a tree tunnel opened up to an entire valley of bright pink flowers covering the hills. It was like something out of Narnia. We stopped to soak in the beauty.

After another couple winding and bumpy roads with the boys hanging out of the back of the van giggling as they filmed the riders we stopped at the Jameson Whiskey Distillery and the boys did a tasting. Then we arrived in Kinsale--such a beautiful fishing town with cute colored buildings and fancy hotels.

We stayed in the Trident Hotel with a view of the harbor. Paul needed up heading back home before this stop on the trip, so our gear had a room all to itself. This was also the first time in the 17 day trip Austen and I had access to a gym—it was so nice to get a good sweat on.

The next morning we headed out on the water. We were booked for a boat trip, but we had no idea what that meant: a dingy, a sailboat, a kayak... we arrived at Sovereign Sailing to meet our skipper Mike who brought us on a yacht. I never thought I would sail on a yacht in Ireland...but now I can say I have. It was a do it yourself sailing trip, so Mike had the ladies hoist the sails, turn the wheel, and pull all the ropes. I sat at the front of the boat taking photos...holding on for dear life as the boat practically sailed sideways. Austen decided to send the drone up..which meant I had to catch it because it is difficult to land on a moving object let alone one with ropes and lines going every which way. I’m a professional drone wrangler at this point in my career...not my first rodeo.

After our sailing adventure we were starved. We headed across the harbor to The Baumann where we had the most delicious lunch ever. Everything everyone ordered was incredible.

One sight we rarely got to see, but I’m dying to come back to experience is the Wild Atlantic Way. It’s the most beautiful stretch of coastal Ireland and I’m dying to come back to explore it. In Kinsale we were so close to it, so that’s a goal of mine for our next visit.

After Kinsale we packed back up, wished the Lady Riders a great rest of their tour, and headed to the CR HQ. We stopped a couple times because we couldn't resist jumping in the fields to take photos.

The last day of our trip we finished filming follow-up interviews and captured last minute clips around the HQ. We finished filming by following Paul and Siobhan riding along the old walls near their town. The family graciously treated us to a BBQ send off wrap party and it was perfect.

I didn’t want to leave Ireland. After 17 days it truly felt like home. I know Austen loves Ireland and can’t wait to come back to visit and Adam said he felt the same way. I know it had a lot to do with the beautiful family we were blessed to care for us, but the open roads, green surroundings, and adorable animals definitely added to it.

Meeting fellow travelers is such a rewarding experience. We made such great friendships with such kind and inspirational people with only knowing them for a few days. That’s magical to me. Travel is so much more than the places you go or the pictures you take . It’s the memories you make, the stories you share, and the inspirational way you impact those you interact with.

Traveling is truly transformative if you’re open to the experiences that come your way. Not only do the people you interact with alter you, but the challenges you endure and overcome. We had MANY bumps in our country road out here in Ireland, but not one of them has left a sore in our side. If you approach your journey through life as a set of learning lessons you will always be moving forward, growing, improving. Yes things can cost you time or money you didn’t plan to spend, but you gain so much more than you may have lost. You gain a solution to a possible future problem, you gain insight into something you were previously less knowledgeable about, and you gain a sense of pride in knowing you can overcome any barrier in your way.

Though we worked our entire trip I believe that is what made it such a memorable and rewarding experience.