Mesmerising Republic of Ireland

“Be sure to wear green in Ireland!”
My friend reminded me for the tenth time. Boy was I nervous, I did not want to get pinched by the leprechaun. As I stepped out of the ferry into the Republic of Ireland, I noticed people staring at me as if I was an alien. Do not tell me green sunglasses, green wig, green turtleneck, green pants, and not to mention, green shoes, are not enough. Feeling a bit vulnerable, I took off my wig, sunglasses and put on a black jacket over my shirt. As embarrassed as I was, I felt an Irish vibe to get started on our journey to the great and wonderful… REPUBLIC OF IRELAND!
Ireland is a very small country. And on the map, Ireland is no bigger the the nail of my pinkie. And then again Northern Ireland, which is currently part of UK, occupies the top quarter. As they all say, size does not the matter. Ireland has a great, rich culture and very unique traditions. No matter how small the country may be, the hearts of all Irish people are possibly bigger than Russia doubled.
Ireland has a very “chill” environment. Working times are usually from 9am to 5pm. Quite early to end the day, don’t you think? And why not, they need to get ready to go to the Irish pubs. After work you will find most adults at the bar drinking the famous Irish Guinness. Most pubs allow kids… of course, not to drink. Every hotel, every restaurant has a bar and Guinness is served there. Though restaurants are not open late in small cities, some Chinese and Afghan restaurants are open late.
Ireland is not very crowded. If you do happen to see a big crowd, it may be that the whole town is gathering to watch an Irish football match against the neighboring county, something that happened to us while we were there. These games are played between different Irish Counties and are very competitive. It is a mix of soccer, basketball, and American football.
Overall, the weather of Ireland is a bit gloomy, but with all the great culture around, the weather would not matter a bit.

Wheelchair Accessible Itinerary

Planning

• The first thing we had to plan was to rent a car because we were going on a road trip to Ireland.
  • If you are visiting just Ireland, then it is better to rent the car from Dublin
  • If you are combining England with Ireland, then it is better to fly into London Heathrow and rent the car from the airport. You will get
    • More Flight Options
    • More rental companies will allow you to take the car to Ireland.
      Note: The rental companies charge an additional amount to take the car into Ireland.
• We rented the car from London Heathrow and we planned to enter Ireland via Ferry. Going to Ireland by Ferry was a lot of fun, but be sure to book in advance.
  
  • If you need a wheelchair cabin, book it well ahead of time, as there are only a handful of wheelchair cabins available in each Ferry
  • If you are not carrying a wheelchair, Ask for a wheelchair as you are checking into the ferry. The wheelchair may be needed in the ferry if you have mobility issues especially when the sea gets choppy. Trust me I have seen it happen

• Make sure you book fully accessible hotels with accessible parking
  
  • Call the hotel the day before you check in to allot you a room close to the elevator, in case you are walking with crutches
  • Also ask the hotel to reserve an accessible parking spot for your entire stay, just in case there is a rush

• Driving in Ireland is the same as the UK. Do not forget to take your disabled placard ( the Blue Badge), as it works internationally and Ireland has special privileges for cars displaying the Blue Badge.
  
  • With Blue Badge, you can park anywhere on the road where there are two yellow lines
  • All paid parking on the streets is free for Blue Badge holders
  • Warning: Do not park on a single yellow line for more than three hours

• Summer is the best time to visit Ireland. Even then travel with layers and a raincoat.
• Last, but not the least, be sure to have fun and drink lots of Guinness

 

Route

Day 1

We took the afternoon car ferry to Ireland from Pembrokeshire and reached the waterfront town of  Wexford. Wexford is a small town whose prime importance is the port. It is better to stay in the town of Waterford, which is about one hour drive from Wexford. We drove to Waterford and stayed there for a night. Waterford is a wheelchair accessible town and you can drive to almost all the major attractions. We stayed at the Waterford Marina Hotel, which is a friendly boutique hotel and has a very good view of the lake. The hotel has disabled parking in the rear, and the hotel staff is very helpful. If you are there on weekends, you can enjoy the late-night Irish music in their pub.

Day 2

The day started off with a heavy Irish breakfast. It was sunny and we decided to use it to our advantage since the weather here changes quite frequently. We drove along the Irish coast and covered Cobh, Kinsale, and Cork. As we were driving towards Cobh, we stopped at a hidden gem called Ardmore, that we chanced upon – one of the many advantages of a road trip. Covering all the three places in one day was a little hectic. So it would be better for you to spend the night in Kinsale. Cobh and Kinsale are pretty waterfront towns, which are very easy to drive by.

In Cobh, we visited the Titanic Museum.
The Titanic Museum is not wheelchair accessible, as you need to climb a few stairs to reach the elevator.

Breakfast Menu in Titanic

Cork is an old historic town. I would suggest you skip that, as there are no major attractions and is quite a detour. Kinsale is fifteen miles from Cork and is a pretty laid back waterfront town. You can drive through the town and enjoy it.

We reached Tralee very late, but the good thing is, the fast-food restaurants remain open till late. Meadowlands Hotel is a beautiful place with its own private garden.
It is completely wheelchair accessible and has accessible parking too
Make sure to call before and reserve a room close to the reception.

Day 3

We stayed at Tralee for two nights. We visited the areas around Tralee. From Killarney to Kenmare, around the Ring of Kerry, and lastly to Dingle. Normally, these towns are not so crowded. But we were surprised to see hundreds of people gathering up in Killarney. After we asked a commoner, we found out that the crowd was for a big game of Irish Football with the neighboring county. That was the only place where I could see Irish merchandise relating to leprechauns and four-leaf clovers.

Next, we visited the Ring of Kerry. It is Ireland’s most scenic route.
It is very accessible and you can explore this by car. Make sure you start early so that you can see the places along the route before it gets dark.

Dingle is an authentic little Irish town with lots of Irish pubs and no fast foods like McDonald’s. We also drove around the Dingle Peninsula, which is a thirty-mile loop route.

Day 4

The next destination was Dublin. It is about three and half our from Tralee if driven straight.We first drove to Cliffs of Moher, one of the most visited places in Ireland. Cliffs of Moher is wheelchair accessible. It has accessible parking and a path for wheelchair all the way to the edge of the cliff( not very smooth though). You can get detailed information (including accessibility) here.  We then stopped at Kilkenny, the castle town. There we visited the Castle and the Kilkenny Design Center. The Castle was like a chateau with a lush green field.
The Kilkenny Design Center was not wheelchair accessible at all, though it is very beautiful inside
The Castle was fully accessible. When rainy, the slopes and entrances get very slippery. If you are using crutches, it is preferable to get a wheelchair
We reached our hotel, the Maldron Airport Hotel pretty late. Luckily we got to eat at the Airport Hotel’s restaurants as they normally remain open late, as many people come from the airport at odd times. While checking in we realized we were given the wrong information and the room was very far from the reception.

Day 5

We stayed in Dublin for three nights and on the second day we visited the mall, Grafton Street, the Dublin Castle, and then went to the Temple Bar late at night. We first headed to the Blanchardstown Center Mall. This mall has the Shop Mobility store right at the entrance of the mall, where you can rent a wheelchair cheaply. The Temple Bar area is the most famous street in Dublin. The streets are full of Irish pubs, where they serve the famous Guinness beer. Rent the wheelchair before visiting Temple Bar, as not all pubs are accessible
Grafton Street was a very lively place, but shops close early.

Day 6

On our third day in Dublin, we visited the famous Trinity College. Trinity College is a very prestigious college in Ireland. The college is also home to a very historic library and holds the famous Book of Kells.
This Library is completely wheelchair accessible. After you enter the library, there are a few steps to climb to view the Book of Kells and stairs to get to the second floor, but if you ask for assistance they will guide you to the elevator. 

Day 7

We started our day early as we had to reach the Dublin Port to catch the ferry to Holyhead, UK.
Book the wheelchair cabin in advance, as there are limited wheelchair-accessible cabins.
Ask for wheelchair assistance while checking into the ferry. The Ferry ride this time was nice and calm. The weather was also warm and sunny and soon we bid goodbye to the Irish Shores and got ready to say Hello UK.