Hello, hello!
I cannot believe today is our last day in Ireland. Time is absolutely flyin’ and we’re making the most of it, that’s for sure! I last blogged about our second day which we spent at Kilkenny Castle and Blarney Castle, so I have some serious recapping to do!
Now for the second part of our second day…
After we kissed the Blarney Stone, we hopped in our rental car and drove to Kinsale, a small fishing village located in County Cork in Ireland.
Several of you encouraged us to stay in Kinsale and I must thank you because we absolutely adored the little village!
And thank you to those who recommended The Old Presbytery bed and breakfast.
We were able to book a last-minute stay at this family-run bed and breakfast and have nothing but wonderful things to say about Noreen and Philip McEvoy.
When we checked in and dropped off our bags, Noreen greeted us and showed us to our room, which was outfitted with a beautiful brass bed and cozy decor.
The bathroom was also completely updated which was really nice. (We appreciated this even more after a less-than-stellar experience at the next bed and breakfast we stayed at the following night… No toilet paper!)
Once we were settled, Noreen told us to help ourselves to some treats and late afternoon tea which sounded perfect after a long drive.
Noreen’s daughter made all of the treats that day and I had a mini cappuccino cupcake and piece of carrot cake bread and both were fantastic.
The weather was quite cold and dreary outside, so sipping tea and chatting with Noreen and another guest in the common room was a great way to pass the hour or so before we were ready to head out to dinner.
When it came time for dinner, Ryan and I really wanted fish since Kinsale is a fishing village and we heard that the seafood in Kinsale phenomenal. We bundled up and made the very cold walk through Kinsale in search of fresh seafood!
How cute is Kinsale!?
When we stumbled upon Fishy Fishy, we knew we found a winner.
Right after we were seated and I scanned the menu, I knew I wanted oysters and ordered half a dozen to start.
Talk about fresh!!! They were fantastic and I didn’t have to do too much persuading to get Ryan to try his first raw oyster. He was a fan!
For my entree, our waitress talked me into a big bowl of the seafood chowder.
It was incredibly hearty and full of fish. I was in heaven! And the crème fraiche they served on the side? Delicious!
After dinner, we put on our cold-weather gear and headed back outside in search of a local pub to grab some drinks.
We ended up spending several hours at The White House and had the best time talking with locals.
The drinks were fabulous, too! The bartender did a great job recommending some delicious drinks to me. My only requirement was that I wanted something warm.
My favorite drink of the night was a creamy hot chocolate made with Bailey’s.
(And yes, Ryan ordered a Galway Hooker. The bartender said Americans love ordering that beer! Ha!)
I also loved the warm port that the bartended made with lemon and cloves. It reminded me a lot of the mulled wine I had at the bar that was decorated head-to-toe in Christmas decor in New York City last December! So delicious.
Our second night in Ireland was definitely a fun one!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I love mulled wine (even though yours was port), it is always so nice in the wintertime.
Looks like you guys are having a great time, can’t wait to hear more about your trip!
Incredible trip so far! Ireland is on my travel bucket list.
I ate at fishy fishy a few weeks ago when I was in Kinsale! Glad you had a great meal!
Ireland looks incredible! But also cold and gloomy…I would be requesting a warm drink too! Glad you are having fun! 🙂
I am loving these recaps, Julie! My boyfriend’s family is from Ireland and mine is from Scotland- we are hoping to make a trip in the next few years and I will be looking back for ideas when we plan the trip!
I loved it there too!
These posts are giving me a serious itch to travel! I’m glad you are having a good time!
I can’t imagine you had too much trouble finding a pub 🙂 They almost out number people here! You should try a glass of Guinness with a dash of blackcurrant! And also a shot called a baby Guinness is an amazing after dinner treat! If you’re back through Wicklow make sure you got to Avoca Hanweavers..some of the best food in the country!!
FYI, the Galway hooker is a type of boat (used by Galway fisherman)! It took my friend Danielle a while to figure that one out when we were in Galway!
It looks like you guys are having such an amazing time! Is evertything in Ireland really that cozy and friendly, or was it that stormy weather? What grey days.
It has been absolutely FREEZING, but we’ve been bundling up and drinking lots of hot drinks and eating lots of WARM food! It’s definitely cozy! It snowed like CRAZY in Dublin today.
AH! Snow in Ireland?! Bury me right then and there, that sounds like a dream! Hope you guys are still getting to see plenty of the stuff you wanted to see, and I can’t wait to hear about London!
Your warm drinks sounds so delicious! Glad you guys are having fun!!
These posts are making me want to travel immediately!
Ireland is calling. I believe it is going be definitely on our list whenever we plan to visit our cousins in England next year. Thanks a lot for all the tips on travel!
I can’t wait to go there. It’s very high on my list!
So cool! I’ve always wanted to stay in a bed and breakfast while traveling abroad 🙂
That bed and breakfast looks so cute! I would want to be out trying every restaurant in the town hehe.
Thanks so much for sharing tidbits of your trip! Makes me feel like I get a little bit of a vacay, for a few minutes at least 🙂 Oh, and I LOVE Hot Cocoa & Baileys, yum!
almost forgot, next time you need a warm drink try Snickers in a Cup: Hot chocolate, frangelico, butterscotch schnapps, dark créme de cacao with whipped cream, chocolate and caramel swirls and a cookie bit!
That sounds AMAZING!
I can’t wait to read the rest of your recaps! I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland and your photo of the cute, European street just gave me Europe-fever 🙂
Ahhh FUN!! We spent NYE in Kinsale a couple years ago with the locals…what a BLAST!!!!!
Wow, Ireland looks so different than the States. What a cute little bed and breakfast that was! Isn’t it hard to recap all that you’re doing on a trip? I just got back from NYC. I was only there for 36 hours, but I had to do a part I & part II for my recap posts or else it would’ve been like the longest post ever.
Can’t wait to hear about the rest!
Those treats look tasty!! Carrot cake bread sounds amaaaaazing! 🙂
i’m so glad that you and ryan are having a blast in ireland! i’ve never traveled to ireland (yet!), so i am absolutely loving these travel updates! the b&b you stayed at looks adorable and i’m drooling over your oysters and seafood chowder. enjoy your last day! =)
Oh man, we never tried a Galway hooker in Ireland. I missed out! hehe
My ancestors are from the Galway region of Ireland 🙂 My great grandfather and grandmother traveled to the states when they were teenagers.
I hope you have experienced the brown bread at one of the bed and breakfasts you stayed at in Ireland!! I want that hot chocolate now!
Loved this post!!! Looks like you are having an amazingly fun time… I’m taking a break from studying for exams and these pictures make me want to run out of the library and hop on a plane somewhere!! …..I wish.
And so I live vicariously through the life of peanut butter fingers, yet again! haha
The other day, my boyfriend was saying he really wanted to visit Ireland. I told him I didn’t really have a desire to go there…that there were other places higher on my list! I told him about your posts and how after seeing them, my mind has been completely changed! He was so surprised!
how fun! we’ve always wanted to go to Ireland…great to see your tips and places you are going.
I spent a lot of time working in Kinsale over the past 2 years. My project is over now so I won’t be going back, and I miss it horribly. It was a lovely surprise to see a glimpse of it in your blog. You definitely found the best seafood in town (although I think it’s difficult to go wrong there). I love the White House, too, although The Spaniard and the White Lady were my favorite pubs. Take care and safe travels.
Your drinks sound & look amazing!
Sounds like you’re having a fabulous time!
I love that you got the chance to hang out with some locals, I bet that was a lot of fun to feel a little less touristy and more like you belong. And get a taste of what it’s really like living there!
Looks like you are having an amazing time! I’m jealous 🙂
Wow, Wow, Wow! I love how much ya’ll are fitting in to your trip!
Thanks for the update posts, I am absolutely adoring them!
It looks like ya’ll are having a great time! I’d love to stay at a bed and breakfast, they seem so cozy!
I am so jealous that you are in IRELAND! What a cool country. I had no idea it was this gorgeous!
Hi Julie, all your giveaways look fantastic. Just wondered if they’re open to people outside the US (I live in London) keep blogging and living healthily!! I love all your posts xx enjoy Europe
Test comment.
Hi Julie!
I love this giveaway! I’ve been eyeing these shoes for awhile. I love the solar green and teal white!!!
It’s so pretty! I am just in awe of the old buildings and beautiful streets. Your B&B is too cute as well!
Loving the Ireland updates. It looks like you’re having an incredible time. Ireland is so pretty it’s even beautiful when it’s cold and dreary 😉
don’t leave without seeing Charles Fort.. it’s amazing!!!!!
Hi Julie! It looks like you’re having a blast in Ireland! I can’t wait to hear more about it.
Just wanted to say that i love reading about your vacation while I’m doing midterms at school! But I also am excited for you to get back and be my virtual workout buddy 🙂
Hello, I hope you enjoy your remaining time on your trip and have a safe return.
The black and mint shoes are my fav!
that bed and breakfast looks adorable!!!
Ireland looks so neat!! Glad you enjoyed that bed & breakfast & talking to some locals. 🙂
Looks super fun! And that B&B sounds so cute!
I’ve never tried raw oysters, don’t know if I could do it! Glad you guys are having fun!
Wow – looks amazing! So jealous. Thanks for sharing these photos with us.
xox Lara http://www.weheartbeautyblog.com
Sounds like an amazing day! I am glad that you guys had fun 🙂