FALCONS, STALACTITES AND MANIAC SHEEPDOGS — VISIT THE REAL IRELAND

To be perfectly honest, Ireland wasn’t on my holiday radar until a group of friends decided we all needed to go. Yes … needed to go.

“We need to find our roots and we need to see the shipyards of the Titanic because my grandfather worked on it,” was the original plea. Of course, we did the typical tourist things, but we also stepped off that beer and whiskey-soaked trail to experience Ireland in ways that touched our souls and opened our eyes. Here’s my top picks to not just visiting Ireland — but letting it be a part of you.

When you’re in Dublin, buy a hop-on-hop-off pass from the double-decker bus companies looping to all the attractions. Yes, go to Guinness and draw a pint, and go to Teeling and Jamison’s for whiskey tours. But don’t forget to stop at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and walk through the most spectacular library in the world. Visit a cathedral or three.

Do the free things like walking under the diving bell that was invented there and used in the building of the Port’s quay from 1871 to 1958. Watch the buskers, walk through Temple Bar to see the street art, or go to the National Museum to admire the collection of medieval artifacts.

Stop at a castle or two. There are over 30,000 either in pristine condition or crumbling in farmers’ fields.

Set sail to the Aran Islands and explore the amazing landscape. Stay overnight to meet a seaweed farmer and take home a packet of dried seaweed to spice up your meals. Take a pony & trap tour or a walking tour or better yet, a cycling tour to learn how farmers stack the limestone “pavement” to make fences (there’s more than 1,600 kilometres of them), then use seaweed and sand to enrich the soil.

Stop in a pub and talk with the locals. Listen to old men resting at the bar tell tales or sing ballads of yore.

Visit the ancient forts and find the Worm Hole; a natural rectangular shaped pool where the Atlantic rushes through. Wander along the Wild Atlantic Way to explore the treasures of the landscape. Visit the Cliffs of Moher but stop to see Rose, Lee and Sally round up a flock of sheep in a sheepdog demonstration at Caherconnell, or go deep underground at the Doolin Caves to admire the largest stalactite in the underworld of Europe.

Walk through the forest at Ashford Castle in County Mayo with a guide from Ireland’s School of Falconry to learn the ancient craft of hunting with birds of prey. Make your way to Northern Ireland to walk the stone bridge built by feuding giants (Giant’s Causeway) or cling to the railings on the narrow Gobbins Cliff path first opened in 1902 — with no railings!

Visit the settings of the Game of Thrones TV series. In Belfast, visit the Titanic Museum.

But be sure to find your way to Kelly’s Cellars, the most authentic and comfortable Irish pub in town. Sit down and order a pint of Guinness and — be a part of Ireland.