FIVE UNIQUE IRISH EXPERIENCES
There were two unexpected perks to going on a pre-arranged, guided bus tour: the destination’s experts take care of all the daily logistics and they procure unparalleled access to places not easily available to solo travellers.
Book of Kells
Besides jumping the queue to see the lavishly decorated pages of Ireland’s most famous book, we were also given an in-depth interpretation of the ancient tome by Joseph O’Gorman, a charismatic professor and tour guide at Trinity College Dublin (the Book of Kells resides in the university’s spectacular library).
Afterwards, he took our group on a historical tour of the campus, which included colourful stories and questionable characters. It was an amusing introduction to Dublin and its history of academia and wit. Details: tcd.ie
Hurling lesson
There’s nothing like learning about Ireland’s national sport, hurling, firsthand ... with a hurley actually in your hand.
“It’s what we do, it’s in our blood,” explains P.J. Lannigan, an instructor at the Kilkenny Way and our coach for the morning.
“It’s a 3,000-year-old sport, so it’s older than Irish Christianity.” We practised bouncing, whacking and hitting our hurling balls before having a go trying to get them into the net with varying degrees of success — and silly smiles on our faces. Details: thekilkennyway.com
Jaunting car ride
The best way to experience the sweeping country views, rutting elks and ruins of Muckross Abbey in Killarney National Park is not on foot, but in a horse-drawn jaunting car — especially since you get to talk to local the drivers about their beloved horses.
“Sally’s a faithful old girl — better than a wife,” chuckles the driver charged with touring us around the spectacular 10,236-hectare park stuffed with thriving flora and fauna. Details: killarneynationalpark.ie
Falconry
As unique experiences go, attending Ireland’s oldest falconry school at Ashford Castle and flying a Harris hawk through the spectacular grounds of the Guinness family’s historical hunting lodge is high up there.
Meeting these magnificent birds in the flesh (and feathers) would have been enough, but we actually got to launch and catch a pair of these powerful flying predators under the watchful eyes of the school’s professional falconers. Details: falconry.ie
Private pint pouring
When a “Guinness expert” tells you he’s the fourth generation in his family to work for the Irish brewer, you don’t question him on his pouring prowess — you ask him for tips.
We skipped the queue and went straight into the private Guinness-tasting room at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin where we learned the ins and outs of pint pouring.
Working at that Irish pub all those years ago finally paid off when I got top marks for my head-to-beer ratio. Details: guinness-storehouse.com