A couple months ago Jenn and I returned to Europe for the first time in several years. In our early years together, we made several trips to Europe (Spain, Greece, the UK), but our last decade or so has been occupied heavily by nature/wildlife-themed travel in other parts of the world. Throwing a baby into the mix definitely alters our current travel possibilities, so when we were looking for somewhere we could travel as a family, Europe made much more sense in terms of convenience than some far off jungle. In this case, I still owed Jenn for the second half of our honeymoon, which was supposed to happen nine years ago. Back then she wanted to visit Ireland, and when presented with a choice this time (the other option being Iceland, which we both wish to see), she picked it again.
So off we went, with a fifteen-month old in tow. I limited the amount of camera gear on this trip, since it was more relaxed and photography wasn’t the priority. Many of our adventures were documented with cell phone cameras (this was a great trip for toddler and family photos!). But I brought one SLR body and a couple lenses to document some of the historical sites and natural wonders we visited too. Highlights included the old monastic site at Glendalough, the cliffs and natural sites of the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula, and a hike through Dromore Wood in the Burren.
See the full Ireland 2018 gallery here. A short preview is below.
Glendalough may have been my favorite site in Ireland. The old cemetery and buildings nestled among forested hillsides had a lot of character.
Ballycarbery was one of the first castles we visited.
A fulmar soars above crashing waves on Ireland’s Atlantic coast.
The long expanse of beach at Inch Strand was made famous by the 1970 film Ryan’s Daughter.
Tourists have the option of walking, riding in a carriage or driving down the road through the Gap of Dunloe.
There are lots of cool patterns and colors in the cliffs near Dingle.
Without a doubt the coolest structure we saw during our trip, the Gallarus Oratory on the Dingle Peninsula was built without mortar and is still waterproof.
The trees of Dromore Wood.
View all 59 new photos in the Ireland 2018 gallery here. A remember, you can purchase prints of most of these photos directly through this website.
