GlobeTrotting669824, Aug 2026
Taking the Irish road
Our recent tour of Ireland with Rabbie’s Tours was everything we hoped a journey through Ireland would be—and more. Over the course of the trip, we traveled from Dublin through Belfast and Derry, across Donegal and along the Wild Atlantic Way, through Connemara and Galway, and finally back to Dublin. We saw castles, abbeys, ancient ruins, dramatic coastlines, mountains, villages and roads that seemed to disappear into the landscape.But the real highlight was Ireland itself.
We experienced the country in every kind of weather. There were warm, dry days, gentle Irish mist and, eventually, the real rain—the kind that soaks your jacket and turns mountains into shadows. Somehow, it all made the scenery better. Ireland seems to know exactly how to make its landscape feel bigger.We walked the walls of Derry and learned about its troubled past. We stood among the murals and peace walls of Belfast and were reminded how much history can still live in a place. We visited Dunluce Castle, Cong Abbey, Kylemore Abbey and the landscapes of Connemara. We traveled the Sky Road, saw the Killary Fjord, crossed the countryside and followed roads that often seemed more like part of the scenery than a way to get somewhere.And there were the unexpected moments—the street performers, marionettes, quiet villages, roadside ruins, sheep, surfers at Keel Beach in Achill; braving the cold North Atlantic surf off the wild Atlantic way, rainbows, good meals and conversations with people along the way. Those are often the moments that stay with you longest.A large part of the success of the trip was Rabbie’s Tours. The small-group format made the journey feel personal rather than like being moved from one attraction to another. Our driver-guide did more than navigate the roads. He became our storyteller, historian and local connection, adding context and humor along the way and helping us discover places we might otherwise have missed.There was no rush to simply check boxes on a sightseeing list. We had time to stop, look, photograph and enjoy the places we were passing through. As a photographer, that mattered. Ireland gave us light, weather, mountains, mist, roads and landscapes that seemed to change by the minute. Sometimes the best photograph was not the grand attraction but a bend in the road disappearing into the rain.By the end of our trip, Ireland felt less like a place we had visited and more like a story we had briefly stepped into. We will happily take the road with Rabbie’s again.
