County Cavan and Dublin, Ireland 2026

The main event of my trip was Regina and Sam’s wedding at the Virginia Park Lodge in County Cavan. Back on Saturday, upon arrival at the airport back, the Customs Officer asked the purpose of my trip, and I said I was there for a wedding and sight-seeing. He asked where and then told me he was also going to a wedding at the Virginia Park Lodge two months later! Quite the coincidence!

credit: Wonder and Magic

Galway, Ireland 2026

I was determined to visit Galway, which is described as Ireland’s “bohemian cultural heart, famous for its vibrant street music, medieval history, and lively pub scene,” and because the Galway races take place during the last week in July, I chose to go the week before. Now that we knew our way around Cork, it took only a few minutes to reach the bus stop for a three hour trip that was fairly scenic.

Arms of the Martin family, one of the Tribes of Galway (1641)

Cork, Ireland 2026

On Monday, we took an 8 am bus to Cork, the second-largest city in the Republic of Ireland (my cousin Sabrina had given us good advice about a bus stop closer to our B&B but I didn’t relax until the bus actually stopped and let us buy tickets on board)(everyone kept warning us that having a ticket in advance guarantees you a seat but if you have a ticket for bus and miss it, you are out of luck). We only had one day in Cork so we wanted to get an early start. 

St. Fin Barre Cathedral

Kilkenny and Waterford, Ireland 2026

A quick look at some of the highlights of my trip to Ireland, beginning in Waterford – several of us were invited to the wedding of our friends, Duncan (who I met when I was 5 - very Betsy-Tacyish) and Marlene’s daughter, Regina, in County Cavan. Having only had a 24-hour layover in Dublin many years ago, I decided I wanted to see more of the country and persuaded my college classmate, Susan, to join me for several days of sight-seeing before we headed to the wedding.

Mt. Congreve Gardens