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When our flight touched down in Dublin, we had no idea our carefully planned 29-day Irish adventure would begin with financial shock. Our supposedly bargain $18-per-day rental car suddenly required mandatory insurance at €58 daily plus a €31 fee for crossing to Northern Ireland—ballooning our anticipated $522 cost to nearly $2,500. Welcome to Ireland, indeed!

Belfast greeted us with beautiful architecture at City Hall and Queen's University, but also with sobering reminders of The Troubles at every turn. The hop-on-hop-off tour highlighted bombing sites and memorials rather than typical tourist attractions, creating a somewhat melancholy atmosphere despite interesting spots like the Titanic Museum built near the shipyards where the ill-fated vessel was constructed.

As we ventured along the coast, we discovered that sometimes the most famous attractions aren't the most rewarding. The Giant's Causeway, though geologically fascinating, was overwhelmed with tourists even in early May and bitterly cold with whipping winds. Meanwhile, lesser-known Dunluce Castle offered dramatic clifftop ruins, Game of Thrones connections, and the luxury of space to explore without crowds.

Our counterclockwise journey around the island revealed Ireland's constantly shifting landscapes—from dramatic coastlines to rolling countryside, often changing every few miles. The Wild Atlantic Way provided breathtaking scenery, while small towns offered unexpected treasures. In Donegal, a beautifully preserved 15th-century castle gave us a genuine glimpse into medieval life with its thick stone walls and vaulted wooden ceilings.

Roscommon became our favorite Irish destination, with its fourteen-acre Loughnaneane Park featuring walking trails, wooden sculptures of Gaelic heroes, and castle ruins we could explore freely without entrance fees or formal oversight. Local pubs provided authentic connections with colorful characters, including a bartender who insisted the proper local pronunciation of "Mur-RAY" was actually "Murry," and claimed the other version was "posh."

The most profound aspect of our journey was encountering Ireland's painful history at every turn—castle fortifications built out of necessity, famine memorials in town squares, and exhibits describing the "coffin ships" that transported desperate emigrants to America. At Strokestown's Famine Museum, seeing my family name among those who fled or were forced onto ships hit home in ways I hadn't anticipated.

Despite these echoes of historical trauma, we were consistently moved by the warmth and resilience of the Irish people, their genuine hospitality, and their ability to acknowledge a painful past while embracing visitors with open arms. Our Irish adventure reminded us that travel isn't just about seeing beautiful places—it's about understanding the complex human stories that shape them.

For information on the 2025 International Living Ultimate Go Overseas Bootcamp in Portland, Oregon August 29th-September 1st : https://www.internationalliving.com/events

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