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Ireland Archives - Family Travel with Colleen Kelly

Historic Ireland – Dublin & County Monaghan

Dublin always seems to be at the top of everyone’s list when it comes to traveling to the Republic of Ireland. As it should! Not only are there a million things to do in this city, but Dublin Airport is one of the airports you can arrive in when traveling with Aer Lingus, the official airline of Ireland. We
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Belfast…and Beyond!

When Americans plan a trip to the island of Ireland, sometimes forgotten is carving out the time to journey upward to Northern Ireland. Not only does the northern coast dazzle with incredible natural landscapes along the water, but the city of Belfast continues to welcome tourists into its open arms. Here are the highlights from
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The Lodge at Ashford Castle

From ages 0-99, anyone can take a trip back in time with all the perks of modern-day amenities: A real castle with over 350 acres of pristine landscape, including one of Ireland’s largest bodies of water, The Lodge at Ashford Castle is something out of a storybook. The 64 beautiful suites come with private balconies overlooking the lake or
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Family Travel in Ireland: Westport House

Westport House Just a short drive from Westport city center is Westport House, a privately owned home with historic roots.  The owners of Westport House are descendants of the legendary Pirate Queen, Grace O’Malley. You can find a statue of the Pirate Queen in the gardens of the home.  Visitors can tour inside the home and can view
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Family Travel in Ireland: Rockfleet Castle

In doing our research on the Westport area, we learned that Grace O’Malley, otherwise known as the Pirate Queen, held a prominent place in history in the area. The O’Malleys were one of the seafaring families on the west coast. They had many castles built in order to oversee their territory. It was said that
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Family Travel in Ireland: The Greenway

The Greenway is a scenic pathway for biking, running and strolling near Clew Bay in County Mayo. The Greenway is built on top of an old railway track that ran along the water from Westport to Achill. If you are looking for good place to get some exercise with an extraordinary view, check out the
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Day 3: Family Travel CK in Ireland – Westport

Westport is just beautiful and we were able to check out three local spots including a farm, a horse stable at the base of Croagh Patrick Mountain and Rockfleet Castle, which once belonged to Grace O’Malley the Pirate Queen. Greenway Farm provides fresh produce for local restaurants. The farmer/owner from Greenway Farm with his geese. Rockfleet is
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Day 2: Family Travel CK in Ireland – Westport

We had such a lovely day in Westport. We started with sipping tea and dodging the rain.  Luckily it cleared up in the afternoon to get in a bike ride on the beautiful Greenway and then a roll down a hill in a zorb!  The night ended with Matt Molloy at his famous pub, a pint of Guinness in hand!
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Newport, Ireland & Family Travel CK

As soon as we arrived in Ireland, we went straight to Newport, County Mayo.  It is the home of my ancestors and a place where we have many family members and friends.  They all gathered together to welcome our whole crew and make us feel at home.  Everywhere we turned, we were met with pure
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