Horse Riding Expert Shares Ireland's Best Kept Secrets!

Welcome to Equestrian Journeys. I'm Sandy Colling, your guide to the captivating world of European horse culture. In each episode, we'll talk about century-old traditions, rich history, and the vibrant modern horse scene in Europe. You'll hear great stories, get insider tips, and meet wonderful guests who share our passion. So whether you're planning your next adventure or exploring from home, Equestrian Journeys offers a unique perspective on travel and equestrian, as well as non-equestrian culture all around Europe. So join me each week as we uncover hidden gems and stories from Europe's magnificent horse heritage. And today I want to share with you a little bit about the equestrian adventure that I had in Ireland. I just got back on Wednesday late, and boy was it a whirlwind trip to Ireland. It was so in and out and so quick, but it was just so much fun. And I was super grateful that I was able to meet with a young lady, Cuiva, and her dad, Liam, who shared with us the most off-the-beaten-track pieces of Ireland. Of course, we went to some of the more visited places, but we were so lucky that we were able to see some of the very off-the-beaten-track beaches and ruins, abbeys, old ancient abbeys that You know, I don't want to say your average tourist, but that most people don't have access to because they don't know about it for no other reason. And I'm super grateful to Liam and Quiva to have spent this whirlwind trip. I mean, it was a whirlwind trip. We packed so much into these few days. It was kind of ridiculous. That being said, I'm back and I'm processing. And I'm so grateful to have been able to do this. I flew out of Hartford this time, Hartford, Connecticut. I personally live in upstate New York, and it's been of a challenge to try to find an airport. I did a little video on that because I always swore that I'd never live more than 30 minutes from a major airport, and here we are. So I flew out of Hartford, Connecticut on Aer Lingus. It was a direct flight into Dublin. I arrived at 5 o'clock in the morning. And that early in the morning, the Airbnb was kind enough to allow me a very early check-in. So I went straight to the Airbnb and got to have a little nap before I went into Dublin. And explored Dublin. I hadn't been back in, gosh, 13, 14, 15 years. So a lot had changed. And I literally walked 7.5 miles just walking all over Dublin. I got a raincoat. I'd been meaning to buy a raincoat, and what better place to buy a raincoat than Ireland? And I had a scone and a cup of coffee and just, you know, really had a good day. Got some— not necessarily sightseeing in, but just got some exploring in and walked into some stores and just saw some musicians on the street, walked Stephen's Green, and just had a good old time in Dublin. So the next day, my friend from Charlotte arrived, and we just explored— Pulling a suitcase behind us— Dublin for a little bit, had breakfast, saw a bunch of horse and buggies walk by. And then we went to the Dublin-Houston train station and Took a train to Galway. Along the way, we saw the beautiful Irish landscape, took a little nap. I did a little work and found out too late on this trip that there was a Dewberry outlet on the way. Next time, we definitely wanted to stop, but it was too late and we missed our stop. So now we know there's a Dewberry outlet. So if you're ever in Dublin and on the way to Galway, it's outside of Galway, there's a Dewberry outlet. Just a little tidbit. Had dinner at a fabulous restaurant in Galway called Hyde. It's also a hotel. Had a great time, had a great meal, and just conked. Just went to bed and conked. The next morning, we were picked up by the amazing Liam and his lovely daughter, Caoimhe, and it was just so great to finally meet them in person. We learned so much from Liam. He is the tour guide extraordinaire. I mean, his wealth of knowledge is unbelievable. And does he have the gift of the gap? Absolutely. We held on to every word coming out of his mouth. And I wish I had a photographic memory. I wish I had videoed or recorded more of his little anecdotes because they were just so— Amazing. Maybe I'll remember some of them along the way, but it was an unbelievable drive. We left Galway. Our final stop for the day was Cong, and we made so much ground. We saw so much. Driving out of Galway, the scenery, the coastline, sheep everywhere, of course, absolutely beautiful. We stopped at a little airport, and the airport was tiny, and the airport goes to the Aran Islands. So the Aran Islands, what it's mostly known for is the famous sweater. And so we stopped at the airport. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go to the Aran Islands, but it was so fun watching the planes take off and come back in. Only 8-seaters. So when we go to Ireland, maybe it'll be on the agenda that we'll pop on one of those planes. And it's— I think it's a 20-minute flight. I can't remember. It's not a long flight. Like, you can see the Aran Islands from the airport. After we left the little airport, we went to Clifton. And what a cute little town. Sadly, it was Sunday. Everything in Europe is closed on Sundays. Maybe a good thing. Had a cup of coffee and met the wonderful Koch, who was so hospitable, showed us around the area. And we saw so many calamares on the way. And Koch showed us the area, some highlights that, again, off the beaten track that not your average person knows to visit. Not say they don't visit, but you don't know what you don't know. So it was so beautiful. And we were so grateful to be able to look at the beaches, learn about the culture, learn about the history of the area, and of course, the wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Connemara ponies. Saw a gorgeous beach and had lunch at the Ballynahinch Castle, where we will also be riding when we go on our trip in June. It was absolutely spectacular. And then leaving for Cong, again, we saw many Connemara ponies. We saw a lot of sheep. There's sheep everywhere. The scenery is so spectacular, absolutely spectacular. And we stopped at one of Liam's friends, Joe, who is a sheepherder. And he is famous for— remember that scene in Marley and Me where they're in Ireland and there's a herd of sheep that blocks the road? Well, we stopped there and we were given a mini sheepdog demonstration with the most adorable border collies. And there was a litter of border collies. Like, the little one was, I think, Midge. Midge was her name. And I wanted to bring her home. So adorable. Joe showed us the pictures of him with Jennifer Aniston. And I forgot what the actor's name was, but it was just so fun to talk to him and— Hear an explanation of how he trains these unbelievable dogs. It is just fascinating how, how well trained they are and they listen. It's left, right, left, right, and the whistle. And it's just brilliant. Like, it's so fascinating. Then we made our way to the town of Kong. So Kong is known for the movie The Quiet Man. There's even a statue of Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne in the town. A lot of museums around that, just a lot of anecdotes, a lot of references to The Quiet Man, to the movie. It was just so fun to see that. And I know it's an ancient movie and some young people may not know it, but Google it, The Quiet Man. It's a very famous movie. It's definitely, definitely worth watching, especially after having been there. There's Kong Abbey. There's so much in this area to see. And of course, there's the Famous Ashford Castle. So we walked up to Ashford Castle, walked along the grounds, and when you cross this little bridge, there's the hotel guards, I guess, there. And we just walked in with a purpose, so we were able to go in up close, and it's spectacular. So Ireland, of course, is known for its many castles, and Ashford Castle is so spectacular. Mm-hmm. The next morning we took off for Dingle. So along the way we saw so many amazing highlights. And again, we saw so much, half of it I need to refer back to Liam to get the names, but we saw the Ross— I hope I'm pronouncing that right— Friary. And Liam gave us a tour of it. It's fascinating, the history and the age of these things. So they go back thousands and thousands of years. And we went on the path of fairies and leprechauns. Yes, they do exist. And explored the geopark site where hundreds of different flowers grow wildly in the burn. It's really hard to imagine that through this rocky terrain, so many unbelievably flowers grow. And I think obviously we were there past the season, but in the spring, there are hundreds of different beautiful flowers that grow, including, and I had No idea. 27, I think it was 27 different types of orchids. Like, I was blown away that orchids grow in Ireland. Like, who would have thought, right? We continued our drive. We stopped in Listonvarna. Listonvarna is known for a famous matchmaking festival that happens every September. So we just missed it, but we did get out, take a couple pictures. And this was a sussing out trip. This was an exploratory trip. So We did everything kind of in a whirlwind situation, prepping everything for next June when we will actually have more time to see so many beautiful sights and learn more about it and spend some more time there. Of course, we want some downtime. We don't want it rush, rush, rush. We stopped at the very famous Cliffs of Moher. That's kind of a must. Probably seen pictures of it, but they do it no justice. They're absolutely spectacular. And it was a gorgeous day. What I would like to do next time is see them from the water. So take a boat. So there's so many different things you can do, but when you're on a time constraint, you can't do it all. And the not so well-known St. Bridget was another stop on our road. And it's a beautiful, magical place energetically. It's hard to explain, but it was very, very powerful. And we got there right before a local bus stopped by. I want to say it was a school bus that was taking a visit. And some of you may know the famous cross that's made from the rushes. Yeah. Stopped at an off-the-beaten-track beach, and I was absolutely blown away by its beauty and can't wait to go back because we will be cantering across the This beach. It was spectacular. It was absolutely spectacular. We took pictures. The sun was setting. I mean, it was a magical moment. After that, we flew to catch the ferry. And because things take time and you stop a little longer and the ferry only runs every hour, so we— well, I shouldn't say we. Liam had his pedal to the metal and we flew across the countryside. To catch the ferry, which we did, and crossed 20 minutes on the ferry and actually got to see dolphins. The dolphins, they were a little far away, but we saw dolphins, which was so fun. Drove to Dingle, and on the drive to Dingle, there was an overlook, and we were looking into the Bay of Dingle. It was dark and the lights were on, and National Geographic has actually said that Dingle is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I have to say it is absolutely spectacular. We drove into Dingle where we were spending the night and ventured out to a pub and saw the 5-time world champion David Geaney. I think that's how you pronounce it. It was so fun. I mean, the footwork is unbelievable. So that was super, super awesome. We also went to Dick Mack's and I forgot one other pub that are quite famous. It was a Monday night, so it was kind of quiet. But the pub where David Geaney danced was packed. We also had a famous Murphy ice cream, even though it was kind of chilly. Weather wasn't too bad. We actually had nice weather except for the last day when it rained a little, but we had to have that ice cream. And the next day we left Dingle, took some beautiful pictures because we had gotten there the night before when it was dark. That day was a long drive. It was from Dingle to Killarney, so there was a lot of driving. But the countryside is just so spectacular. So we stopped in Killarney, didn't have much time, walked through the national park, saw the equestrian center there, and in the gardens there were some grapes being grown, which was kind of funny to see grapes being grown in Ireland. And we even had one and it was delicious. Continued, visited another equestrian center, and then On the way to Dublin, we saw the Curragh, which is the famous racetrack, and I have some amazing pictures. Again, it was dark. It was after, after hours, but it was so fun to see this racetrack. It's the famous racetrack. We also drove by the National Stud in Kildare. We wanted to go visit, but it was too late. It had already closed. I've seen it in the past with the Japanese gardens, and that is definitely on the list for June. So what we did in 3 days, we'll be spreading out a lot further in June. Of course, with the riding in a couple different areas, the beaches are just so spectacular. And what I love about it is they're empty, so you don't have to worry about all the people and the wideness of it. And just, it's breathtaking. It's really hard to put into words the beauty. We overnighted in Dublin at the airport. We had a great meal for dinner, had our last little glass Guinness. And the next morning, since Dublin is one of the few airports in the world— there are a few others, but I think it's the only European airport where you actually clear customs and immigration in Ireland. So got to the airport the next morning, and I have Global Entry, so I took out my app and I literally was through in less than 2 minutes. It was fantastic. Went through customs, did the preclearance is what they call it, and had enough time to grab a cup of coffee from a great Irish roaster called Cloudpicker. Did some more just venturing around the airport. I got there a little early, but it was fine. I'd rather be early than late. And hopped on my Aer Lingus flight back in 6 hours. That's the nice thing about Ireland from the East Coast. It's really not a long trip. And was back in 6 hours and just looking through all the pictures. It's even though I'm back since Wednesday, it feels like I just did so much. And the beauty of this country and the beauty of the people too. The people are just so incredibly friendly and kind and hospitable. And I'm just so excited for the trip that we'll all do in June. I only have spots for 6 people. So if you are at all interested, Reach out, message me, because I know it's going to fill up. We're going to do a little bit of riding. It's not going to be an equestrian trip per se. We're going to go to the Kildare National Stud. We're going to see the Curragh. We are going to have a couple beach rides, and I'm trying to get in with a Connemara breeder. So fingers crossed that that works out. But it will be an equestrian trip, but it won't be riding, riding, riding, riding, because Ireland has so much to offer. And although, yes, the riding is fun, there's so much more. So just keep that in mind. So this wraps up another episode of Equestrian Journeys, and I really want to thank you for joining me today. If you loved our journey and if you loved hearing about Ireland, share it with a friend who loves travel and/or horses. And don't forget to subscribe to Equestrian Journeys on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Thank you. And I just revamped the website. So visit Equestrian Journeys for all the information, all the custom travel that we do. We have multiple trips planned next year, as well as a virtual journey through Europe coming up in November that if you want to get on the priority list, I would love to have you virtually travel with me through Europe. It'll be a 6-week virtual journey, and every week we'll offer a different country. Equestrian history, culture, as well as non-equestrian history and culture and cuisine and all kinds of great travel tips. And if you have any questions or suggestions for future episodes, please reach out on social media @EquestrianJourneys. And until next time, keep your passion for travel and horses alive.