For my last day in Ireland, I wanted to get out of the city and experience a bit…
Times visited: 1
Cities visited: Dublin
Towns and villages visited: Howth
To celebrate New Year’s 2015/16, I flew to Ireland to reunite with an Australian friend, who was backpacking through Europe at the time. We figured Dublin would be the perfect place to party and welcome the new year together.
But our New Year’s Eve didn’t quite go as expected. In Denmark and Australia, the sky erupts in fireworks at midnight, but as we stood on a bridge in Dublin, excitedly waiting for the big show… nothing happened. A few confused tourists (us included) looked around wondering if we’d missed something. That’s when we learned that Ireland has some of the strictest laws in the world when it comes to consumer fireworks – and that only tourists hang out on bridges at midnight 😂. Even without the fireworks, Dublin didn’t disappoint. We spent the night soaking up the atmosphere in Temple Bar, making the most of the celebrations and enjoying the city’s lively spirit.
We had just two more days together after New Year’s – one of which we spent on a day trip to Northern Ireland, and the other exploring Dublin’s historic streets and cozy corners. After saying our goodbyes, Bethann continued her journey, and I stayed in Ireland for one more day. For my final adventure, I took a solo trip to the coastal village of Howth, just outside of Dublin. The crisp sea air, rugged cliffs, and seal-spotting along the shoreline made it the perfect way to end my first time in Ireland.