Places.
Where the Notebook has actually been. 119 entries, by county, by province. No map. Just the country in order.
Leinster
- 19
- 5
- 2
- 2
- 1
- 1
Munster
- 15
- 15
- 11
- 5
- 2
- 2
Connacht
- 15
- 3
- 2
Ulster
- 11
- 6
- 1
- 1
Pick a county to read the entries written from it.
Editorial Review
Entries that need a second look
Either no place keyword matched, or only a broad county name did. A wrong pin is worse than no pin, so these are surfaced here for an editor to confirm before they appear on the map.
- Omitted
The biggest mistake Americans make in Irish pubs
The mistake is not ordering the wrong beer. It is treating the pub as a sight to be ticked off instead of a room to be inhabited.
October 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-biggest-mistake-americans-make-in-irish-pubs. - Omitted
What I tell every American friend before their first trip
An expat's letter to the next visitor. The expectations to set, the mistakes to avoid, and the version of Ireland that only opens for those who slow down.
September 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forwhat-i-tell-every-american-friend-first-trip. - County only
Guinness in Cork, at the Hi-B
Upstairs on Oliver Plunkett Street, where the rules are not written down.
August 2026Pinned to Cork via “cork”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Guinness in Galway, before the match
Tigh Neachtain at one o'clock on a Saturday, when the city is already humming.
July 2026Pinned to Galway via “galway”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
The Difference Between Hospitality And Service
The best Irish hotels are not trying to impress you. They are trying to make you feel like you belong.
July 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-difference-between-hospitality-and-service. - Omitted
The Irish house is the centre of everything
To understand Ireland, stop looking at the castles and start looking at the kitchen table.
July 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-irish-house-is-the-centre-of-everything. - Omitted
Sheen Falls, the second night
When the staff stop asking and the room starts to know you.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forsheen-falls-the-second-night. - Omitted
The Irish weather is not the problem
The rain rarely ruins the trip. The fight against the rain usually does.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-irish-weather-is-not-the-problem. - Omitted
Why nobody is in a hurry
One of the first things Americans notice in Ireland is that things take longer. One of the last things they realise is that this may not be a problem.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forwhy-nobody-is-in-a-hurry. - Omitted
The folded blanket at Ballyfin
What nobody mentions about the room, and why it is the point.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-folded-blanket-at-ballyfin. - Omitted
The best day of your trip will not be on the itinerary
The moments people remember most in Ireland are rarely the ones they planned.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-best-day-of-your-trip-will-not-be-on-the-itinerary. - Omitted
The Irish luxury Americans don't notice
The greatest luxury in Ireland is rarely the castle suite, the Michelin star, or the private driver. It is the feeling that nobody is in a hurry.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-irish-luxury-americans-dont-notice. - County only
Moran's Oyster Cottage: the best oysters near Galway
The seventh-generation thatched oyster cottage twenty minutes south of Galway city, where the native Galway flat is still opened to order. What to order, when the season runs, and how to find it.
June 2026Pinned to Galway via “galway”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
PJ O'Hare's, the Carlingford Lough half dozen
A blackened pub on the medieval main street of Carlingford, serving the lough's own oysters with a pint of stout and very little else.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forpj-ohares-anchor-bar-carlingford. - Omitted
Mount Stewart, the walled garden in early summer
A National Trust house on the shore of Strangford Lough, with a microclimate warm enough to grow what nowhere else in Ireland can.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry formount-stewart-walled-garden-early-summer. - County only
Loughcrew on the equinox morning
A five-thousand-year-old passage tomb on a hill in County Meath, lit on its inner chamber wall twice a year by the rising sun.
June 2026Pinned to Meath via “meath”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Fanad Head, the last lighthouse before the open sea
A working lighthouse on the northern tip of the Fanad peninsula, where Lough Swilly opens to the Atlantic and the sky is bigger than the land.
June 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forfanad-head-the-last-lighthouse. - County only
Guinness in Dublin, after rain
The pint that does not travel, in the weather it was made for.
June 2026Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Brittas Bay, the hour before the cars come back
Wicklow's long pale beach, taken early, before Dublin arrives.
June 2026Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Donegal when the light breaks
The northwest after a long week of weather.
May 2026Pinned to Donegal via “donegal”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Dublin when it rains all day
Bookshops, gallery rooms, bar light. What to do when the weather decides for you.
May 2026Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
The Vee Pass in Tipperary
A road that opens up the entire valley, best seen when the mist is lifting.
May 2026Pinned to Tipperary via “tipperary”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
The Healy Pass from Adrigole
The serpentine road across the Beara Peninsula.
May 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-healy-pass-from-adrigole. - Omitted
The Irish hotel test we use before booking
The most expensive mistake is not the wrong county. It is the wrong hotel. Six tests we apply before we book, and why we are not booking rooms. We are booking moods.
May 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-irish-hotel-test-we-use-before-booking. - Omitted
What Americans get wrong about Irish people
The mistake is not that Americans think Irish people are unfriendly. It is that they expect friendliness to arrive in the American way.
April 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forwhat-americans-get-wrong-about-irish-people. - Omitted
Hotels for weather
What you actually want when the rain sets in for the day.
April 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forhotels-for-weather. - Omitted
Why we never stay one night anywhere in Ireland
The most common American mistake on the itinerary is also the most fixable. A note on the two-night minimum, the three-night luxury rule, and the half-day every hotel change quietly costs.
April 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forwhy-we-never-stay-one-night-anywhere. - Omitted
Hotel breakfasts that are worth the room
Where to come downstairs slowly.
April 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forhotel-breakfasts-worth-the-room. - Omitted
Pubs at dusk in the west
On the half-hour before anyone orders food.
March 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forpubs-at-dusk-in-the-west. - County only
Dublin in December
When the city is gentler than people warn you it will be.
March 2026Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Silver Strand at Malin Beg, the stairs nobody talks about
A small Donegal beach at the bottom of one hundred and seventy concrete steps.
March 2026Pinned to Donegal via “donegal”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
The Merrion on a quiet Tuesday
What the drawing rooms feel like when no one is checking in.
March 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-merrion-on-a-quiet-tuesday. - Omitted
Mount Juliet for a long weekend
When you want golf, food and a fire, on the same estate.
February 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry formount-juliet-for-a-long-weekend. - Omitted
The K Club after the rain
The Liffey course in the half-hour the sun comes back.
February 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-k-club-after-the-rain. - Omitted
The Shelbourne, properly
How to stay in the room everyone walks past.
January 2026No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-shelbourne-properly. - County only
Lough Eske on a long evening
Donegal in June, the lake taking the light.
December 2025Pinned to Donegal via “donegal”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Kilkea with the fires lit
Kildare in the dark months, a castle that takes you in.
December 2025Pinned to Kildare via “kildare”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Carton House for two quiet nights
The Fairmont rebuild, settled in at last.
December 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forcarton-house-for-two-quiet-nights. - Omitted
Ballyfin, the third evening
When the house finally stops feeling like a museum.
December 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forballyfin-the-third-evening. - County only
Ballygally Castle with the sea in the window
The Antrim coast, from a window cut into stone.
November 2025Pinned to Antrim via “antrim”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Doonbeg, the morning room
West Clare from a window, before the wind picks up.
October 2025Pinned to Clare via “clare”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Portmarnock by the sea
The Jameson family house, then the resort, then the dunes.
October 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forportmarnock-by-the-sea. - County only
Clontarf Castle for one Dublin night
A castle inside the city limits, twelve minutes from the airport.
October 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Markree Castle in Sligo
Yeats country, with the Cooper family still on the door.
September 2025Pinned to Sligo via “sligo”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Ballyseede in Tralee
The drawing room dogs and the late dinner.
September 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forballyseede-in-tralee. - Omitted
Cabra Castle in the banquet hall
Cavan, the eighteenth century kept honestly.
September 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forcabra-castle-in-the-banquet-hall. - County only
The Beara peninsula when everyone else is on the Ring
Cork and Kerry's quieter peninsula, driven slowly.
August 2025Pinned to Kerry via “kerry”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Sheep's Head, driven slowly
The smallest of the south-west peninsulas, and the best for an afternoon.
August 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forsheeps-head-driven-slowly. - Omitted
Mizen Head on a clear afternoon
The south-westernmost point, when the bridge is open.
July 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry formizen-head-on-a-clear-afternoon. - County only
The Gap of Dunloe on foot
Kerry's narrow valley, walked rather than driven.
July 2025Pinned to Kerry via “kerry”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
The Cooley peninsula out from Dublin
Louth in a half-day, the bull and the mountain.
July 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
The Vee Pass in Tipperary
The Knockmealdown mountains, in a one-hour drive.
May 2025Pinned to Tipperary via “tipperary”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
The Healy Pass from Adrigole
Beara's mountain road, twenty minutes that takes an hour.
May 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-healy-pass-from-adrigole. - County only
Aniar in Galway, the tasting menu
JP McMahon's terroir room, still the city's best argument.
May 2025Pinned to Galway via “galway”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Chapter One, the room that keeps getting better
Mickael Viljanen's Dublin, a year and a half on.
April 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Liath at Blackrock Market
Damien Grey's twenty seats, the hardest room to get into in Dublin.
April 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Variety Jones on Thomas Street
Keelan Higgs's room, when Dublin starts cooking like itself.
April 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Glas on Chatham Street
Dublin's vegetarian room, the one that converts the doubters.
April 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Mr Fox on Parnell Square
Anthony Smith's basement, the most fun two hours in Dublin.
April 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Pichet on a rainy Tuesday
Trinity Street's bistro, exactly the room you want when it's raining.
March 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forpichet-on-a-rainy-tuesday. - County only
The Greenhouse, the old room
Mickael Viljanen's first Dublin home, before Chapter One. Now closed.
March 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Patrick Guilbaud, still the room
Two stars, forty years in, still doing the longest lunch in Dublin.
March 2025Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Bastible in Portobello
South Circular Road's neighbourhood room, with the best Sunday lunch in town.
March 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forbastible-in-portobello. - Omitted
Forest & Marcy on a Wednesday
Leeson Street's small room, the wine list better than the room is big.
February 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forforest-and-marcy-on-a-wednesday. - County only
Sage in Midleton
The twelve-mile menu, the original local cooking room in East Cork.
February 2025Pinned to Cork via “cork”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
Ichigo Ichie Cork, the counter
Takashi Miyazaki's kappo room, one of the most surprising tables in Ireland.
January 2025Pinned to Cork via “cork”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
The Cork English Market for lunch
Upstairs at the Farmgate, the easiest meal in the south.
January 2025Pinned to Cork via “cork”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Trinity College, just after dawn
The cobblestones of Front Square, before the day starts.
January 2025No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry fortrinity-college-just-after-dawn. - County only
An afternoon in Marsh's Library
Dublin's three-hundred-year-old reading room, almost empty in the rain.
December 2024Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
A pint in John Mulligan's
Poolbeg Street, the bar that hasn't changed since the war.
November 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry fora-pint-in-john-mulligans. - Omitted
The Stag's Head after six
Off Dame Street, the late Victorian room with the original mirrors.
November 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-stags-head-after-six. - Omitted
The Long Room at Trinity
Two hundred feet of oak and marble, taken before the queue.
October 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forthe-long-room-trinity-library. - Omitted
Georgian doors on Merrion Square
Walking the south side, the half-hour the light is on the brick.
October 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forgeorgian-doors-on-merrion-square. - Omitted
Blarney Castle, without the stone
What every visitor misses by going straight to the top.
September 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forblarney-castle-without-the-stone. - County only
The Dark Hedges with no one else
Antrim's beech avenue, taken before seven in the morning.
September 2024Pinned to Antrim via “antrim”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
May on the Wild Atlantic Way
Long days, low crowds, the light still soft.
September 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry formay-on-the-wild-atlantic-way. - Omitted
June light in the west
When the sun doesn't go down until eleven.
August 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forjune-light-in-the-west. - County only
August in Donegal
When the rest of Ireland is on holiday and Donegal is the best version of itself.
August 2024Pinned to Donegal via “donegal”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- County only
November in Dublin
The four o'clock dusk and the bookshop windows lit early.
July 2024Pinned to Dublin via “dublin”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.
- Omitted
Early December on Grafton Street
Before the office parties start and the city is at its best.
July 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forearly-december-on-grafton-street. - Omitted
New Year's Day on the coast
The walk every Irish family takes, somewhere with the sea.
June 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry fornew-years-day-on-the-coast. - Omitted
January in an empty castle hotel
When the rates are kindest and the staff have time.
June 2024No place keyword found in title or dek. Add a keyword to
PLACE_KEYWORDSor aMANUAL_PLACESentry forjanuary-in-an-empty-castle-hotel. - County only
Easter week in Galway
The Latin Quarter, the bay walk, and the festivals starting up.
May 2024Pinned to Galway via “galway”. Add a sub-place keyword or a MANUAL_PLACES override to lift confidence.