Ireland Travel: Everything To Know With Trina Vargo

We are taking you to Ireland. Our expert Trina Vargo has an Undercover Jetsetter tour.
Trina is the founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance. www.us-irelandalliance.org She is the author of a new book called Shenanigans The US-Ireland Relationship in Uncertain Times. And she has spent years visiting Ireland.
We talked about the tournament she held at the K-Club outside Dublin. Those were Ryder Cup format tournaments where we had 12 Americans playing against 12 Irish. The last one we held was just before the economy crashed around 2008. As the economy is coming back, if we find sufficient interest from sponsors, we would look to bring them back – people really enjoyed them. Those tourneys led to a lot of craic.
Any chance The Open will be held in Ireland?
Other courses we discuss: Old Head; links courses like Lahinch and Waterville; the buzz now is the golf course at Adare Manor, which is outside of Limerick which owner JP McManus has put a lot of money into the course and it will host the 2026 Ryder Cup.

What is best time of year to visit Ireland?
Where to stay in Dublin? Westbury Hotel in the center of Dublin.; walk nearly everywhere you want to go, they have two restaurants in house, a great bar and afternoon tea … it’s an easy place for people to meet me there. And they have great concierges who have been there forever and really know the city. It’s just become a home away from home.
First-timers to Dublin should see: Guinness Storehouse, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, and Kilmainham Jail to get your head around Irish history in about two hours. Writers Museum at Parnell Square, Hugh Lane Gallery, and art gallery, which has Francis Bacon’s studio, home of James Joyce is also nearby. For many years there has been an exhibition of the poet W.B. Yeats at the National Library of Ireland which is also worth checking out, EPIC Museum. It is a museum about Irish Emigration and it’s interactive, very well done, a great spot for the whole family, see plays at The Abbey and The Gate theaters.

Where to eat? Dunne and Crescenzi which is an Italian place with great coffee excellent food and good prices. For authentic Irish cuisine, you could try the Winding Stair. And there is a new great Asian place called Pickle. Bewley’s Café on Grafton Street is an institution and it was closed for years but when it reopened, they really retained what was special about it. There is no shortage of good restaurants in Ireland. The Irish cuisine is excellent … a foodie culture has definitely developed. Immigrants from around the world have brought their traditions and dishes to Ireland and that’s made it all the better. Gone are the days of only fish and chips. Go to Burdock’s if you want good fish and chips.
How about hiking?
About 40 minutes outside of town you can do a cliff walk from Bray to Greystones, which is lovely on a nice day. It’s not strenuous, it’s pretty flat. And the gardens at the Powerscourt estate are nearby and a nice place to find a quiet spot, as well as grab a bite.

Star Wars shot there.
off the beaten path: Lough Hyne. Lough is the Irish word for lake and this lake is not far from the town of Skibbereen. You can do a night kayak trip there from about 9 p.m. ‘til midnight. It’s magical. The lake is bioluminescent. incredible meal at O’Connors Seafood Restaurant in Bantry in West Cork. The Chef there, Anne Marie Butler, is one of Ireland's finest.
Benedictine monks at Glenstal Abbey, the former Abbot, Mark Patrick Hederman, attend vespers and often get to enjoy