Christmas in Ireland is an especially festive time of year. Without our American Thanksgiving to break up the long, dark winter stretch between Halloween in October until Christmas at the end of December, there is a long buildup to...
Halloween Break at the Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle and the Aillwee Cave
We’ve just finished our first six months in Ireland, having arrived in late May. It’s been an amazing six months and we are finding ourselves adjusting well still happy to be here! The most important part of the transition...
Sandycove Beach and Flake 99s in Dún Laoghaire
One of the bad things about not having a car is the lack of ease and convenience of getting around. When you rely on public transport, there is a lot of checking on bus routes or train lines and...
A lovely morning in Merrion Square children’s playground
Was wondering around running errands this morning and decided to stop in Merrion Square and have our lunch in the children’s playground. Lovely little park. Just the right size for the kids with the older kids having somethings to...
A little Viking history at Dublinia
On one of the first weekends that we were in Dublin, J and I took the kids to Dublinia, an museum billed as a Viking and Medieval Experience. It was walkable from where we were staying, situated slightly past Dublin Castle...
Ikea – As crazy in Dublin as it is in Seattle
Setting up a new home in a new country involves buying lots of new things. Fortunately, our rental house came fully furnished and included things like silverware, pots and pans, glasses and dishes. To be able to stay, we...
Renting a House in Dublin
Finding a house to rent in Dublin was more challenging than I expected simply because we had specific demands – a specific area, family-friendly amenities nearby, good schools, close to public transport, large enough for our large family, and...
Setting up a new life in a new country
When you move, there are so many things to do. Set up new utilities, purge and pack your things, buy new furniture to suit your new home. When we moved overseas to Ireland, we had to do all that...
Enrolling in Dublin Primary Schools
When we were deciding to make the move to Dublin, one of our top concerns was making sure that the kids got a good education. Based on our research (google), Irish public schools seemed to be highly regarded. A...
A Saturday at Malahide Castle and Medieval Mayhem
Again, based on the advice of an Expat in Dublin with Kids, I organized a trip to Malahide Castle located North of Dublin along the coast. Malahide Castle is one of the oldest castles in Ireland and dates back...