Romantic  Ireland – Places to Visit

 

 

1. St Valentine in Bowe Street Church Dublin

 

There are many places associated with love in Ireland from romantic Castles to macabre relics. Here are a few of our favorite places associated with love in Ireland. We are a bit more romantic in Ireland than the phrase  “Would you like to be buried with my people” implies! 

The Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street holds some relics of  St Valentine, brought from Rome as a gift from the Pope to Fr John Spratt in 1835. The casket is kept in a shrine on the right-hand side of the church and is placed before the high altar on St Valentine’s Day. On St Valentine’s Day many couples come to visit the shrine to St Valentine, or to get wedding rings blessed. 

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2.  How to say I Love you in Irish

The following are words associated with saying I love you in Irish which has many words to say the same thing. Why use one word when 3 will do! 

 

Grá = Love                                   

Mo Grá thú = I love you

A Phósfeadh Mé = Would you Marry me?

 

Seanfhocal faoi an Grá (Old Irish Proverb / Word of Wisdom  about Love)

• Giorráonn Beirt bothar.         (Two shorten the road)
• Nil don leighis ar an n’grá ach posadh.     (There is no cure for love except marriage)
• An áit a bfhuil an cross ann- tabharfaidh do chos thú.  (Your feet will bring you to where love is)

 

 

3. Get Engaged in Doe Castle, Donegal

Doe Castle overlooks Sheephaven Bay in north Donegal and dates from the 1400s. It was built by the O’Donnells and later taken by the McSweeny clan who became known as McSweeny Doe. Legend tells that Aileen MacSweeny threw herself out of the highest window of the castle after her father murdered her suitor, Turlough O’Boyle. It’s been called the Romeo and Juliet Castle of Ireland and many people have proposed marriage to their loved ones there.

In olden times a marriage stone was one with a hole in it through which two people joined hands so they could be married. There is a marriage stone on Cape Clear Island off the southwest coast and a modern replica at Blarney Castle.

 

4 Famous Love Paintings in Ireland.

Meeting on the Turret Stairs painted by Frederic William Burton is Ireland’s most famous love painting. It shows Hellelil and Hildebrand meeting on the stairs and can be seen in the National Gallery in Dublin.  This watercolor painting by  Frederic William Burton captures the final meeting of doomed lovers Hellelil and Hildebrand ( a Danish Princess and her guard).

Marriage of Aoife and Strongbow- by Daniel MacLise Also on display in the National Gallery, this painting tells the story of the conquering Norman lord  Strongbow who was given the daughter of the King on Leinster in marriage.

 

 

 

 

5. Jewellery and Love

The Claddagh Ring from the Claddagh area in Galway city is the traditional ring of love in Ireland using a heart held by two hands and topped by a crown. Women wore the ring with the heart  facing outwards when looking for love and facing inwards when their heart was taken 

Modern jewellery made by Irish Jewellers also celebrates love; you can have engagement and wedding rings handmade. Make your own wedding rings in an exclusive workshop organized by Activity Days.  Recycle old gems or metals by incorporating them into the piece to make it more special. 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Love Poetry in Ireland

William Butler Yeats is Ireland’s first Nobel Prize-winning poet and a man who fell madly in love with the beautiful Maud Gonne. He spent a lot of time in Sligo, his Land of Heart’s Desire, which celebrates his poetry every year.

Visit Lissadell House where he used to stay, Drumcliff where he is buried, or Coole Park in south Galway where he carved his name in a tree. 

 

 

7. Movies about Love in Ireland

Once -Two struggling musicians trying to make it in Dublin. Once won an Oscar for Best Original Song, ‘Falling  Slowly’ by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová who also starred in the film which was directed by John Carney.

Brooklyn – Filmed in Brooklyn and Wexford it tells the story of a young woman getting away from repressive 1950s Ireland. Starring Saoirse Ronan, and Domhnall Gleeson and is directed by John Crowley.

PS I Love You  – The story of a young widow whose late husband left messages for her. Written by Cecilia Ahern and

starring

Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.

Ondine – Story of a fisherman who falls for a mermaid. Filmed partly in Castletownbere, West Cork with Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda and directed by Neil Jordan. 

The Quiet Man-Great old classic.  A retired boxer returns to rural Ireland from the US  and local woman Mary Kate Danaher catches his eye. Filmed in Cong, Co Mayo in 1951 with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and directed by John Ford.

 

 

 

 

8. Songs of Love

There are many songs of love and lost love in Ireland. A poem by Patrick Kavanagh about his lost love was turned into the famous song Raglan Road by the Dubliners and Luke Kelly. Sit on a bench beside Patrick Kavanagh’s statue on Dublin’s Grand Canal and enjoy a drink in the pub he used to drink in off Grafton Street.

 

9 Where to Find Love in Ireland   

Take a trip to the pub where many young people meet in the evening. Traditional music is played in pubs throughout Ireland, but especially along the Wild Atlantic Way coast. People bring their musical instruments along with them to the pub, and the live events with a traditional pint of  Irish Stout or whiskey add to the experience and fun. There are local competitions for traditional music called Fleadh and the Fleadh na Éireann is the biggest traditional music Festival in Ireland. 

Young men and women are very involved in their local GAA ( Gaelic Athletics Association ) and play games in every town and county in Ireland. There is a great following for local teams and you can attend a match for a few Euros. For those who want to see the most famous site for GAA in Ireland visit Croke Park, to a match, or on a Guided Tour. 

10 If None of the Above Work- go to a Festival 

Festivals take place all over Ireland throughout the year. For Love, the most famous festivals are Listoonvarna’s Matchmaking Festival which takes place each September. Traditionally older unmarried men when to Listoonvarna to meet a wife after the harvest was brought in – each September. To ensure they were successful they could engage the help of a Matchmaker who could introduce them to suitable females. This is a week-long event of dancing with am, afternoon, and evening events daily. Horse Racing, music, and fun events are throughout the week, and the ‘Craic is Mighty. Since Covid, this festival in LIstoonvaran has not taken place. 

For younger single people in Ireland, the Rose of Tralee Festival has traditionally brought eligible females and males together in a week of activity in the town of Tralee. With girls from all over the world of Irish descent taking place, the festival attracts a large crowd of followers each year. For those based in Dublin Cooper Faced Jacks nightclub is the most famous place to meet people!  

 

Romance is alive and well in Ireland and there are many great
places to visit with your loved one.
Contact Activity Days Ireland with suggestions on what
to add to this blog information or help to plan
a romantic holiday in Ireland.