RACHEL GAFFNEY'S REAL IRELAND

RACHEL GAFFNEY'S REAL IRELAND An Irish Lifestyle Company, bringing the 'Real Ireland to Life'. Columnist & Bespoke Irish Travel.
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CousinsSpent a couple of days with my lovely cousin Mary Ross Sloyan in Kilkenny. Thanks for the chats, the tours, the s...
08/26/2026

Cousins
Spent a couple of days with my lovely cousin Mary Ross Sloyan in Kilkenny.
Thanks for the chats, the tours, the scrumptious food and the laughs. Until next time. 💕

There are shops you walk into, and then there are shops that make you smile from the moment you arrive. I absolutely lov...
08/19/2026

There are shops you walk into, and then there are shops that make you smile from the moment you arrive.
I absolutely loved discovering Begley & Bowie ~ Doireann Healy in Kenmare, County Kerry. A store filled with glorious bursts of color, bright white walls, creativity and personality, and the most fabulous fluorescent pops of color throughout.

And at the heart of it all is the wonderful Doireann Healy, the creator and owner, whose warmth, kindness and incredibly generous spirit make the experience even more special.
And while you are there,enjoy a latte or cappuccino and have a chat with the very friendly and helpful Caroline.

One of the reasons I love what I do is that I get to seek out beautiful, independent shops all over the country and share these little gems with you. Places with their own story, their own character and people who pour so much of themselves into what they create.

Begley & Bowie ~ Doireann Healy is definitely one to put on your list. I love my fun sweatshirt, ‘New York, Paris, Kenmare, London, Milan’ 🙂

08/15/2026

The Slea Head Drive, Di**le Peninsula

UPDATE
To all the people commenting both here and on my Instagram Page.
1. I did not make this up for
2.It is legally 2 way. Always for residents and farm vehicles etc.
3. It is heavily promoted by the local tourist board to please take the journey in a clockwise route for safety reasons, especially during the summer months.

CONOR PASS CORRECTION
In this video, I mentioned the Conor Pass (no, not Connor!) and it was a mistake.
The Conor Pass is a completely different drive. The day before I took the Conor Pass From Di**le To Tralee and was thinking about it while videoing this. My sincere apologies for my mistake.

08/14/2026

Fairy Fort & Pet A Sheep
Along the Slea Head Drive

Sceilg MhichĂ­l ~ Skellig MichaelToday, we climbed our way to the top of this wondrous site. Skellig Michael, 8 miles of...
08/12/2026

Sceilg MhichĂ­l ~ Skellig Michael
Today, we climbed our way to the top of this wondrous site. Skellig Michael, 8 miles off the coast of Kerry. A UNESCO world heritage site, with a maximum of 12,000 visitors permitted per annum. There are only 15 boat operators permitted to land on this special island. Today, my husband and I went with the lovely couple, Brendan & Elizabeth, owners of AquaTerra Boat Tours | Valentia Island, Kerry ☘️ based on Valentia Island. I will be writing much more about this experience at a later date as there is so much to share with you. Some may recognize this as Luke Skywalkers island hideaway in Star Wars, the Force Awakens, but long before Hollywood, the monks claimed it as theirs in the 6th Century. If you really want to visit Skellig Michael, in a state of the art, comfortable, covered boat and to avoid disappointment,go to AquaTerra Boat Tours | Valentia Island, Kerry ☘️ website to book your ticket well in advance

Dolphin Watching From Brandon Point with the family.
08/11/2026

Dolphin Watching From Brandon Point with the family.

Just another summer’s evening in Di**le
08/08/2026

Just another summer’s evening in Di**le

Boarded the Harbour Queen Ferry at Glengarriff Pier and it only took 15 minutes across Glengarriff Bay to reach our dest...
08/08/2026

Boarded the Harbour Queen Ferry at Glengarriff Pier and it only took 15 minutes across Glengarriff Bay to reach our destination, Garnish Island. If you plan on doing this,allow a couple of hours to walk and take in the views.Hopefully these photographs give you an idea as to why I’m always advising people to take their time, stay in 1 region and allow Ireland to unfold before you. If you do, she will!

As I sit here waiting to board a flight to Dublin, which has been delayed twice, the many experiences my clients have ha...
08/06/2026

As I sit here waiting to board a flight to Dublin, which has been delayed twice, the many experiences my clients have had this past year with delays and cancellations have prompted this post.
I advise people to think about purchasing travel insurance. Some do and most do not.
When you take direct flight from Dallas to Dublin, it arrives the following morning. (As with all U.S flights)
Several of these flights were cancelled in the last 2 months and what this meant was they lost a day and all the money they spent on their hotel.
1. Think about travel insurance, this is also very important should you get sick or injured and I have seen a lot of this year. Broken limbs & sudden illness. The Irish Government strongly advises you to travel to Ireland with medical insurance. So check your policy (Medicare is not valid)
2. IF YOU HAVE the option, do not book the last flight out of the USA, choose an earlier flight if possible.
3. If you need to be in Ireland for something specific,golf game, wedding, family gathering, corporate event etc. DO not book your flight for the day before. I have seen so many people think they will ‘be fine’ and they miss the event due to what Im talking about here.
4. Travel insurance can be purchased separately from the airlines. There are plenty of options and you can design your own ‘A La Carte Insurance’ I have some clients who want to cover the cost of the entire trip, some flights only, some choose CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) Recently a client purchased this CFAR insurance for her family, months out from the departure date. Then 2 weeks prior to the departure date, her father got very ill and died. Their CFAR insurance kicked in.
I’m not selling you anything. I’m simply trying to get you to think about situations that we all think “It won’t happen to me”

05/15/2026

One Of My Favorite Beaches
Duneen Beach, County Cork

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Dallas, TX
75287

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
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Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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