Drinking and Driving in Ireland... Not at the same time

Thanks for the report!! Excellent writing and pics!! I want to go to Ireland now too

UpSt8: You gotta! I swear that country was created for motorcycles. The coastal roads are unequaled.

Reddoggie: Yes I took notes and yes the Guiness does affect the memory.. I'm sure there's plenty of noteworthy moments from the trip that I will never clearly remember. Would love to remember those moments but, alas, when in rome

I woke up about as bummed out as I went to bed. The thought of leaving the island, turning in the bike and ending an adventure was borderline overwhelming. The good news is I was on a short time schedule and needed to jam back to the bike store in Lisburn and catch a flight out of Belfast so no time for sulking. Unfortunately, as I was pretty short on time and paranoid about missing my flight, I didn't stop to take a single picture on the way. I made great time from Portaferry back to Lisburn and pulled in to Phillip McAllen Motorcycles with plenty of time to spare. This gave me a little extra time to bullshit with Sam who came outside as I pulled up to see how the trip went. If I lived in Ireland I'd have a new riding buddy, love that guy. While we were settling up in the office, local racing legend and owner of the shop Phillip McAllen poked his head into the managers office so hear how things went. Couldn't help but grab a quick picture. The time ran out, Sam called me a cab, we said our good byes and off to the airport I go.








One last tearful beer for the road.


Thanks for following along

Beautiful photos. Thanks for posting, makes me want to go back for a visit for a similar vacation.

Looked like an excellent trip, is there any guiness left in Ireland?

Dont know why I always go so far away on trips when Ireland is right next to me

Fantastic RR... thanks for letting us tag along.

What a great trip ! Excellent photos and well-written, for sure. Curious about the rental bike. Did you take it for a week ? Happen to recall what that cost ? This was an inspiring RR. Thanks for the effort !

Brent

Excellent reports (Ca to CO and back included)
We are planning on Ireland June 2014 (hopefully alittle warmer 1 month later).
Curently storing a bike here in California for and Irish couple who will return in May and ride the West.
Looking forward to meeting you when you return from BSN assignment as we are only 70 miles apart.
1st couple Guinness on me.

Thanks for the RR. I've been living and riding in Ireland for some years now, but as it seems the case with a lot of people i started to lose appreciation for the local attractions.

Your RR made me itch to get out of the office and onto the bike, ride out west to Connemara, Dingle or Ballycotton (with the missus) for a weekend.

lov da'

glad you went to see glencar (in 20 years on a bike and 40 living ive never been - mammy comes from leitrim )

did ya go into lismore castle?

which way did ya approach the vee??



do it every year cos family ilve 10 miles away on the galty

roll on feb

nice write up

MuddySump: I did my best but somehow I don't think I made a dent in the Guiness supply.

SplitRock: I rented for 7 nights, to be honest I don't recall the exact amount as my memory is further confused by currency exchange which has likely changed. I want to say it was around 1000 to 1200 USD? All things considered it wasnt too bad. I'd do it again in a heart beat and already have plans to do so with my dad in a year.

Holckstar: You're a smarter man then I, I was definitely a little chili on my ride. Not by much but another month would have likely helped. I'll look forward to that Guiness and again keep me posted as to when you're going to be out in the rockies.

Cloudhopper: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now grab the Mrs and get out and ride!!!

hairnet: I didn't go into Lismore castle as I didn't know it was there until I went passed it. I stopped off for a picture but was too focused on covering some miles with my departure date quickly approaching. If I had the time I would have loved to stop off and check it out. Glencar was stunning btw, cool neighborhoods too. I approached the vee from the south as I was working my way NE through Kilkenny and ultimately Rathrum. Beautiful view, loved the road N of the vee as well.

Hi Glenn is my name im currently a lurker here as 1 I cant even ride a motorbike yet(that will be changing in the coming months as ive gotten it in my head I want an enduro tourer namely a BMW) and 2 I have no bike so this is my first post being from cork an living here all my 26years I wish I could have known about this trip , when you come back again with your Dad hopefully ill have myself a nice r1150 or all going well 1200gsa , cork city im no fan of myself (and I live in the city) but cork county is awesome plus im a big 4x4 head so would have plenty of green lanes to bring you on if you stop off here again on another trip and there is also the cork version of the ring of kerry aswell loved your report as it reminded me of what ive got on my own doorstep to explore once I do eventually get riding thanks for sharing.

Hi Glenn,
No problem and thanks for the invite!!! It'll probably be a year or maybe two before I get out your way again, but we for sure will make it out there. I see you're looking at either an 1150 or a 1200. I would also give some throught to an 800. They're nimble, quick and remarkably capable offroad assuming they have the tires for it. I bought mine last July and have racked up 7000 miles in 6 months. I'm sure it would do well in the dirt backroads of Cork. Glad you liked the report and I know the feeling about forgetting what's in your own backyard, I've been working on seeing my own country lately. Here's a link to my recent trip if you want to check out some of the states. http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=850524
Thanks for the input and I might hit you up when I come back out!
-T

Thanks for the great ride report and the awesome pictures! Im putting Ireland on my bucket list!

Cool RR man some cracking pics my girlfriend has an iphone 5 and the camera is amazing on it too, i looked at f800 also ill see how it goes a GSA 1200 is my dream machine so in a few years as a learner bike though im thinking f650gs as they are pretty decent money over here wont need to break the bank not sure how they or an F800 would handle my 6ft2 18stone frame though , well the invite is certainly there if you want a cork tour guide Ill happily fill that slot for you , may even meet you in kerry and do the ring with you as I love that drive

Wonderful, thank you.
That's done it then; will be there during July (Wet Season in Thailand )

Wow. Excellent write-up and great pics to match. Thanks for sharing!

Superb write-up. IRL now on my bucket list for sure!

I may have missed it, but what kind of camera and photo-processing software did you use ? The pix are SO GOOD they have my wife packing and googling places to rent a large scoot when we go (she has a Silverwing 600 scoot).

Thanks for taking the time to do this. It was worth it!

Good to see you enjoyed your points of the black stuff. It's a national treasure.



Great write up.

A great RR and thanks for doing it.I did a similar ride in 2010 but I think you managed to cram more into your ride than I did with mine.When I was in Joey's pub in Ballymoney I was fortunate to be served by Joey's widow,a lovely woman,when Ted Simon walked in and we all had a pint of Guiness.What are the odds on that happening.
I bought a K75s for not very much to tour the UK and Ireland and liked the bike so much I brought it back to Canada.I plan on doing it again in 2015.Good luck on your next trip to Ireland with your father.
John