Travelling around Ireland during phase 3

Yesterday was a special day for us. Where Dolores and the boys had stayed at home during the lockdown during the Covid19 pandemic, I had worked through it being an employee of a medical company. To be honest, the last few months were busier than ever. With an environmental, health and safety job, it was important to make sure all employees were safe and looked after, especially as we worked through the pandemic. And with Covid19 being a big unknown at the start, we learned a lot during the last few months.
I was on shopping duty as well which I enjoyed immensely, especially with the shops and roads almost empty.
Then there was Dolores who was homeschooling 3 mad boys, so that is a job and a half in itself.

With our adventures abroad cancelled, we decided to rediscover Ireland this summer. Travelling around Ireland is nothing new for us, but  we decided to see what Ireland is like with the Covid19 restrictions slowly lifting.

So as previously mentioned, yesterday was a special day for us. It was really the first time Dolores and the boys left the house, and it would also be the first time that we left our beloved County Sligo.

With a 2 week holiday on the cards,  off we went on a day trip to County Clare.  And we couldn't have picked a better day, where the morning clouds slowly lifted, by noon the sun was splitting the stones.

​So what is it like to travel around Ireland after the Covid?

When we arrived at 9am in County Clare, we noticed that the tourist busses were missing. Normally, County Clare would be welcoming these bus tours by the bucket load, but none were observed at all. Even at the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland's most visited tourist attraction, no busses were observed.

We visited a lot of tourist attractions (Dunguaire castle, Aillwee Caves and birds of prey, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Burren Geopark, Father Ted House, Burren perfumery, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin and Fanore Beach), and the only people we really met were like-minded Irish who opted out of travelling abroad.
Secondly, the tourist attractions themselves have a lot of safety features implemented.
For example, the Aillwee caves had well planned social distancing measurements implemented, the tours themselves were smaller as usual and hygiene rules were well adhered too.

And then there were the staycationers themselves, whenever there was an indoor tourist attraction, most people donned safety masks. In the outdoor attractions, they were taken off.
Where we visited a huge list of attractions yesterday, not once were we concerned or worried about our safety. 

So, when you travel, be smart, think about your fellow staycationers and enjoy Ireland's businesses and tourist attractions who have all exceeded in delivering you with that perfect holiday experience.