This post will be about some uniquely Irish things you should try on a trip to Ireland. Note that I will only be talking about things I had in the Republic of Ireland. I will do Northern Ireland on a separate post.
Irish Breakfast
No trip to Ireland would be complete without having a Full Irish Breakfast. This usually consisted of a fried egg, blood sausage, white sausage, sausage, ham (bacon), tomato, some sort of potato (hash browns, roasted potato etc) and mushrooms. I am usually a light breakfast kind of person, but how could I resist when in Ireland? Here are a few that I had during my trip (always at the hotels we were staying at).
Guinness
You cannot go to Ireland without having a freshly poured Guinness, even if like me, you are not a fan of beer/stout. One of the cool ways you can experience this is by doing the Stoutie Experience at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. They will take your pic and then print it on a pint! Very unique experience.
Tayto Chips/Crisps
As far as I know, these are unique to Ireland.
Something Curry
Due to its proximity to the UK, I think curry has also become popular in Ireland. We had this chicken curry at O’Neills in Cashel. Its a small home cooking kind of place that is a good option for lunch if you are visiting the Rock of Cashel.
We also tried one of their desserts:
The Rock of Cashel looks like this:
Fish and Chips
Again, I think due to the proximity to the UK, you will also find an abundance of fish and chip shops throughout the country.
Irish Stew
This one was made with beef.
Chicken roll
An Irish friend of mine insisted I had to try this, and that it had to be at a gas station. Another Irish person I met insisted that it had to be cold and only eaten at breakfast. I did all of this, except I got mine hot. Its basically a sub sandwich and they will customize it for you just like Subway. Its pretty filling and messy, but good.
Ice Cream
The most memorable I had was at Murphy’s and I believe there are a few locations throughout the country.
Tea Time
This one probably also came from the British. The two most popular brands are Barry’s and Lyon’s for tea.
Spice Bag – this one I already wrote about BUT ITS SO GOOD I had to include it again!
Oysters
We visited the Connemara oyster farm, but you will find these and other types on many menus in Ireland. Its is an island afterall.
Irish Whisky
Irish whisky may not be as popular as Scotch or other types of whiskies, and most people probably only know Jameson, but I did have some fantastic Irish Whiskies during my time there. In particular, I liked this one:
Irish Fast Food – Supermac’s
I was told by a hotel worker that I had not been to Ireland unless I tried their local fast food. We had the burger, curry fires and chicken. It wasn’t anything amazing, but we still enjoyed the experience.
There are some other delicious things to try in Ireland, but I will post about those in the future. Bon APP!