Amidlife Traveler

Are you looking for great vacation experiences in Ireland? If yes, then this is an episode for you! We sit down to chat and compare our '3 Best Experiences' from Ireland vacations along with Cindy Loe of the One Perfect Day In Travel (guide books, travel blog and a travel podcast). It was hard to limit to just three experiences, so there are some extras thrown in here.... Ireland vacation experiences include visiting ancient Ireland sites, taking a boat ride around the Eye of Ireland in a small town just outside of Dublin, enjoying Irish pub music / food / people, a museum in Dublin that has a collection of some of the oldest religious writings in the world amongst many faiths, the Dingle Peninsula, plus bike riding in Killarney National Park, hiking at Giant's Causeway, and kayaking on the Port of Cork.

An interview and live music of Allie Sherlock, the 12 year old talented singer busker from Cork Ireland who seems to be taking the world by storm at the moment. In this podcast episode, you will hear .... the music and voice of this remarkable 12 year old girl. Allie has become somewhat of an internet star after she started singing in public and busking on the streets of Dublin and Cork in Ireland. She started doing this for her love of music and singing, but once the videos of Allie Sherlock singing in the streets, the fame for her talent grew. With millions of view on YouTube and a huge Facebook Fan group, Allie hit the internet again of a different ink in the summer of 2017 when it was reported that she turned down the opportunity to fly to the US be on the Ellen Degeneres show. In Fall of 2017, on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Cork,we happened across Allie Sherlock doing a live performance. We hadn't heard of her before, but watching and listening held us captive. This podcast episode shares a viewpoint of the experience of that day, a live recording of her music (accompanied by a video on YouTube) as she sang Adele's song Million Years Ago. It was powerful. Allie's Dad, Mark Sherlock, took time to speak with us and then during a break also do a brief interview between songs. You can hear Allie and her Dad talk about how she got started in music after her Dad decided to take guitar lessons, the reactions of people who see Allie's performances, and Allie shares some of her current favorite artists. Enjoy! About Allie Sherlock: Allie Sherlock is a petite powerhouse with a huge smile and rich voice who is captivating people all across Ireland, and the internet. Allie is a busker, she performs on the streets of Ireland in both Dublin and Cork singing her heart out for the love of music and to sell CDs of her music. This podcast shares both a rare interview with Allie, and a song she sang in the city center of Cork Ireland. For more show notes and resources about this podcast visit www.amidlifetraveler.com. To get Allie's music on iTunes click here https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/allie-sherlock/1314464325

So, what’s up with Cork? Is Cork the capital of Ireland? Is it the Rebel County? The Republic of Cork? Why do Cork and Dublin have a rivalry? Should visitors include Cork in their Ireland vacation plans? What is there to do in Cork and why visit? When travel podcast host Laura planned her Ireland vacation, she included Cork but did not have activities planned other than a kayak tour. When asking about Cork from other visitors a common response was ‘Why are you going to Cork? What will you do there?” Turns out there are a whole bunch of reasons why Ireland visitors might want to add Cork to their Ireland vacation plans. This great travel podcast episode, you will hear 3 opinions of Cork Ireland; -American traveler Laura, from the Amidlife Traveler travel podcast -Irishman Patrick McGrath who lives in Killarney today but grew up in Rosscommon -Irishwoman Debbie B, who self-describes as “about as Cork as you can be”. The conclusion? Cork is amazing, and yes tourists visiting Ireland should plan to stop there. Why? There is a unique charm to the Cork area that is a mix of modern urban edge, with stately historic respect. Plus, it’s surrounded by beautiful countryside to explore and have active adventures. Show notes on this episode plus links to things to see and do in the Cork, Ireland area can be found at www.AmidlifeTraveler.com

This is a story about taking the courageous steps to make your life what you want it to be, and how travel can be a path to self-discovery and empowerment. Happy New Year from the Amidlife Traveler podcast! This episode is for anyone who has travel as a New Year Resolution…. or anyone who is interested in travelling and explore the world, but could use a little motivation or inspiration. In this travel podcast episode, you will hear the story of Rachel Hill. She is an inspirer and travel blogger with an online business built around travel and helping others. But she wasn’t always this way. Not too many years ago, Rachel had a successful corporate career earning 6 figures at a Fortune Top 50 corporation, but felt unfulfilled and anxiety ridden. Rachel made a courageous decision to walk away from that career to take a break, and found herself on a 3 month trip travelling in SE Asia by herself. That travel experience renewed Rachel’s strength, sense of self, and motivated her to build her life in new way. In this episode, you will hear Rachel’s story in her words. This episode is about life empowerment and enjoyment through travel experiences and you’ll get to learn about her travel blog www.racheltravels.com and her mission to share her love of travel and encourage people to explore the world. As with all of our podcast episodes, we post show notes and links to Rachels’ blog our website at www.amidlifetraveler.com. With that enjoy this episode… Happy New Year … and safe travels wherever you may go. QUOTES: “It was life changing…for me travel really changed my life” “When you get back… to your real world… or your real life, you have this new set of skills, and new set of confidence that you probably never even tapped into before.” “You don’t know when your last breath is, so you just may as well just live it the fullest…right?”

Local craft breweries are opening up across Ireland, and Cork is no exception. In this episode, hear about three of the largest and most popular craft breweries in the Cork Ireland area, and one that might also be putting out some form of Irish moonshine in the near future? Our Irish storyteller guest today is Debbie B., a Cork native and local who knows her stuff when it comes to things to do around Cork and where to discover and great local restaurants, pubs and of course, craft breweries. She is the food and beverage supervisor at the historic and iconic Metropole Hotel located in the city center of Cork. As a native of Cork and descendant of the famous Michael Collins, Debbie is smart, friendly and welcoming host who can easily help visitors find and enjoy what Cork has to offer. #tbexireland

Hear a Scotsman share about Scottish culture and Scottish Gaelic translation. More specifically about the historic divide and differences between mainland Scotland culture and history knowledge and the more remote Scottish Highland and Hebrides Islands where things like Scottish Gaelic language has remained woven into daily life and regional culture. This travel podcast episode is a is a rare treat that combines a personal story and also a brief audio lesson in Scottish Gaelic translation. For the Scottish Gaelic audio lesson, you’ll hear specific examples going back to city names in Scotland that were named originally in Gaelic and have certain meaning, but in today’s English speaking world we just think of that as the name of that city, without realizing the Gaelic roots and significance of why the city has that name. By personal story, you will hear a Scotsman's concern over the loss of Gaelic in Scotland over time, coming from a person who grew up speaking Scottish Gaelic. … QUOTES: “So, I do worry about the loss of certain things within the language.” “As the language changes, people just think it’s the name of something rather than having a meaning.” “Inver, in the Gaelic language means, at the end of water.” “So, it was a way of not just naming places, but giving them a description so that when people were traveling they could see it and they would find it.” “I worry that, through that, we'll lose, forget, why things were named and what they were called.” “Portree… it's called Port, as in harbor, and Ree as in the old Gaelic for king.” “I don't want them to be forgotten for that. For more detailed show note transcription of this travel podcast episode, please visit www.amidlifetraveler.com #travel, #travelpodcast, #visitscotland, #gaelic, #scottishgaelic, #scottishhistory, #scotland, #scotlandculture, #inverness, #portree, #alnwick, #learnaboutscotland

The TripAdvisor Effect: Should we trust all online reviews we read? And are the famous Fairy Pools in Scotland a made up story from tour guides? TripAdvisor has been in the news this week with breaking story across media sites about how one London man managed to get his garden shed listed on TripAdvisor as a restaurant then through a series of fake photos and reviews earned the coveted #1 ranking for best restaurant in London. If you haven’t heard the story, there are four articles at our website www.amidlifetraveler.com that you can get the details of, and it’s a good story. But what is the after-affect of this? Will it make people question or wonder more about the accuracy of online travel planning websites with ratings and reviews, such as TripAdvisor? 3 TAKEAWAYS (1)Tourists have Monkey-See / Monkey-Do habits Tourists tend to follow other tourists. While it can start at vacation planning by choosing destinations, hotels, and activities based on ratings of others, it continues into the vacation often with mindless tourist photo safari mentality that has so many people taking pretty much the exact same photos. (2) The internet is drastically shaping travel and setting expectations of tourists.   Travel booking sites with robust ratings and reviews are hugely influential for travelers for travel planning, for better or for worse.  (3) “The Fairy Pools” on Isle of Skye was a story made up by tour guides According to this pioneer tour guide who has led tours to the area for more than 10 years, there was not a place in the Isle of Skye named the Fairy Pools, until guides started to call it that. What began years ago as a story to share with groups of backpackers, has today evolved into a place topping many ‘must see’ lists for Scotland. For show notes and more information please visit www.amidlifetraveler.com #visitscotland, #travel, #travelpodcast, #FairyPools, #IsleofSkye, #Scotland, #scotlandtravel, #vacationplanning #tripadvisor

The craft beer movement is growing in Ireland, and tourist destination Killarney is not exception. Hear Killarney local Patrick McGrath talk about the craft brewing trend in Ireland, and notable craft breweries around Killarney area. Irish craft breweries mentioned in this episode; Torc Brewing, Killarney Brewing, 9 White Deer, Dingle Brewing Company, 8 Degrees Brewing, Cronin Cider and Stonewall cider. Show notes and links for additional information on our website at www.amidlifetraveler.com Guest note: Patrick McGrath manages The Ross hotel in Killarney, where the Lane Café Bar is located. Patrick is a wealth of information on trends including high expertise in trending movements in craft beer and spirits such as craft gin. Stephen is a very helpful bartender at the Lane Café Bar who often is serving up those Killarney Stout beers and breaking the news about no Guinness on tap. Host note: The topics and shows featured in our Ireland series are based on our real experiences and opinions, this is not a paid program. #craftbeer #craftbeerireland #guinnessbeer #killarneybrewing #travel, #travelpodcast #killarneynightlife #tourismireland, #tbexireland, #vacationplans #travelpodcast #amidlifetraveler #irelandtravel #enjoykerry, #killarney, #therosskillarney #therosshotel

Guinness, the iconic beer brand of Ireland, faces serious competition as local microbreweries are popping up in Ireland to bring a variety of new craft beers to for locals and tourists to enjoy. Listen to the story of the Lane Café Bar in Killarney Ireland and their bold move to replace the Guinness tap handle with locally brewed Killarney Stout instead. Told by local Irishmen Patrick and Steven, you’ll hear about the decision to make the change and what happened afterwards with some reactions from the locals (Spoiler alert: No Guinness? = Shocker). Show notes and links for additional information on our website at www.amidlifetraveler.com Guest note: Patrick McGrath manages The Ross hotel in Killarney, where the Lane Café Bar is located. Patrick is a wealth of information on trends including high expertise in trending movements in craft beer and spirits such as craft gin. Stephen is a very helpful bartender at the Lane Café Bar who often is serving up those Killarney Stout beers and breaking the news about no Guinness on tap. Host note: The topics and shows featured in our Ireland series are based on our real experiences and opinions, this is not a paid program. #craftbeer #craftbeerireland #guinnessbeer #killarneybrewing #travel, #travelpodcast #killarneynightlife #tourismireland, #tbexireland, #vacationplans #travelpodcast #amidlifetraveler #irelandtravel #enjoykerry, #killarney, #therosskillarney #therosshotel

Attention vacation planners! If Ireland is on your vacation list, then check out this episode which describes the top 'must see & do' day tour from Killarney Ireland (spoiler alert, it's the Gap of Dunloe), plus ideas for a recommended 4 day itinerary in Ireland using Killarney as your home base. As a follow to the history and perspective on Killarney that Allan O'Connor described in our last episode, this time you get to hear Allan's advice for vacation planning in and around the Killarney Ireland area. Attaractions include: Dingle Penninsula, the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, and the famous Gap of Dunloe. Show notes and links for additional information on our website at www.amidlifetraveler.com Guest note: Allan O'Connor is helpful Killarney local who is featured in multiple episodes of Amidlife Traveler podcast. Allan works at the iconic The Killarney Park Hotel as Business Development Manager, where he spends much of his time helping people discover and enjoy what Killarney and Ireland has to offer visitors. Host note; The topics and shows featured in our Ireland series are based on our real experiences and opinions. This is not a paid program and is instead from our experiences in Ireland. #travel, #travelpodcast #, #tourismireland, #tbexireland, #vacationplans #travelpodcast #amidlifetraveler #ireland #travel #enjoykerry, #killarney, #killarneyparkhotel, #

Is Killarney the capital of tourism in Ireland? Listen to this episode and decide for yourself. Either way, Killarney is a pretty cool place to visit according to host Laura from the Amidlife Traveler podcast. In this episode, hear Laura share why she recommends travelers include Killarney if they are planning a trip to Ireland and the three things she really appreciated about Killarney from her visit. Then hear from Killarney local, Allan O'Connor about whether or not Killarney is the tourism capital of Ireland, and also the history of Killarney, including it's beginnings as a Victorian era, plus things to do in and around town. Show notes and links for additional information on our website at www.amidlifetraveler.com Guest note: Allan O'Connor is helpful Killarney local who is featured in multiple episodes of Amidlife Traveler podcast. Allan works at the iconic The Killarney Park Hotel as Business Development Manager, where he spends much of his time helping people discover and enjoy what Killarney and Ireland has to offer visitors. Host note; The topics and shows featured in our Ireland series are based on our real experiences and opinions. This is not a paid program and is instead from our experiences in Ireland. #travel, #travelpodcast #, #tourismireland, #tbexireland, #vacationplans #travelpodcast #amidlifetraveler #ireland #travel #enjoykerry, #killarney, #killarneyparkhotel, #

So many Americans today can either relate to, or wonder about, their Irish heritage. What does that mean? Should I go visit and check that out? We're proud of something that we may not even understand. AND.... that goes both ways. The Irish people love it when American's of Irish descent visit Ireland, explore their roots... and just take a moment to say hello. Why? Because maybe we're connected, that's why. Or, maybe the Irish are just nosy. Either way, with the ease of flying between the US and Ireland then why not go explore your Irish roots? Short travel podcast featuring Killarney Ireland local, Allan O'Connor. Full show notes, description and resource links available at www.amidlifetraveler.com

Ireland... the land of storytellers, beauty, charm... and flat out fun. Will you learn everything about Ireland in 10 minutes? No. But will you get a taste of it? Yes. This episode kicks off our Ireland storyteller series, with a short 10 minute preview to the next 25+ episodes in our Ireland series where we will share Ireland travel planning tips and you can discover the warmth of the country through the welcoming voices and stories of locals who live there and travelers who have been there. Enjoy!

Is Killarney Ireland haunted? Maybe. Is Ireland full of Celtic history? Definitely. A place rich with myth and legend, Ireland's stories (and ghosts?) continue on through generations. Listen to DB O'Connor (a seanchai -traditional Gaelic for keeper of old lore) as he explains the (original) Killarney Ghost Tour experience. Looking to read the full story/show notes and get links Killarney Ghost Tour website and their TripAdvisor reviews? Click the link below. https://amidlifetraveler.com/ep-17-killarney-ireland-haunted-db-oconnor-killarney-ghost-tour/

Did you know Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities in the world? Neither did we. Hear about this gem, plus get the inside scoop on the ultimate vacation plan tool: Get Your Guide (GYG). Barely known to US travelers (but big in Europe!) GYG is a treasure chest of things to do worldwide from big attractions to small local authentic tours... like ghost tours, and whiskey tours, brewery tours, food tours, history tours, beach tours, hiking tours, walking tours....and on.