Green. Cloudy. Ancient.

For me, those 3 adjectives describe rural Ireland and its history. With hidden beaches, impossibly green hills, and plenty of castles, Ireland is definitely one of my favorite travel destinations.

Last Christmas, my family and I explored Ireland. Even though we stayed in the cities of Dublin and Cork, we did a lot sightseeing on the coast and in rural areas, enjoying pub food and fish and chips in between each destination.

Ireland being as beautiful as it is, I took tons of pictures and videos. Even though nothing compares to Ireland’s beauty, I do think they’re still worth sharing.

Let’s start off with one of the most amazing hiking trails I’ve ever been on, the Ballycotton Cliff Walk. It’s pretty much a path on a cliff on the coast of Ireland… with the most amazing views ever.

A hidden beach is pictured above with a cheeky, photobombing seagull; it was quite a windy day, so the grass was going crazy, too. Keep in mind this was just at the dirt parking lot, the walk hasn’t even started yet.

Ooh, a path into the light. Let’s see what it leads to!

Wow, a super bright sun, more cliffs, and rocks breaking the active tide. I don’t want to spoil the whole walk, so let’s move on to a river off the side of some road in County Cork.

We finished the walk, and as we were driving back, we saw a great photo opportunity.

While we were there, Ireland had experienced a lot of rain and flooding, so this river had more water than usual. This picture was taken at the tip of a tiny peninsula that ventured into the river, without a designated walking path.

Another shot taken off the side of a road, right before the rain rolled in – you can see it in the distance. The lakes that were tucked below the mountains probably had more than enough water in them.

Just after I took the previous photo, there were 3 or 4 sheep walking on the side of the road, and one of them had one horn! This was a first for me (our beach town in Spain isn’t exactly the best place for sheep), so of course I had to take a rushed picture through my window.

Closer to town, we stopped by Blackrock Castle to get a tour

Okay, that’s the last picture of the castle itself, I promise. There’s something about castles that triggers everyone’s photography instincts.

After what seemed like hundreds of steps up a tiny spiral staircase, we reached the top of the castle. We were greeted by some wind, and saw people rowing on the river, almost passing through the shadow of the castle.

Have you visited Ireland? Where did you go and how did you document your experience? I’d love to find out in the comment section.

Lars Wagoner is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program, and lives in Spain. Follow his family's adventures abroad at http://wagonersabroad.com/