While in Ireland, I find myself cooking most of my own meals. I have found that groceries are much cheaper here than they are in the United States, and cooking my own meals has been a great way to save money. As a result, it feels extra special when I decide to try a new restaurant and dine out! For the October bank holiday weekend, I took a trip to County Kerry to drive the Ring of Kerry and explore the Dingle Peninsula. While on this trip, I decided to challenge myself to only eat authentically Irish food at locally owned restaurants.
Before I came to live in Ireland, I was not expecting to try many new foods. The foods that I pictured when I heard “Irish cuisine” — for example potatoes, beef, vegetables, and seafood — were common in the United States as well. However, there was one key staple of Irish cuisine that I had never tried before... lamb! On this trip, I tried two lamb-based Irish dishes: Irish stew and a slow-roasted lamb shank.
On the second night of the trip, I stopped in Kenmare, a charming little town along the Ring of Kerry. Kenmare is known as Neidin in Irish or “Little Nest”. After exploring Killarney National Park during the day and making the drive up to Kenmare, I had worked up an appetite and stopped in Paddy Foley’s for a hearty Irish supper. Here, I tried a traditional Irish stew for the first time!
