Congratulations! And lucky you! Ireland is one of the most romantic places in the world. From the Claddagh ring, made of two hands holding a heart with a crown on top, to the romantic Leap Year traditional reversal of roles, where a woman proposes to the man she loves, started by two saints of Ireland,
St Patrick and St Brigid.
Why not spend your special day getting your rings blessed by St Valentine himself? The relics of this saint have been enshrined in
Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin since 1836. Visitors from Dublin and beyond have been visiting the shrine for years and some have even had their wedding rings blessed beneath his shrine on February 14th. Others choose to write letters about love, unrequited or otherwise, to the saint or simply leave a note in the notebook at his shrine. It’s not every day your rings are blessed by St Valentine, so those who want to experience this tradition should make sure to arrange this one of a kind experience well in advance.
Make a day of exploring the grounds and history of some of Ireland’s most romantic destinations. You won’t find a more tragic yet romantic backstory than the one behind Connemara’s
Kylemore Abbey, so this is a definite place to add to your itinerary. A tragic tale and an epic romance; Hollywood’s scriptwriters have nothing on Mitchell and Margaret Henry, who fell in love and raised their family together in Kylemore until Margaret’s death. Mitchell Henry never sent her body to a church for burial, instead having a mausoleum built for her on the estate where the lovers now rest together. Her family’s coat of arms hangs above the entrance to the Abbey. The immaculately kept grounds and wild surrounding hills and mountains of Kylemore Abbey are great for exploring via guided tours or hiking trails.
If you love the great outdoors, then try horse riding over golden beaches around Connemara; or stroll hand in hand while taking in the views of the heather-topped Glens of Antrim. Or maybe
get out on the road and explore, perhaps stopping off overnight at a lighthouse in County Clare, or in Bubble Domes in Fermanagh. There are plenty of
unusual places to stay around the island.
There are lots of other ways to
be romantic while you’re here, and maybe our community has some more recommendations for you?
