Harley Davidson Motorcycle Tour through Ireland

Belfast is an antique city pulsing with brand new life. The old shipyard at Lagan that once watched the Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage now glints with luxury apartments. The center dedicated to the “unsinkable” ship is shaped like a star, filled with galleries depicting the construction of the ship and the history of those remembered who took the ill-fated voyage. Victorian architecture lines the waterfront blending with gorgeous modern art. Restaurants fill the air with the aroma of traditional Irish cuisine with a modern twist such as seafood chowder and Portobello mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts.

The breeze carries the briny fragrance of the Atlantic Ocean over Ireland’s oldest operating market, St. George’s Market. The 19th-century Victorian edifice hosts flower vendors, fishmongers, butchers, and secondhand goods on Fridays, while Saturday and Sunday markets brim with home-cooked wares and local crafts. Jovial music drifts out of the open doors of one of the oldest pubs in the city located in Writer’s Square. Your private transfer greets you at Belfast International Airport and escorts you to a gorgeous hotel near the Crescent Arts Center and St. Anne’s Cathedral. The remainder of the day is yours to get acquainted with the charm and renewed beauty of Northern Ireland’s capital city.

The iconic black cabs of Belfast return to the city in the morning as the scent of scones and clotted cream fills the dining room. Locals make their way to local restaurants for a breakfast of grilled soda bread and juicy rib-eye steak with melted cheese and chili jam. After the meal, you have a private transfer to the rental company where you will pick up your Harley Davidson. When you mount your motorcycle, the scent of black Irish tea fades beneath the sea breeze.

The city returns to life as you rev the Road King, a state-of-the-art bike with a classic look. The bike’s powerful performance will help you along the steep incline of the Irish mountains, while the comfortable padded seating allows you to ride for longer periods of time without stopping. The wind ruffles your jacket as you leave the city behind, traveling west to Donegal in the Irish Republic.

You first head north to reach Dunluce Castle, a medieval ruin situated on a basalt precipice overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The cobalt water shines against the silver and gray stones of the remaining castle walls. The 2nd Earl of Ulster erected the structure in the 15th century with drum towers standing 30 feet tall. A guide shares the story of the kitchen falling into the sea during a stormy night in the 17th century. You listen attentively to the folklore of the banshee that haunted the towers and keeps. You don’t question whether the stories are true and enjoy listening to the traditional legends while standing on the atmospheric grounds of the castle ruins.

The colorful town of Donegal glints against the backdrop of the Blue Stack Mountains. The preserved castle walls rise above the cobbled lanes overlooking the banks of the Eske River. The scent of herbaceous black tea and black currant jam fills the dining room before you set out on your bike bound for the charming streets of Clifden, following the roads along the Wild Atlantic Way. The air carries an aroma of fresh grass and wet stone as sheep and horses graze on the emerald landscape.

You cross into County Sligo and pass Benbulben, an outcropping of the Dartry Mountains. Over thousands of years, the weather has eroded the limestone and shale to craft the distinctive formation of the cliffs and precipices that reach a height of over 1,700 feet above sea level. The plateau offers views of the emerald coastal plain and shimmering cobalt waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A paved path near the southern face of the mountain leads to the Glencar Waterfall across the border in County Leitrim.

Wild hares and foxes forage in the tall grass once hunted by the band of legendary warriors known as the Fianna who settled the area in the 3rd century. You continue to Kylemore Abbey where the Victorian wall hides the gorgeous six-acre garden glowing with manicured hedges and blossoming geraniums. The manor was erected in the 19th century and was converted into an abbey in the 1920s for nuns who had escaped Belgium’s turmoil during the First World War. The former palace is 40,000 square feet and reflects in the stoic water of the lake in the forecourt.

The waters of the Owenglin River wind around the hillsides feeding into Clifden Bay and the wind sweeps over the tufts of grass and plains surrounding Clifden. The twin spires of the churches create an elegant skyline accentuated by the limestone protruding from the surrounding hills. After breakfast, you ride for Tralee, fascinated by the remarkable landscape of the Connemara region and the eponymous national park. You stop the Dolmen, a megalithic tomb dating back to the 5th or 4th century BC. The massive stones were typically covered with earth or smaller stones to form an encompassing mound, and you cannot imagine how the engineers managed to place the massive boulders atop the tall standing rocks.

The impressive human-made rock formations give way to the dramatic natural creations at the Cliffs of Moher. The stunning precipices on Ireland’s western coast reach heights of up to 700 feet tall. Geologists have dated the base of the cliffs back 30 million years, originally shaped by rushing rivers leading to the sea. The narrow trail along the edge of the cliffs provide the best views to the staggering heights of the coastline. Waves crash against the rocks and boulders protruding from the base, and small tufts of grass provide patches of greenery against the dark, slick stone. Puffins build their nests in niches along the rocky bluffs, utilizing the proximity to the water to hunt for fish and other marine life.

The 13th-century remains of the Ardfert Cathedral captivate visitors with a Romanesque door and window arches, and the interior walls maintain an effigy of St. Brendan the Navigator who founded the monastery. The scent of sizzling sausages and frying bacon fills the dining room before you set out on another day’s exploration leading you from Tralee to Killarney. You know today will bring more excitement and beauty but cannot imagine how it will surpass the marvels you witnessed the previous day. You pass the 19th-century flour mill, the largest mill in Ireland at nearly 70 feet tall, and continue until reaching the Gallarus Oratory. The distinctive edifice resembles an upturned boat and was erected as early as the 6th century.

The stones were cut to fit like a puzzle with a thick layer of mortar spread on the interior as opposed to the exterior. Red sandstone quarried from the cliffs of the shoreline helped erect the free-standing edifice. The doorway reaches a height of five and a half feet and acts as a source of light beyond the small round-headed window in the east. Upon reaching the town of Dingle, you are eager to relax with a view of the fishing port. The charming capital of the Dingle Peninsula provides a unique ambiance emanating from the historical pubs where locals and visitors sip pints of Guinness, giving the quaint town a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

The morning fills with the aroma of lamb and charcoal wafting from a restaurant on High Street in Killarney. The cobbled lanes of town give way to glistening lakes and 19th-century architecture, fishermen pluck fish directly from the ocean, and the restaurants offer delicious takes on traditional dishes with contemporary twists. You mount your Harley Davidson after breakfast, eager to wrap around the Ring of Kerry, a famous route traversing the Iveragh Peninsula. Pristine white beaches, medieval ruins, and rugged mountains decorate the landscape.

The open road offers views to the sporadic islands bursting from the Atlantic. The loop travels more than 110 miles of spectacular scenery as the breeze carries bursts of mist and the briny aroma of the ocean. You stop at the Stone Forts, a ring near the water by Ballycarbery Castle where historical strongholds continue to stand. Cahergall Stone Fort was erected in the 7th century with walls reaching nearly 20 feet tall and 10 feet thick, and the stone architecture represents early medieval engineering and design. The second fortress has a diameter of 70 feet with walls protected on the three sides by the natural grassy slope. Irregular steps lead to the interior where a square home was erected on top of earlier circular stones.

The youthful ambiance of Cork returns in the morning and cozy cafés open their doors and offer complementing aromas of brewing tea and freshly ground coffee. The music of the pubs lingers along the cobblestone streets before the bands return to the snug confines beside the bar. The River Lee rushes beneath the Georgian architecture winding away from the 17th-century alleys and modernist opera house. You leave Cork behind after breakfast, revving your engine with anticipation of the beauty and brilliance to come.

The city of Cobh stands on Ireland’s southeast waterfront, shimmering with colorful houses and a marvelous historical cathedral. The city was renamed after Queen Victoria’s visit in the mid-19th century but is often referred to by locals with its original nomenclature. Fishing vessels and cruise ships dock at the port, which contains the second-largest natural harbor in the world. Tens of thousands of Irish departed the island from Cobh during the ravages of the century-long famine that lasted from 1848 to 1950.

The city was also the last port of call for the Titanic before its fateful voyage. You enter the Queenstown Cultural Center where the various rooms offer insight into the life and times of the city and the émigrés who left Ireland during the famine years. One of the rooms howls with a storm and tilts as if on the sea. Photos of passengers capture their misery during the expedition to America. The timeline passes through the decades until you find photos of dining rooms and cabins on ships that carried travelers across the Atlantic, making you nostalgic for the elegant way people dressed, dined, and interacted.

Dublin retains a deeper sense of its rich history than does Belfast. The cobblestone streets meet hidden alleyways lined with pubs and antique shops. The boutique stores on Grafton Street look out to floral shops that burst with colors. The street is located near the grounds of Trinity College, the most prestigious university in Ireland. Queen Elizabeth, I founded the university in the late 16th century on an estate encompassing 40 acres. A 9th-century illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells is housed in the celebrated library, along with 200,000 of rare, antique books often featured in literary exhibitions.

The statue of Oscar Wilde shimmers with precious stones as the figure lounges on a sloping boulder in the heart of Merrion Square. You ride out of town, heading back to Northern Ireland and Belfast. En route, you stop at the Hill of Tara, from where over 140 kings reigned during prehistoric and historic times. Mythology abounds, emanating from the ancient monuments, which includes a 560-foot long temple and the Stone of Destiny. The stone rises out of the Seat of Temair and was the coronation stone brought to the land by demigods. Legend says the stone roars when touched by the rightful king.

Central Belfast returns to life with the aromas of fried bacon, toast, and grilled tomatoes emanating from a local cafe located inside the former National Bank headquarters on High Street. The exterior of the building remains the same, while the interior resembles an open market with long wooden tables and the scent of fresh coffee drifting throughout the building’s four floors. The distinct Irish ambiance of the Gaeltacht Quarter draws visitors keen on finding a contrast to the British influence on Northern Ireland, where locals mix the Irish language with English slang, reminding you of County Galway in the Republic of Ireland. You returned the Harley upon your arrival in Belfast the previous day, and today, your private transfer greets you in the hotel lobby and escorts you to Belfast International Airport for your flight home.