♪ Colleen Kelly: There's so much to see and do in Ireland.

Showing you everything in one episode just wouldn't be possible.

My family and I just explored this beautiful country as an amazing family getaway.

As anyone can tell you, I love my family, but sometimes us moms need a break too.

Which is why my sister and I decided to take a trip to the Emerald Isle on our own, for a special girls' getaway.

I'm Colleen Kelly, and this is Family Travel.

I'm in Ireland doing a- Group: Girls getaway!

Colleen: Join my sister Katie and I as we meet up with our Irish cousins for an unforgettable girls' trip.

We'll try our hand at clay pigeon shooting, zipline through the Delphi Forest, harvest some fresh mussels on a stunning Fjord, go cycling with our Irish cousins, go on a traditional Irish Jig at Matt Molloy's Pub, and meet the Grammy winner himself.

Explore some incredible Irish castles, and go horseback riding along the Tullan Strand in Donegal.

Ladies pack your bags, we're headed to the Emerald Isle.

My name is Colleen Kelly and when I was single I lived abroad and traveled the world.

Then I became a parent, and wondered, how would I ever travel again?

So I set out to find a new way to travel, and get back to exploring the world, family-style.

I'm here to guide you on how to get the most out of your family vacation.

Pack your bags and join me, Colleen Kelly, we're going on vacation.

Announcer: Funding provided by, Ted Tetslaff, attorneys for your personal and business needs.

Colleen: Located just west of the United Kingdom in the North Atlantic, a five-hour flight from the United States' East Coast, Ireland is the second-largest of the British Isles.

With 1600 miles of winding roads, green mountains, and countless unique adventures, the Wild Atlantic Way is one of the longest defined coastal routes in the world.

Passing through nine counties, and three provinces, the Wild Atlantic Way, begins in County Cork and leads all the way up to County Donegal.

We begin our trip in County Clare.

Ireland is known for its historic castles.

While my sister and I wanted to explore them all, we narrowed it down to two.

The first, Dromoland Castle in County Clare.

Hi, I'm Colleen Katie: I'm her sister Katie.

Colleen: And we're kicking off our trip to Ireland at Dromoland Castle.

Katie: For our little girlfriend getaway.

Colleen: All right, you ready to go?

Katie: Yes.

Colleen: Let's go.

This castle, which now operates as a hotel, dates back to the 15th Century.

With a variety of activities offered across the grounds, such as Hawk Walks and Pony and Trap rides, there's plenty to make guests feel like they've stepped back in time.

We opted to try our hand at Clay Pigeon Shooting, a form of target practice that dates back to the 1800s.

Who's going to win?

Katie: Oh, me of course [laughs].

Colleen: I don't think so.

Katie: No, I actually think you're a better shot.

Colleen: I think I am pretty good.

I'll say that and now I won't be.

Hello.

Hi.

David: Hi, how are you?

I'm David, nice to meet you.

Katie: Hi there, I'm Katie nice to meet you.

Colleen: I'm Colleen nice to meet you.

David: I'm going to show you how to shoot.

Okay?

Colleen: Oh, my gosh, super excited.

[laughter].

David: All right, okay.

You have two guns here, you have two Berettas.

One's a 20 gauge and ones a 12 gauge.

Now the difference between the two guns is this has got a double trigger.

The back one fires the top barrel, and the front one fires the bottom barrel.

What you do is you track it, it's a moving target so you have to track it.

Let the target go out and then point the gun at it and fire.

I'll just show you what to do.

Firm on your shoulder, now cheek in the stock, now you look right down the barrel and you keep your cheek on it all the time.

Pull, bang.

Pull, bang, you see the way my cheek is on it all the time?

You keep it there all the time, you don't take it off.

All right?

Colleen: I think we're ready for a little ammunition, we think, I mean.

Katie: Yes, we're ready for the real thing.

David: Okay, let's go.

Colleen: Before giving it a go ourselves, we watched the expert.

David: Pull.

[gunshot] Colleen & Katie: Yay!

Good job!

Colleen: Those up for the challenge can practice their skills at the sport just like royalty did back in the day.

Those with a competitive streak like Katie and I can even keep score.

Pull.

[gunshot] Holy cow.

David: Too quick.

Colleen: Too quick.

[gunshot] Colleen: I got it.

David: [laughs].

Katie: I missed it.

Colleen: I just got it.

Katie: Good job!

[laughter] Colleen: What can I say?

My sister and I are competitive.

Katie: Oh, you did good!

Good Job!

Colleen: I was shaking.

Katie: Now let me show you how it's done, girl.

Colleen: Yes, good luck on that one.

Katie: Ready?

Pull.

[gunshot] David: Well done you got it.

Katie: [laughs] What really?

I just got it.

David: [laughs].

Katie: That's how it's done.

Pull.

[gunshot] Close.

Colleen: Well, we both hit it once.

That's good.

I'll let my sister in on the truth eventually.

David, that was really fun.

Katie: I got my adrenaline going.

I think it's time for a pint.

[laughter] Katie: That's what they do in Ireland.

Go to the pub.

[laughs] David: Look at that.

[gunshot] Colleen: While Dromoland offers no shortage of activities simply walking the castle grounds feels like a delicacy in itself.

Just look at that sunset.

As much as we hate to leave, our Ireland adventure had just begun.

The next leg of our journey brings us two hours northwest of County Clare, to Leenaun in County Galway.

In addition to their scenic mountain regions, counties like Galway are rich in history, both new and old.

It's also here in Galway that we got ready for a brand new experience of our own.

Harvesting Fresh Mussels at Killary Fjord Shellfish.

Located on the majestic Killary Fjord, this family-owned shellfish business started in 1989.

We met with the owner, Simon, to learn all about the process.

Simon: Welcome to Killary Fjord Shellfish.

Colleen: Thank you.

Katie: It's just beautiful here.

Colleen: It's incredible here.

We're excited to learn a little about mussel fishing?

Or farming?

Simon: Farming, yes.

Katie: Yes, what are we doing today?

Simon: Well, we'll go out now to the boat and we'll harvest some mussels, and I'll show you how they're grown.

Colleen: Why is this are a good place to harvest mussels?

Simon: Well, you have the pure waters from the Wild Atlantic and then the runoff from the High Mountains, which brings down a lot of the nutrients which gives the nice, sweet taste of the mussel.

Colleen: Is this one of the only Fjords in Ireland?

Simon: It is, yes, the only Fjord in Ireland.

Colleen: It's the only one?

Wow, that's exciting.

All right, well, I'm excited.

Katie: Yes.

Colleen: Ready to learn.

Simon: All right, well.

Let's put on a few life jackets here and then we can go.

Colleen: All right sounds good.

Thank you.

A Fjord is classified as a narrow body of water with steep hills or mountains on three sides.

It is always longer than it is wide.

Katie: This to me is very majestic, it's the Connemara Mountains, isn't it?

It's the Connemara, did you say?

Simon: On this side, the Connemara, this side is Mayo and that's Mweelrea.

The second highest mountain in Ireland.

The highest in Connemara.

Katie: Woah.

I'm excited to learn about this because this is something that's educational, and then you get to eat them.

Colleen: That was what I was going to say, that's what I want to do, I want to eat them.

But who doesn't?

Katie: Don't say that too loud they'll hear us.

Colleen: [laughs] Can I come out?

Simon: This a step up, yes.

Here you go.

In May and June each year we come around with 800 of these drop ropes prolong line.

It's made of nylon so it's quite heavy if you want to lift it there and hold onto it.

Colleen: Oh, it is heavy.

Simon: Yes.

The larvae then attach onto this rope.

Onto the 800 prolong line.

The whole process takes two and a half years before harvesting time.

Colleen: Two and a half years?

Wow.

Simon: Yes.

We'll just show you here now two-year-old.

Colleen: That's so many.

Katie: These are about ready?

Colleen: Wow, look at that.

Katie: Oh, my God.

Colleen: That is amazing.

Katie: They are how far down?

Simon: They are about eight meters deep.

[crosstalk] Colleen: Oh, what's that?

Simon: That's a sea squirt.

Colleen: What?

What is that called?

Simon: This is called a sea squirt.

Colleen: Why do they call it that?

Simon: It has two siphons, one to suck the water in, take the phytoplankton out of the water, and then it exhales it again.

It squirts.

Colleen: [laughs] It's like a squirt gun.

Katie: Little bit inappropriate Simon: [laughs].

Colleen: It's funny because when I eat mussels at a restaurant, to think that you spent two years or two and a half years just to harvest them is pretty incredible.

Katie: We're going to eat them slower next time.

Simon: Yes, appreciate them more.

[laughter] Colleen: Simon, all of this is making me hungry so, can we head back and maybe cook some up?

Simon: All right we'll take a portion of these with us, and we'll go to shore and cook them up.

Colleen: All right.

Simon: Do you wanna give me a hand to clear up?

Colleen: Yes, sure.

Katie: Yes.

Colleen: After learning all about the mussels, we were ready to eat them.

On our way back to the mainland, we got a little surprise, our Irish cousins.

They're here.

Oh, my gosh.

[cheers] Cousin: Hello.

Katie: Oh, my gosh, my heart is so happy.

Colleen: I'm so glad they're here.

Katie: The weather is fantastic.

Did you guys order the weather for us?

Colleen: [laughs] Katie: It's always this sunny in Ireland, right?

Colleen: Yes, so good to see you.

Oh, this is great, you're going to love it out there.

Katie: Yes.

Colleen: While Simon took our cousins out to learn about harvesting the mussels, we learned how to clean and sort them.

These special machines clean seaweed, debris, and any unwelcome sea creatures from the mussels.

Next, we begin the sorting process.

Katie: How do you know which one to toss and which one to keep?

Fisherman: [inaudible] Colleen: How fast are they going to come out?

Fisherman: Not too fast.

Colleen: Okay.

Kind of like I Love Lucy.

When it came to sorting the mussels, Katie and I channeled our inner Lucy and Ethel.

Hurry up.

Katie: I think you tossed that.

Colleen: That's right, it's go time, oh look at that.

[laughter] Katie: We're about ready.

[indistinct speech] Colleen: All right, let's go eat them.

After the cleaning and sorting process, it was time to cook and eat our fresh mussels.

What better way than sharing with friends?

Looks amazing.

Katie: I had a great day.

Colleen: I know.

Did you have fun?

Cousins: We loved it.

[crosstalk] Cousin 2: Thanks for having us.

Colleen: Now it's time to eat, right?

Katie: I loved this part.

It was my favorite part.

Colleen: This beautiful.

Cousin: That's amazing.

Colleen: That is amazing.

Look how gorgeous that is.

Katie, why don't you dig in there.

Ola, why don't you eat there.

We just learned that you can use these as tweezers.

You have to eat the first one and then you pull it out like this.

You guys probably know this already.

Oh, wow.

This is why you got to love Ireland.

So many reasons to love it.

It's beautiful, fresh.

♪ Even though Ireland is known for their castles, it's important not to overlook other types of accommodations, like Bed and Breakfast or where we stayed, the Delphi Resort located in Galway on the Northside of the Killary Fjord, the Delphi Resort is serenely nestled at the Delphi Valley.

While the Delphi Resort offers guests delicious food at their restaurant and bar, as well as a chance to relax at the Delphi Spa Connemara, their main attraction resides outdoors.

These stunning views are hard to beat.

What better way to experience these mountains than by soaring through them.

Ziplining through the Delphi Forest is a great way for thrill seekers to soak up the fresh air while also satisfying their adrenaline rush.

When ziplining, be sure to wear comfortable fitted clothes and tennis shoes.

If you're ziplining in the forest like us, bug spray is a must.

Once we get our gear on, we were ready to go.

Well, at least Katie was.

We're in Ireland and we're bout to go ziplining, so I got to get the courage up.

I don't know.

I bet you're going to be great.

We've done this a million times.

What could go wrong?

[laughs] We climbed the tower and made our trek across the rope bridge to the zip-lining platform.

Oh no, this is a little harder going up the hill.

[background noise].

Definitely not my proudest moment.

I just hope the actual zip-lining would be easier than crossing the bridge to it.

Good luck, Kate.

[background noise] It's going to go harder.

Oh, no.

Zipline Assistant: Well on.

Katie: Sorry, sister, somethings I got, somethings you got.

Colleen: With the dual zipline, Katie and I are prepared to race.

Katie: All right, let's do this.

I'm excited.

I'm not scared.

You know what?

This is fun.

This is why we came to Ireland.

She needs to have a little bit more fun in her life, so this is how we doing it.

Colleen: She thinks this is an adventure.

For me, this is terrified.

It's also good for me.

Katie: Ready, Col?

Colleen: Yes.

Katie: One, two, three, go.

[background noise] ♪ Colleen: I did it.

I did it.

That is so scary that I did that.

Katie: Yes, you cool girl.

Colleen: That was so much fun.

Katie: You screamed the whole way.

Colleen: Despite my rocky start, I was so glad I did it.

My sister and I both agreed this would be an experience we'd always remember.

Well, Katie and I loved the thrill of the zipline.

We were more than ready to unwind after our big adventure.

We decided to treat ourselves to some spa time.

The Delphi Spa's holistic and organic approach to relaxation makes it a great place for nature lovers to end their day of adventuring at the resort.

With a full spa relaxation area and a variety of therapeutic baths and massage treatments, this is every mom's dream.

We opted for the blue bloom bath.

Katie: It was something different than we ever tried before, so that's fun.

Colleen: Very exciting.

Katie: This is where we say we'll see in a little bit, how about that?

See if we're going to rest.

Colleen: The bathwater used is the mountain spring water.

This, along with paraben-free natural ingredients make their treatments not only unique but refreshing and hydrating.

Moms, you'll like this, the spa is adults only.

Sorry, kids.

After our bath, my sister and I took a moment to rehydrate and relax.

That was a great day, but I just have to tell you that having massage is so nice to relax.

It's so important to take that time, don't you think?

Katie: Absolutely.

That was amazing, by the way.

I've loved everything about that.

Well, I love doing the adventure part, because that's what I liked about a girlfriend getaway weekend.

You have fun, but you also relax and take time for yourself.

That's important.

It's such a great time with you.

Thanks for inviting me.

It's been fun.

Colleen: Absolutely.

Sláinte, as they say in Ireland.

♪ Ireland is full of beauty, but how you choose to explore it is up to you.

One popular mode of transportation is cycling.

Tourists travel from all over the world to cycle Ireland's Gateway Greenway, a 26-mile walking and cycling trail.

The trail begins in Westport and ends at Aqua islands, passing through Newport and Mulranny along the way.

We chose to cycle through the picturesque town of Newport in County Mayo where we met up with our Irish cousins at Greenway Bicycle Hire.

Once we got our bikes, helmets, and reflective jackets, we were ready to explore Newport.

Biking is often a fun, inexpensive way to see a new city, especially if you're traveling without a car.

We chose to tour around town.

♪ The town of Newport was established in the 18th century.

Today, this quaint historic town offers bicycle and walking trails along with access to the Gateway Greenway.

Newport is also home to a variety of local shops and restaurants.

After working up an appetite cycling, we were ready for a bite to eat at Kelly's Kitchen.

With a menu that ranges from delicious sandwiches to homemade cakes and pastries, Kelly's Kitchen has something for everyone.

The desserts looked so good.

We wanted to try them all.

Katie: You can try a little bit of mine if you want.

Colleen: I'll take every one of it.

Katie: [laughs] This has been such a nice day.

Colleen: I'm so glad we took the time to do this.

Katie: It's important to be with our girlfriends.

Thanks for meeting us.

[crosstalk] All: Cheers to us.

Katie: A little bit later, we have a little bit of surprise for you.

Colleen, you're in for a surprise as well.

Colleen: Really?

Katie: Yes.

Colleen: After our cycling tour around Newport, we headed about seven miles South to Westport.

This charming town is unique to Ireland as it's one of the country's new-plan towns.

Visitors will enjoy Westport's Georgian architectural style and walkable streets by day and some of Ireland's best pubs by night.

Although our cousins couldn't make it out for the evening, Heidi and I chose to pay a visit to a favorite local jar, Matt Molloy's Pub.

Heidi: Wow, this is great.

Colleen: Matt Molloy's Pub.

Katie: Matt Molloy's Pub.

This is one of my favorite place to go whenever I come to town.

I love this place.

I know our friends had to leave, but I do have a little treat for you.

Colleen: Oh, yes, what?

This, I guess?

Katie: Well, this and you're going to meet Matt Molloy.

Matt.

[laughs] Colleen: No.

You've won a ton of Grammys.

Katie: Six Grammys.

Matt Molloy: Just six.

Katie: Just six.

You need to try harder, Matt.

[laughs] Matt: It's getting a bit late for that though.

Well, it's good to see you, girls.

Because you're here, we organized a few musicians and singers if you prefer to dance.

Katie: We can dance.

[crosstalk] Colleen: We did learn Irish step dancing.

We are a little rusty, but we can try.

Matt: You're on.

Come on.

Katie: [crosstalk] better weekend, Matt.

[laughs] ♪ Colleen: Coda is an amazing acapella group, and we're here to see them singing.

Katie: Oh, we can't wait.

Are you guys ready?

Colleen: Very special.

Coda: Yes.

[singing] Colleen: With the incredible sounds of Matt Malloy and Coda filling our hearts with Ireland, we couldn't help but fall more in love with this amazing country.

Of course, we couldn't end our evening without some traditional Irish dancing, taught to us by a few of our dear friends.

While most American pubs aren't for children, plenty of pubs in Ireland welcome families to enjoy their local cuisine and live music.

♪ [applause] Colleen: I don't know how they do that.

You did it.

That was amazing.

Although we would have loved to share our experience at Matt Molloy with our families, Katie and I still enjoyed our night.

Great music with great friends in a cozy Irish pub, what could be better.

[applause] ♪ Colleen: The final leg of our trip brings us to historic Lough Eske Castle.

Lough Eske Castle Hotel is a 17th-century castle that was refurbished into the hotel it is today in 2007.

Tourist Guide 1: The castle itself was built in 1861.

Sandstone coat was used, the same stone was used to restored it actually in 2007 as well.

Activities around the area, you have fishing on the lock, we also have cycling here.

There's a lot of nice little walks and nice little cycles around the area.

Colleen: There's clearly no shortage of history and activities at Lough Eske Castle.

Although my sister and I wanted to try it all, we opted for a relaxing Irish whiskey testing before tomorrow's adventures.

I don't usually have whiskey but when in Ireland.

Katie: When in Ireland but there's such an art form to whiskey making here and it's part of the culture, right?

Colleen: Yes, really is.

Katie: All right.

Here we go.

Colleen: sláinte.

Katie: sláinte.

Wait before we do this, I have a little something for you.

I went shopping today.

The town is only like 10 minutes away so I got you this one.

She has a smaller head than me.

You get the smaller one.

[laughs] Colleen: It's so cute.

Katie: Yes, do you like it?

Colleen: Yes, I feel so Irish.

Katie: I feel very Irish.

Now we sláinte.

Colleen: Now we toast.

Katie: sláinte.

Colleen: sláinte.

Katie and I decided to end our trip to Ireland with an experience we'd never forget.

Horseback riding along the Tullan Strand, remote beach in the Wild Northwest.

We chose to take our horseback riding exaction with Donegal Equestrian Centre located in Bundoran in County Donegal.

Donegal Equestrian Centre is part of the Wild Atlantic Way.

In addition to offering guided horseback ride along the stunning Tullan Strand, the equestrian center also offers riding lessons with the majestic Irish horses.

Rachel: Donegal Equestrian Centre opened in 2010 previously a riding school here as well.

We provide riding mainly for tourists down on the beach on Tullan Strand which is part of the Wild Atlantic Way.

We also offer children's lessons and pony camps.

We start teaching children as young as four years of age and the eldest gentleman we've had was in his 80s.

We have in the season approximately 50 horses.

They're all Irish horses, they're all- what you call a colt- which is a short-legged animal with great temperaments.

They are the royal Irish colts and then we have the small ponies for the children.

For the beach tour, we do two tours.

We take complete beginners that never ridden before and then put more experienced riders who take then down onto the beach themselves.

It's a great way because you see parts that you won't see if you were on foot because we have a beach at the park that is inaccessible on foot and only by horseback.

It's just a nice, relaxing way to see the countryside.

Colleen: We couldn't wait to meet our horses.

So excited to do this.

Just check on my bucket list.

Katie: Yes for sure, definitely.

Hello?

How are you guys?

Hi, I'm Katie?

Rachel: Hi.

I'm Rachel.

Katie: Hi, Rachel?

Nice to meet you.

Colleen: Who are these guys, right here?

Rachel: This is sunny.

Colleen: Sunny and?

Rachel: This is Shivasna.

Colleen: We're really excited about this.

So we're about to do it.

Katie: Yes, let's do it.

Colleen: After walking our horses to the mounting stations, we got saddled up and ready to ride.

Rachel: You just got to swing your leg over it.

Colleen: Perfect.

Katie: Horseback riding in Ireland is like a dream.

It's amazing.

Look how beautiful she is.

Colleen: With our guide leading the way, we made our way down the trail.

What we didn't know was the beauty that awaited us at the end of it.

"Oh, wow, look at this, Katie.

Wow, this is beautiful."

Katie: Oh I love all the [unintelligible] out too, right?

Colleen: [laughs] Look at that.

That is so gorgeous.

All right, your dreams stand fulfilled.

Katie: Oh, my gosh, so beautiful.

Colleen: With stunning cliffs on one side, white beaches on the other and a gorgeous sea view everywhere you look, it is impossible not to be mesmerized by the beauty of the Tullan Strand.

Colleen: This is so pretty.

Katie: So cool.

♪ Colleen: We couldn't think of a better way to end our girls getaway.

Thanks for hanging out with the moms as we explored Ireland as a girls getaway.

My sister and I got competitive at clay shooting, harvested and enjoyed some delicious fresh mussels, ziplined through the Delphi forest, cycled through Newport with our Irish cousins, enjoyed the private concert by Matt Molloy, explored not one but two Irish castles and went horseback riding along the Tullan Strand.

I think we couldn't have planned our trip any better.

Thanks for watching Family Travel.

Katie: And our special girlfriends getaway.

Colleen: Enjoy making memories on your next family vacation.

Let's go.

♪ Announcer: Funding provided by, Ted Tetzlaff, attorneys for your personal and business needs.

For more information on upcoming destinations and projects, visit familytravelck.com.

Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and check us out on Snapchat.

We'd love to hear from you.

♪