Welcome to the September 2026 edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date—a blogger link up Deborah and I host the first Friday of every month so we can catch up on all the things as if we were having coffee. I’m back home now, and excited to tell you about the coffee and scones I enjoyed in Ireland.
You know how this works—grab the badge, link your post, and comment on the other blogs in the link-up.
Coffee And Scones In Ireland
If we were having coffee, I would want to tell you about the cute places we stayed for our hiking tour. They ranged from a family-run inn to a fancy hotel, and they all served amazing breakfasts.
The first place we stayed was the Rosleague Manor Hotel in Letterfrack.
It had ivy-covered buildings, huge bedrooms, cozy sitting rooms with fireplaces that we enjoyed after our rainy hike, and a spectacular view when the sun came out later!
The breakfast buffet included fruit, scones, cereals, and yogurt—and eggs from their chickens you could have cooked to order.
We went from country comfort to historic luxury at the Great Southern in Killarney. We were greeted by doormen and valets who took our luggage through the marbled and chandeliered lobby to our rooms.
I was glad we didn’t have muddy boots here!
The Great Southern was built in the 1850s and hosted Queen Victoria when she visited Ireland in 1861. The Silver Bell displayed in the lobby was put in place in case of fire when she visited—and luckily not needed!
If you’ve watched Victoria you’ll remember her visit to Ireland!
If we were having coffee, I would tell you the breakfast buffet at this hotel had everything, but I liked the pancakes more than the scones.
The coffee was meh, but I enjoyed their cappucinos.
The final stop of the hiking tour was at BrookLodge in Wicklow County. It was a huge property with a spa, several restaurants, a wedding chapel and golf course.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you that BrookLodge had the best scones—I really wished I could stuff down more!
I enjoyed having a selection of fruit and grains to choose from!
If we were having coffee, I know you would be asking if I found any Starbucks??? You will be relieved to hear that I found Starbucks in Galway (which had two) and Dublin (which had many).
In Dublin, there was a Starbucks in a complex right next to our hotel, but it didn’t open until 10 am on weekends! Luckily the Starbucks app showed me a cafe at a train station not too far away.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you how much we enjoyed meeting Susanne and her husband in Dublin. We did not meet for coffee, but we had a lovely lunch at O’Donoghue’s.
I really appreciate that they made the trip to Dublin and glad that Susanne found new runnings shoes and a guitar to make the journey worthwhile!
One more thing I would share if we were having coffee is the book I enjoyed reading. I was going to read Project Hail Mary, but watched the movie on the plane instead. 🤷♀️
The story follows what happens after a journalist (Lizzie) is invited by her estranged college roommate-turned tradwife influencer (Becs/Rebbecca) to attend an “influencer” event where she plans to make a big announcement. Lizzie uses her investigation skills to unravel two mysteries—why did Becs ghost Lizzie so many years ago? and who killed Becs’s husband the night before she was supposed to make her big announcement? Even if you didn’t like Yesteryear, you might enjoy Everyone is Lying To You, which is more about friendship than tradwifery.
What’s your favorite restaurant breakfast?
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Your trip really sounds so fun! Thanks for sharing the details of you various lodging experiences. And, Susanne! That was a nice treat, I bet!
It was such a treat to meet them!
It truly sounds like a lovely visit! I remember wondering why scones tasted so much better in Ireland (as did Guinness) when i was there but it was years ago. Love that you and Susanne got to meet up – how amazing! Also I enjoyed Everyone Is Lying to You – it was hard to put down!
It was a great vacation!
Ooh! I did like Yesteryear ( a lot) and this book sounds good as well.
Your trip really looks amazing. I like how you managed to find Starbucks, and it’s funny how different things are in other countries. Can you imagine a Starbucks here not opening till 10 am???
So cool you met up with Susanne. I like the pose under the huge Guinness sign!
Sounds like a wonderful trip! And how fun to have connected with Susanne!
You stayed at some lovely places. How fun! I remember being in a B&B in, I think it was Dublin, and they made the best frittata. How great to meet Susanne!
It sounds like you and your husband had such a fantastic time in Ireland! Thanks for sharing a little bit about where you stayed – all of the breakfasts sound delicious! And how fun to meet up with Susanne and her husband while there!
Looks like you stayed in some lovely hotels. I do appreciate a nice lavish breakfast buffet and great coffee. So fun that you were able to meet up with Susanne
Scones! With clotted cream and strawberry jam. To die for!
I’m surprised you stuck to coffee and weren’t converted to tea!
What a great variety of places to stay, and wonderful breakfasts to eat! I was excited about seeing Starbucks in Europe because I knew they would give me my iced coffee fix. I dearly missed it!
I love your love of hotel breakfasts! I have a breakfast to recommend next time you’re in Chicago for the weekend!
I loved Everyone is Lying to You and also Parisian Heist (Jo Piazza’s newest). I liked the Yesteryear concept/twist but preferred Everyone is Lying to You.
That fancy hotel in Killarney reminds me of a hotel in Cork where I stayed during a 2-day course in 2017. I bet the class would have cost less than half the price if they had chosen a simpler hotel! It was at a huge golf resort and looked like a castle, and I had a full luxury apartment to myself. Just crazy! I’m glad you didn’t need to walk the marble floors with muddy boots!
You’re right, Starbucks wouldn’t be found outside the bigger cities. Coffee can be quite bland here but some places have really good specialist barista coffees.
It was so nice to meet you! I’m glad for my running shoes, but OMG, the guitar! What a fantastic find! Thank you for giving me a reason to go to Dublin!
I planned to join the coffee date today but there was some ultra marathon prep drama here and I didn’t get to sit down and write until late. Well… perhaps I’ll make it.
Wow–what lovely places you stayed at! And fun that you were able to meet up with Susanne. I’ll have to check out Everyone is Lying to You!
Oh, you have to read PHM! It’s very close to the movie but so much more detailed.
And I did love Yesteryear, but I’d probably love this other book too. I’m obsessed with trad culture and the cult mindset that leads to it.
What a beautiful trip you had. I love all your photos and I’m so glad you had such wonderful experiences!
Ahh, that breakfast looks so good!! I’m really glad they specified that the eggs were raw (although I’m sure there were still some people who probably didn’t read it…). Ireland is such a pretty country! I loved the scones there! (Fish + chips too…)
Yesteryear just came off my holds list on Libby so I’ll be reading it soon!