More trips below! Have at it.

About Outspoken Traveler

Travel should be about embracing every moment — from the magic of the mundane to the awe-inspiring of nature, cities, the beauty that lingers in small places, and even an amazing meal.
My passion is to seek the magic lurking in every moment you travel to a new place; then let good planning and a dose of serendipity shape as many of the travel moments as possible. And finally, share it with you with a tongue-in-cheek honesty, authentic to my faults, stumbles along the way, and joys.
Thank you for particpating!
Alfred O’Neill
(Author pen name: A.E.S. O’Neill)

—OutspokenTraveler

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  • Mulcahy’s: Best Diner in Munster, Ireland? No kidding.

    And the winners of: Irish Restaurant Awards Munster Regional Final 2025. Mulcahy’s of Kenmare, Ireland is a very good restaurant. The BEST pate I have ever had. And it was chicken, which I normally avoid. I favor duck. From plate one I was grabbed. The chicken chasseur was exquisite…delicate pieces in a creamy sauce baked inside a pastry cup. Perusing the menu, it was one of those moments when you look up from your menu at the other table: “What are…

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  • Visiting the Mighty Connemara, Ireland: video that speaks to the awe you will feel.

    There are a thousand reasons why the Connemara National Park and region are so legendary. The haunting views. The boggy-laden ground that goes on forever. The lonely hikes and walks in the shadow ominous, bulging mountains. The contrast of greens, browns and the blue of the sky as it battles for dominance wit the constant shifting clouds. Then the sun breaks through and you catch your breath. Connemara National Park: try and go off-season; the bumper months are best…

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  • Visiting N. Ireland and you missed the Shepherd’s Hut of the Sperrin Mtns?

    Justine says it best: “At the Shepherds Hut, you just feel like you’re part of nature. There’s almost a mystical feeling about it to me. And that’s what’s so hard to convey in social media, is that it’s not just the views. It’s not just the hot tub. There’s an actual mystical beauty to it that you have to experience.” Justine is from the U.S., but married a local Irishman, so she has a true perspective on the beauty.…

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  • The Tuareg: Regal Blue Man tribe of the Sahara

    The blue man, a Tuareg tribesman, was incredibly tall. Because of his draping blue robes, his long legs seemed like he was gliding across the sand. It was a slow walk past mud buildings to a mosque that was a thousand years old. As he spoke of the mosque’s royal history, gently animated, he held himself in a constant pose of majesty as if he were the entire tribe, and all their ancient collective pride resided in him.  The…

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  • Now why would Nat’l Geographic call the Sperrin’s one of the most beautiful mountain ranges on Earth?

    When you see a place so stunning, yet simple in its beauty, you never forget it. So, Instead of me writing about the Sperrin Mountains of Northern Ireland, U.K., let me show you what I saw. National Geographic, as always, was so damned right.

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  • Seeking Balance? Lagom (Balance) of Kenmare creates a new standard for Irish B&B’s.

    Aren’t we all seeking “balance” in a crazy world? Are our vacations a mix of dreams of both relaxation and fun discovery? Lagom in Kenmare, County Kerry, is a great place to find both. Lagom is a special, unique place of food and rest. Stay here. Eat here. Be sure to say hello to Liz and Brendan, the owners and a wonderful team. First, the restaurant then the rooms. When asked about the name, Lagom, Liz said when they…

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  • Donald’s buggy ride & stories make any day perfect at the Gap of Dunloe. (County Kerry)

    A magic buggy ride in the Gap of Dunloe, county Kerry, Ireland. Humor, wild tales, wild wind. Truly by the roadside.

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  • A great chowder and a smile to remember. The Bervie BnB, Achill Island, County Mayo

    The Bervy, BnB.

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  • Five Days on Henrietta Street, London.

    London had changed. As it always does. London has the best and widest variety of boutique hotels. The Henrietta, by the Experimental Group, was a delightful surprise. I took a chance, especially since my significant other had never been to London and a good hotel room is crucial. I had not been since 2019. The toilet was broken upon our arrival, but the staff stepped in, specifically Christina, and proved that good hotels, especially boutiques, are not just about…

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  • Images of Lisbon, the magic gem of Portugal.

    Some call Lisbon the city of seven hills. It is older, some say, than Paris or Rome. Not a “trophy city” (“I saw this” and “I climbed that”!”) but a majestic, mighty spirit courses through the neighborhoods. It has to be walked to be experienced. This post is short because we have done others that filled our week there; here is the official site for the city of Lisbon. Good information abounds. Highlights? We loved so many aspects of…

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  • Is Magano the best restaurant in Lisbon?

    Hugo, the superb concierge at the Lapa Palace Hotel in Lisbon, knew by week’s end that when it came to a dinner recommendation, we were foodies who enjoyed the local more than the popular, the authentic, not the touristy. Having proven himself with several superb dining recommendations, we took to heart his sincerity but slight hesitancy regarding eating at Magano. Why? Mostly because it was far off the beaten track, in a residential neighborhood outside of central Lisbon, and…

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  • Take a day trip to Obidos, Portugal: a great medieval festival, inside a medieval town!

    About an hour north of Lisbon lies the medieval town of Obidos with its great, extremely authentic summer medieval festival. Starting in July and going through early August, the small city is a wonderful day trip made only better with the festival — for families and adults. Having been to several medieval festivals in the U.S., we always found them a bit cliche and over-the-top. But given how absolutely strange that epoch was, it also calls forth a bemused…

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  • The Lapa Palace Hotel: Lisbon’s regal beauty perched above the mighty Tagus river.

    To visit Lisbon is to visit one of the great European capitals — do not confuse it for a Paris, London, Rome, even Budapest or Vienna. The city has a charm and scale all its own; small enough to walk in a day, but massive in its impact and impression; imbued by the unique character of its people who are inextricably linked and defined by its rich nautical history. The city has the whole range of properties but we…

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  • Mitai Maori Village (https://mitai.co.nz/): a rich cultural experience covered by rust.

    In the center of the city of Rotorua, a major summer resort on the north island of New Zealand that is centered on a large caldera lake, is a faux Maori village where we sent for an evening of authentic cultural Maori food and rituals. In the end? A questionable use of our evening and the sense of a decayed cultural landmark. We had signed up for the local Maori cultural event with great anticipation; it promoted a traditionally…

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  • The best lodge in New Zealand? The magnificent Blanket Bay, Queenstown/Glenorchy.

    Let us begin at the end: If you go to New Zealand, and you can stay at Blanket Bay, you must stay at Blanket Bay. There is nothing — lodge, resort, boutique, hotel — quite like it. It begins with an email. After our two-night stay, Tom Butler, the General Manager of Blanket Bay alpine lodge and resort, sent a personalized email after our two-night stay, it was polite, mentioned a few personal details about our stay to show…

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  • The magic of Egnazia: the lost town and the museum of the ancients outside of Monopli, Puglia.

    In Puglia, on the southeastern coast of Italy, near the vacation town of Monopoli, was the oddest, almost ignored and yet gem of a museum and ancient archaeological town site called Engazia, dating back to pre-Roman Bronze Age period when the Greeks colonized the Eastern coast of Italy. We love ancient places; they teach so much, give away so little and force the human imagination to work harder to try and make sense of something so foreign, yet not.…

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  • The BEST Gourmet Tour of Lisbon, Portugal: life-tasting with Maureen of Grape, Olive, Pig

    Maureen is a partner in Grape, Oliver, Pig —farm, cooperative, wine growers, event planners, ecologists…pretty amazing stuff. But that is not what she did for us: we arranged for the Lisbon half-day “Culinary Lisbon. // Food + Wine Tour”. Superb experience, in all five senses. My sister knew Maureen as a restaurateur in Philadelphia, a foodie city. She knew her stuff. Now, she was doing many things in Portugal, one was expressing her superb gourmand sensibilities through “Gourmet Tours”.…

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  • 24 hours in Kaikoura, New Zealand.

    On the road for 24 hours in Kaikoura. Where to stay, eat, hike. What a seaside delight! As you wend down the SH1 highway that runs inland, you first pass through the wine plains of Blenheim, which then opens up to hug the West Coast of the South Island to Kaikoura; the views of ocean on your left and the mountain ranges rising and falling on your right are a visual tour that winds and changes with every turn…

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  • Truli of Puglia, Italy: Humankind’s creativity of lodging unleashed.

    Puglia, on the West Coast of Southern Italy, is a dry region, a terrain of low hills with massive wild fields of fruit trees growing everywhere. Equally dominant are the presence of these ancient homes with its unique, and seemingly crude yet subtly complex, architecture and form. We actually rented one…it was a converted tiny church, and was not too strict to the conical roof; but the material was all stone, the doors large wooden gates, and other than…

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  • New Zealand: The Birdwood, great local eating in Christchurch.

    Not being familiar with Christchurch, arriving late and hungry we searched for the best restaurants— Birdwood pizza came up. It sounded and was delicious. Deep into a pretty suburb, restaurant almost full on a weeknight, it turned out to be the perfect place to unwind from a long drive in the comfort of neighborhood gem. the wait staff were so friendly, recommended dishes, and just took the edge off the drive. We had their meat pizza and chicken tortellini;…

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  • New Zealand: A 13-day journey across a nation that embodies the balance of nature and humanity.

    Kia Ora…the Maori greeting that means welcome, good health, expresses gratitude. This greeting embodies New Zealand and its people. We had always discussed going to New Zealand for years, but still working and distracted by closer trips, we put it off. A flight that could total over fifteen hours compared to a European trip of six or seven can be a deterrent. Truly, it is a 3-week trip, but due to circumstances, we decided to plan it with excruciating…

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