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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  • Egnazia, the lost town: The Museum of the ancients outside of Monopli, Puglia

    In Puglia, in southern Italy, near the vacation town of Monopoli, was the oddest, almost ignored and yet gem of a museum and ancient 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. Human is Human. Oddly…

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  • Can You Miss Bryce Canyon, Utah, in Your Lifetime? It’s just like Mars.

    Bruce Canyon, Utah, Alien to the eye; avoid the crowds. This may be the shortest post we ever post. Why? Well, if you know anything about Bryce Canyon, or have been there, you know that no matter how loquacious the writing, or mastery of adjectives, it is a story of visual awe. But before sharing the photos, which barely do this national monument and park justice, a few details for a visit are noteworthy. Hoodoos: The other-worldly, multi colored…

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  • The Mighty and Mystical Redwoods of Big Sur, California

    For all the panoramas, beaches, cliffs, parks, Big Sur is inseparable from the majesty of the Redwoods,. Redwoods are the mightiest trees on earth. And exist, for the most part, only in California. They can range from 200 to over 400 feet, and can be thousands of years old. The oldest can have a base so wide you can drive a car through it. The tops so tall that scientists have discovered and still study the micro climates and…

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  • Big Sur, California: the divine and the redwoods

    Big Sur, California Five days at the Ventana Inn For those that have been to Big Sur, perhaps we share the same same sense that as you pass the Molera State Park and start the climb up the mountain road of highway 1, it is always the first time you have seen it. For those that have never been, with proper timing, planning and some insider knowledge (as contained in this post), it can go from a place of…

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  • Thasos of Ft Lauderdale: good Greek food confounded by service so bad they knew it was bad!

    We love Greek food. And Thasos of Ft Lauderdale, Florida has good food, but the service was so appallingly bad we would not recommend anyone going. What was most egregious, was the entire staff seemed to know they had lousy service and just accepted it. We visit Ft Lauderdale more than any other place in Florida. I have written several reviews — and make no mistake, it is definitely a foodie city. (La Dolce Vita run by Fabio being…

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  • Exploring New Mexico: A Journey Through Taos and Its Pueblo

    While Santa Fe gets all the focus, touring New Mexico is a trip you need to make time for. It embraces and unifies all the elements of any great tour of America’s grand Southwest– nature’s glory, amazing Indian cultural highlights and their conqueror’s history. This trip was to Santa Fe but we decided to take the time, rent a car, and drive. Taking what they call the “low road” to Taos was the best decision we made. There was…

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  • Forget the cities! Two weeks in Abruzzo and Puglia, Italy.

    In this post, we will cover the start of a June journey to Italy. Not Florence, or Venice or the lake region, or other famous areas. But some lesser, and perhaps completely unknown to most, even the most experienced traveler. A week in Abruzzo.A week in Puglia. Drove back and two days in Rome.Over 2400 km. Italy is stunning. Having done the major cities (for the most part) we decided to venture to lessor known areas of Abruzzo and…

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  • UNESCO site: the magnificent ruins of Castel Del Monte, Grand Sasso mountains, Italy.

    Another UNESCO site — magnificent, haunting and mighty in its ruin On of our travel goals is to see as many UNESCO sites as possible. Why? Simply because they are a guaranteed unique and magnificent experience — whether Angkor Watt in Cambodia, or Glendalough, Ireland, these sites are all so different, and all a tribute to Humankind’s driven to create and conquer nature; magical, mysterious, full of the stuff of legends. This time it was the very-hard-to-find Castel Del…

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  • Sage, French restaurant in Ft Lauderdale and the #1 duck…really.

    Sage of Ft. Lauderdale: they say they have the #1 best selling duck. There’s good reason. We had gone to Sage, a French restaurant on route 1 near the Whole Foods. We recall that the Coq Au Vin and the bouillabaisse was quite good, but the latter had too much saffron in it which overwhelmed the dish. Now a few years later, we went back. We figured it was time to give it another chance. And while the service…

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  • Best Thai in any city: Lemongrass! (In Ft Lauderdale for sure!)

    Thai food may be our favorite Asian cuisine. Yes, we love sushi…but that is in a different class of Asian food. The menu, with its almost confusing mix of seafood, sushi, Thai food and an odd eclectic assortment of dishes, can be a bit daunting. The usual reaction is to ask why such a broad swath, focus on what you do best, Thai food. But everything we have ever ordered has been of very high quality and delivered with…

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  • Amazing history, hiking and the inspiring though sad tale of Jack London Park

    Jack London was the original American outdoors writer…”Call of The Wild” and numerous other nature/adventure novels and short stories made him famous and rich. But his real love was this enormous farm which is now a state park. It is a stunning and complex place and far more than a park — it is testament to his brilliance, love of nature, passion for farming, and all wrapped in the tragedy of his early death. The techniques he applied, for…

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  • “Girl and half-a-fig…what happened?”

    It had been 10 years since last I ate at this restaurant. It really was an amazing meal with great atmosphere. This past New Year’s we went to Sonoma to celebrate. I wanted to check out the Girl & The Fig, so we did. What a disappointment! The scene was a madhouse, the hostesses were clueless on how to negotiate so many people. The signature salad was all arugula and half-a-fig which I had recalled as fabulous but was…

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