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Summer Travel Capsule Wardrobe: What to Pack for Ireland in June

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Packing for a trip is always a challenge, no matter the destination or duration. Packing for Ireland can be especially tricky because, as they say, if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. So what to wear in Ireland in June? Regardless of the season, you probably wonā€™t need silk blouses or beautiful heels.

During our trip to Ireland in June, we caught the tail end of a ā€œheat waveā€ (though still much cooler than Los Angeles) but we knew there would still be chilly days and patches of rain. Read on for my suggestions on what to pack for Ireland in June.

My challenges of summer packing for Ireland:

  • Multiple weather possibilities
  • (Almost) everything in one medium-sized packing cube since we like to pack light
  • Enough variety not to be bored after two weeks
  • Try to look somewhat put-together
  • Appropriate for carrying kids potentially covered in mud and/or peanut butter

Related: Why you should pack light and how to do it

Donā€™t have time to read a bunch of reviews and blog posts? Here are our top picks for visiting Ireland:

Get an Easy Ireland Itinerary

Need a quick day-by-day, open-and-go itinerary for Ireland? This guide does the work for you!

Awesome hotels in Ireland

Our favorite tours in Ireland

Renting a Car in Ireland?

If you want to see authentic Ireland, I recommend you drive yourself. We prefer to use Rental Cars and Expedia Cars. We have had no issues with them and have been able to find the best prices available. Be sure to read these tips for renting a car in Ireland.

Book a photoshoot

We always love to book a photoshoot when we’re traveling. As a mom, it’s tough to get in photos since I’m always behind the camera. We use Flytographer to capture our memories. You can get $25 off your shoot by booking at this link or using code FAMILYVOYAGE.

Be sure to buy travel insurance to protect yourself and your vacation expenses! Compare the top companies here to find the right plan for you.

How to pack for a summer trip to Ireland

Want to skip all the wondering and planning? Get the perfect 10 Ireland itinerary, ready for you go book from start to finish.

My strategy was to create a travel capsule wardrobe for the trip, mostly from items that I already owned. If you havenā€™t heard of a capsule wardrobe, the basic concept is to come up with a limited set of clothes, shoes and accessories that all mix and match to create a wide variety of outfits (check out the full travel capsule wardrobe how-to). Sounds simple enough!

Usually youā€™d choose some neutrals, one or two complementary accent colors and throw in a pattern or two. Based on the suggestion of the fine ladies over at TheMomEdit when I asked about packing for Ireland in June, I chose neutrals in black, white, gray and light blue with pops of color in peach/blush. Some of the styles they suggested are a little edgier or funkier than I tend to dress, so I made it my own. I also went completely practical on the shoe front out of necessity – tromping in fields combined with sensitive feet, so no heels for me on vacation.

The best advice for what to wear in Ireland in June (or any other month, for that matter)? Make sure you plan for layers. The weather can turn on a dime and you’ll want to be prepared. We started one day basking in the sun at the beach and ended the very same day in a torrential downpour.

Want to see how to pack for a whole year of travel?

Iā€™ll be honest: this was the first trip on which I felt like I packed well. Everything worked together, so I never ran into the issue of one clean shirt and one clean pair of pants but they couldnā€™t be worn at the same time. It was also an opportunity to dust off a few things that hadnā€™t gotten enough love recently. Hereā€™s my Ireland packing list for June:

Ireland packing list, What to pack for Ireland in summer, What to pack for Ireland in June, what to wear in Ireland in June
My Ireland travel capsule wardrobe for June

What to pack for Ireland in summer

-6 tops (short sleeve white tee, short sleeve blue tee, long sleeve breton stripe tee, chambray, peach plaid, gray/white stripe dolman)

-2 light sweaters (light blue knit pullover hoodie, gray cardigan)
-4 pants (dark blue skinnies, gray skinnies, black ankle zip ponte leggings, black Athleta pants)

-1 skirt (black/white stripe midi), 1 black dress
-2 shoes (black TOMS Avalon are my fave to pair with a black dress, skirt or jeans; I brought gray/turquoise Saucony Jazz – in retrospect, I should have swapped out the laces for gray or white and I now prefer my Saucony Bullets anyway)

-2 bags (tan faux-leather backpack, blush cross-body) Check out other great travel day packs for women here
-2 necklaces (ivory Kendra Scott Rayne pendant, short mint statement necklace) and gray wrap bracelet

-2 jackets (Stitch Fix olive anorak, yellow packable rain anorak)
-1 scarf (peach stripe)
-2 bras (I should have brought a third)
-5 underwear
-3 pairs of socks

My only new purchases were the yellow anorak (since I didnā€™t own a rain jacket) and the peach scarf, clocking in under $30 combined from Target. I only wore the dress once given the weather, so I could have left that at home. I wore everything else several times. To save space when packing, I folded up the anorak inside the cross-body purse. Everything else was on my body or inside a medium packing cube. Score! I might have been able to bring a little less, but I tried to avoid washing jeans since euro dryers are super harsh and they take too long to line dry.

Related: Why you need a travel capsule wardrobe for your next trip (and how to build one)

I used the Stylebook app to help me put outfits together and keep track of everything.

Plan your Ireland visit: Important accessories to bring to Ireland

Ireland SIM card

Want to use your American cell phone in Ireland? It’s easy! As long as your phone is unlocked, just use a paperclip to pop your SIM card out and replace it with this one. We used it in several European countries without issue (make sure to turn roaming ON once it’s in if you want to switch countries).

The card includes 10 GB of data, 1000 texts and 120 minutes of talk time – plenty for a few weeks of travel. By default the card is active for two weeks, but if you plan to be in Europe longer you can just register it online and even purchase top ups! Unlike some cheaper Europe SIM cards, Orange even allows tethering – so you can potentially purchase just one card for your group and then share the pool of data. Check prices here.

Ireland power adapter

What power adapter do you need for Ireland? If your needs are simple, you might be able to get by with these cheap Europe plug adapters.

After bringing tons of them with us for years, we’ve come up with a better strategy! These days we have this high-quality global power adapter. It accepts plugs from anywhere and converts them to plugs for any destination. To meet modern needs, it has two USB-A plugs and three USB-C plugs in addition to a traditional three-prong outlet. It’s even my daily power adapter at home since it can simultaneously charge two phones, two smart watches, my extra USB power pack and my laptop! I can’t recommend it enough.

When you’re deciding what to bring to Ireland, make sure to put it on your list!

By the same token, we always find that our phones are running low on battery after a full day of Waze, TripAdvisor, photography and more. We love this compact external battery pack because it plugs directly into our phones – no cables necessary! We always make sure to bring at least one with us (note: most airlines now require battery packs to be in your carry-on luggage, not your checked bag).

Lightweight travel camera

Want to capture memories of all those emerald green hills and adorable road-side sheep? If you want something that’s a big step up in quality from your smartphone, check out a “bridge camera”. You’ll get lots of manual controls (only if you want them) and tons of zoom in a compact, affordable package. Just make sure to bring a big memory card and a spare battery!

Want to skip all the wondering and planning? Get the perfect 10 Ireland itinerary, ready for you go book from start to finish.

If you’re still finalizing your packing list, Pin this for later!

Traveling to Ireland this summer? Check our our ultimate Ireland packing list for summer to lighten your load whether your visiting Dublin, Kerry or other beautiful areas. Our travel capsule wardrobe for Ireland has you covered for city exploring and romping around outdoors! What to pack for Ireland in June | Ireland travel capsule wardrobe for summer trip to Europe #Ireland #travel #packinglist #capsulewardrobe

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14 thoughts on “Summer Travel Capsule Wardrobe: What to Pack for Ireland in June”

  1. I like to travel light… I pretty much already do this just pick items that can mix and match well. Packing for varing weathers are the worst! And I do try to balance comfort and style. Im not going to lie, comfort usually wins out!

    Reply
  2. I love this!! We also pack light, I find it almost addicting…once I start I always feel like I should be able to cut it back even more next time. I also love your yellow jacket…score!

    Reply
    • I never had a need to layer them because the weather was overall quite nice, but I think it would be a tight fit. When it was chilly AND rainy I wore a long sleeved tee, the blue pullover and the raincoat.

      Reply
    • It really depends! We visited in June 2016 and we had basically two partial days of rain. Some family members visited in June 2017 and had buckets of rain. I was on the fence about bringing my rain boots, and if we went again Iā€™d check the forecast a day or two in advance to decide.

      Reply
  3. I love the wardrobe capsule idea! How many days was this trip? I’m traveling to Ireland for 2 weeks, and the first week is for work and I have to dress up a little for a conference. The following week I’m doing outdoor fieldwork and recreation. I feel like I need to pack two capsules. I’m planning to bring a checked bag and a carry-on, and my work stuff in a shoulder-bag or small backpack. I have to wear a blazer, business casual clothes the first week, then tromp around in wetlands in rubber boots the next.

    Reply
    • Hi Fen! Thanks for your comment. We were there for two weeks, and obviously this skews more casual. You’ll definitely need to bring a range of clothes for that kind of trip. I’d say not to underestimate the power of a nice looking, fitted black t-shirt and a bold necklace that you can pair either with a blazer or wear with jeans for the second half of your trip.

      What kind of conference are you attending? In a prior, prior life I was in earth and planetary science so I had a few dirt-in-the-nails types of trips.

      Reply
  4. This was really helpful…Iā€™m going with my son and his choir…they are doing a 10 day choral tour. We will be going into a lot of Catholic Churches, because the boys will be singing. Should I bring a scarf for covering my head? (Iā€™m not catholic but I want to be respectful)

    Reply

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