ToriML

My two daughters (21 & 17) and myself will be traveling to Ireland in the first part of June. It is our first trip and we have 8 days, including the days we arrive and leave. This trip is for my daughter's 18th birthday and she wants to see the ocean and castles.

I plan on renting a car and driving. My Mastercard has the special rental car coverage... I'm thinking it is best to arrange this ahead of time here in the US.... anyone have any experiences to share? Have you gone through Expedia, etc.?

I really don't have anything set as far as where we will stay. Originally it was just the younger daughter and myself. With the older daughter joining us, accommodations have become quite a bit more expensive. I hadn't realized the hotels, B & Bs, etc. charge per person, instead of by the room. Any ideas would be very welcome!

Following is a very tentative schedule:

Day 1 Arrive in Dublin 8 am. See what we can that day... ideas - Grafton Street, St Stephens Green, Trinity College, Iveagh Gardens, Merrion Square, No.29, Temple Bar neighborhood, St Patrick's Cathedral & Kilmainham Gaol. Any ideas of where to stay in Dublin for the night?

Day 2 Head south to Roscrea Castle, over to Killkenny Castle, back south to Rock of Cashel and on to Cahir Castle / Swiss Cottage. Will stay some where in this area, or continue on to Cork. Any ideas?

Day 3 Drive to Blarney Castle, on to Killarney to see the Muckross House, Farm & Friary. Also Ross Castle. Drive to Dingle. Any ideas for a place to stay?

Day 4 Drive the Dingle Penninsula. Head to Bunratty. Attend a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle or Knappoque Castle. Tour Crappaunawen Project. Again, any ideas for a place to stay... and I'm not thinking we have the money to spend to stay at the castle.

Day 5 Drive to the Cliffs of Moher, on to Doolin and the Burren. Stay overnight in Ballyvaughan???

Day 6 Drive to Castlepollard to see the Tullynally Castle and Gardens, then on to Newgrange / Knowth and then to Trim for the Trim Castle. Stay in?????

Day 7 Drive to Donabate to see the Newbridge House, on to Malahide for the Malahide Castle and back to Dublin.

Day 8 Our plane leaves at 1:00 so we have some time in the morning to see a few things.

Right now my biggest questions are:

1) Is the timetable too much?

2) Places to stay. They don't have to be GREAT places... as you can tell from above, we won't be spending much time at some of the places. But they need to be clean and warm at the very least.

3) Arranging the car... as I've read this can be terrible!

4) Cell phones. My cell phone doesn't have international coverage. Can I buy a card with minutes on it to use in Ireland... we'll have to phone ahead to the various places we are staying to confirm when we are getting in, etc. We may have a netbook along with us, but not sure how much we'll be able to use it along the way. Ideas?

Any advice is welcome.

Thank you.

Itallian_Chauffer

An INTERESTING itinerary ...

With a few exceptions, it is mostly do-able, but I think it would benefit from a bit of 'tweaking'. Good news is that you still have plenty of time.

An example would be the VERY 'Out-Of-Your-Way' detour to Cork and Blarney. Another example would be recommending that you COMBINE lodging to multiple nights, such as 3&4 in one location and 4&5 together, too. Lots less stressful, that way.

First issue is your car hire questions. Check out this thread (and the website that it is at, for LOTS of tips and info! ) : http://ireland.activeboard.com/forum...picID=29313409

There are numerous lodging recommendations available at that same website.

As to Cell Phones, baring any desperate need to be 'constantly reachable', you can purchase a Calling Card for 5 or 10 Euro at the airport (and MANY other places).

Hope that helps get you started ...

Bob

Songdoc

For my personal taste, it's wayyyyy too much driving. But maybe that's what you enjoy.

For instance ...
On day 4 "drive the Dingle Peninsula" can take half a day if you want to get out of the car, explore beaches, stop at stone circles--or more. Then, after spending several hours driving the peninsula, you'll have at least four more hours of driving to Bunratty. When you get there you'll need time to enjoy the castle and folk park.

Day 6 looks like at least five hours of driving. The tour at Newgrange/Knowth is guided. You take a bus to the site from the visitor's center. It's not the kind of thing that you can drive up to, rush through, and check off your list--but it is fantastic. Just bear in mind that you might have to wait an hour to get onto one of the tours--and then you'll be at the ancient site for quite a while. I can't imagine being able to do this--and two castles on this day.

For me, the biggest issue is that I'd be exhausted and it would not be enjoyable. You'll see that much of the driving is on slow-moving, narrow, twisting roads. It's not relaxing. If you love driving more than being out of your car, this will be ideal. Otherwise, I'd rethink this.

Don't know where you're from, but to give you an analogy it's like saying "day four Los Angeles, then drive the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at Hearst Castle, then tour wineries, and spend the night in San Francisco. Day 5 -- drive to Yosemite, do the park and drive to Lake Tahoe, etc ...

The obvious solution is to fly out of Shannon. If that's not possible, I'd be cutting things out. But that's just my opinion.

ToriML

Thank you for the suggestions... I guess we're trying to do too much. I'll have to rethink the itinerary. Keep the replies coming...

JSinMBCA

Hi Tori. This might sound crazy, but I might recommend that you actually chart your itinerary out. Using one of the internet distance calculators, record down each section of driving, estimate that you will average 30mph, and figure out a total hours of driving per day for each day's itinerary. Then estimate an amount of time that you need for your planned itinerary stops (many of the travel books give good ideas -- like 2+ hours for Rock of Cashel, or 4 hours to drive the Dingle Peninsula and that is without much stopping). Now add 2-3 hours of "flex" time to each day, because you will find places you just want to "pull over and stop", or run into problems, getting lost, etc. Now, add in that you may want to plan on arriving at your "end" destination each day by 4pm to be safe (don't want to drive after dark). Now working backwards -- is each day's itineary doable?? "Doable" will vary by family. Some people are fine doing a lot of driving; others have more time and want to "vacation/hang". What time each morning would you have to be out of your lodging to meet the timeline that your chart shows? And is that time doable with two daughters? (grin, I have a 14 year old daughter). I know that my son and I tend to go to sleep by 9:30pm and are up and out by 8am, but add my teenager daughter to the mix and it is an entirely different story!

ToriML

Thanks for your reply JSin. I did as you suggested before I even entered my post. I charted out the itinerary and used a "route planner" under www.discoverireland.ie to calculate the driving distances. They also gave the time to travel that distance, which is what I used to figure out the driving time. HOWEVER, I'll have to go back and see if it averages out to about 30 mph. I had also thought about how much time we might want to spend at each site (according to the guidebooks), some "just stopping off time", etc. But I was coming to the conclusion that maybe we were trying to see too much.

I was also hoping that someone looking over our itinerary might say "Oh, we thought that was just a tourist trap... not worth the time" or "You have to go here", etc.

I was planning on being out by 9:00 each morning. My girls are actually 17 and 23 (not 21 as I wrote earlier --- where does the time go?) and are pretty seasoned travellers, especially the older one.

But again, thank you for the suggestions... and I'll look at this again.

irishface

One good thing about your plan is that it is June and the days are long then. Think light till 10 pm or so! ( Add 50% to the time route planners give you for driving distances.) If you plan your b&B's ahead, be sure to call your hostess by four if you are going to be much later to let her know that you are on the way or you may arrive to find your room gone. Besides, it is just good manners.

About renting a car, I just go to my local travel agent at AAA and have her sort out the tangle of deals. She has never let me down. Check again with your MC to make sure you are covered and then use that card to reserve and make sure you have it with you. Just a hint, if you rent the smallest car--or even the next smallest car-- with three people,use softsided luggage. It is much easier to squish in around each piece. Hardsided luggage seems to take up more space and won't fit into the odd shaped crannies of a car trunk.

In planning your time, many B&Bs don't serve breakfast until 8 or 8:30 so you can't plan on an early start.

Can't answer your questions on cell phones as I see no need to stay connected when I am away on vacation. I just use a phone card for calling B&Bs or if necessary to check on something at home. A phone card can be picked up very reasonably at most news agents or convenience store. (The last time I was there (for a month) I bought one for 5 euro and used it several times for "local calling" and one fairly long call to US to check on connecting with family at airport. At the end of the month, I had not used up all the time and left it at my last B&B for another traveller to finish up.

Your schedule has lots of castles, but I don't see much time to see the ocean. You will catch sight of it from time to time, but you won't have much time to explore.

On your day of arrival you plan to see Dublin. If you are picking up your car at the airport on arrival, just a word of warning, Dublin is NOT a place to drive especially right off the plane. Then many places to stay will not have parking or the parking will be prohibtively expensive. If you can't check into your hotel right away, be sure your luggage is out of sight in the car when you park it.

Day 2--I'd cut out two of the castles. My two favorites of them are Kilkenny and Cashel. That will fill up your day. Of the four, Rosscrea is my least favorite, though that is not to say it is a waste, just on this fast trip.... Stay in Cashel.

Day 3 Drive directly to Killarney and spend the day doing you planned things-or at least some of them. On to Dingle.

Day 4-drive the Dingle peninsula, drive to Bunratty via Shannon Ferry. Stay in area two nights.Banquet one night--lots of fun!

Day 5-Explore Bunratty folk park, Craggaunowen project (Highly recommend) Burren and cliffs or whatever you have time for.

Day 6 Drive to Trim, stop at Clonmacnoise. Visit castle.

Day 7- Get to Newgrange early for a visit. Malahide Castle. To hotel or B&B near airport, ditch the car and if time, into Dublin for whatever is left of day.

Day 8 tie up loose ends and depart.

An alternative to this plan might be to skip Dublin at the beginning and go right to Kilkenny or go right to Newgrange and Trim and do this trip in a counterclockwise manner. This would give you two days in Dublin at the end of your trip.

Warning: this tour is still a lot of driving and crams in a lot. Do some more refining.

JSinMBCA

Hi Tori. You can write me privately at [email protected] I would be happy to connect you with some friends of mine who are now retired and have traveled extensively in Ireland -- I think more than 20 separate trips now. My son and I are currently planning our Ireland trip in late March/early April, so we are going through some of the issues you are facing as well. Jenn

janisj

ToriML: re JSinMBCA's offer -- you can of course contact her if you wish.

But 1) the purpose of these boards is to share advice and info publicly. If her advice is terrific it would be a shame that others couldn't benefit

and - 2) first take a look at her own thread. She is planning a VERY aggressive itinerary for her first trip to Ireland (apparently based partly on advice from those 20-trip friends)

Now - You can use the mileage from on-line trip calculators, but you cannot use the times. You need to add between 30% and 50% for real life situations. Traffic, busy villages, very narrow roads, construction, sheep in the road, caravans (travel trailers) all get in the way of speeding through the countryside . . .

Also, you will seldom get out of a B&B by 9:00 AM -- and especially on a check out/getaway day. They have other guests to serve, bills to settle etc. The only way to get an early start many mornings is to settle up the night before and skip breakfast -- which sort of defeats the purpose.

janisj

Meant to add "<I>Now, add in that you may want to plan on arriving at your "end" destination each day by 4pm to be safe (don't want to drive after dark).</i>"

Not a problem -- you are traveling in June. It will be light until nearly 11PM.

You will want to arrive at your B&B early - usually the B&B owner will ask you when you plan on being there so they'll be home. These are not hotels w/ staff around all the time.

But it will be light so late - you can easily tour around an hour or two after dinner. The 'sites' will be closed, but the scenery never closes.

Itallian_Chauffer

Probably more information (or opinion) than you REALLY want ---

It has become increasingly harder to fly into, or out of, Shannon since the "Open Skies" Agreement has gone into force, so, sadly, it is often NOT an option for many travelers -- based on budgetary and scheduling needs...

Our first trip to Ireland was in April of 1999 and I had set an agenda about as abitious as yours. I think that it is a 'Rite Of Passage' for First-Time visitors ... But as I plan for our 12th visit this coming July, I have mellowed into a more CASUAL approach to scheduling.

If point-to-point' touring is YOUR preferred method of travel, do NOT let any here (myself INCLUDED) disuade you from such. It IS your vacation, not ours.

The oft-cited cautionary tales from veteran travelers DO have some basis in truth, and therefor, merit, however. Those travel planning sites, like viamichelin and aa roadwatch, post times predicated upon the assumption that you are a local driver, familiar with the roads, conventions and nuances of driving THOSE types of vehicles, over THOSE types of roads, past THOSE types of 'Same-'Old-Same-Old' vistas and sights that cause us mere TOURISTS to slam on the brakes and slow down to rubberneck at the INCREDIBLLY, IMPOSSIBLY, PICTURESQUE visions before and around us.

Some Ireland Guide Gurus, like Pat Preston http://www.irelandexpert.com/index.htm and Michele Erdvig http://www.irelandyes.com/ suggest that a REASONABLE estimate is to assume 35 MPH AVERAGE and divide that number into the miles to be driven. Personally, I tell First-Timers that they will be LUCKY (or obliviously insensitive) if they average more than 30 MPH!


In any event, bear in mind that 50 miles away, IN IRELAND, has an entirely different meaning than 50 miles away, in the US or Canada. While Ireland has built a miriad of modern, new highways where it IS quite possible to travel at speeds of 60-70 MPH, there are STILL lots and lots and LOTS of those narrow, stone-wall-lined byways and lanes where you will be required to negotiate an unfamiliar vehicle, from (from a North American persective)the WRONG side of the car, as you attempt to stay on the WRONG side of the road.

More importantly, as I wrote last year, to another poster:

"My wife and I are in our mid- to late 50's. Every trip (and this June will make our eleventh) to Ireland, we always have at least a few days where we are touring, 'Out And About' for 8 - 10 hours, yet I don't believe that we've ever covered more than 150 miles in one day.

Yes, the roads are narrow and all that, but the REAL reason that travel in Ireland is so 'SLOW', is that it is so DENSLY PACKED with sights that all but DEMAND that you stop and look and snap a photo -- and maybe pull off, down that beckoning side road that doesn't even appear on the map, because you just KNOW that there is SOMETHING absolutely AMAZING, just waiting, out of sight, around a bend or two. Or perhaps, you stop for petrol, or a drink, snack or meal and get embroiled in conversation with a facinatingly interesting fellow, who gives you directions to a stone circle, a ring fort or whatever, that isn't even in any of the guidebooks..."

I wish you the BEST possible trip, that is MOST suitable to YOUR taste ...

But it IS wisest to use ACCURATE data to formulate those plans ..

Bob

longhorn55

I've read your question and the many responses you have gotten (which have a lot of useful info). I'm just adding some random notes from our trip to Ireland last April with our 18 y.o. and 21 y.o. which might be helpful:

1. Car Insurance through Mastercard--We, too, have the World Mastercard which is what you need to get the coverage in Ireland. There are VERY specific criteria that you must meet in order for this coverage to be effective. You should call the MasterCard Assistance Center (1-800-622-7747) for details and they will email you the documentation you will need. We rented through Hertz and I had the paperwork to give them, but they didn't even ask for it when they saw I was paying with my World MasterCard.

2. I agree with Irishface that it makes more sense to get on the road and leave Dublin for the end of your trip. I would suggest going to Newgrange and Trim Castle on this day. You'll get to Newgrange early so you shouldn't have any problem getting a tour relatively quickly. While you wait for your tour, there is an excellent museum to see. Trim Castle is a great stop as well and there's a nice walking path to the ruins of another castle (within view of Trim Castle) which you might want to do.

3. When you go to the Rock of Cashel, be sure to take one of the free guided tours. There's not a lot of signage at the ROC, so our tour was invaluable and the guide was a great storyteller.

4. When you go to Cahir Castle, there is a path from the carpark that goes to Swiss Cottage. It's about 2 km long along the river and farmland and it's really nice. If you have the time, that's the way I'd get there instead of by car. (We did it and didn't see another soul on the walk, but you might find a few people doing it in June.)

5. If you have any interest in Irish history, I can highly recommend the Historical Walking Tour of Dublin. It meets in front of Trinity College and you don't have to make advance reservations. The guides are all graduates of Trinity College's history program, so they know their stuff. Our guide was not only knowledgable, but also an entertaining storyteller. See: www.historicalinsights.ie

6. Another great tour in Dublin for the evening is the Musical Pub Crawl. (Technically, I believe you have to be 18 y.o., but nobody questioned our son about his age, so your daughter probably wouldn't have a problem.) It's an entertaining evening with two musicians who take you to 3 pubs and play and sing and tell you about traditional Irish music and instruments for 2.5 hours. It's a lot of fun and it was one of the highlights for our young adult children. BTW, there's no pressure to buy any drinks at any of the pubs. See: http://www.discoverdublin.ie/musicalpubcrawl.html

7. I see that you are planning to see a lot of Heritage Ireland sites. You might find that it's a good deal to get the Heritage Card for admission to these places. We saved quite a bit of money with our Heritage Card. See http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Info/HeritageCards/

8. If you end your trip in Dublin, I'd recommend staying in someplace like Malahide and then taking the train into Dublin for the day. It's not a long trip and the trains run regularly. That way you can leave your car in Malahide and have it for the drive to the airport. (It's a fast and easy drive from Malahide to the airport.) This is what we did and it worked out great for us.

9. Finally, JSin's suggestion about timing your route, etc. is very good. (And, yes, plan on an average speed of 30mph.) Personally, I think you've got more things planned than you can actually do, so working backwards might help. We used the AA Route Planner (http://www.aaireland.ie/routes_beta/) and I found it to be quite accurate for our travels.

ToriML

WOW!! You guys are all so terrific to add your comments about our trip. I was thrilled to see so many responses.

I love to drive and was just going by the times listed on the route planners. But... that said, based on the advice I've received here, I have already started taking a few stops out of our trip. And I'll definitely use the advice of 30 - 35 mph.

I have already contacted my World MC about the car rental. They didn't mention anything about emailing me paperwork, but she did go through very specifically about the rules. I will call them again though to inquire about paperwork.

I am looking into the potential savings of the various cards, Dublin Pass, the family pass at Bunratty (plus 6 other attractions) and also the Heritage pass.

Good suggestion about not picking the car up right away when we get into Dublin... but how easy will it be to get a car while in the city? Will I need to get back out to the airport to pick up the car?

Thank you for the comments on what you really liked and what was soso. Ultimately, this is our trip, but it is nice to get some advice. I really can't believe how much time I'm spending pouring over internet sites and maps.

Thanks again,

Tori

longhorn55

Tori, the document they emailed me was called "MasterRental Insurance" and was 7 pages long. It spells out in detail the requirements for coverage, coverage limitations and how to file a claim. I didn't actually need it to rent the car, but it was proof that I had CDW insurance so that I wouldn't have to buy it from the car rental company. I think you will want to have a copy of this document for yourself so that you can read for yourself what your coverage actually is.

ToriML

In reference to a couple of things from irishface's post...

My daughter said she wanted to see castles and the ocean. Yes, we've got many castles and I think she'll get enough of the ocean from the Cliffs of Moher & the Dingle Peninsula. Am I wrong there?

Also, we'll take your recommendation and buy a phone card somewhere. I just wanted someway to be able to call ahead for our accommodations, etc.

Day 2 - With regard to needing to refine the trip a bit, I ws thinking about cutting out Killkenny. It seemed to be more out of the way than the other three. You said that Killkenny Castle was your favorite and Roscrea Castle your least favorite. Why is that?

Day 3 - Again, with the idea of refining the trip, I was going to cut out the Blarney Castle and go straight to Killarney. It would save on some driving time, but also give us more time in Killarney & Dingle. It was good to see that was one of your suggestions.

Day 4 - Do you (or anyone else) have a preference for the medieval banquet.... Bunratty or Knappoque? I was a little worried if that would be REALLY touristy, so it was nice to read that someone recommended it. Originally, I had wanted to stay at the Bunratty Castle Hotel that night, but it seems they are booked up... on both sides of our stay even... so I can't just juggle the schedule a bit. Also, why take the Shannon Ferry across? Just because it would be a cool experience? Or another reason? Since the Bunratty Castle Hotel was booked up, I was thinking of staying in Limerick. Good idea or bad? We definitely wanted to hit the Craqqaunowen Project.

Also, you and longhorn55 both referenced leaving Dublin right away. I am thinking I'm going to have some jet lag, and won't be up for driving out of the city right away. Some posters have even suggested taking the aircoach into Dublin, checking into hotel and exploring. Then take the aircoach back out to the airport the next am to collect the rental car. That would save on some $ I guess.

Thanks again for the personal suggestions... like the trail from the Cahir Castle to the Swiss Cottage, the special tours and the musical pub crawl. I really appreciate all these posts.

Tori

JSinMBCA

Tori - I too have decided to cut out Blarney Castle. The feedback from multiple people on various forums, etc. seem to indicate that to be a good choice considering the other castles and arch. sites that are available.

And my apologies - everyone -- about posting about writing me privately. I just didn't want to post my friends' email address publicly, and they aren't members. And to make sure I back them up, they did not recommend my taking an aggressive itinerary. Quite the opposite. They have been blessed to go to Ireland more than 20 times, so they pick a small area each time, and concentrate their time slowly in those areas. They wish that I could do the same.

Unfortunately, I don't have this luxury. I will probably not be able to return to Ireland for many years. The last time I was in Ireland was more than 20 years ago when I spent 4 days in Dublin/Wicklow. I am envious of so many of you and the large amount of traveling internationally that you are able to do. I get to travel internationally about once every 4 years. As such, returning to the same country when you only get to travel once every 4 years doesn't always make sense.

I appreciate all of you supporting each other, and the intent of your forum. But I think that it is better if I sign off. Clearly my "aggressive itinerary" makes many of you, umm, uncomfortable?. I wish that this was more of a place where we could all support each other, regardless of traveling style, speed of travel, etc. But I do appreciate that you offer newbies so much great information. Again, I apologize - I truly meant just to try and connect her with this great couple, I did not mean anything negative by it, or to cross any forum lines.

Thank you!

irishface

Tori, in response to your questions:

2. About the ocean. From the Cliffs of Moher, you'll be looking down at the ocean, about 600 feet down. Driving around the Dingle peninsula, you'll catch sight of the ocean often. There are some places where you can actually get out and walk on a beach. I'll go back to my notes and check where we "beached" during our week in Dingle. On your drive from Kilarney to Dingle, there is a wonderful beach--Inch Strand. The last time I was there in July, the wind was blowing, the temp was about 60 and there were people in swimming. The sun was out, but even as New Englanders, used to cold water and coolish summer temps., we were bundled in windbreakers, sweatshirts and turtle necks and shivering as we watched these hardy souls.

3. Kilkenny vs Roscrea: It is one of those things that is hard to put my finger on. I think that I liked the gardens at Kilkenny and as I was staying the night there, there was lots to see and do in town. Roscrea is in the center of town and is more of a medieval castle and could be seen in under an hour. I was spending the night there and there was not much else to see in town.

4. Taking the ferry across the Shannon can save you a bit of time and annoying traffic. I always find that it is a good chance to get out of the car and stretch my legs for a few minutes. You can sit in the car as well if the weather is bad and you just want to relax.

Knappogue vs Bunratty. I have been to both and enjoyed both. They are touristy, I suppose, but I enjoyed them and found them lots of fun. I think I would choose Bunratty because you can spend time visiting the Folk Village before supper if you arrive a bit early.

Would I stay in Limerick? Probably not. It is a bit of a gritty city and again you have the problem of where to park the car and traffic issues. I would stay out in the Bunratty area--lots of B&Bs within an easy drive.

I'll get back with possibilities for beach on the Dingle drive later when I have had a chance to check my notes from that trip or another one further back.

The suggestion to stay in Malahide at the end of the trip is a good one. There is a castle there also with toy train museum.

janisj

My goodness Jenn, what an odd response. My point was that if someone wants to contact other members privately (many of us do that) it is fine -- but on a thread where someone is asking for advice, it is best to share it on the thread. That way others can agree/disagree/correct misinformation, whatever.

On your own thread, most responded that you would really have a difficult time doing all you plan. You answered that you made your decisions based on advice from some dear friends.

Don't go away, lots of people want to travel at that sort of pace. It is just that those of us who have been to Ireland a time or 2 (or 20) know there are problems/issues that make a mad dash around and about harder and sometimes less enjoyable than going a bit slower.

divamorgan

I just called Master Card customer service and was told that Ireland and Israel are excluded from CDW coverage. I have a Mastercard World card.
Suzanne

irishface

Tori, I'm back with all the stuff I promised (probably more than you want to know.

The beach I recalled on the Dingle peninsula was at Ventry on the R559 which you will be driving to see the sights on the peninsula. There was another one out near BallyFerrieter, but my notes don't indicate just where it was.

If you are staying in Dingle, the long daylight hours will give you time to go for a walk after supper and there are areas near the harbor where you can get close to the water.

By the way, while I was messing around looking for this info, I found the Lighthouse B&B which I saw mentioned on another thread and noted that it has a room which will sleep three (two twins and a double) and looks fairly reasonable. Check it out on TripAdvisor.com (Go to the Dingle section)

Here are a couple of websites with lists of B&Bs near Bunratty. When you get to the home page go to County Clare for specifics. They also list activities and sites to visit. You already have full days, but something might catch your eye.

townandcountry.ie
visitclare.net
clare.ie