Dublin (June 16, 17):
-Fitzwilliam Townhouse (total 164 euro)- this townhouse was clean, the staff was friendly and it is a close walking distance to St Stephen's Green and the Hop On/Hop Off Bus. Just be aware that the room is small and it is not a b&b so there is no breakfast included.
-Day 1:We arrived in the morning, checked into our hotel and paid for the Hop On/Hop Off bus. This was a nice introduction to the city and an easy way to get around. Our first stop was the Guiness Factory tour which we both enjoyed. The tour is nice but the best part is the Gravity Bar which you get to enjoy with a pint of Guiness and an amazing view of the city. There was also a band playing the day we were there. Next we took the Kilmainham Gaol tour which was very interesting, my husband enjoyed it especially. We went to The Porterhouse in Temple Bar for dinner. I usually like to try different places but it was so good we ended up eating there the next night as well.
-Day 2: We walked around Stephens Green (in the rain), shopped on Grafton and O'Connel Street, visited the National Museum Archaeology section and visited the Book of Kells at Trinity College. The Book of Kells is expensive for the little amount you get to see, but the tour ends in the old library which is pretty cool. I am glad we did it, but if you are short on cash and time it's probably something to skip.

Great report...can't wait to read more!

I liked the Porterhouse's cheese plate, all those great Irish cheeses. The Book of Kells was ok but like you was impressed with the library. Looking forward to more of your trip report.

I am sorry that you could not see the Book of Kells as it used to be displayed. When I was teaching there many years ago, it was in a glass case in the library itself. Whenever, I was in Dublin, I could pop in and the pages were changed regularly so I got to see many of them. Obviously in the last few years, preservationists have realized how fragile these treasures are. Fortunately for the items but sad for visitors.

I am sorry that you could not see the Book of Kells as it used to be displayed. When I was teaching there many years ago, it was in a glass case in the library itself. Whenever, I was in Dublin, I could pop in and the pages were changed regularly so I got to see many of them. Obviously in the last few years, preservationists have realized how fragile these treasures are. Fortunately for the items but sad for visitors.

thanks for this report, especially regarding weather..I was in the West last August and we ran the gamut of weather in a few days...cold rainy, then hot steamy..fortunately I had layers and a hooded raincoat...sounds like you were prepared...I'll be going south of Dublin next week and it will be interesting to see what we get for weather..

Wow, I cannot believe I never finished this trip report! I hope you all don't mind that I am resurrecting this old thread to finish the report. I hope it is useful to others planning their trips!

Onto Glendalough and Kilkenny:
Day 3: We picked up the rental car from Dan Dooley at the airport and headed out to Glendalough. It took us a little longer than it should of, as we got very lost once we got out of Dublin and off the highway. And we turned onto the wrong side of the road a few times... very scary!! Anyway, I remember this party of the country being extremely picturesque and almost a little sad that we couldn't stay longer. The ruins at Glendalough were beuatiful and so was the lake. We spent about two hours here and then drove through the Wicklow mountains stopping to take photos here and there....GORGEOUS scenery. Kilkenny was a perfect stop for one night, we stayed at Rosquil house. The owner was so friendly and the rooms were large, clean and up to date. It was here we had our first full Irish breakfast! It did not dissapoint! We enjoyed downtown Kilkenny, explored the castle for about an hour and then had an amazing meal at this fancy Italian restaurant, La Rivista. It was one of the best Italian meals we have had, and we have been to Italy. I remember feeling a tad underdressed but we got excellent service. It was very romantic. Highly recommend! Overall, this was a long day but we were glad we had made it this far as we wanted to concentrate the rest of our trip on the West coast.

The Ring of Kerry
Day 4: We woke up early and got an early start for our long drive to The Ring of Kerry, where we would be staying for three nights in Kenmare. The drive was beautiful, again, but long as we our route took us through small back country roads. Sometimes we had to make a turn where there were no road signs and just trusted our gut on which road to take. Looking back, I am amazed that we made it without getting seriously lost! It was definitely an experience. We arrived in Killarney in the early afternoon. We had decided to hit the highlights in Killarney on our way to our B&B in Kenmare. I am so glad we did this… the hour or so drive from Killarney to Kenmare is insane and I would not have wanted to do that again just to go back to Killarney. We spent about 4 hours visiting Muckross House, Ross Castle and hiked about a quarter of the way through the Gap of Dunloe before heading back to our car. Our B&B in Kenmare was Virginia’s Guesthouse. The hosts were beyond accommodating, the breakfasts were delicious and the location can’t be beat-right on the main street of Kenmare. We were so glad we listened to Rick Steve’s advice (and just about everyone else’s) and chose Kenmare as our base for the ROK. Killarney was extremely crowded, touristy and had a “Disneyland” type quality to it. Kenmare was very laid-back but still convenient.

Day 5: Breakfast at the B&B (highlights were the freshly squeezed juice and cheese plate…yum!!) and off to take a boat trip to Skellig Michael. We were lucky our trip wasn’t cancelled as it was raining and the weather was pretty rough. The drive to Portmagee wasn’t too bad, but it was so rainy and cloudy we didn’t really get to see the famous ROK scenery everyone gushes over. Our B&B hosts had made reservations with Joe Roddy & Sons boat tours. Joe Roddy was the ONLY grumpy and rude Irish person we ran into our entire trip. I always feel bad giving a negative review (maybe he was just having an off-day), but feel I should warn others. He was extremely snippy towards the passengers, yelling directions and practically pushing people on and off the boat, offering no smiles or even a friendly greeting. Also, I think it is worth mentioning that all of the boats have a small inside seating section-enough for at least 2-4 people to sit inside. Joe Roddy appeared to be the only one that didn’t allow passengers to sit inside. We had some elderly people on our boat and it would have been nice if they were offered inside seating. There are a few other boating companies that offer the exact same trip for roughly the same price and my suggestion is to book with one of those. But, we decided we weren’t going to let our negative experience, or the weather, put a damper on this trip! Upon getting onto the boat we were given bright orange waterproof pants to put over our clothes….Little did I realize how much those would come in handy…. It was raining so hard we were all soaked to the bone by the time we docked at Skellig Michael. I should mention that it was also a rough ride… a few of our passengers got seasick and lost their lunch. The boats had a particularly hard time docking and we had to leap from the boat onto the dock. The climb to the top is daunting, very steep narrow stairway leading to the top. Half of our boat didn’t make it all the way up. But, when you get to the top you are rewarded with stunning views and a short history lesson about the beehive huts and the Monks who used to live there. As an added bonus the guides are free: we didn’t know this at first and thought we were intruding on a group tour! Definitely not a trip for the faint of heart! BUT, upon visiting Skellig Michael all I can say is wow! There are no words to describe the juxtaposition of peacefulness and wilderness you feel there. I am so glad we decided to do this. It is an adventure I will remember for the rest of my life!
Day 6: We were so exhausted from our adventures the day before that we slept in and spent the next rainy day exploring the sleepy little town of Kenmare. We got some shopping in and went pub-crawling in the evening. There are some great pubs with live music in Kenmare! This was a much-needed day of relaxation.

Dingle

Day 7: We drove from Kenmare to Dingle, with a stop at Inch Beach along the way. The beach is beautiful and definitely worth a quick stop if you are making this drive. There were even some places offering surfing lessons if that’s your thing (too cold for us!). We had chosen Pax Guest House for our stay in Dingle…the website does not do this place justice. I think this B&B has the best view in all of Dingle and the inside of the house is extremely comfortable and cozy. The owner (John, I think his name is) has traveled all over the world and has decorated the house with his travels. I could spend an entire day just sitting in the living room or on the outdoor patio just soaking in the view. I cannot say enough about the level of service and the owner’s attention to detail. Upon arriving we were offered refreshments, there was a nightly turn-down service with chocolates left on our pillow, the breakfast staff knew our names without ever having met us, John was always available to help us with driving directions, restaurant recommendations, etc… I could go on and on. The breakfast was the best we had in Ireland. If you are going to Dingle, book a stay at Pax!! You will not regret it.
Upon arriving the sky had cleared up and it looked like we were going to have a few hours of decent weather. So, after checking in, we jumped back in the car and drove around Slea Head. We took the best pictures of our trip on Slea Head, perfect post-card Ireland scenery. Towards the end of our drive it started pouring so we didn’t get a chance to make all of the stops that Rick Steves recommends, but I am so glad we were able to take advantage of the few hours of decent weather as it rained the rest of our time in Dingle.

Day 8: We spent the first half of the day relaxing at our B&B. My husband had some work to do and I was quite content with reading my book on the patio. Later in the day we drove down to the town and walked around the harbor, had delicious sea salt ice cream and did some shopping. Lunch was at this adorable quaint little café, I wish I could remember the name because I had the best hot dog there (they called it a “Dingle Dog”). We actually ended up eating here twice because the food was so good and inexpensive.

Overall, Dingle was a highlight of the trip, in large part to Pax Guest House. I wish the weather had been better so we could have gone back to Slea Head, but I am glad we were at least able to see it as it was some of the most beautiful scenery we saw in Ireland.

Nspotz, we're following your T/R of Ireland, happily reliving memories of our trip in 2006. We're just now catching up with past travels, and are in the process of making a collage of our trip highlights. We look forward to your next posts!

Wow, Thank you so much for reviving this this thread. We are planning a trip to the Emerald Isle this summer!!!!

Ok, great! I'm glad to know someone is reading this... ha ha I will post more soon. Next up: Cliffs of Moher, Galway and Connemara!

Day 9: Dingle to Galway
Today, was a long driving day but we were prepared! We left bright and early and made it just in time to Tarbert to catch the Shannon Ferry. The weather was terrible, by far the worst weather of our trip. But, I remained hopeful because today we were going to see the Cliffs of Moher, one of the sights I was most excited to see when we were planning our trip! We stopped in a small town just before we reached the Cliffs and bought lunch. Just as we pulled into the parking lot for the Cliffs the rain started coming down in buckets and the wind picked up. It was so windy my umbrella broke within the 30 seconds of getting out of our car! But we ventured onward! We decided to head to the museum first, hoping that after 30 minutes or so the weather might calm down. The museum was ok, I think it would be great for kids. It was neat to be able to read a little bit about the various myths and legends surrounding the Cliffs. The rain wasn’t letting up and the day was going by quickly so we decided to just head out to the Cliffs. We stayed about 20 minutes, just enough time to take a few photos. I have to admit I was a little disappointed, but you have to be prepared for all kinds of weather Ireland!
After changing into dry clothes in our car (interesting experience!), we set out for our B&B in Galway. This part of the drive was fairly easy, there are a lot of roundabouts heading into the city, but you get used to them pretty quickly. We had made reservations at Devondell. The host was so welcoming…. We must have looked so cold and miserable when we finally made it to her house. She immediately offered to dry our clothes and set us up in front of the fire with tea, whiskey for my husband and cookies. Her house is very elegant and the breakfast was great. It’s located within a residential area, but still close to downtown.
We were glad we had decided to stay in the city for one night and base ourselves elsewhere for the rest of our stay in Connemara. Besides pubs and shopping, there just didn’t seem like too much to do. I know some people love the city, but it just wasn’t our style.

Nspotz, so sorry that the rain spoiled your enjoyment of the Cliffs of Moher. Here's hoping that you'll be able to describe better weather in Connemara. We experienced Galway much as you described. When we were there, the center park dedicated to JFK was still under development, so our time there was short. We did wind around the lake and stopped in Spiddal for lunch and some crystal shopping. Do you agree that one of the benefits of having your own car is that you can determine your own itinerary and how long to spend in different areas?

We're looking forward to your next installment.

Glad you are continuing your story! Thanks!

@tomarket- we loved having our own car so we could drive at our own pace and see the more rural areas that are not easily covered by transportation. But, we did make all of our hotel reservations in advance so our itinreray wasn't felxible. Having said that, I did a ton of research before our trip and had a feeling Galway was not a place we were going to want to spend more then one night. If you don't have your own car, it's a good base for Connemara because you can take day tours, etc. But, getting out of the city and into the smaller towns was our favorite aspect of the trip!

How many days/nights do you recommend for Dublin?

So glad to read about your travels! Im planning my first trip to Ireland and have been debating whether or not to go by car. This has been so helpful!

@Kwoo- we had 2 nights (1 1/2 days) in Dublin at the start of our trip and then returned for our last night before flying home. We thought this was a perfect amount of time for us. But, of course, you could spend more time there depending on your interests!

@Juniper1979-so glad to hear this is helpful! I definately recommend renting a car. You really won't have the same experience if you don't!

nspotz, I'm enjoying your trip report as well. It was a shame you had such rotten weather the cliffs. They are truly spectacular. Perhaps next trip you will have better luck! I agree with you on Galway. We had planned on spending most of a morning there on our last trip, but once I got in, I just wanted to get out again. I'm much more of a fan of the smaller villages!

Juniper, there are so many 'hidden spots' in Ireland for you to discover, that I would highly recommend renting a car. I have brought a GPS on my last couple of trips, just so I could deliberately get lost, knowing it could find my way back to the B&B. It is fun following the elusive brown signs for an historical spot, fairy hill, or hidden waterfall!

Clifden, Connemara & The Aran Islands
Day 10: We decided to stroll around Galway once more before heading to our B&B in Clifden. I am so glad we did because we ended up stumbling upon the farmers market (held every Saturday I believe.) We love stuff like this so we had a blast. We got crepes and falafels for lunch and then picked up some wool socks and a few beautiful leather handbags for relatively cheap. It was so neat to see the local farmers selling eggs and produce. This was the highlight of our stay in Galway! Definitely worth checking out if you happen to be in the city on a Saturday!
Our drive to Clifden was a few hours but felt fairly long. It was pretty foggy and we had to stop and wait for some sheep to cross the road a few times! We also stopped in Roundstone on the way to take some pictures and stretch our legs. One of the reasons we chose Clifden as our base was to stay at the Dolphin Beach House. It was the most expensive B&B we stayed in but totally worth it. The house is beautiful-very tastefully decorated with lots of cozy little nooks where you can curl up and read a book. The breakfast room has the most amazing view. The house has a huge backyard and is situated right on the water. We spent many mornings and evenings walking down to the water and exploring the yard behind the house… It truly feels as though you are the only people in the world. My only disappointment with this B&B was the breakfasts. They were good, but I had such high expectations given the price we were paying and they weren’t nearly as good as Pax guesthouse and Virginia’s guesthouse. Otherwise, I highly recommend Dolphin Beach House. One word of caution-Sky road, which is the road you take from Clifden to get to many of the B&Bs in the area, is very narrow and right on the edge of a cliff. If there is an on-coming car you have to back into someone’s driveway to let them pass. Just be careful!
Clifden is a really small town but we enjoyed it. There weren’t a lot of tourists there and it seemed like a very authentic town, if you know what I mean. Connemara is beautiful and unique from the other areas of the country we visited. It definitely has a wild and mysterious quality to it.
Day 11: We took our time getting ready in the morning and spent the day exploring the area. We drove to one of the national parks (the name escapes me) with the intention of doing some light hiking but it was raining pretty heavily so we only took a short walk. We also visited the grounds of Kylemore Abby. That evening we grabbed some wine and pizza and brought it back to our B&B and ate outside on the patio. The sunset was stunning-it was bright pink and purple! I’ve never seen a sunset like that before, not even in the Caribbean!
Day 12: Our last sightseeing day of the trip. The forecast said sunny and not a drop of rain in sight. Finally! This was the only day of the entire trip that we had great weather. We were so glad we saved our trip to the Aran Island of Insihmore for today! We got a little lost driving to the ferry and made it onto the boat just minutes before it sailed off. We had decided to rent bikes and ride around the island stopping at Dun Aengus along the way for lunch. We stopped at a grocery store to pick up sandwiches for our picnic and off we went. The Aran Islands are beautiful, and despite the large number of daytrippers that come here everyday, it felt very peaceful…. Renting bikes, if you are physically able, is the way to go. It is not a difficult ride and it’s very exhilarating to feel the breeze and breathe in the fresh air. I can’t explain it. Just go. We came across a few older men who were walking with some cows and the cows started running beside our bikes! Dun Aengus is amazing as well-It seems as though you can see all of Inishmore from the top. This was one of our favorite days. I highly recommend fitting this into your itinerary if you can!
Day 13: On our last day we drove back to Dublin and stayed in the Fitzwilliam Townhouse again before our flight in the morning. The drive is easy-it is all highway from Galway to Dublin. I think we went back to Porterhouse for some fish and chips for our last Irish meal.
We really enjoyed our trip! Ireland is one of the most scenic countries I have ever visited. Everywhere we went we were in awe of the scenery-even while driving on the highway! Although there were a few long driving days, we were really glad that we were able to see everything that we did. Each one of our destinations was different than the last-the scenery changes so much from region to region, so it was definitely worth moving around every few days, at least for us.
I hope you enjoyed this report and I would be happy to answer any questions!

Nspotz, we really enjoyed your T/R! So happy that you experienced good weather for your trip to the Aran Island. . .
especially it being your last day. Thanks again for sharing your trip to beautiful Ireland!