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Need Help Planning a 19 day visit to Ireland

Need Help Planning a 19 day visit to Ireland

Old Oct 7th, 2015, 11:00 AM
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Need Help Planning a 19 day visit to Ireland

Hi!
We've been to Ireland 12 long years ago. We loved what we were able to do then, but this time we want to drive ourselves for the most part.

We have tickets to fly in and out of Dublin. We are going 30 March through 17 April. We will spend the first four (or so) days of arrival in Dublin, seeing some things we saw before (Trinity) some things we didn't, and taking the DART to the seaside towns (haven't decided on which one). Maybe another day trip to Wicklow?

We'll then take the train to Cork and pick up a car there. We are hoping to book through homeaway or another type of service like that, to have a self catering set up. Stay in the Cork area for four days??? Is a day trip from there to Dingle realistic? We'll not be doing Blarney, nor the Ring of Kerry as those were done before (well, I didn't do Blarney, and I have no intention of doing it now!) and we don't really want to repeat too much from before.

We'd like to drive along the Wild Atlantic Way, heading north. Stopping and staying in Galway? Maybe Doolin as we can do a Cliffs of Moher walk? We'd thought of visiting the Aran Islands (well, one) and wondered about seeing the Cliffs of Moher from a place other than the toursity bit? Is there a ferry to an island that would provide that experience, or some other recommendation?

We'd like to get as far north as Sligo, and return the car there (yes, I know that's more costly than returning it to Cork). Then, take a train to Dublin, where we'd then take a train to Belfast and do a little tour (shudder, but we really don't want to miss the Giants Causeway) to the GC. There is an overnight tour that provides for a hotel in Belfast. Then, back to Dublin and fly home.

What we are having problems with is understanding how long we should stay in one place. I know that some of those self catering places require minimum nights for stays, so that is part of it.

So, please? Your thoughts, your expert recommendations, your help!!!

Thank you! KD
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Old Oct 7th, 2015, 02:28 PM
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Take it you read Rick Steves garbage book to Ireland. Blarney is actually one of the best castles in respect of the grounds alone.

Dingle from Cork is a waste of the day. West Cork has the best of the peninsulas with Mizen and Sheeps Head along with Beara all south of Iveragh (Ring of Kerry)

You will also find The North a long way from shuddering. I suggest that you get the Bus direct from Dublin Airport to Belfast on arrival. Have a couple of days there, first day for the City, Titanic and Black cab tours. Second day one of the Antrim Coast and Glens tours or the new Game of Thrones tours. Train to either the end of day 2 or start of day 3.

From Dublin you can head to Galway, in fact you could go from Belfast to Galway changing bus at Dublin airport on the way back down. Galway gives the options of Connemara and the wild west drop from there to catch the Inis Oirr and Cliffs of Moher combi cruise from Doolin on the way between Galway and Ennis for the night. From Ennis round Dingle peninsula to Killarney or Kenmare.

If you want to start the west from Sligo you can get the bus or train there from Dublin then drive down to Cork.

With all the locations you have then a road trip with a couple of nights at key spots might be the best approach.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 02:15 PM
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Thank you for your comments.

Rick Steves?

We have already been to Blarney, and while I didnt do the climb to the stone, I did enjoy the village very much. We won't be revisiting. Same for Ring of Kerry.

The shudder was in reference to the previous visit where we did a tour at the insistence of others we were traveling with. We learned that we far prefer to visit on our own. The little overnight tour to Belfast and the GC is short enough to be tolerated.

We want the Belfast visit at the close of the trip.

Also, we prefer to drive more than take public transport. We'll definitely use some of it, but the majority of travel will be via auto.

We'd rather head north on the Wild Atlantic Way than south.
Have you ever driven any of that scenic roadway?

Appreciate the help.
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 06:33 PM
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Definitely do the Giant's Causeway. It's absolutely beautiful. My mother and I did 10 days where I drove and we stayed in B&B's except when visiting our relatives in Tipp. We only did 1 day in Dublin mainly to see Trinity College and to have a nice hot meal at one of the pubs (I forgot which one but the veggie soup was the best I ever had). We went back to the airport hotel trying to not fall asleep on the bus (lol) and passed out for a good nights rest. I'll give a brief travel rundown in case you can use anything:
--The next day we drove north through Belfast up to Giant's Causeway. What a sight. Breathtaking. We stayed at a lovely home B&B (which has since expanded) - Valley View Country House. Spotless and wonderful hospitality. Breakfast was ahh-may-zing.
--We drove into Bushmills and got lunch to go since we had a long drive to Bunbeg, Donegal. We stayed at Bunbeg House which is right on the water on the inlet. So friendly and welcoming even though we go there a little late. (I did call them and they said no problem, they'll be there.) Gaelic is still the main language in this area and it was lovely to hear it being spoken. We're Irish-American, didn't understand a word, but it was great. The next day after a hearty breakfast, we took the boat over to Tory Island. Not much to do except walk around but that was fine after all the driving! No trees on the island either so for anyone that is going there, make sure you bring sun screen. 1 taxi and 1 road. We were greeted by the "King of Tory" himself, Patsy Dan Rodgers. He greets the boat every day. We went all over the island and had a lovely, quiet day. The cliffs are beautiful as is the little private beach we came across. Dolphins all around, crystal clear waters unlike on the mainland. Hotel with a little place to eat. Our phones ran out of charge and Patsy invited us over to his house where we met his lovely wife and he charged our phones without hesitation. The least we could do was get something to eat and drink at the little cafeteria his wife ran. We were kind of happy to get out of the sun for a while too! Very satisfied, we said our thank you's and walked into "town." We said hello to everyone. It was hysterical. We took the boat back and swimming along side was a shark! Yes, a shark! So cool. We drive into town for a quick dinner and back to Bunbeg House for a nice and quiet sleep. After breakfast, we were on the road again..
-We decided that we had an extra day for a stopover somewhere since our other relatives in Cavan decided to go out of town after telling us to drop over. They forgot. LOL. So after going 2 hours out of our way, we had a nice lunch at the corner hotel (?) bar (forgot name), broke out the map and decided that we would go to Knock Shrine in Mayo. We found a place that had a room available, thankfully. It was a B&B and very, very plain. The owner was meh. Honestly can't remember the place as we were tired and just wanted to find a place to get dinner. It was quiet, thankfully. Breakfast was basic and no-frills. We checked out and on we went to Knock Shrine and Blessed Sacrament Church. We were able to attend mass at our "namesake church" Blessed Sacrament. The priest was very nice and even took a few minutes to bless the few keychains I got for family and friends of the Blessed Virgin of Knock. From there, we drove to Galway and stayed at this awesome B&B called SeaBreeze Lodge.
-We stayed at SeaBreeze Lodge for 2 wonderful nights. It was packed solid but you never would have known it. Very quiet. Lovely room and our hosts, although very busy, were very nice. The place was spotless. Here we go with another OMG delish breakfast. Buffet plus menu made to order all included in a bright and airy glassed in "garden room" which started our days off nicely. Our first day we took the speed boat over to the Aran Islands. What a waste of money and time. We couldn't get back to the boat fast enough. You go along a crooked path to see a few thatched houses on an island - big deal. Ireland itself may be the land of a thousand welcomes but Aran is the land of no welcomes, no thank you's, no nothing. All sour pusses and no smiles at all. Mom and I are very easy going but I guess to each their own. We were not impressed. We headed back to the B&B and then went into town for dinner. Don't drive into town. It's crazy there and no parking. The next morning after another superb breakfast, we drove to Cong, Mayo and saw different tidbits of "The Quiet Man" locations and buildings. We then drove to Killary Harbor to see Ireland's fjord. Very scenic. Then back to the B&B and dinner in town again.
--After breakfast, we checked out and were on our way to the Cliffs of Moher. Stunning. From there we went through The Burren and stopped at the Burren Natural Perfumery for a little break. Then on to Tipperary where we stayed with the relatives that made sure the southwestern relatives all knew we were in town. LOL. The last night they threw us a big buffet dinner at one of the local fav pubs that had a party room in the back. But before that, one thing we did was go to Cashel to see The Rock of Cashel. That was the very first castle I ever saw in my life which was also my first trip to Ireland. It was a must that we couldn't have missed even if it was raining. Thankfully it wasn't. Lovely time there and went to another castle (name escapes me) and in town we had a great lunch. Of course, everyone was all in excitement about the big hurling game that we ended up attending the next day with the family. Holy crap it was c-r-a-z-y but awesome! LOL.
--A couple of days later, we bid our farewells with hopes to see again soon and we were off to Shannon Airport....on to another packed to the gills flight back to JFK.

I know, a lot of reading, but I just wanted to give you some other ideas and places to visit and stay. As much as renting a cottage seems nice, not every where will have a convenient grocery store and/or operating hours are nuts in some places. We packed a collapsible full size cooler to put in the car and outside of Dublin Airport, we found a grocery store and filled up on supplies. The reusable ice packs we gave to the cousins at the end of our trip. At least with the B&B's, you know what to expect. I researched everything with the exception of Knock, Mayo which was kind of a no brainer because of what it is, its history and JP2 visiting there!

Have a wonderful time in the land of my ancestors. Oh, I never been to Blarney Castle. But I have been to Devil's Bit! LOL!
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Old Oct 8th, 2015, 07:24 PM
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Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your wonderful information! You've given me quite a bit to think about and more than a few changes to consider.

I so wanted to visit Belfast the last time we were there. I'm really looking forward to it this time!

I think I may give the Aran Islands a miss, and spend the time elsewhere. Have been nervous about B&Bs, but may get brave enough to try one. We are going to travel very light, so a self catering with a washer and dryer at some point during the trip would be great.

We had already planned on bringing a soft sided cooler bag, so thanks for confirming that that is a good idea.

Do you remember which car rental company you used? Did you get the super insurance along with the CDW?
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Old Oct 9th, 2015, 07:07 AM
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I have personally driven the circumference of the Island many times over half a century and still haven't been everywhere.

With 19 days you have ample time to drive around, I always say 14 days gets you round 70% so the extra 5 sort the final quarter. The direction doesn't really matter its only historically that the counter clockwise route is embedded in my mind.

You would be surprised at the amount of folk who won't even consider Blarney,Killarney and other places yet flock to Dingle just on the words of a specific travel writer. Also how many disregard the north for fear of a return to the 70/80's

Car hire, book direct with the people who give you the keys. That way you know what your paying (or should do) at the collection desk. Compare quotes like for like with all the insurances and fuel policies laid clear.

Self catering is generally 7 days Saturday to Saturday but March/April you should find some availability, have a look at Imagine Ireland http://www.imagineireland.com/
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Old Oct 9th, 2015, 09:45 AM
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@KD15119 You are so welcome! It was a pleasure! I felt bad saying that about the Aran Islands but it was so true. The ultimate tourist trap at least in our opinion. I guess we wouldn't of minded if the people were actually nice. But they weren't. Just all out to get as much money from you as possible. As for the car, we just looked online for the best deals and yes, we did get the extra insurance. It was my first time driving in Europe plus you are on the opposite side not only on the road but also in the car - and driving standard! We got a compact car as we only had 2 @ 25" roller checked in bags and our 21" roller carry on bags besides out personal travel cross body bags. Packing a collapsible cooler was so convenient. Do your research for some B&B's that may offer use of the washer/dryers or even email to ask. If you go north to Giants Causeway, we actually got there after hours. So no little bus to drive us down the long road to the rocks but we didn't care. We took our time and I was able to get lots of stunning photos. We didn't leave until 10pm - and the sun was just setting! We really liked the B&B there too. Since this was our first trip north, I like watching the Globe Trekker series and I saw this on Tory Island - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q91qFk_rim0&app=desktop - and thought how cool to go to a place that not many others really go to. they have a film festival too and the King is so proud of everything as he gives people the tour of the art museum! LOL! Also, in Donegal, you can use the Euro unlike in N. Ireland where it is the GBP. You have 19 days. You can see so much without spreading yourself thin. Use TripAdvisor.com too for reviews. Take some with a grain of salt if you read petty knick picking. Enjoy!
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Old Oct 9th, 2015, 11:19 AM
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Such great information and advice. Thank you, both. Of the 19 days, I consider two as losses (one for recovering from jet lag, one for readying to leave) so that gives us a good 17 days to visit and treasure Ireland.

I'm reading loads of things and my head is swimming, so I'll probably drive you bonks with silly questions.

I've found several self caterings that allow 2-4 days, most advertised on homeaway.com.

I really would like to spend some time traveling the northern coast of Ireland. Perhaps we'll amend our plans to do that. Drive, instead of a quick overnight tour.

As silly as it sounds, one of my absolute favorite things to do is poke around a village (or city, to be fair) and find where the people who live there do their food shopping! We love local food, and love to cook, so that's another reason to want the self catering. Not to say we'll not dine out from time to time, but I know us too well. Nearly killed us last time that we couldn't buy anything at a wonderful butcher shop, or from many stalls in the Dublin farmer's market!

So, speaking of that, what is ready for harvesting at the end of March, beginning of April, in Ireland? I've tried looking it up on the internet with little success.
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Old Oct 9th, 2015, 11:20 AM
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Oh gosh, forgot to include this other silly question. Pumping gas/petrol in Ireland. Is it done for you, or do you do it yourself?
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Old Oct 9th, 2015, 01:48 PM
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Generally DIY. Green Nozzle is Unleaded. Black Nozzle is Diesel. Paracetamol will not take away the pain of the price difference currently around €6 per Gallon.
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Old Oct 9th, 2015, 05:13 PM
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We pumped our own gas. Just easier. As for what is in season, clueless. We went end of May to beginning of June. I looked up places to eat along the way and I have to say, the best soups I ever had were in little pub restaurants. Beyond delicious.
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Old Oct 10th, 2015, 10:04 AM
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Looked up Rick Steves and bought his book on Ireland. Will add to my growing collection of Guide Books. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Old Oct 10th, 2015, 10:35 AM
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I haven't been here yet but thought I'd add this too in case you go to County Roscommon --> http://www.strokestownpark.ie It's the national Irish Famine Museum
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Old Oct 10th, 2015, 02:24 PM
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"Take it you read Rick Steves garbage book to Ireland" Hardly a recommendation ! I believe its most useful on an open fire.

When reading remember that the on the spot research is done via phone and internet from an office just outside Seattle.
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Old Oct 11th, 2015, 02:41 PM
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Hmmmm, can't truly say I'm too impressed with his writing so far. Comes across as a bit condescending and presumes to lecture instead of inform. I'll keep on with it hoping to glean something useful for the money spent.

Thank you for the suggestion for the museum. So very many things to see!
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