Trying to use FF miles for our first trip to Ireland.
Looks like we will arrive in dublin on May 26th at 10am and leave from Dublin on June 7th.
I was trying to go mid may to avoid crowds - do you think these dates weatherwise and crowds are okay?
Revised and help needed itinerary
May 26th Arrive and taxi into Dublin hotel to be determined
May 27th Dublin
May 28th Pick up rental car
Drive to Kilkenny. Explore town castle etc. Stay at Butler House
May 29th Drive to Waterford explore towns on coast (any suggestions) Overnight in Kilkenny.
May 30th Drive to Kenmare Shelbourne Lodge Explore area Ring of Kerry, muckross House Kilarney Natl. Park over the next 3 days.
May 31st Kenmare
June 1st Kenmare
June 2nd Dingle
June 3rd Dingle
June 4th Drive to Lisdoonvama Sheedys Country House visit Doolin, Cliffs of Moher,,Galaway, Ennis
June 5th Lisdoonvama
June 6th Drive to Dublin Airort - return car and stay at airport hotel (any suggestions) Also any places to stop along way as must sees or a good town to have a late lunch before going to airport
thanks again for reading this (very jumbled - my apologies) and taking the time for any suggestions or comments as to itinerary or choice of hotels.
DAC
Pleas help with my revised plans for Ireland
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On your drive back to Dublin you can scoot up through Trim, visit the castle, and make it to Newgrange if you get an early start. Parts of Braveheart were filmed at Trim Castle.
We have been to Ireland in March, April, July and October. May should have decent if cool weather and the crowds will be manageable. Just think "layers" for clothing.
I can't comment on your hotel choices since we stay in B&Bs, but I do like your locations and length of your stays.
Another choice for trip back to Dublin, Clonmacnoise. Monastic ruins on the banks of the upper Shannon. Lots of Celtic crosses (the oldest are undercover in the visitor centerprotected from the weather) and two round towers.
On your drive from Kilkenny,stop in New Ross and visit the famine ship Dubbrody. The docent takes you down into the section where most of passengers spent the weeks of the trip. Makes a few hours in economy class seem not so bad. Four to a bunk, no separation of sexes, children under twelve not counted for space so a large family might have just one bunk alloted to them.
Drive out to the lighthouse on the Crook Peninsula (Crookhead). It is a scenic drive and the lighthouse is in a dramatic location. Visitor center and cafe there.
You don't have to drive all the way back up the peninsula. It has been a few years since I was there, but at Ballyhack, I took a short ferry ride to Passage East and then drove out to the beach towns of Tramore, etc.
Sorry, it is the Hook head lighthouse. (past my bedtime, I guess)
Traveling in May can be good but just dress in layers. Your itinerary looks really good and not rushed. I found a sample itinerary on a website I use when doing my own planning. It covers the area you are looking at visiting and has suggestions for hotels and places to visit. You might want to check it out at connsireland.com It was the self drive tour for southeast and southwest 6 day tour. Happy planning!
The first weekend in June is a bank holiday weekend (Whit weekend). Traffic will be heavy on the Friday and on the Monday and hotels get booked up quickly. Do bear that in mind.
ter2000 Thank you very much for that information. DAC
We were there in September for two weeks, our first time in Ireland and in hindsight, these were my most favorite spots (in order): 1. Newgrange 2. Trim Castle 3. Kinsale 4. Kilmainhim Jail in Dublin.
But then, things get fuzzy; we loved it all and it gets harder to prioritize. Certainly, the Cliffs of Moher, and Muckross House and a night of music in a pub (in Trim) and the Rock of Cashel and Glendalough and Trinity College & the Book of Kells all make it into the top ten. Also got to ride horses on the beach on the Dingell Peninsula. That's an experience I'll remember a long time. It's a wonderful, beautiful, fascinating country.
I was there in May 2011. It was 55 and windy every day (second half of May), but that was unusual, according to the locals. I've been here in June and it was sunny and 70, you never know. Plan for both and bring layers.
You have a decent pace for your time, you should be fine with that. Clonmacnoise is incredible, visit if you can.
The only thing you might have issues with for crowds are school groups from mainland Europe. We came across these when we went in June 2006 - mostly Italian schoolchildren, very loud and rowdy.
Check out my May 2011 and June 2006 trip reports (and April 2002 if you like) for more details on spots and stops.
Are you tied into flying out of Dublin? If not, I'd recommend that you fly out of Shannon since you're basically ending your trip in Lisdoonvarna. It will give you almost an extra day for your trip if you don't have to drive back to Dublin on June 6th.
We were in Ireland in mid-May 2011 and the weather was great everywhere we went. As already mentioned, layers are the key, but we never needed more than a good windbreaker for our outerwear. (And, for the windy days that GreenDragon encountered, a windbreaker is better that a regular jacket.)
Yes, a waterproof jacket is great - and umbrellas are useless in the wind. We had 50-60 mph winds for many days! They even talked about cancelling the Rossaveal ferry to Inis Mor, which they never do. Felt the sea spray up on the 700 foot cliffs of moher.
On May 29th, you can visit the towns of Cobh and Kinsale. We just stopped for a quick walk around Cobh, but stayed the night in Kinsale. Kinsale was such a quaint beachy town, and we really liked it. In fact, since you are staying in Kenmare for 3 nights, you could stay in Kinsale or Cobh for a night, and stop by Muckross house and Kilarney National Park on your way to Kenmare. We also did the Ring of Kerry early in the morning and drove to Dingle in the same day, and it worked out really well; just an idea. In Kenmare, I would highly recommend the Watersedge Bed and Breakfast. It is a little bit outside of town, but it is still within walking distance. It was my husband's favorite B&B. Also, we went in mid- June and we didn't have any problem with crowds and the weather was perfect!