Thanks in advance for any pointers. We are starting in Dublin and heading North to Belfast. I aim to continue the counter-clockwise trend moving on through the Giant's causeway then down to Ulster Folk Park, then along the west coast and down to Dingle. We will then move along the east coast and back to Dublin.
Any recommendations on sites B&Bs, routing, etc,? What are the "Must See's"?

Thanks,

Happy

Don't worry about must-sees. You'll be moving so fast you'll see nothing.

Back to the drawing board. Cut your target by about two-thirds.

Padaig, I was afraid of that. Belfast and Dublin will get a full day or two, each. I've got a little time to plan. I want to see as much of Ireland as possible. Any recommendations?

The trouble with touring Ireland (or I guess the charm) is that it takes forever to get anywhere. There aren't really many highways and you will find yourself on narrow roads with slower speeds A LOT. So at least double the time it would take you to get the same distance in the US.

We did Shannon to Dublin in 10 days and I still felt like we spent most of the time in the car. That could be because I didn't trust anyone but myself to drive and keep us alive.

Happy, if you nail down Dublin and Belfast and give them 3-4 days of your 10, I think you should forget the south-west.

Some possibilities:
While you can travel from Dublin to Belfast in just over two hours, I suggest that you give it a day, visiting Newgrange en route, and diverting to include the Cooley Peninsula and Carlingford, perhaps a further detour through Mourne country .
Give the Glens of Antrim (north of Belfast) a day.
Visit Derry.
Spend a couple of dayss rambling around Co. Donegal, working towards Sligo
There is some very good local tourism around Sligo -- scenery, history, culture.

While you won't have seen as much of Ireland as in your first sketch, you will have a good representative sample.

The rest ain't going away, and if you like the experience, you can plan for further visits.
Back to Dublin.

I thought the southwest was the most beautiful part. The southeast was great, but didn't compare to the southwest. I did love Dublin though. It is a great size. Not too big, not too small. Is Belfast a must? I haven't been there, so I don't know how it is.

Padraig,
Thanks, amigo. I will map it out later today. I may streeetch it just a little.

KelliBellie,
Thanks for the info. I have a sweet friend here in Houston, TX who's nickname is KellieBellie. You are the only other one I'm come accross. Belfast is "Roots" for me. Several ancestors immigrated to the US over the years. In your opinion, what is the "Must See" in the Southwest?

Thanks,
Happy

If you have not booked your flighhts yet and could add a day or two, you might look to depart from Shannon. That would allow you to do something such as this:

Day 1 & 2 - Dublin
Day 3 & 4 - Belfast
Day 5 & 6 - Antrim Coast
Day 7 & 8 - Sligo
Day 9 & 10- Galway
Day 11 - Ennis
Day 12 - Depart for Home

Still a lot of territory covered, a broad spectrum of what is Ireland experienced and yet you have made time to "settle" in each place for two nights, which is more relaxing.

If you have already booked your flights, then a less hectic schedule might look like this:

Day 1 & 2 - Dublin
Day 3 & 4 - Belfast
Day 5 & 6 - Antrim Coast
Day 7 & 8 - Sligo
Day 9 - Dublin
Day 10 - home

There is truly more in Ireland to see than anyone can expect to do in one trip. As was pointed out, the roads are not conducive to long haul drives. You will enjoy your experience more if you go with the thought that there will be another time.

Do you know where abouts your ancestors actually lived? Was it Belfast proper or was it one of the surrounding towns? If not, you should start your research well ahead of time.

What time of year are you going over?

Slan Beo,

Bit

I just reread the Subject line, is that September of this year or next?

For B&B suggestions:

Dublin - Abberley House, http://www.abberleyhouse.ie/, is quite reasonable

Belfast - Parkview Lodge, http://www.nireland.com/fra.parkview/

Antrim Coast - Crockatinney Guesthouse, http://crockatinney.ndo.co.uk/

Slan Beo,

Bit

I like Padraig's itinerary. I've only been east coast, southeast, southwest, and west, it's all beautiful. I've heard Northern Ireland is very beautiful also.

For accommodations, we all have our favorites but if you want two good list go to these web sites.

IrelandYes

IrelandExpert

Happy Planning, Joan

CowboyCraic,
Thanks mucho for the specific recommendations and your interest. The family is from Belfast and we have done some digging. More to do. We will visit September 2007.

Joan,
I will check out those websites. Thanks for the suggestion.

Best regards to all!!