Any recommendations for a short visit to Ireland? 5 days total to play with, 2 days travel not included. Flying in and out of Shannon airport. Going from Shannon to Galway spending one or two nights then from there not sure? Will have a car. Thanks!<BR>Sandra

<BR>It all depends on what time of year you are going. <BR>If you are going in Jan/Feb - daylight is limited , so you don't want to drive too far. <BR><BR>If you are going in May - Sept , it is light out until 9/10pm. So you can handle 4 hrs of driving and still see stuff. <BR><BR>Overall - your other 3 days should be spent in 1 area. I would do Killarney ( I LOVE Killarney) and then do side trips to the Ring &amp; Dingle. <BR><BR>Others on this board will most likely point you toward Dingle or Kenmare.

We had a similar quick trip in November. Flew into Shannon and spent first night in Doolin. Toured the Cliffs and the Burren the next day, and then on to Galway for the night. Drove through Connemara and to Clifden for the third night. Then to Ennis for last night before flying out. Too short, of course, but a little time in Ireland is better than no time in Ireland.

Sandra,<BR><BR>Rather than traveling all over creation - a common mistake made by many holiday-makers - why not consider staying at a very distinctive B &amp; B in southern Connemara, using it as a base for exploring the wilds of the west of Ireland, along with an overnight on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands.<BR><BR>The B &amp; B is Fermoyle Lodge (www.indigo.ie/hiddenireland/15html), a perfectly lovely Victorian hunting lodge located in a very remote and blissfully quiet section of Connemara. Fermoyle offers wonderful meals - the dining room has spectacular views of the Connemara hills - along with first-rate hospitality.<BR><BR>As for Aran, Kilmurvey House makes for a fine overnight stay. It's situated next to the must-see Dun Aengus, a prehistoric fort that rests precariously on the the edge of western Europe. Consider, too, dinner at the nearby Man of Aran restaurant and B &amp; B. You won't regret it.<BR><BR>Should you do an overnight on Inishmore, while also having stayed at Fermoyle, you'll be able to leave the bulk of your luggage at Fermoyle while taking an overnight bag to Aran. From Fermoyle the drive to the Aran ferries is short; the ferry ride a mere 35 minutes.<BR><BR>Finally, for an added thrill, consider taking one of the modern ferries to the island, and on the way back take a ten-minute flight to the Irish mainland on Air Aran. The views from the Cessna are well worth the price of about 45 Euro.<BR><BR>Best of luck.<BR><BR>

Galway is a good base. I would stay a few days in a downtown Galway hotel and do daytrips to the Buren, Doolin, Cliffs of Mohr, and Connemara. Then at night you have a wide option of restaurants, pubs, etc., that you can walk to.

I would lean towards Mary's recommendations, although David's sounds very nice so it would depend on your preference. I would suggest Galway and tour Connemara then stay a couple of nights in Doolin to tour that area. Finally, I would recommend Killaloe the night before you leave as it is only forty minutes from the airport and the location is very nice at the bottom of Lough Derg. Just a note on Clifden, the Sky Road is very nice and the Dolphin Beach B&amp;B is just lovely. Doolin House in Doolin, very quaint and cost effective with great location to pubs and such. Good Luck

KShea again, I meant to write Doolin Cottage B&amp;B. And while I'm at it, think about taking the ferry over to Inisheer for a day trip. The Churh of St. Kevin is quite remarkable set in an old/new graveyard and sunkd down in the ground. Bye

How about going to Conemarra as mentioned by a previous poter. Cliften is a beautil village with accommodation. The Abbey Glen Castle hotel has some 2 night packages with breakfast and dinner included. I stayed last may and the food is fabulous and the welcome is great from the owners. Be sure to ask for a renovated room. As well there is loads of accommodation from B&amp;B's to the STation house hotel.<BR><BR>From here you could go the the arran Islands, Kylemore abbey, A national conservation park and Westport is approx 1 hour away and a beautiful town worth visiting Have fun

I think basing in Connemara is a great idea. There's a nice little town called Roundstone that's not as crowded as Clifden can get, and there's a good restaurant/pub/hotel on the main street. I don't know the name, but it was mentioned in another posting. I always stay at the Cashel House Hotel, but it is somewhat remote, if you're interested in taking day trips.