chemgirl

I love going to antique stores in the US--can anyone suggest some nice antique stores in Ireland? My path is roughly: Shannon - Doolin - Dingle - Kenmare - Kinsale - Kilkenny - Trim. I have a rental car and will probably be traveling along the coastline for most of the trip, but I'm willing to take detours if there are some really nice antique stores worth a visit.

GreenDragon

No specific recommendations, but be sure to check out auction houses -- they will have lots of pieces you might be interested in.

SiobhanP

Its a bit different here and very hard to find a bargain....most antique places are mor high end. I know only Dublin where Francis Street is the antique centre and a few salvage warehouses that take things from places being sold on like old baths and fireplaces but in SDmall towns you may on occasion find a small place. The UK and France is better for this.

Happy Hunting!

chemgirl

Oooo-one of the things I love almost as much as going to antique shops is going to auctions! Thanks for the suggestion, GreenDragon. Now, um, where can I find auction houses? I won't be going to Dublin or Galway... Growing up in the rural Midwest, I'm no stranger to auctions, but I'm used to the on-site home and farm-type auctions. Where can I find more info on auctions in Ireland? I'll be sure to google it but if anyone has any specific suggestions I'd be most appreciative.

SiobhanP

Try googling this but I live here and never heard of those types of auctions here other than a high end sotheby's style auction from large estate houses of furniture and paintings that would be pricey. Remember we have a relatively small population (4 million these days I think) for the whole country so some things are not the same. Farms to my knowledge would never have a sale auction as most would have little or no antiques. Most of the farm houses are fairly newish and many farmers were quite poor up to 50 years ago. I do know they have more of this sort of thing in the UK.

yesiree100

Boot sales (boot referring to a car trunk) are very popular in the rural parts of Ireland. They are more like flea markets and have treasures, trash and everything in between. There is one in Kilkenny every Sunday. (Fethard between Clonmel and Thurles also has one on Sundays).

Antique stores pop up in many towns, but not a frequently as in the US. On your route, you can find some in Clarecastle (between Shannon and Ennis), on main street in Ennis, in Gort (not sure it would be worth a special trip from Doolin, but if you're in the area), in Kilkenny (near the castle on Patrick St) and near Timoleague (between Courtmacsherry and Kinsale).

Keep your eyes peeled and you'll spot antique stores. Also ask at the tourist offices about antique stores, auction houses and boot sales. Like at home, antique store owners can usually tell you the entire antique circuit in their area. The one's I mentioned have a mix of things, and some treasures are sure to be found.

An auction house I was in outside of Roscrea had both items for auction and an entire area that was like an antique shop...or was it more like a pawn shop? It was a unique experience.