Best Month to see Ireland
 

I'm trying to decide what month we take a 2 week trip to Ireland. We can go in April over Easter which means we don't have to take as much time off of work or in May or July. From what I've been told April can be very rainy but flight will be less expensive from Detroit or Toronto, May is the most beautiful month to go, and July will be great weather but most expensive to travel.

I know priority for my husband is doing the trip as cheaply as possible,but since we are taking our 3yr old daughter I would hate to have encounter 2 weeks of rain.

Any advice? We need to make a decision soon so we can just buy our tickets! So confused...

Thanks

Hi Spartangirl:

There is no way to guess what the weather will be in Ireland. April could be more dry than May or it could be the other way around. The real shoulder season begins in May so there are a few sites that don't open until then but I wouldn't let that change your plans. There will be more leaves on trees and more in bloom in May if that is important to you. It will be a bit more crowded in May, but not terrible depending on where you want to go.

I would vote against July because of price and crowds. My preference has always been May which is when most of my trips there have happened. September is also a great time to visit.

Here are links to my trip reports from Ireland if that can confuse you even more... Have fun planning!

http://www.geocities.com/obeirne_ireland_2002/index.htm

http://www.geocities.com/obeirne_ireland_2003/

http://www.geocities.com/obeirne_ireland_2005_1/

Bill

Would you say that Sept is the best month to travel then? I've noticed when going through many of the posts on here many people have gone in September. I hate to delay our trip until September as I am on pins and needles waiting to go but it does seem like people favor September.

I have to say September/September/September! We found the weather warm and perfect for walking, lots of flowers still in bloom everywhere and we only met 2 other tourists our entire trip of 8 days.

The children are back in school and things are slow and local everywhere you go in September.......but that's of no interest to you when your choices are April, May or June.

April has the spring showers happening and not much in the flower for colour range but May and June lands you into tourist season. (If you want the bands playing Irish music in the pubs you need to go in tourist season.......you won't get all that propaganda machine anyplace but Dublin outside the tourist season.)

It can rain any time in Ireland - so it's not a big issue. From a planning perspective you should know that hotel prices often go up quite a bit and demand is quite high during holiday periods, or when there are events on - eg for example Easter Sunday is, April 16, 2006 so hotels from 14th to 17th of April may be quite a bit more expensive than for other weekends.

Actually we can't go in June. I can't take off the beg. of June and my husband can't take off work at the end of June.

We will be taking a slow paced trip as we will have a 3 year old with us. As much as I would like to see everything we will probably stick to W/SW Ireland.

However we have a friend in Belfast we would love to see??? Not sure how we will fit that in. Would it make sense to fly?

The ocean gets warmer in September and that brings warmer weather to the west coast of Europe. I vote for September. Some thing with the west coast of the United States.

spartangirl, I've been April, May, Sept., Oct., and Nov. The only month the weather was pretty bad was Nov. Now, that could have been just that year. My favorite months are April( the Irish are glad to see tourist after the winter, lower prices, fewer tourist, and it's spring with all of the baby lambs etc. I was going to say the other month is Sept. but I thought of lovely trips I've had in May and Oct. Good luck, Joan

You can easily drive to Belfast from Dublin. There are no flights fron Dublin to Belfast - there are flights from cork to Belfast

Thanks for all of the quick replies! I am definitely going to stay away from July. So that narrows it down to April, May with Sept now thrown in.

I may just let ticket prices do the deciding for me!

That's great that there are flights from Cork to Belfast. My Irish ancestors (Hurley) are from Cork and I wanted to make that a stop on our trip.

I have only visited Ireland in Octover and November. The weather was highly variable, hour to hour, with enough sun each day to enjoy some outdoor activities. You just had to stay flexible.

We traveled often in Germany (stationed there) with a 0-3 year old, usually in the off season. We had a small folding stroller and as she grew older gave her her own umbrella to hold. She enjoyed the rainy days best.

When I got to Ireland in October, it was a sunny bright day. A lady asked me if had had a chance to see the Pope who was there just before me. I replied no, that I had just arrived. She accusingly said that I had gotten better weather than the Pope, seeming to imply that I was in league with the devil. It is the people that make Ireland the most fun.

Hi spartangirl. We do get rain here on any given month, but I would suggest August or Early September as the best months weather wise, September is lovely as the children have all gone back to school and things are quieter. The hotels are more expensive in the Summer months, but sometimes you get good deals either May to early June, or September, early October, I wouldnt come here any later than early October as the weather would be too unpredictable by then and the days are getting shorter.

Ennis (Co. Clare, near Shannon airport) has a Fleadh Nua (Spring arts festival) 23 to 29 May (Memorial Day: also a Bank Holiday in Ireland, I believe). Many of the events are in The Queens, The Temple Gate or the Old Ground Hotel, so you won't have to take your 3-year old to a pub to enjoy Trad Irish music or step-dancing. That is if you go in May ...

I usually visit Ireland in either May or September.

I think you can get an UlsterBus - Bus Eireann connection to/from Belfast & Dublin.

NEDSIRELAND thanks for that info... I will have to keep that in mind!

I haven't traveled in September so I can't give you info on that. May and Septemebr are usually the moths that get the highest votes. There will be warmer waters in September, more in bloom in May. Actually, September tends to be as high priced as May and usually as many tourists. The kids are in scholl in May also.

You could take a train from Dublin to Belfast and then perhaps fly to Cork. If you are going to fly to Cork, take the train to Belfast and then rent a car in Cork.

Bill

We've been twice: the first time in October (to Kenmare & Dingle), then in August.

I was nervous about August being too crowded, but it wasn't bad at all in Donegal and Connemara. Galway was very crowded however. The great thing about August was lots of daylight, compared to October (and probably May). So perhaps a summer visit somewhere other than the South/Southwest would be doable.

By the way, the weather in October was in the 50s F, with on-again, off-again drizzle--the weather in August was in 60s F, with (you guessed it) on-again, off-again drizzle :-)

I have been to Ireland in April, May, June, July, August, September, October & November. You MUST expect rain at any time. Have alternative plans in place every day for things to do if it does rain. Generally, what you will find is showery weather. It rains for a while, sun comes out for a while, the cycle repeats all day. Showery weather is not all that bad because you can do a lot during the sunny spells. But don't go anywhere without your umbrella because showers can come unexpectedly.

My favorite months to visit Ireland are April, May, Sept & Oct. You get much more daylight in the spring. Days are getting shorter in the fall.

Easter is late in 2006, near the end of April. Personally, I think it would be a good time to go.

I can handle the drizzle and showers for sure. I've sat through many miserable football games and still managed to have fun. My daugher is 3 and when you're 3 you really don't care what the weather is like as long as you are outside.

My worry was for some reason that I would hit "monsoon" season!

Ireland is much more prone to drizzle than monsoon.

Bill

I would also recommend that you do B&B in Ireland. They are very good and private with en suite and lovely breakfasts.

We just pulled into a nice looking place and every time we got a room for a fair price.

I'd never stay in the high priced hotels in Ireland or Scotland when the B&B's are so good.

First off I'd like to say that just BEING IN Ireland is a good thing!!

That being said, you always expect rain in Ireland....I've had trips that I had almost no rain and some with very little rain, and my last trip (this Oct.) with maybe 2 rainy days and a few rainy nights and a few rain on/off days and then some sunny days thrown in. Always expect rain.

This past trip I had the best coat ever for Ireland...it is like a jacket but it is kinda dressy but also looks good with jeans. The best part was the hood-I never even used my umbrella...just put my hood up when it rained-worked great!!

Also, as mentioned above, take the train from Dublin to Belfast-its a nice train and a wonderful ride-takes about 2 hours and its really nice. You get the train at Connolly Station in Dublin.

I prefer the warmer summer months in Ireland myself but am going more often nowdays to see my aging mother so I am looking for the deals too....I am thinking May or early June myself next trip.

Best tip I can give: do not expect Ireland to be the same as home.....that is why you left home to visit Ireland!

Shadow

Shadow... that's exactly the problem I know it won't be the same and I'm guessing I won't want to come back to Michigan :-)

A vote for April... I've been in both August and April, and much preferred April. We went on April 19-26 in 2004, and it rained one day (misty rain). The other days were cool, breezy, and either overcast or clear. Highs around 65-70F, lows at night in the 40s-50s. I like cooler weather, so this was PERFECT.

You see all the greens of Ireland in this time of year, as the grass is new. The bright yellow gorse is everywhere, and cute little lambs :)

I have checked the weather charts for the past 5 years. The driest period was the first 7 - 10 days in May. April was a very dry month in 2003. Its a lottery really.
As regards flying to see your friend there is a direct service Toronto - Belfast with Transaer on an Airbus 310. See your friend, hire a car and hit south. End up at Shannon Airport from where Transaer also fly direct to Toronto. They are charter flights but if you make enquiries at your end it might work.
Look at:
www.goireland.ie
www.bedandbreakfastireland.net
www.gotobelfast.com
Enjoy.

CU... great idea on the fly from Toronto to Belfast I didn't even think of that. I had just been looking at the into Dublin out of Shannon routes.

You can go to this site http://www.met.ie/climate/ and check the details yourself based on 30 years (1961-1990) of data.

Go in the spring, April or May. April historically has the least rain, but May and June are not far behind. Temps are warmer in May and June as well. In addition, May has the most mean daily sunshine. September, which is mentioned by many, has more rain and less sunshine than April, May or June.