Ireland is a wonderful country. My wife and I have been there once, to Dublin and Tullamore. We met some exceptionally nice people. Now I'm wondering, what's really the best thing to do in Ireland? Is Limerick a fine city? We'll fly in and stick to trains. My experience of drivers in Ireland is that they can be suicidal. Our experience of Dublin is that it's changed since Ray Bradbury wrote his story of a rainy Dublin, and since Joyce's "Dubliners". What's the most colourful thing to do in Ireland now? What are the happiest memories people have of Ireland?

Check out this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...cal-moment.cfm

Bob

Thank you, Bob.

My husband and I spent 16 days in Sept 08 there (friends joined us for the 2nd week). We flew in to Dublin, home from Shannon. First of all, driving was just not bad at all. (we're 60ish, for reference sake.) We did take our Garmin with us, which was a huge help just to avoid getting lost (though, some of the funniest moments were the incredibly small lanes that the programmers have worked into the Ireland maps in Garmin! we'd never have chosen them from a map, but they were great fun and we always got where we wanted to be, but we'd love to meet the guys that put them in there!)
the biggest pleasant surprise to me was how much I loved County Meath, above Dublin. I had picked 3 nights there simply to fill time, frankly, and we had loads of (gasp!) Marriott points and they had a very pleasant hotel. Two of the 3 nights we ate at a tiny, very local place along a river (I'm pretty sure it's called Fury's) that we found to be one of our special experiences, and of course a car was pretty crucial. Newgrange and Louth were absolutely amazing (very old burial sites in County Meath) - really, that whole area is so loaded with old castles and gorgeous scenery - I'd go back just there for a week in a heartbeat! We went up to Drogheda one of the days - I'd discovered the Walter Macken trilogy on my first trip to Ireland in 1990, and wanted to see one of the massacre sites from the Cromwell days. Did a tour of the tower museum, and spent an extra hour talking to the tour guide and 3 Irish visitors to that spot - you can see the Peace Bridge that was important to the hopeful resolution of the troubles some years ago. I'd highly recommend you look at that area if you're wanting something different (although again, there's that car issue.)
Loved Dublin far more than I expected (went there after County Meath) and then headed south. It was September, it was cold, it was torrential-y downpouring...and Glendalough did very little for us, which a lot of people seem to love, so it's probably a time-of-year issue.
We didn't go to Limerick, but felt that our one day and night in Kilkenny as we headed cross country was way too short - what an amazing medieval city with so many details and things to see. I would think you could get there easily with public transport, and I'd highly recommend it.
We spent two night in Dingle, and that's the area my husband especially loved - that's where HE'D pick for a full week visit - and hopefully, we'll both get back there soon! It's simply a gorgeous spot with lovely people, just as it was in 1990 when I first visited. Really - you can't lose by going over there, wherever you pick! But I do cherish the memories of the countryside areas which I think would be difficult to recreate without a car of one's own. (I wonder when you were last there? Garmin fun aside, the roads have really been worked on and modernized since my first visit - and other drivers presented absolutely no issue during our 16 days that I can recall.)

"What are the happiest memories people have of Ireland?"

Well, I think I'd have to go with my daughter's wedding!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...fodors-gtg.cfm

Perhaps it would have been more helpful if I'd added that a close second is the time my daughter and I spent together on Inis Mor two years before her wedding.

We took the bus from Galway to Rossaveal and the ferry to Inis Mor. It was a beautiful day in late March and the bus was quite crowded. In fact, the company had to call for a second one. So the island was well populated during the day. But, after the last ferry left at 5:00, it was a different story. It was also pretty quiet the next morning.

Of course the trade-off was that, at that time of year, there wasn't a lot open in the way of restaurants, B&Bs, etc. But we stayed at a place we really liked, had a lovely dinner and a wonderful time listening to music afterwards. We also enjoyed the wonderful tour we took of the island. But the best memory of all was the time we spent walking around trying to find the Black Fort. It was truly a magical couple of days.

And, again, maybe this wasn't terribly helpful as it wasn't summer...

Thank you all. Jo Ann, it would be interesting to know a little more about why your husband loved Dingle so much.
When we spoke to a friend of ours about Ireland - he's Irish and we find him very musical and not someone to hold back, if there's singing and he's had a drop or two of the beast - he said Cork was a magical place because people would sing anywhere, even in a cinema. I'm also wondering about where we could find the most beautiful, the greenest countryside, and if anyone has tried the cultural scene in Dublin or elsewhere. I'm talking about true folk music or theater for instance.
Caph 52, thanks. It all sounds interesting and fun.

"...if anyone has tried the cultural scene in Dublin or elsewhere. I'm talking about true folk music..."

My adult son's best musical memory of Ireland was his night at Dublin's Teachers' Club, on West Parnell Square. The audience and performers were all seated together on plastic chairs, set up in a loose circle. He had no idea what was going on until a young woman seated next to him rose to sing a ballad, in Irish, in the Sean Nos style. One by one, others followed. I wish I could remember the name of the group. The Teachers' Club is apparantly known for producing low budget entertainment of all kinds. You might look for their schedule online.