pjc115

Please comment on my itinerary as this is my first draft. Would like to know places to stay, eat and see. We will be traveling with a 2 yr old.

Day 1 - Fly from NYC to Shannon renting a car and driving to Broadford,Clare. Staying with relatives and just relaxing from overnight flight.
Day 2&3 - Drive to Palantine,Carlow again staying with relatives. Maybe a round of golf.
Day 4 - This is where I need some advice for our trip to Killarney. Was thinking about driving to Waterford it looks like an 1 hr - 11/2 hrs. Seeing the crystal factory and then continuing on towards Cork. Is this feasible and if so where to stay in Cork and will we have any time to see anything. If not where could we stay in between Waterford and Cork.
Day 5 - Would like to get to Killarney by 1 PM to see some sights. Any suggestions on what to see, where to stay and eat?
Day 6 - Maybe do the ROK or just down to Kenmare and back to Killarney.
Day 7 - Drive to Ennis,Clare to drop off baby and then onto Athlone,Meath for a Wedding til Day 9.
Day 10 - Back to P/U baby and stay at friends house til day 11.
Day 12 - No Plans maybe up to Galway leaving from Shannon on Day 14.
Any suggestions are welcomed and this is my first draft. Also will be going in Sept.so the sooner the tips the better.

sburgrj

Unless you are really in to seeing the crystal factory, not much in Waterford.

If you are near Cork, I'd recommend staying in Kinsale. Its about 20 minutes south of Cork. Beautiful harbor town.

chatham

Pic115,

I'm sure you'll get good advice here but you might check out these two web-sites also.

http://www.irelandexpert.com/

http://www.irelandyes.com/

Good Luck, Joan

MonicaRichards

you will love Ireland with your child. They are so accepting, children are not tolerated, they are expected. Agree with staying in Kinsale over Cork. There is a large fort there, an interesting old gate house/ prison, a little museum as well as the harbor itself. In my opinion, you are not giving yourself enough time in Killarney. We loved the Killarney National Forest, Muckross house and Farms, Ross castle, jaunting cars and boats in the lake. We spent two full days doing just those things (we had a week in the area total). The Ring of Kerry between Killarney and Kenmare is not worth it, just a windy road with foilage on each side. I think you're better off spending time doing the things I outlined above. We also liked Galway and thought it was fun. Your child will love the swans.

pjc115

Anyone have suggestions on B&B's in Kinsale and where to eat?

Shadow

Try this..

www.kinsale.ie

I've heard that Fishy Fish is really good..its been awhile since I was there but will be there in a few weeks...I think most of the restaurants are really good...they are known for the food there...I will be doing a trip report when I return...when are you going?
Also, type in Kinsale in the search engine and see what comes up.
Also, go to www.irelandexpert.com and see what is recommended there.
Hope this helps....

Shadow

Viajero2

There are a couple of places in your itinerary that I consider will be a total waste of your time in Ireland; Waterford and Cork. Not sure how much fun will be to tour a crystal meca w/a 2-yr. old; not much else, really. Also, Cork is a big commercial and industrial hub with horrendous traffic. No more, no less. Do not bother. If you have to head that way to visit say, Kinsale, then stay at Macroom , half way Killarney-Cork and much, much, much more charming and quiet than Cork. There I recommend the chicken tenders at Penn's (best I ever had ).

For a Sept trip, you are kind of getting your planning a bit late, but staying with relatives is half way the planning. For the independent days, focus on Killarney ; gorgeous views in that area and tons of family activities. Your Day 5 and 6 should be dedicated to Killarney; leave it at that. I was left a bit cold with ROK; then again I am from NY and this is one gorgeous state, so it takes quite a bit to impressed me (Dingle Peninsula? now that's another story....).

In Killarney, I strongly recomend the Muckross traditional farms. Your 2-yr old will get a kick out of it (say hello to Tabby the kitten from me ), you guys might enjoy the setting very much; it is a working farm. Killarney can fill three days easy with some of the best family activities we saw in Ireland. The jaunting cars (horse carriages) are fun and the Killarney National Park is very beautiful. There are tons of hotels and B&Bs; I would leave the stay in Killarney open, decide where when you get there.

I came back convinced the most beautiful town in Ireland is KENMARE . No doubt. The food is wonderful, the town is gorgeous, the people are lovely, the traditional Irish live music shows are outstanding. The Killarney-Kenmare 45-min drive on N71 is well worth it. Just drive carefully as the scenic vistas on that road are amazing and the sheep plenty (I actually think that drive goes head to head with ROK drive).

Hope this have given you & hubby food for thought...:-?

MonicaRichards

While we were in Kinsale we stayed at the Danabel Inn. I'm not sure I would recommend them but I wouldn't not recommend them if that makes sense. The accomodation was just okay. It was close to the downtown and had parking though. As far as Killarney/ Kenmare, we stayed at a house rental at Doire Farm, she also runs a B & B that I'm sure would be fantastic and we liked being on a farm midway between Kenmare and Killarney. However we much preferred the highway route to Killarney over N71, which we felt was too windy and not enough scenery to justify the trouble. If you are in that area for three days (leave 2 for Killarney National Forest, Muckross House and farm, etc) visit the Kennedy Pet Farm.

MonicaRichards

Oh, and here's a link to my (inprogress) trip report. It should help you out a bit.http://www.markandmonica.com/Travel/Ireland.htm

daydreamer19

Hi We spent one night in Kinsale last month at the Old Presbytery B&B in the heart of the town. The owner reccomended Hobies for dinner and made the reservation for us--- it was great!

fischerl

It's been 19 years, but we loved The Laurels pub in Killarney. Live Irish music and some of the best Guiness Beef Stew (we went back the next night after driving the Ring of Kerry). The proprieter sat at our table to chat for a few minutes. I believe it's still owned by the same family.

My favorite area in Ireland is Kildare--horse country! We stayed at a B&B (sorry, have forgotten the name) off a racetrack. We looked out our window at dawn to see the exercise jockeys running the horses around the track--it was exhilarating to watch. The countryside is gorgeous (like most of Ireland): rolling green hills and lots of sheep. We went horseback riding through the meadows there. I long to return...

Viajero2

To clarify Monica's posting above who wrote: ">>However we much preferred the highway route to Killarney over N71, which we felt was too windy and not enough scenery to justify the trouble.<<

N71 is one of the HIGHWAY routes in/out Killarney. The N71 section route Killarney-Kenmare is the route to view the Moll's Gap, Gap of Dunloe, Ladies View and the Great Lakes with plenty pullovers to take pics. So, again, it is one of the most scenic roads in/out of Killarney on to Kenmare. It is also a windy road and you need to drive carefully as I stated earlier as well. Again, do not miss it. There are quite a bit of tour busses on that route; if they think it is worth it and drive it, so should you