Crazy Ireland itinerary question
 

Hello all! So we are nearly all set for our Ireland trip- leaving 3 weeks from today!

Our plan as of now is to fly into Shannon, spend 2 days in Dingle, 2 days in Kenmare, and 1 day in Kinsale before Dublin.

However, I just discovered that Van Morrison is playing in Killarney the night we arrive (on a Saturday). He is our favorite, and what a neat opportunity it would be to see him in Ireland!

Is the drive from Dingle to Killarney easy enough to make for one night? Is that worth it at all? We are really looking forward to our 2 days in Dingle, and the progression of our trip seems to indicate that going Dingle-Kenmare-Kinsle makes sense.

Any thoughts?

I should add that our B&Bs have already been reserved everywhere...

www.theaa.com shows it as 84 miles, which should be 2.5-3 hours driving. WIll you be up to that after flying all night? That's up to you. I'd say it's pushing it, but not impossible.

However, will you be up to a concert after that? Most likely not!!!!

If one of you can nap in the car while the other drives, and switch off halfway, I'd give you a better chance -- but then again, you'll be in Ireland, and wired with excitement :)

The original progression makes sense -- it is up to you how important seeing Van Morrison is :)

See if tickets are available before you change any plans.

Thanks all! It does seem that tickets are available, based on the Ticketmaster site.

Has anyone done the drive from Dingle to Killarney? I'd be interested to know how long it actually takes.

Thank you!

Hi Tarheels, I cannot offer any advice as to the drive but Van Morrison is one of my ALL time favourite musicians. He was in my town last year and we had planned a vacation then so missed the opportunity to see him. Friends of ours went though and said it was the most disappointing concert they had ever been to. He apparently just came on stage and started to play - no talking to the audience during the show - and when he finished just got up and left. I don't know if that would affect your decision to go or not but I love seeing performers live because many times you get a better sense of who they are, what inspired their music, etc. through their interaction with the audience. Maybe you would be happy just to hear him perform live but I think I would have felt quite let down if I had gone to the one here, and that wouldn't have involved a long drive there and back. On the other hand, maybe he was just having a bad night, although I have heard he has a huge ego. Still LOVE his music though and maybe he's better on his home turf. Tough call.

Heels:
I have done the drive from Dingle to Killarney but not on the day of a transatlantic flight and after a VM concert on the trip back to Dingle BB. VM would be great to see, but I don't think that I would try it on my first day in country. Not impossible but very little is impossible, its just what you guys want to do. I'd slow down and not try to do everything in one trip. Enjoy!

Last year I drove from Kenmare to Dingle by way of Killarney and Tralee. It was a fairly easy drive, but we stopped frequently for walks. It's 82 km from Dingle to Killarney via Tralee. That doesn't sound like much, but driving in Ireland is very slow going. I'd allow up to two hours.

Thanks all. I guess that brings up another question- for anyone who has seen Van Morrison live (especially in his home country!) is it worth either driving out of our way, or changing our travel plans to spend the night near Killarney?

Heels:
My wife saw my earlier post in response to your original question and she said that she would do it. She said would bug me until we changed our plans to spend the first night in Killarney. So, you see to each his own. If it were up to me, and it rarely ever is, I would go to Dingle and enjoy the sights of one of the most beautiful places on earth, but since my wife would be with me, we just might end up in Killarney. Either way, enjoy your trip!

Dingle town to Killarney 1 1/2 hours. I have done it multiple times.

BTW, That is NOT through Connor Pass. It is the southern route through Inch.

Thanks everyone. We're still debating...=) I'd love to hear more opinions!

If you have B&B reservations surely would not be a big deal to move arrival day or cancel 1 day...I would not do the major drive to and fro on lst day.
My experience with seeing a beloved artist overseas is: Do it.
I saw Springsteen in Paris a few years ago (Rising.. full band tour) and it was an incredble experience...and MUCH different than US concert. The crowds are just a great deal different..he should be really good in Ireland.

This sounds like a nightmare dilemma to me since I love both Dingle AND Van Morrison.

But, since Dingle will always be there, and Van won't always be touring, I'd go to the concert, but I'd then spend the night in Killarney. I'm sure that's all I could manage on my first day in Ireland.

I hear that Van Morrsion is sometimes 'on' and sometimes 'off' in terms of stage presence, but I've never heard one complaint about the music.

I think I would go to the concert, but spend the night in Killarney. Perhaps:

Day 1
land Shannon (morning arrival?)
drive to Killarney
a little exploring and a nap
concert

Day 2: drive to Dingle, explore peninsula, stay Dingle

Day 3: drive to Kenmare...then as you had planned

This involves some tracing your footsteps, but in a beautifully scenic area (from what I read and see in photos--my first trip to the SW is in May).
oopsy

We've only seen Van stateside. He suffers from sometimes terrible stage-fright. Once or twice during our concert, he just stopped singing and walked off stage, only to return a few minutes later and 'jump back in'. His accompaniests took it all in stride, covering flawlessly. Brian Kennedy was doing supporting vocals at the time and I don't think a single note was missed.

Change your reservations, go directly to Killarney and check in for a nap, see the show and spend the night. Next morning, head to Dingle and resume your scedule, except cut Kenmare down to one day.

This is why I am loath to pre-book more than my first and last nights. It was after we booked our trip for 30 March - 9 April that we found out about the concert. If my wife could have changed her work leave, she would have INSISTED that we pay the penalty to have our tickets changed ....

Bob

Wow, thank you all so much for the suggestions! I was leaning towards giving up the concert, but you all have made me think twice about doing that.

From our stay in Kenmare, we were planning to explore Killarney anyway. Maybe we'll shift our reservations as Bob suggested, and then devote our day in Kenmare just to the immediate area.

FYI:

In April of '01, we wandered into a music shop on College St, in Killarney and discovered a CD by a local based singer/songwriter named Ciaran Wynne that was incredible, particularly the stunning ballad, "A MOTHER'S SONG". Upon returning home, I emailed the address in the liner notes, requesting info on more music. That email initiated a running electronic conversation and set up a Feb 2002 meeting in Kildare.

In April of '03 we met up again, in Killarney. Ciaran gave us a copy of his newest CD and invited us to a performance in Kildare, scheduled for three nights later.

We had DETAILED plans, of course -- none of which included a 'side trip' to Kildare, but back at the B&B, my wife pointed out where Ciaran had thanked US in the liner notes!
We rerouted our travel and were in Kildare the following Thursday night.

Part way through the first set, Ciaran introduced us to the home town crowd, as his "GOOD AMERICAN FRIENDS", and dedicated "A MOTHER'S SONG" to us.

Memories of scenic wonders will fade, with time, that's why we keep RETURNING -- to refresh and recharge our spirits.

But memories of that Thursday night in a crowded Kildare pub will last a lifetime.

Go for it

Bob

You need to try and make that concert, mu husband surprised me with a Van Morrison concert a few years ago when he was in Cork City, I promise you will be talking about Van, the concert and the wonderful people you will meet for years to come. When you think of it, it will bring a smile to your face!

Well, we went for it! I just bought the concert tickets today, and we were able to shift our Dingle B&B reservations by one day. Now we just need a place to stay in Killarney, and we'll be all set!

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I truly hope this will be a memorable experience for us!

Congrats and good for you for making a tough decision! I must admit, in spite of what our friends thought, I think I wuold have done the same thing. Seeing "the man" there should be fantastic. Let us know how it goes and enjoy the experience!

Topping in search of DETAILS

Bob

So sorry for not reporting back! I keep meaning to get to a trip report, but life is always in the way :)

The concert was wonderful, and I'm so glad we decided to go for it. Unfortunately, we didn't realize the clock in our car was an hour slow- having no need for time until the concert, we didn't pay much attention! So we actually were a bit late for the show, but I'm not sure if it started on time anyway (I'm telling myself it didn't).

It was a bit shorter than we expected, based on my American concert experiences (only an hour and a half, no encore), but there weren't any breaks so we heard a good number of songs. He sounded fantastic, and we heard many classics (including my favorite, "Days Like This," of which I took a short video on my camera!)

It was lots of fun to hear him in his home country, and also interesting to see what songs are popular there versus here.

Killarney was a great first stop for us. The drive there was easy, and we had plenty of time to take a nap and then hike a bit in Killarney National Park before the concert. An added bonus was that Killarney has the only Methodist Church in County Kerry (which is the church we generally attend in the US), and as we were there on Easter Sunday, this couldn't have worked out better for us.

Thanks again for all of your encouragement. A little bit of hassle at the last minute proved more than worth it, as the concert is something we'll always remember! :)

So glad that it all worked out and that y'all found the concert worthwhile. Having been one of the one's arguing in FAVOR of you going, I've been dreading that you would come back and say that it was horrible and ruined your trip......

I'm usually leery of making strong recommendations, as everyone's tastes and interests are different, but in this case, I figured that a fan of Van IS pretty much a fan of Van!

Bob

Interestingly, I just read a review of one of Van's NYC shows, and the reviewer noted that the show started exactly on time and many audience members were not present or were scrambling for their seats. I guess it is a Van Morrison thing, not an Ireland concert thing. Good to know we weren't the only ones taken aback! :)

I saw Van recently at the Hollywood Bowl. He was fabulous. No chitchat- just intensely wonderful music. Well worth it.