Leslie787

Okay group, thanks first for the headsup on South Ireland. Since the airline won't let us out of the plane in Shannon(w/o major money) we'll go on to Dublin. We will stay two nights in Dublin then first thing Monday morning, I'm picking up a car and we're heading south. I've booked an Aer Lingus flight from Shannon 48 hours after I pick up the car. HAVE to be in London Wednesday morning.

So.....what's the best route, seeing the best stuff in 48 hours. Cahir, Cashel, Doolin, Dingle, Bunratty. I want to see it all, and with a 17 year old, we won't have to linger long anywhere, so we can probably squeeze a lot in. I know I'll miss tons but 48 hours are all I have.
Help, please!!! I don't have a feel for how far I can get in a day. And I'll need two nights at B&B's. Bunratty Lodge to finish?
Thanks bunches, Leslie
PS Talked to the MC folks. My AT&T platinum is good for Ireland CDW. Thanks!

Itallian_Chauffer

Go to www.aaroadwatch.ie for route planning and time estimates. I pulled this as an example:
From: Dublin,Dublin
To: Dingle,Kerry
Via: Cashel,Tipperary

Total Distance: 228.3 miles
Total Time: 5 hr 21 min

Acc Dist Route Directions

0.00 0.00 N81 Start out at Dublin,Dublin
Follow signs Blessington N81
1.00 1.00 R110 Junction with R110
Follow signs Crumlin R110
2.00 1.00 R110 Junction 58 (South Ring)
At traffic signals forward R110
2.30 0.30 R110 Crumlin Shopping Centre


3.00 0.70 R110 Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children (on right)


3.50 0.50 R110 "Halfway House" public house
At traffic signals forward
4.00 0.50 R110 Junction with R112
At traffic signals forward
4.40 0.40 R110 Fox and Geese
At traffic signals turn left (signposted The South, M50)
5.10 0.70 N7 Junction with M50
At roundabout take 2nd exit N7 (signposted The South)
6.10 1.00 N7 Newlands Cross ("Bewleys Hotel&quot
At traffic signals forward
17.60 11.50 M7 Junction with M7
Keep forward (signposted Limerick, Cork) to join Motorway M7
24.70 7.10 M7 Junction 9 (M9)
Take right-hand lanes
36.20 11.50 N7 Mayfield Interchange
End of motorway Forward N7
37.90 1.70 N7 Moore Abbey


38.10 0.20 N7 Monasterevin


41.80 3.70 N7 Ballybrittas


44.20 2.40 N7 "New Inn"


45.90 1.70 M7 Junction with M7
Keep forward (signposted Cork, Limerick) to join Motorway M7
51.90 6.00 N8 Junction with N8
Leave Motorway (signposted Cork) and at roundabout take 1st exit N8
59.40 7.50 N8 Abbeyleix


64.90 5.50 N8 Durrow
Follow signs Cork N8
68.80 3.90 N8 Cullahill


74.80 6.00 N8 Johnstown
At crossroads forward
77.10 2.30 N8 Urlingford


82.90 5.80 N8 Noard (Turnpike)


85.90 3.00 N8 Littleton


88.20 2.30 N8 "Horse and Jockey" public house


96.80 8.60 N8 Arrive at Cashel


- - - Section time 2:08, Total time 2:08
You have reached your destination.
96.80 0.00 N74 Start out at Cashel,Tipperary
Follow signs Tipperary N74
101.10 4.30 N74 Golden
Cross River Suir In 0.5 mile keep left
102.80 1.70 N74 Thomastown


106.80 4.00 N74 Ballyhusty School
By Cashel Road enter
109.30 2.50 N24 TIPPERARY
Follow signs Limerick N24
112.10 2.80 N24 Limerick Junction Station and Race Course


113.10 1.00 N24 Monard


115.30 2.20 N24 Oola


119.60 4.30 N24 Pallasgreen


132.50 12.90 R509 Tipperary Road Roundabout (Limerick)
Take 1st exit R509 (signposted Cork, Tralee)
132.70 0.20 R509 Kilmallock Road Roundabout
Take 2nd exit
133.30 0.60 R509 Roxborough Roundabout
Take 2nd exit
133.60 0.30 N20 Junction with N20
At traffic signals turn left N20 (signposted Cork, Killarney) In 0.3 mile at next two roundabouts forward
140.10 6.50 N21 Junction with N21
Keep forward (signposted Tralee) In 2.4 miles at roundabout take 2nd exit
143.60 3.50 N21 Adare


148.00 4.40 N21 (edge of) Croagh


158.90 10.90 N21 Newcastle West
Follow signs Killarney N21
171.40 12.50 N21 Abbeyfeale


186.10 14.70 N21 Castleisland
Turn right (signposted Tralee)
193.60 7.50 N21 Ballymacthomas Roundabout
Take 2nd exit
197.10 3.50 N86 TRALEE
Follow signs Dingle N86
198.80 1.70 N86 Blennerville


206.30 7.50 N86 Junction with R560
Bear left
217.10 10.80 N86 Anascaul


223.10 6.00 N86 Lispole


228.30 5.20 N86 Arrive at DINGLE


- - - Section time 3:13, Total time 5:21
You have reached your destination.


With stops at Cashel and Adare, figure it at closer to eight hours.

If you follow this route and you still have adequate daylight, opt instead to enter Dingle via Camp, Castlegregory and the Connor Pass. If it's late/threatening dark, DON'T!!
Spend the night in Dingle.

Itallian_Chauffer

Day two:
From: Dingle,Kerry
To: Bunratty Castle,Clare
Via: Dunquin,Kerry
Camp,Kerry
Tarbert,Kerry
Doolin,Clare

Total Distance: 168.9 miles
Total Time: 5 hr 23 min

Acc Dist Route Directions

0.00 0.00 R559 Start out at Dingle,Kerry
Follow signs Ventry R559 In 0.7 mile turn left over river bridge (signposted Slea Head) In 0.3 mile bear left
4.50 4.50 R559 Ventry
Bear left
5.70 1.20 R559 Caherbullig Church
In 0.5 mile turn right
10.50 4.80 R559 Slea Head


12.80 2.30 R559 Arrive at Dunquin


- - - Section time 0:25, Total time 0:25
You have reached your destination.
12.80 0.00 R559 Start out at Dunquin,Kerry
Follow signs Slea Head R559
15.10 2.30 R559 Slea Head
In 4.3 miles turn left
19.90 4.80 R559 Caherbullig Church


21.10 1.20 R559 Ventry
Forward R559 In 0.1 mile turn right
25.60 4.50 N86 DINGLE
Follow signs Tralee N86
30.80 5.20 N86 Lispole


36.80 6.00 N86 Anascaul
In 2.5 miles bear left
46.80 10.00 N86 Arrive at Camp


- - - Section time 1:01, Total time 1:27
You have reached your destination.
46.80 0.00 N86 Start out at Camp,Kerry
Follow signs Tralee N86
55.10 8.30 N86 Blennerville
Cross bridge and turn right
56.80 1.70 N69 TRALEE
Follow signs Listowel N69
72.80 16.00 N69 Junction with R555
Bear left and cross river bridge
73.30 0.50 N69 LISTOWEL
Follow signs Limerick N69
84.50 11.20 N69 Arrive at Tarbert


- - - Section time 1:07, Total time 2:34
You have reached your destination.
84.50 0.00 N67 Start out at Tarbert,Kerry
Follow signs Tarbert Car Ferry N67
86.00 1.50 Uncl. Tarbert Pier
Ferry to
86.10 0.10 N67 Killimer Pier
Follow signs Kilrush N67
91.40 5.30 R483 Kilrush
Follow signs Kilkee along Henry Street then turn right R483 (signposted Cooraclare)
96.90 5.50 R483 Cooraclare


98.60 1.70 R483 Junction with R484
Bear left
99.20 0.60 R483 Creegh
Forward (signposted Milltown Malbay)
102.00 2.80 N67 Junction with N67
At T-junction turn right N67
103.50 1.50 N67 Kilmurry


104.50 1.00 N67 Quilty


108.30 3.80 N67 Milltown Malbay


112.00 3.70 N67 Rinneen


116.00 4.00 R478 LAHINCH
Follow signs Cliffs of Moher R478 [L54] In 1.2 miles bear left
119.00 3.00 R478 Liscannor
In 1.3 miles turn right
122.50 3.50 R478 Cliffs of Moher (on left)


125.50 3.00 R479 Junction with R479
At crossroads turn left R479 (signposted Doolin, Black Head)
126.70 1.20 Uncl. Junction for Doolin
At crossroads turn left unclassified (signposted Doolin)
127.10 0.40 Uncl. Arrive at Doolin


- - - Section time 1:44, Total time 4:19
You have reached your destination.
127.10 0.00 Uncl. Start out at Doolin,Clare
Leave by unclassified road towards Black Head
127.50 0.40 R479 Junction with R479
At crossroads turn right R479
128.70 1.20 R478 Junction with R478
At crossroads turn left R478 (signposted Lisdoonvarna)
130.90 2.20 N67 Junction with N67
At crossroads turn right N67 (signposted Ennistymon)
133.70 2.80 N67 Kilshanny


137.20 3.50 N85 Ennistymon
Turn left N85 (signposted Ennis, Limerick)
144.20 7.00 N85 Inagh


154.20 10.00 N18 ENNIS
Follow signs Limerick N18
156.90 2.70 N18 Clarecastle


168.90 12.00 N18 Arrive at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park


- - - Section time 1:04, Total time 5:23
You have reached your destination.


If you drove the Connor Pass on day one, follow this, otherwise, turn left in Dingle after Slea Head, and drive the pass today.

Again, 8 - 10 hours with time on Slea Head, the observation stop on Connor Pass and the Cliffs, but you will see A LOT.
Gallarus Oratory, Slea Head, ferry cross the Shannon, Cliffs of Moher, a SMALL bit of the Burren and Bunratty. A LOT of Driving but if you can look and drive, you'll see a fair bit. Have dinner at Kathleen's and go to Mac's Puin the Folk Park) or Durty Nellies as time permits.

wojazz3

Leslie:

Rather than getting on my high horse and telling you that you are crazy to try to do so much, I'm going to try to figure out a way you can do this. It will be VERY busy and I suggest getting up early each morning.

My guess is that travel time to Dingle via Cashel and Cahir will be well over 7 hours. Most people agree that the travel times (especially over longer distances) listed on both AA and viamichelin tend to be pretty aggressive. Unless you are very used to driving in Ireland, it will be hard to match them.

I'm not sure where you are picking up your car, but if it is in the city, count on it taking a while to get out in early morning traffic. If you are picking up at the airport, my memory is that it is about 40 minutes in moderately heavy traffic and then hope for the best on the M50. I presume you are going to Cashel to see the Rock (figure and hour minimum there) and Cahir to see the Castle (another hour). If you are not going into those sites, i would suggest not bothering to go to the towns. The roads between Cahir and Dingle are not major roads and driving will be slow. I presume that you are accustomed to driving on the left.

Presuming that you don't get lost, you have a minimum of 9 hours of travel and probably more on that first day. You probably won't have a chance to see much of Dingle on the 1st day as it will be getting dark. The plus side is that daylight savings starts Easter weekend I believe.

If your B&B won't serve an early breakfast, you might want to skip it. Pay your hostess the night before so you can avoid that in the morning. The moning can get hectic for the hostess and it can take a while to take care of things. Some B&Bs, if they don't serve early will leave cereal and bread out for you in the morning. Few if any serve before 7:30. Once you sit down to breakfast, it's huge and you will be tempted to linger.

It seems unlikely that you will get out to Slea Head on the first day. One option would be to rise VERY early and drive out to the tip of the peninsula the next morning. There will be no traffic and it should be quite peaceful. It could be possible to be back at the B&B for breakfast, grab a bite and then head over Conor Pass towards the Tarbert Ferry. It runs every hour on the half hour. Your timing here will be important. You wouldn't want to wait in Tarbert for an hour.

My tendency would be to take the road to Kilkee for scenery, but time is an issue, so you might want to take the shorter inland route. Catch the Cliffs of Moher and then head back towards Bunratty. There is not much to see in Doolin during the day, so it probably isn't really worth the 30 minute excursion from the cliffs.

Last admission to Bunratty Castle is 4PM which might be pretty tough. Last admission to the Folk Park is 4:45. If you truly want to see the castle, you might consider doing a banquet. Choose the later seating to make sure you can make it. It starts at 8:45. The earlier one is 5:30. You wouldn't want to drop down that kind of dough and miss it. You would want reservations though. Although you can't wander the folk park at that point, you could consider dropping into Macs Pub after the banquet. You can see a bit of the park from there.

This will be a high speed trip and your feel for Ireland will only be marginally better than flying over it at 30,000 ft. You may find that you have to skip some of the things on this itinerary, but you can still have fun.

Good luck!

Bill

NEDSIRELAND

Wow! Italian Chauffer really gives you a detailed itinerary.

1. When is this whirlwind trip going to happen (i.e., wouldn't want to miss something significant like Ennis' Spring music festival the last week of May).

2. Could you make do with just 1-night in Dublin? Coming from the U.S. you'll probably land in Dublin early Saturday AM: arrange for an early check-in and take a nap; then you're good for evening entertainment. If it were me, I would take an afternoon CityLink or BusEireann to Galway Sunday and pick up a rental car in Galway Monday AM. When you get to Galway you're almost there (i.e., Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, etc.)

Slainte!

Leslie787

Thank you Italian chauffer for your great itinerary. Wow! What a thoughtful thing to do. It looks great and covers everything we want to do. I've ordered the Ireland Atlas that Rick Steve's recommended. I'll highlight it before I go.
Thanks Bill for the suggestions. I think I will pick up the car the night before and that will help, as will paying ahead. Good plan.
I lived in Africa for a year and drove a stick shift on the "wrong" side of the road there, so hopefully it will come back to me.
Yes, I'm crazy to attempt this. But next time maybe I'll have more time to plan the trip BEFORE I have to buy my airline tickets.
Ned:I've already confirmed my B&B in Dublin for two nights and I think I want to rest up there before I hit the road running. My trip starts in two weeks March 25. I did not have much lead time.
Leslie

Leslie787

Thanks for the help! I'm sorry it took so long to get back to the message board (nearly a year) but I wanted to tell everyone how much my 17 year-old-son and I appreciated all of the help and guidance on our wild 48 hour trip through the Ireland countryside. Some said not to bother but it was well worth it and if I had it to do over again - I would and so would he!!!

I used Italian chauffer's itinery and directions (tremendous thanks!)and marked them on my Ireland Atlas before I even left the states. It was very good to have the Atlas before I left.

We left Dublin very early (paid up the night before - good tip!) and headed out with me driving and my son navigating. It is definitely a two person job especially because the roads change names without warning.

The Irish countryside was absolutely beautiful. I am so glad that we attempted this madcap trip even if we only had 2 days. Driving on the left wasn't too bad. The roads are at times VERY NARROW and the beautiful stone walls that line the roads add a bit of a challenge - throw in a sheep on MY side of the fence and it made for quite an adventure, but we loved every minute of it.

We both loved Cashel - very awesome. Dingle was pretty, cool Irish pub music, but lots of tourists. We did the Slea Head circle with its great views and got back to our B&B right at dusk.
Got up early again the next day and we got lost on the way to the Tarbut Ferry when we were almost there, but found it eventually - confusingly marked to us. We drove up to the cliffs of Moher (had to cut off Kilkee for time)and enjoyed a breathtaking view.

Left there an ended up at Bunratty where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner.We flew out the next morning - tired but having enjoyed a fantastic trip.

We picked up food from little local restaurants for lunches and tried to eat things we hadn't had before. Had some great stuff and some "interesting" stuff and very good desserts

I haven't named all the little places we saw but just getting out of Dublin and seeing the green Irish countryside was fantastic. Thanks for the support and all the helpful hints.
Leslie