I thought Cowboy was still around and doing fine???

Sorry everyone that I didn't get back to the water issue sooner. When we travel we always have a bottle of water in the car and drink from it whenever. The first day I had water bottled in Ireland and ended up extremely sick. The locals who worked in the hotel told me that if we leave our water that is bottled in Ireland open in the car the water can make you sick. They also told us the only water to be absolutely safe to leave sit all day opened was Evian. I am only repeating what was told to us by Irish people.

I don't think that is to say you will get sick every time you drink water bottled in Ireland but there is that chance. The water may not be as pure as it should be.
Since the couple are traveling with an infant, I thought it was worth mentioning.

In Budapest, the tap water is very pure. Better than bottled water. We were told this by the head of the Health Department for the country of Hungary - who just happens to be a friend.

GreenDragon, I think you're thinking of a different Cowboy (Cowboy1968?). I believe he's a male who lives in Germany. CowboyCraic is a woman who lives, I think, in New Mexico. I don't think she's been around for at least a couple of years now. Or at least I haven't "seen" her for quite a while.

Hi again, GreenDragon. After posting that, I realized maybe I'd better check my facts. I knew she'd posted on one of my old trip reports so I pulled it up and clicked on her name. Sure looks to me like she hasn't posted since sometime in '07.

Another former poster I'd sure like to hear from, just to know she's okay. Of course, it would be even better to see her back here posting on a regular basis!

Have only been to Ireland once, but we had our own car. Would never suggest driving in Dublin as we did: spent way too much valuable time lost. But from Dublin all the way to Shannon, it was wonderful. There is a learning curve for driving on the other side of the road and mastering the roundabouts. But the ability to stop when you see a lovely local church/graveyard, a pub that looks inviting, stopping when and where you want at night. Priceless.

I would recommend May, if you can; the tourists have not quite peaked and the days are long.

Our trip to Ireland was our last pre-child trip, and we were still in fast travel mode - we drove ourselves, and I do not think we spent more than two nights in any place except the Burren. My husband liked that area so much that we spent an extra day there.

Still, with all our moving around, we only really saw the highlights of the southwest, plus a day in Dublin. And we were there for two weeks.

The ten-day Paddywagon tour looks like fun, if you like that type of travel. There's definitely something to be said for having someone else do all the work. But you will be covering a LOT of ground and will not have the flexibility to stop and spend a little more time if a place strikes your fancy.

If you search the forum for Ireland trip reports you will find lots of references to driving; it really was not that bad, after a small initial adjustment.

If you end up taking your baby, there are lots of suggestions on this forum for traveling with infants. The most frequent suggestion, I think, can be summed up as "slow down." I think Ireland would be an easy place to travel with children, but that's just an impression. If you have grandparents standing by to let you have a child-free trip, that is a lovely thing! Be sure to take them something really nice when you get home! ; )

She's alive and well and posting regularly on the Irelandyes.com site, so she's fine

Hi

I'm an Irish local so just a couple of tips for you. May and September are the best times to go: not as busy as the core summer months and a better chance of good weather. October and November are very wet usually.

PaddyWagon has a good reputation locally but is aimed squarely at backpackers, and the accom is hostels so you'd need to want to do that sort of holiday - lots of fun folk but little private time I'd imagine!

If you are travelling with a baby I'd suggest the train- there are some great routes- but it is a little expensive compared to hiring a car.

As a local I'd obviously have particular biases on locations that might not match tourists tips! But I'd really recommend trying to spend time just hanging out in places, rather than rushing through them, and you'll get a better sense of the real Ireland. Dublin is great fun, but if you've been to other European cities I wouldn't bother spending much time there- the "real" stuff is harder to find for tourists, and it's an expensive city for the Dollar.

Everyone heads to the South West on the tourist trail, but I'd really recommend the North West. I live here, so as I said, I'm biased! but I moved to Sligo a few years ago and find it impossible to leave! It's stunningly beautiful with great beaches, forests and mountains, lots of trad music in pubs and a short drive/train from Dublin on excellent roads. From here you're an hour from Donegal to the North, or 2 hours to Galway to the South. I'd nearly suggest going from Dublin- Donegal and then wind your way down the coast spending time in Sligo, Galway and then on to Limerick and Cork/Kerry.

It depends what you're into though- what sort of things are you looking for?

Thanks, GreenDragon! That's very good to hear.

I am planning a trip to the northwest myself - was supposed to be this June, but it has been postponed to 2011 June. I'll get there eventually!