sdillon

Looking for some recommendations. Will be flying into Dublin in September. Arrive on a Tuesday and need to be back there on Friday morning (7:30am) to pickup another couple. We will stay in Dublin Friday night and then looking to head south, around to the west and finish up in Shannon the following Friday.

ira

Hi sd,

What sort of recommendations do you seek?

sdillon

First, where to go from Dublin for the first 3 days (Cavan-Mayo-Donegal-The North?). I need to be back in Dublin Friday morning at 7:30am. Then, I would like to head south towards Cork, I would like to pick a nice B&B that is centrally located for a couple days. I was thinking maybe Somewhere around Cork then a couple nights around Tralee and Finish with a couple nights near Shannon. But, I free to go anywhere and open for suggestions.

amyprib

Going off our first trip in June a few weeks ago -
Glendalough (and other surrounding areas) is south of Dublin, easy for a day trip. If you like walking and hiking, and great scenery, and even some history, this would be a great place to go.
You may also be able to see Newgrange and Knowth sites just north of Dublin.
I don't know anything about Northern Ireland, but I'm sure that would be very worth your time if feasible.

I'm not sure about September, but I assume the areas I mention are open still at that time. Others could tell you for sure.
When you get on the west coast near Shannon, I highly recommend the Cliffs of Moher. They are about an hour northwest of Shannon, but I was just there in June, and absolutely fantastic. My trip report is posted under "trip report Jun17-30" if you want to read about places starting from Shannon, going south along the coasts and up to Dublin and back to Shannon.
You could also spend a day or two in Dublin itself.

Before you get to Tralee, you might think about a day or two in Killarney area to spend some time in the Natl Park. It's beautiful there. Of course, from Tralee, you've got the Dingle Pn, which I wish we had had more time to spend on.
You can find a lot of these keywords on the internet if you want to find out more details and I'm sure the experienced people here will have great suggestions. I have a lot of websites that I can post, but I don't have them right now. You can also keyword search thru the Ireland section here and come up with a lot of good ideas for particular areas.
Have fun!

chip

I would also recommend Powerscourt and Glendalough to the south of Dublin and Newgrange and sights in the Boyne River Valley (Hill of Tara, Monastaboice, Mellifont Abbey, Trim, etc.) to the north of Dublin. Also, Clonmacnoise wouldn't be too far away.

You will probably want to spend Thursday night close to the airport since you want to be there at 7:30am. Maybe Howth would be nice.

After picking up our rental in Dublin we went straight to Newgrange for the tour and then spent the night in Trim. This was a long day.

I don't think that we would have wanted to drive 5 hours or more on our first day, which is what it would be to get to Donegal, Sligo, or way up north, especially since you have to drive back to Dublin.

Of course you could always stay in Dublin and not pick up a rental until your friends come into town. There are day tours that you can take to above mentioned sights besides a lot to see in Dublin.

For the rest of your trip I would suggest....
2 nights in Kinsale-Cahir and Cashel on the way, Blarney, Midleton, Charles Fort (more interesting than Cork).

2 nights in Kenmare and 2 nights in Dingle (more interesting than Tralee)-Beara Pen. on the way, Killarney National Park, Muckross House/Abbey, Ross Castle, Slea Head, Connor's Pass

and the last night in Doolin or Ennis-Cliffs of Moher (more interesting than Shannon).

sdillon

Thanks for the suggestions. Wish I was going for 2 months not two weeks.