Danielle

Like many of the messages below, I am doing the 7 day B&B voucher trip. I am flying in and out of Shannon, and am planning to go Doolin, Galway, Cork, Killarney and the Ring of Kerry. I am most interested in the beautiful sights, castles, and culture. My first questions are for recommendations on where to stay and what to do near the Ring of Kerry. And second, is it worth the trip to Killkenny to see the castle? It sounds very interesting, however pretty out of the way. Any itinerary suggestions would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!!!

Katherine Murphy Mistilis

Kilkenny is one of my favorite places in Ireland and I have been there 2 times and would go again. The castle is great and I can suggest a B&B that is wonderful also if you decide to go. There is live music also.

steve

I was disappoointed in the ring of kerry. More posters on this forum seem to prefer Dingle (which I haven't done). I really liked the castle at Killarney (Ross? castle) Blarney Castle was aldo very interesting. The Rock of Cahsel is an interesting sight from afar, but not much to see up close <BR> <BR>The Emigration museum in Cork (actually in Cobh)is very interesting, especially if you had ancestors emigrate in the 1800's

John Brocksieck

Danielle <BR> <BR>Give yourself time to relax and enjoy the serenity of Ireland where ever you may go. We were there for 7 days in September and really enjoyed our stay. We started in Dublin (in hindsight, we should have flown to Shannon and then left from Dublin as we were going to England) and drove south to Waterford (Waterford factory a must see), then to Cobh, Killarney, and Dingle peninsula. We stayed in Cobh and then drove to Killarney the next day with a stop at Blarney Castle. Be prepared for some rain an drizzle but make the best of it while you can. Blarney Castle was interested but climbing up the stairs was a little treacherous since they were wet. While in Killarney, we ventured out to Muckross House which we found fascinating and well worth the trip. <BR> <BR>Give yourself some flexibility if you want to travel the Dingle or Ring of Kerry as you need a clear day to really enjoy the beauty. We chose Dingle based on the feedback from this site and the fact that it was a little shorter trip. We stayed in Kilarney the night before and headed out early in the morning. We can out the other side about 5pm, exhausted, but what a trip. Take your time and enjoy the scenery. We went down the east cost and then crossed over to come out on the east into Tralee where we found the most wonderful B&B. It was by luck but worked out well and the owners were wonderful with directions and information. The name of it is: <BR> <BR>Sineads, Lioscarraig Court, Caherslee, Tralee, Co. Kerry. Tel: (066) 7123500. <BR> <BR>Wonderful accomodations, food, and hospitality. <BR> <BR>From there we drove up to the ferry and north to the Cliffs of Moher. A little overcast but while there the clouds rolled by and it cleared up for an hour or so. Irish singers and musicians were there for entertainment and relaxing. <BR> <BR>We drove back to Dublin from there. Our trip covered quite a bit or territory in a short time but we relaxed and enjoyed it without rushing here and there. <BR> <BR>Be careful of the places you stay in Dublin as the write up sounds good but can be deceiving. When renting a car, I sugget getting an automatic, mainly because of the narrow roads and traffic. The rental company tried to get me to take a manual shift so you might have to hold your ground. Be careful of the CDW as not all credit cards provide the coverage and it can be very expensive. Ireland has a high accident rate and some credit card companies will not provide coverage. My Citibank Plantinum card did but I had a letter of coverage that I provided the rental company. <BR> <BR>If you have questions, please ask. <BR> <BR>John

Pat

Ditto what someone said upstream on getting car insurance. I had to buy a $300. tire in Scotland (yes, I wasted a day comparison shopping, but tires in Scotland are a fortune!). <BR> <BR>I'd give the Ring of Kerry a pass--it's all been bought up by Germans and is hopelessly touristy. You'll be dodging 60 passenger buses by the dozen. <BR> <BR>It may be too far for you, but Sligo was the high point of my trip. It was wild and very 'Irish'. Take the time to climb Knocknarea and gaze out over the ocean then turn and look out at the hundreds of small farms that dot the landscape. Bring a small stone up with you to leave so you can take one from Queen Maeve's tomb as a souvenir. It's an old custom around there.

Edmond O`Flaherty

There is no point going to Kilkenny on this trip-it is way off your track.The castle and small city are certainly attractive but Irealsnd is full of castles.You have one only a few miles from Shannon at Bunratty which has a show - dinner and music of the middle ages every night -which is very popular with American visitors.There is a theme park of Irish houses through the ages right beside it which is well done.If you have hundreds of dollars to spare stay in Dromoland Castle also near Shannon-voted one of the top 20 hotels in the world in an American magazine about 3 years ago. <BR>If you are doing the Ring of Kerry you are probably better off to do it in a bus.If you are doing it by car do it anticlockwise to avoid passing out dozens of buses and start the trip very early in the day.Killarney is a good place for visits to the local National Park and you could base yourself there for a few days.

Eileen

Definitely do the Dingle Peninsula instead of Ring of Kerry. We stayed in Dingle Town at the Milltown House overlooking Dingle Bay. The Kerry family is wonderful, Anne is a fabulous cook and her husband, Mark is "full of the devil". He'll be very helpful in suggesting things to do. We sure to eat at Doyle's Seafood House, if you go.

Linda

Killarney is about a 75km trip from Shannon airport. Remember to just about double the time it would normally take you to travel the same distance in the US. A rule of thumb we used was 5min. per km. We stayed at the Applecroft House in Killarney. It was lovely. Had a great meal at the Flesk. Muckross House and grounds were very pretty. The ring of Kerry drive is definetly a whole day's adventure. I agree with the counter-clockwise trip....we did that, leaving the b&b early in the am and we saw tour buses only at the end of the trip. Cliffs of Moher and Doolin were on our stops. Doolin is very tiny, but Gus O'Connors pud and the Doolin Cafe were great. The Sea View House is right in town, but I don't know if they do vouchers. Galway was our last stop. If you get a chance the trip to Clifden and Kylemore Abbey is nice, again it takes most of a day...the roads are narrow 2-lanes throughout most of the countryside. The trip from Galway to Shannon is about 50 km. I hope you can spend a couple of days in each place...enjoy the joys of Ireland.

Mike Gibbons

Danielle, <BR> <BR> <BR>It alway seems that the "Ring of Kerry" is on everyones list the first time they travel to Ireland, but it seldom lives up to the hype. The roads are tiny, the line of tour busses can be frustrating, and if the weather is bad, you might be watching a fog. If you do want to do this tour, consider going clockwise. Most tours leave from Killarney. If you start in the other direction, it will reduce the amount of traffic. Have you considered the "Ring of Beara"? It is located just to the southeast of the Ring of Kerry, but is in my opinion far more beautiful. You view Bantry Bay, The Kenmare River, theis is a wonderful Italian garden called the "Garnish Islands" near Bantry and just a short distance away is "Mizen Head" which I believe is the farthest point south in Ireland. The views are spectacular. The cliffs are actually taller than those at the Cliffs of Moher. I saw a website for the Beara Peninsula: bearatourism.com/visitor/robeara.html. Concerning the drive to Killkenny, In my opinion, thats a long drive for viewing one castle and then returning to the West. Cahir Castle (pronounced Care) in Cahir, is a great castle (I believe it was in the movie Excalibur). I also enjoyed the King Johns Castle in Limerick,and if you go to Ireland, you have to consider the Blarney Castle. People will say its touristy (and it is), but it probably the most known site in Ireland. It would be like avoiding the Eiffel Tower in Paris, because alot of tourist hang out there. <BR> <BR>Have a great time! You'll find that you won't have to work very hard to find a great time in Ireland. <BR> <BR>Best Wishes, <BR> <BR>Mike

ginny

Danielle: I suggest getting in touch with the Irish Tourist Board(they have a NY office) and ask them to send info on B&B's. It's a great book! We flew into Shannon and stayed at 2 places in the book at the start and finish of our trip.