amla

A belated recommendation for staying in the dorms at Trinity College while in Dublin--our family of four (the kids were 14 and 11 at the time) did this last summer. We had a lovely suite of rooms in the old part of campus, for a very reasonable price, and loved being able to retreat from the noisy, crowded city to a quiet green oasis in the center of town. Fun for the kids to be on a college campus, too. I think a Fodorite (jaja?) recommended this option, and we were so happy with it.

Cjar

I am so happy for you. We did this trip with our teenagers in 2014. They were then 12 and 14. We loved Connemara. Such a beautiful area. If a castle stay is in the budget , I suggest Balleynahinch. I think they have a Hawk walk experience which we did further south(?)? at Ailwee Cave. It was the highlight of our kids' trip, hands down. We also loved Ashleigh (sp.) Falls area. Gorgeous.

We really enjoyed the trip to NewGrange, Bective Abbey( we loved exploring the ruins), Hill of Tara ( bring a ribbon to tie on the fairy tree) etc. We used Michael Fox at Boyne Valley tours. He was amazing, very knowledgable, personable and patient.

Best wishes for a great trip.

amla

A belated recommendation for staying in the dorms at Trinity College while in Dublin--our family of four (the kids were 14 and 11 at the time) did this last summer. We had a lovely suite of rooms in the old part of campus, for a very reasonable price, and loved being able to retreat from the noisy, crowded city to a quiet green oasis in the center of town. Fun for the kids to be on a college campus, too. I think a Fodorite (jaja?) recommended this option, and we were so happy with it.