First time travel with family to Ireland
 

Yikes, 17 days until we leave for our very first Ireland/out of the US adventure! There will be 4 of us...Mom, Dad, 14yodd and 11 yods.

Our plans take us from Nenagh, Tipperary to Westport, Mayo, Letterkenny, Donegal, Portrush, Antrim and then to Dublin.

We have reservations for 3 nights in Nenagh and a home to stay in just out of Dublin for our last two nights. We have a place in Portrush for one evening but no plans as of yet for the other two places.

We plan to pack light taking jeans, tshirts jackets and walking shoes.

Any helpful suggetions from the experts? Like... Should we bring our laptop? Should I make those reservations in Mayo and Donegal before I leave? We thought about bringing "gifts" from home for our B&B hosts...candy from the local factory? Good idea or not? Things to avoid?

I may sound a bit naive...guess I'm just "nervous" about making the trip a memorable one.

Thanks in advance for your help.

If I was staying in Nenagh I'd have reservations too...big ones... any particular reason for staying here? I would book ahead to Westport as it is a popular destination.. you may find it difficult to get a place for 4 even now. There are planty of recommendations in this forum. Come to think of it book ahead for all spots as August is a busy month in Ireland.

Like others I am very curious to learn why you chose those particular towns to visit for your very first international vacation.

Things to bring: Small travel umbrellas. Comfortable walking/hiking shoes for wet turf. No need to lug around a laptop...just ask to borrow the b&b's or look for an internet cafe. And let me get this straight - you want to bring gifts to perfect strangers to thank them for charging you money to stay in their home?

Thanks for your response. We chose Nenagh becuase of family heritage.

I have since located a place to stay in Westport and Antrim. The B&B in Westport comes from recommendations on this site.

OK, I get that the "gift" idea is not one to pursue. Just wanted to ask since I've never been before.

We chose the towns randomly. I have looked at sites online and have found things to do in each place. WE plan to day trip from Nenagh, see the beach in Westport. The kids really want to see the Giant's Causeway so that explains Portrush. Letterkenny "seemed" like a good stop on the way.

I haven't left yet so any ideas are welcome.

Don't misunderstand me - I wasn't hostile to your choice of Irish towns to visit, just curious. I actually think that a trip through smaller towns may give you more of a feel for what Ireland used to be like, what with Dublin's massive growth and "contemporization" (is there a real word to describe it?). Same thing with the gift idea - it sounds like a nice friendly gesture, though I wouldn't do it personally because I abhor lugging around "extra" weight when I travel.

Have a great trip!

Thanks for your post bobludlow. We have never travelled out of the country but we have to start somewhere, right!!!

We chose towns that looked comfortable. DH family came from Nenagh and I know the kids will love to see their family name on the local stores. We can day trip to Cashel and Killkenny in a loop and see Clonmacnoise within an hour which is where my son's name comes from. We will go to the Cliffs on Moor and Galway on our way to Westport.

Westport seems like a good place to "relax" but still see some tourist things. Our DD is a step dancer and wouldn't it be cool to hear traditional music at Mick Maloneys!?!

We nixed Letterkenny in favor of an extra night in Westport to be able to "hang out". I know our DS will find a friend at the local indoor pool! Wouldn't it be great if he revived the art of letter writing and found a penpal?

The most important place to the kids is the Giant's Causeway. For years, it has been their favorite story. After traveling all the way to Ireland, we must travel to Finn McCool's spot!

We leave from Dublin so of course that's the last place on the list. We are lucky to have an friend with a home a 20 minute walk from town so that's where we will stay. Lots of cool stuff to see I am sure. (We may wander throught Cavan on the way down since that is where my dad's family lived.)

Most of the family is not big pn crowds and seeing the "must" sees. We have been involved in Irish dance for years and have always heard about the West because many of our classmates have family in the area.

I'm excited to share this trip...hopefully the first of many, with our children. It's a great big world and they need to know that everything doesn't look just like it does at home.

Could we have planned differently? Sure...but I was in charge!!!! We are hoping for a visit and a learning experience...and some great ideas for our trip back!

Oopps...meant Matt Malloy's in Westport, sorry!!

Irishfred

The weather here is scorching at the moment, so bring some shorts, you might be sorry if you take all jeans, as you might like to wear shorts on the good days ( we are having a good summer here for a change)!

Its very thoughtful of you to think about bringing gifts for your B&B hosts, but its not necessary unless they are family. I would most certainly book head for August!!

I hope you have a wonderful trip. Do you need your laptop for business reasons, if not then you can keep in touch by email in internet cafes, there a plenty of them in all the major towns around Ireland.

lucielou...Thanks! I had checked the weather and saw that yesterday, it would feel like 28C in Galway! Thanks for the tip about the shorts. I'll forgo the gifts. I have booked all but two nights and am just waiting for a confirm on those two nights. We'll skip the laptop!

We are looking forward to our trip. Thanks for your helpful tips!

Instead of gifts for your B&B hosts, why don't you bring nice postcards from your hometown and sign them with compliments as you leave? That's what we did at our stay, and it was well received!

Postcards...what a great idea! I'll get some this afternoon! Thanks for the tip!