Diane

Will be arriving 21 Sept at Shannon Airport. Wanting to head for Dingle. Should we have a B&B reserved for first night? How far (in driving time) is Shannon to Dingle? We are Americans so not used to driving conditions. Is Shannon a town or just an airport?

Mike

Drive to Doolin when you arrive in Shannon (1-2 hours) and spend the day/night -- plenty of B&B's available in Sept -- no need to make reservations. See the Cliffs of Moher and enjoy some of the pub music and a couple of pints of Guinness, have dinner, and rest up. <BR><BR>The following morning, when you are fresh, head to Dingle by way of Killimer, take the ferry across the river toward Tralee and make sure you take the Conair Pass to Dingle.<BR><BR>Shannon is a town. On your way back, spend the night at a B&B near Bunratty Castle, see the castle & have a pint at Dirty Nellie's. Enjoy

Lillie Harty

There is a town beside the airport but it is quite small.Nearby are the moderately sized town of Ennis and the city of Limerick.<BR>I find that I am jet-lagged after crossing east across the Atlantic and go to bed for a few hours straight away.<BR>Dingle is about 110 miles from Shannon.The normal route is via Limerick,Abbeyfeale,Castleisland and Tralee.Altenatively you coudd go via Ennis,Kilrush and then the Killimer-Tarbert ferry across the Shannon,on to Tralee.<BR>

nintopia77

Hi Diane,<BR><BR>I really can't help with most of your questions because I was only in Shannon for 5 hours for a connecting flight. Shannon is a very small airport but is nearby the city of Limmerick. No customs agent greeted us (he was most likely drinking, mind you it was 9 in the morning!) The reason I am responding is when you are there go to the Delta baggage claim and tell Connie O'Connor (yes, that's her name) and/or Morris Quill that Geoff Miller said hello. Delta lost my baggage and they worked on the situation for me for three weeks (yes, three weeks, damn Delta) until I got it. Thanks

senta

Diane, You are arriving on a Saturday and I would have a reservation for a weekend especially in such popular areas as Doolin or Dingle. There might not be as many tourists there at that time of year but local Irish go away for the weekends and flock to popular coast towns. Dingle is a stretch after flying all night and not being familiar with driving on the left. It takes some getting used to and being jetlagged doesn't help. I don't know about everyone else but I can rarely sleep on a plane. I wouldn't go to Dingle on the first day the roasd are small and windy. Stay somewhere closer (no more than 2 hours away and closer if possible). These are some web sites that I found helpful for my trip to Ireland<BR><BR>1. www.ireland.travel.ie<BR>2. www.townandcountry.ie<BR>3. www.irelandhotels.com<BR>4. http://forums.delphiforums.com/allireland/start/?fpi=yes<BR>5. http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/frommers/[email protected]^[email protected]<BR>6. www.irelandexpert.com<BR>7. www.irelandyes.com<BR><BR>I bought the guides from the last 2 sites and both were worthwhile in their own way. They will be able to tell you driving times on their forums.<BR><BR>Shannon is a small town, an airport and a river. if you want to stay nearby I can recomend Bunratty. The banquet at the castle was fun and there are lots of B&Bs..<BR>

John

Diane:<BR><BR>Mike said it all!! I have a nice B&B rec. near the cliffs. "Moher Farmhouse, nice and clean..great host...like most B&B's in Ireland<BR>JOHN

carmen

It will take you longer than you think...at least 3 and probably closer to 4 hours to drive from Shannon to Dingle.

Mike

Not only will it take 3-4 hours to go to Dingle from Shannon, you will miss a lot of the country side, too tired to stop at sites on the way, etc. Big mistake in my opinion. <BR><BR>I was imprerssed with Doolin. We stayed at a farmhouse overlooking some the cliffs and the water. I would definitely go back<BR><BR>

cd

Hi Diane<BR>I agree with Mike. We landed at Shannon and drove to Doolin for our first night. We visited the Clifs of Moher and enjoyed the pubs in the evening. You could even rest for a few hours once you checked into your B&B as the music at the pubs don't start until 9:30pm.

Dan

Not to sound brash, but why is everyone so afraid of the drive after the flight. I'm always so pumped when I arrive, you couldn't stop me from getting away from an airport town and driving to Doolin or Galway or Dingle. It's the return flight that all I want to do is crash. You must be pretty boring if the first thing you do when you arrive is nap? How about a long nap on a boring flight? An the driving on the left side thing? It's not that difficult. Yes, may take an hour to get the hang of it, but if you're half way intelligent, which I'm not(and I figured it out?), you'll be fine. Diane, you decide once you're there. If half way to Dingle you can't go on, stop in some small town and crash. The B&B's are everywhere. I would however agree to first head to Doolin from Shannon for a night, and then drive to Dingle via the car ferry. Don't be too worried about reservations, unless you really, really want to stay at a certain place, then it might make some sense to reserve. They'll all tell you that you need reservations. One in Doolin told me that I would need reservations do to the match maker festival. Well that's at the end of Sept. and we'll be there in the beginning of Sept. They want your business. Stop in at a pub, have a pint and ask the bar keep where they'd stay. They will always have a suggestion and help you find a place. Enjoy<BR><BR>Cheers<BR>Dan

Deb

Diane,<BR><BR>I second the above. Don't try to drive to Dingle that day. I've been to Doolin but not straight from the Shannon Airport. That sounds like a plan because 1) it is only 1-2 hours, it is great for music and on the way back to Dingle (I recommend the ferry at Killimer as well), you can stop and see the Cliffs of Moher which are awesome.<BR><BR>On your drive to Dingle, you will want to be rested because the scenery is beautiful so I definitely second the recommendations above.<BR><BR>I can recommend two B&B's wholeheartedly. First one is in Dingle Town; it is Heaton's (great breakfasts) and the other is in Bunratty (I recommend staying in Bunratty because of its close proximity to Shannon Airport - wonderful for first or last night stay - the Bunratty Lodge...Mary Browne is a gracious host).<BR><BR>Have a great time!

MLR

Whatever you do, skip Bunratty Folk Park. Just awful!

doc

Dingle is about 3 hours away from shannon. I was there last winter. Go to the tourist board in town and they may be able to find rooms for you, but you may need some luck.

Michael

We drove to Limerick for breakfast and looked around, then drove all the way to Killarney. We were dog tired when we got there. Next time we go, we will just go to Limerick and stay - but be careful of the morning rush hour, its brutal. Driving the other way to Doolin and seeing the Cliffs is definitely an option worth considering. When we went on our honeymoon, the Cliffs were closed. Another option is to go to Galway City for a few days, and then go to Dingle.<BR><BR>Make sure on your last nite you stay at Dromorland Castle in Newmarket-on-Fergus. It might even be the place to start out, play some golf, get a massage, etc. - a relaxing first day.

bill

I disagree Dan. I foolishly tried to drive from London to York after arriving. I felt great when I got in the car, and about half way there it was all I could do to stay awake. I probably could have done it in my 20's. Travelling hits people differently. Obviously, the further west you are in the US, the greater the problem. Jet lag is not an ailment confined to boring people. That was a strange comment by the way.<BR><BR>Some of the B&Bs around Shannon and Dublin allow early arrival, so you can get a quick nap and go out and have fun feeling refreshed. There are some fine B&Bs in the Bunratty area. You might want to try one of them. We stayed at Bunratty Lodge and it was nice.<BR><BR>I was surprised that I liked the Castle Banquet. Tourist, but fun. The musicians are fantastic. On the other hand, Durty Nellie's was not so great, but it was very crowded when I was there. It would probably be nicer midweek. I was there on a weekend, early in May. There are a few other pubs that are just as nice. Try the Creamery across the street.<BR><BR>Bill

Diane

Thank you all for responding to my questions. After posting this, we talked about going to Doolin and since many of you responded with that suggestion, that is our first destination. Now we are wondering whether to include Dublin in our travels. Several of our friends who have been to Ireland have said that it is the least favorite of the areas they visited. Is the Guinness Brewery worth seeing? Again, thank you all for the info.<BR>

cd

Hi Diane<BR>Check out this website in Doolin www.kingsway.ie/seaviewhouse<BR>We did not stay here but wished we had. If interested, I would suggest you make reservations. Have a great time!

Christie

According to my husband, the major Guinness afn, the brewery isneat. He said you don't actually get to tour the brewery itself, but there is a deomnstration of how Guinness is made and you get to tour their museum which he really enjoyed. The tour is about 7 Euro, and it includes a pint of Guinness. He did a lot of shopping in the gift shop at the end!

gogoellen

Yes, we came from CA. and found the time change and the driving difficult. Not IMPOSSIBLE but not easy like some state! (we are late 40's). We spent several nights in Dingle and then saw the Cliffs on our way to Galway. We didn't love Galway much but the cliffs were so great. That did seem like a great area to visit (doolin). Also, we stayed in the Greenmount House in Dingle and my daughter swam with the dolphin...Fungie. What fun! Also the driving is soooo unlike U.S. Major roads are two lane with a shoulder! The other roads on the map are maybe two lanes and they beat you to death while driving! However, its all fun!

Dan

Diane, you sould go to Dublin. I don't know how much you travel, but as much as I want to see the "real" cover book version of Ireland(SW Ireland), we have to see the capital. It would be like doing a tour of the U.S. and not stopping at Washington D.C. or New York. I don't know when we'll be back, so we want to see Dublin. We are actually flying into Shannon and out of Dublin, which can be done, cause most flights go through Dublin any way.<BR><BR>Bill, I didn't mean to offend. I do understand that some need to be fresh to adventure, just not me. That's why there are things like this web site. Everyone has an opinion, and the great thing is, you don't have to listen or follow through with any of it.<BR><BR>I'd go to Dublin, unless you can return soon and then go.<BR><BR>Cheers