My friend, her 3 sisters, and their mother are planning a week to ten-day trip to Ireland in September. They are considering renting a car, driving from Dublin to Shannon, and have no specific itinerary planned. Any suggestions would be GREATly appreciated!

Hi Michelle Been to Ireland 4 times and about to
make our visit # 5 next week. I suggest you rent your car at Shannon and drive from there until you get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.
The West Coast is by far my favorite area, but
Dublin has a lot to offer as Cities go. The theatre is great there and the food. Hosptality abounds so you are never alone in Ireland. We love Dingle and Doolin. We are going to the south coast this
trip so it will be new. If you have any specific question I will try to help.

The trips sounds similar to what wse did last September. We had one aunt and 4 cousins (all women). We flew into Shannon picked up a rental car and had a cottage/holiday house one week and B & B's the second week. One person drove the whole time and did great, and I navigated. We used CIE Travel for the car rental and B&B vouchers, which we found very easy to use. After the first week (a cottage on the Connemara, western Ireland) we pre-booked our B&Bs arrangements. The Irish Tourist Board (located in most towns) will help for a minimal fee, so we usually made arrangments 2-3 nights out. All of the B&Bs except one were great!!! The other was ok.

Favorite areas: Aran Islands (I love a good ferry ride), Western Coast, Ring of Kerry (1 day to tour), Waterford Plant tour, Kylemore Abby (WEstern Edge), Dublin (we stayed in a town, Brey, south of Dublin and used the DART as transporation, cheap and easy), Trinity College, Guiness Brewery Tour (for 5 pounds you can catch a double decker tour bus that goes to 10 points in Dublin and you can get on and off as you please) ......lots of ruins, castles, and round towers....and shopping.

Be prepared for the VAT tax (20%25 on some purchases). You can get a refund on some of this when you leave the country or some stores will rebate part right away if you have them ship it home for you. We did a lot of shopping for Belleck china and had them ship it. The Belleck arived about 4-5 weeks later in perfect shape.

We had such as wonderfull time last fall that two of us are going back in August. We plan on spending a few more days in Dublin, take a ferry to Scotland, tour the northern coast (Giant's Causeway), and then head south for some more Waterford and Ring of Kerry. We want to go to Muckross Farm on the Ring of Kerry this time.

Have a great trip... we did.

Thanks for those great ideas Peggy. I am going on my first trip to Ireland in August with my husband and sister. We only have a week and I am wondering if that is enough time to go to Northern Ireland as well as the Republic? There is so much I want to see! Also what is the best way to get around? Rent a car? I read that the bus is a bit slow and unreliable. Thanks, Helen

Hi Helen, one week is very short time to visit both the Republic and Northern. We spent two weeks by rented car - easiest way though roads are narrow in some parts and it's ofcourse on the wrong side.
Connemara is very lovely - I strongly recommend the east side of Ireland. Cliffs of Moher (south of Galway) are majestic.
The Irish say the the more South you go, the more beautiful it gets.

Helen...Ann is right in that one week if sort of short to see both the North and the Republic. You may want to focus on the south of the Republic. Shannon to Galway is a couple of hours and your could take in the Burren/Cliffs of Mohrer on the way. The Aran Islands would be fun but is a whole day. Then head across to Dublin and circle back around the south. Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, Waterford,the southern coast, Rock of Cashel, and Ring of Kerry (1 day) could all be done in the week. We stayed the last night in Adare and I wish we had more time there. It is close to Shannon (1 hour?) but is a beautifull little town. I just picked up a great book on driving trips around Ireland it has 20 plus driving tours. (IRELAND'S BEST-LOVED DRIVING TOURS - MACMILLAN TRAVEL). Have a great trip.

I have read everybody's great input on Ireland, one question if any one can help. We are planning a trip to Miltown Malbay, Coounty Clare(West Coast) in april, how is the weather. Also where did you get your B&B vouchers?

Hi: Just returned and we got to see half of what we planned on. Driving from town to town takes twice as long because of the roads. If I had to do it over again I would have picked three towns, made B&B or hotel reservations in advance and taken day trips. Looking for a place to stay takes up a lot of time plus you might not get the one of your choice. E-Mail if I can be of any more help.

Regarding your trip from Dublin to Shannon: my wife and I will be making our 6th trip to Eire this summer. Given that Ireland's roads are improving at a rapid rate, by all means rent a car, it will give you far more independence and flexibility. As for recommend lodging, do look into farmhouse accomodation. With these, you have the distinctive character you don't often find in hotels, along with more privacy than B&Bs. What about sights to see, the Wicklow Mountains is well worth 2 to 3 days exploration (probably more). Glendalough is a must-see - take your time to explore. Also see Powerscourt (very touristy but fun). Don't miss the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary. Also, spend some time in the charming town of Inistioge, in Co. Kilkenny (used for location fliming of Circle of Friends). Kilkenny city is a terrific medieval city, great for walking, sightseeing and dining. Spend several days exploring West Cork; it's unspoiled, underdeveloped and beautiful. Kinsale is very busy but a must for a couple days (great dining). Explore, if you can, some of the islands off West Cork, like Cape Clear or Sherkin. Do 2 to 3 days in Dingle - it's very busy, but head out to the peninsula and cruise around. By all means go out to the Blasket Island. It's a one-day trip that you won't soon forget (must have good weather, however). Finally, up around Clare, explore the Burren and consider trad music in Doolin along with a couple fine restaurants in that town (one is The Lazy Lobster). Needless to say, you'll have a splendid time. Try not to do too much. Ireland is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace.