Planning our second trip to Ireland. Will likely be during summertime. Learned the first time that we tried to pack too much in too little time. Already been to Dublin, Dingle/Slea Head, Killarney, Waterford, Wexford. Don't need much time in Dublin, really. This time, we'd like to fly into Shannon and home from Dublin. I need help deciding how much time I need to see the following. Prefer to stay two nights at each overnight stop. Please comment on where good overnight stops would be:<BR><BR>Dublin<BR>Wicklow Mountains<BR>Glendalough<BR>Powerscourt<BR>Kilkenn y<BR>Rock of Cashel or Cahir<BR>Cobh heritage park<BR>Kinsale<BR>Kenmare - Muckross House (no Ring of Kerry)<BR>(skip Killarney - been there, too crowded)<BR>Where to next en route to:<BR>Bunratty <BR>Home from Shannon<BR>

Forgot to mention, we could do this in reverse order. Also, that we have two children, young teens with us... Love meeting Irish people and enjoying their music. Like variety, cultural vs. natural scenic beauty, etc.

I agree that Killarney itself is too touristy, but it sounds like you will be going back to the general vicinity if you are planning to visit the Muckross House and grounds. If you need a place to stay (a short bike ride away from the Muckross House) there is a wonderful old hotel called the Lake Hotel just on the lake overlooking the Gap of Dunloe. Really special place.

If you have young teens, the bike riding around Muckross house and gardens and maybe the boat-trip up the Gap of Dunloe with a bike ride back could be a great experience for them (and you!). The rest of it, I can't comment on other than that my husband has been to the Wicklow mountains and loved it.

How long will you be there Leslie? That might help us out. You could easily enjoy the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalogh and Powerscourt from the same location.<BR><BR>You could also do Cahier and Cashel (do both, they are so close) and feasibly even Kilkenny from the same location. Kinsale and Cobh should also be a one location stop. In mid summer, Kinsale will probably be pretty crowded.<BR><BR>There is much to see around Kenmare which to me is always worth a number of days. Killarney will be packed in the summertime and yes, Muckross House is on the edge of town. It will probably be very crowded. <BR><BR>Since you are looking at a high toursit time, and you are headed SW, you might want to consider some more out of the way areas like Mizen and Beara.<BR><BR>The other option to avoid some crowds is to go the other way, north, but that's a whole different topic.<BR><BR>Bill

Leslie,<BR><BR>Given that you've already explored some of Ireland's most visited tourist destinations (i.e., Dublin, Dingle, Killarney, and Waterford), why not consider, as has been suggested by Bill, a trip that, at least in part, breaks free from the crowds?<BR><BR>Southwest County Cork is very scenic, offering a seemingly endless number of picturesque villages and eye-catching drives. A good travel guide to Ireland will offer you some specific tips. But do consider a couple day trips from the small town of Baltimore out to Sherkin and Cape Clear Island.<BR><BR>County Wicklow's Glendalough and Powerscourt, by no means quiet during the high season, is well worth the trip. To fully appreciate Glendalough, be sure to get there early, before the hordes of day-tripppers from Dublin arrive. As for Powerscourt, hope for a pleasant, sunny day, as the grounds of the big house are quite pleasant. You'll also want to do some shopping here, as part of the house's interior features up-market items for sale.<BR><BR>A couple other considerations:<BR><BR>The Boyne valley, located just north of Dublin;<BR><BR>the Burren, Galway City, and Connemara, along with an overnight on Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands (you could easily dedicate at least a full week to this part of Ireland);<BR><BR>and don't forget the too often neglected Co. Sligo and the North, particularly Co. Fermanagh, as this region nicely characterizes the &quot;byways rather than highways&quot; approach to an Irish holiday.<BR><BR>In closing, you can always return to Dingle, Dublin, and the like, as there's always more to enjoy and explore in these locales. But do consider getting off the beaten track. Ireland is much, much more than a relatively small group of attractions as dictated by Rick Steves or the Irish Tourist Board.<BR><BR>Best of luck.<BR><BR><BR>

Some suggested stops enroute to Shannon: Adare, Lough Gur.

We have anywhere from 10 days to 2 weeks for the trip. I realize we are returning to County Kerry but some of the places we missed are still calling me back. I thought of just flying RT into Shannon and trying to go north to the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, and Galway but was concerned this would be a difficult routing to go north from Shannon and then have to come south again into County Kerry and then back to Shannon. <BR><BR>Since time is limited I'm one to trade away certain types of austere scenery (such as the Burren and the Aran Islands) in favor of towns, castles, pubs, historic sights... just my preference. The Gap of Dunloe sounds wonderful!<BR><BR>I've been hungry to see Kinsale and Kenmare but concerned about the driving times. Last time my family complained the whole way because I made then drive from Dublin to Dingle in day and we had only 2 additional days in Southern Ireland in which to make our way back to Rosslare Harbour! Trying to slow it down a bit this time.

Leslie,<BR><BR>We visited both Kinsale and Cobh and found Kinsale was just too packed for our tastes, even in May on a day trip.<BR> <BR>Fortunately, we had decided to base ourselves in Cobh for a few days. In May we saw very few tourists and the town feels homey and quaint. <BR><BR>We stayed at the Water's Edge Hotel, http://www.watersedgehotel.ie which has an excellent restaurant called Jacob's Ladder on premises. Best of all is location. As the picture on the website shows, it's ON the water. The &quot;veranda&quot; is actually a walkout pier over the water. Also, the hotel sets immediately adjacent to the Queenstown Story (Cobh heritage), last port for the Titanic.<BR><BR>Either as a day trip from Cobh, or on the way to Cashel. I would also recommend The town of Lismore as an interesting place to wander around for awhile.

Oh, be sure if you look at the Water's Edge, to ask for a view of the harbor, preferably on the 1st floor. We had the end room (small place) and could walk out our rooms french doors and sit on the dock in the early morning and watch the sailboat race trials. Nice way to start the morning.

Why not go to Galway and Clifton?

Clifton thank you for your insight into Cobh. I was asking on another board Kinsale or Cobh and someone was kind enough to direct me to your message. I actually want to stay at the Water'sedge but was worried I'd miss out on Kinsale if I stayed somewhere else. It helps to have a recommendation. I'll be traveling in mid-September so I hope the area is just a wee bit less crowded then.

emjoy,<BR><BR>Glad to be of assistance! I learn so much from this site, it's nice to occasionally have a bit of info someone might use.<BR><BR>Enjoy Cobh, or Kinsale, whichever you decide. Both are very nice, but a different pace, but not a bad drive in between.<BR><BR>By the way, if you eat at the hotel, both the veal and the monkfish were excellent!

Leslie -<BR>Your teens will love Kinsale, its very safe. We let our 13 year-old walk around, and shop. Kinsale is very artsy, with great little shops. Send me an Email ([email protected]) if you have further questions about Kinsale. It's a must in my book.<BR>