CasaDelCipresso

Does anyone have any ideas of what to do and see that is "touristy" in Co.Louth??! or daytrips??

I have been often...but end up spending my time drinking tea with relatives the entire time and I feel like I'm missing out on SEEING Ireland ;-) keep telling my husband I want to see the most touristy, "Irish" things I can...and he laughs and says I DO...I drink tea...I watch TV...I eat. Seriously...there HAS to be more?!

We will be staying on the Cooley Peninsula...

have walked the darn Tain trail more than I EVER want to (i.e. that's usually the big excursion for the day...we go for a walk...get rained on, etc.)...

been to Carlingford, again...WAY too much (not that we will not be there yet again, I'm sure)...

will go (again)to Newgrange...

and probably into Dublin for a day...

I'd love to just wander some charming towns...ARE there any in the East you've been to? (i.e. I LOVE Galway - something pleasant and not overrun by new building??) - don't need "big" sites - just looking for something quaint

I was thinking of maybe trying a daytrip (bus or Train) from Dublin...but don't think we'd be able to get in there early enough (about 20 min to Dundalk and then an hour and a half to Dublin by train).

We won't have a car (long story involving stubborn Irish in-laws...don't ask) so we'll need to use public transport

I REALLY appreciate any and all ideas!! Thanks!

chatham

I enjoyed Carlingford and being driven around Cooley Peninsula. Also our driver took us to some lovely scenery over in Northern Ireland. We got a bus on our own in Carlingford and went to Newry. Not a lovely town put it had a nice square and some good shops. In fact, why not explore Nortern Ireland using trains or buses.
Good Luck, Joan

Padraig

You start by ruling out the good stuff because you have already done it! Tourism in Co. Louth is Cooley and (of course) Newgrange.

I think that if you have already been to Newgrange you should not go again simply because it is under so much pressure and it might be better to leave it for first-time visitors. Knowth is another matter.

Other things -- keeping strictly to your brief on Co. Louth and accepting your exclusions:
Dundalk: quite a good county museum, and that's about it;
Drogheda: Millmount Museum is worth an hour or two; you can visit Saint Oliver's head in St. Peter's Church (if you are dragged off to Newgrange you can drop these into the programme.);
Ardee, Collon, Dunleer, Castlebellingham: Nothing of major interest.
Rural areas: Monasterboice for the Celtic crosses; Mellifont for the Abbey ruins (both also possibilities in association with Newgrange).

Without a car, your scope is very curtailed. How about the other platform at the station in Dundalk, and take the train to Belfast? Not quite quaint and charming, but you might find it interesting.

CasaDelCipresso

Thanks so much for the ideas!

I had no idea Cooley was the tourism center of Louth - and not just where I have to be with all the time the relatives ;-)

Despite living for 5 months within walking distance to Dundalk, I've actually never been to the museum - will check it out for sure! Same with Drogheda - week spent there once when my son was in the hospital...so didn't even realize there IS a museum - I think we'll take the bus out and plan on a whole day in Droghda/Newgrange...oh..the reason I'm going again is because I'm taking my 7yr old son - he has not been becasue I didn't think he was old enough until now to appreciate it.

will try to talk my husband into going to the North - but lots of bad feeelings there, so don't know. The furthest North I've been is Lisburn (which I actually enjoyed, my husband would not go though) - and to the Jonesbourough (have no lcue how to spell it) market wich, of course, is anything but charming.

hadn't though of Monasterboice -great idea (and maybe something I can even talk the in-laws into giving us a ride to)

hadn't mention Dundalk, etc. becasaue they don't seem very touristy to me...so I really did just want to make sure I'm not missing out on little gems.

IrishEyes

Held hostage to the in-laws with no car. I will not ask. Guess any suggestions I might make would not be viable. Too bad as there is much to see if you had a car.

CasaDelCipresso

hahahaha the hostage senerio made me giggle!!

They CLAIM we can be driven wherever we want to go...however, we know from experience with this that it always turns into BIG drama...we have learned to just call a taxi (!) and avoid the hurt feelings if we were to *gasp* rent a car...but I'm sure we can be driven here and there a bit (have a sister-in-law and brither-in-law with wheels too ;-) )...just not terribly long trips.

IrishEyes

At least you had a laugh. Maybe someone nice will give you a gift certificate for a car rental in Ireland. To turn it down would hurt that person's feelings and greatly alienate them. It is already paid for and must be used or the money is lost. The relatives would be steamed for 5 minutes and then it would be forgotten.

Give yourself the gift of a car and say it is from your very best and closest friend. Are you not your own best friend? Do yourself a favor and defuse the silly situation. Is it a vacation or a kidnapping?

SiobhanP

Tell him to get over his Phobia of the North. Things have changed now. I went for the first time in years before Xmas. We drove up from Dublin, Hit the outlets on the way up, wandered the city and did some shopping and hit Ikea on the way home. Nice day trip and we enjoyed it. Seriously rent a car and tell them you just want to in case you make last minute plans.

mariposa85

I always find it really odd when people from Ireland refuse to go to the north. So many people do seem to have some kind of phobia. Fair enough if they just don't feel like going, but I know tons of people who want to go to Ikea but won't go to the 'scary north'. Living in Dublin, I find this mentality funny, since it's a much more dangerous city for the average person than Belfast, IMO.

CasaDelCipresso

hahahaha! you all are great! I love the gift certificate idea ;-)
(we were already thinking of telling them we were using Starwood hotel points to stay for the night in Dublin - true. but adding that they had to be used or we'd loose them ;-) ok...not so true...but do not want to hurt feelings!)

as for the North - I know...it's stupid. I told him to just not open his mouth and he can pretend to be American ;-)...I'm an American Jew...no one gives a you-know-what if I'm in the North ;-) they're too busy trying to figure out what exactly a Jew is *laugh* anyway...I think people who grew up in the border counties during the troubles really have a different perspective on things though...it takes a lot of time to get over it when they've been told their entire lives of the danger (and witnessed it first hand quite a bit in Cooley and the Dundalk area)...also...much has nothing to do with danger I think - just an unreasonable prejudice against the North in general...I think it is easer for people who still live in Ireland to change with the times...but when people left years ago, they aree not there seeing the difference on a day-to-day basis, know what I mean??

anyway...didn't mean to ramble -I'm the last person to discuss irish politics in the border counties becasue I'm pretty clueless as an outsider....

going to see if there's anyway to find an automatic (still cannot drive stick on the left side of the road!)car rental in Dundalk (that will not break the bank completely!)and they can still pick us up at Dublin airport, etc. ;-) and get all fussed...and we can rent a car for a coupld days mid-tip ;-)

Thanks again!

Padraig

CasaDelCipresso wrote: "I'm an American Jew"

There is the famous Belfast question "Aye, but are ye a Cat'lick Jew or a Prod'stant Jew?"

I don't think you'll find many car hire options in Dundalk. See http://www.goldenpages.ie/category_C...Dundalk-1.html

Very few people in the Cooley or Dundalk areas have any concerns about visiting NI.

CasaDelCipresso

hahaha. yes have heard that one before...is only funny becasue it's just SO darn true ;-)!

"Very few people in the Cooley or Dundalk areas have any concerns about visiting NI."

hmmm...nope. as I'm related to half of 'em I can tell you that's not the case...yes...ceretainly some WILL go to Belfast...but not everywhere for SURE...and not everyone would go; I guess I'm not expressing it correctly though...it's not really a fear for their life or anything I think...more of a dislike/disgust of the North and just a "why in the world would I want to go there" attitude - I have really only noticed this in people from the Dundalk/Cooley area and not Ireland as a whole(that I don't share - but, like I said, I'm only Irish by marriage)they'll cross the border (to Newrey, etc.) to shop and don't think anything of it though.