Walker25

I am taking my mother to Ireland to celebrate her 80th birthday. She is in great physical shape, so her age is not an issue (I am a 54 year old woman). Neither one of us has been there before, but have wanted to visit for many years.

Time of year is fairly flexible, so we're hoping to visit when the weather is good and it's not too crowded with vacationers (like us!).

To reduce stress, I am trying to find non-stop flights (she lives in Tenn. and I live in Maryland). So far, I have only found non-stop flights to Dublin. Resources for additional flights would also be appreciated.

Thanks for any insight you can provide!

sarge56

Walker25- I'm wondering where else you thought you'd want to fly into, besides Dublin.

As far as I know, all flights from outside of Ireland land in Dublin. It is a fairly small country, compared to not only the US, but I think you could actually fit almost 10 "Irelands" into just the State of Texas, (area-wise)!

Dublin is a lovely city and you'd surely want to see it anyway.

Best time of year, weatherwise, and least touristy cannot go hand-in-hand. If everyone goes when the weather is best, then you have "high season".

We were there in March and found most days to be chilly and rain a good number of days. I'm thinking early May might be a better time to go.

Please search for Ireland trip reports on this site, to get a feel for where you want to go, how you want to get there, and how long you want to stay. Also suggest you hop over to your nearest big book store and look through the Ireland travel guides. Find one that works for you and start planning from there. (I love the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide, but there will be dozens for you to choose from. Fodors is always good, as are Frommers and Rick Steves.)

Have a wonderful time! You will love Ireland!

JOHNOD

I have visited Ireland every year for the past 12 years and I always go in June. Great weather and very long hours of daylight. The downside is June is when the airfares go up. If price is an issue you might consider May or Sept.

There are many flights non-stop from the US to Shannon and Dublin. Check Aer lingus, Continental, US Air and Delta. I assume you and your mother will have to meet somwhere. Nonstop to both Dublin and Shannon can be had from Lax, Newark, JFK, Boston. Chicago, Atlanta and Philly to name a few. If you want to go into Cork you will have to make a connection in London, Manchester or Amsterdam. Have fun

oneoftwo

We went in November (temp about 70F) and had rain the last day there. If you check, the temperature doesn't really change that much throughout the year - something like between 57 - 75 year round. You will probably need a jacket - especially along the shores. Wind might be more of a concern. High season is approximately end of May thru end of September - we spent 5 days in Dublin and stayed busy the whole time. If you want to rent a car (they drive on the left side of the road) you get more flexability - but you have to be comfortable with right hand drive cars in the left lane -

nytraveler

I would go in May - quite long days but not the height of the tourist season yet. Temps are moderate all year - and mist or drizzle can be counted on many if not most days. Downpours are fairly rare though - so not enough rain to stop you from doing anything.

Search kayak.com for flight options. If available to you, you might want to do into Dublin and back from Shannon.

Walker25

Many thanks for your replies and helpful info.
I tried to make it to Ireland in Sept. 2008, and at that time there were non-stops into Shannon from Philly on U.S. Air. I'm not finding any NS to Shannon now, but will look again.

My mother is a horsewoman and may want to make our plans to include the Dublin Horse Show, from August 4-8. Is late July and/or early August likely to be REALLY crowded as that's when most of Europe vacations?

Again, many thanks for your help!

Michael_S

If you must leave from Philadelphia or Baltimore you will be out of luck for a direct flight to Shannon. If you are more flexible, you can get direct flights to Shannon from Boston, JFK, Newark, Chicago, and Atlanta almost any time. You might want to coonsider a shuttle from Baltimore to JFK or Newark so it won't be too bad.

As to where and when to go, it depends on what you want. If you are looking for quiet and are not used to driving on the left hand side but will drive, I would suggest Shannon. There are easily accessable countryside and slightly urban areas(Galloway, Ennis) in the western portion of the country. For things involving horses, check the internet as there are probably a lot in various places throughout the year.

Dublin is nice but is still a city. I wouldn't suggest driving through downtown if you are not used to driving in European cities.