My wife and I are considering a trip to Ireland in August 2008. A relative tells us not to bother since the tourist crowds are just too big a hassle at that time of year.

Is there anything to this? How do crowds compare to, say, southern England?

We were there at the end of July, beginning of August 2005 - the crowds were huge!
If you can, pick other months.

David Perry, we were in Ireland in July 2006 for a family trip. July and August are peak season for many countries. However, if you plan carefully, there are some ways that you can minimize the impact of crowds, get away from the crowds, and have a great trip. It just takes research and flexibility.

For example, we chose to visit Belfast instead of Dublin, since July is peak season and Belfast is much less crowded.

In addition, carefully choose which sites will be most crowded. Leave some of those out. the ones that you really must see, avoid being there on the weekend or local holidays. Mid-week, as long as it's not a festival or holiday, is the best time to visit the more crowded sites.

Also, time of day is important. Since summer has longer hours of daylight, for example, we visited the Cliffs of Moher late in the day, when it wasn't so crowded. This worked well.

Early morning is another good time to beat the crowds if you are an early riser.

Include some less-crowded places in your itinerary. We loved Westport, County Mayo. It is a great atmospheric mid-sized town. Great trad music, little shops, and County Mayo isn't on most tourists Must-See lists, so it wasn't crowded at all. You can also do a day-trip to Achill island from WEstport.

We had a great trip. WE wanted to do a summer trip so our daughters, who are college students, could come. It worked out well.

I carefully planned the itinerary so that we would be in Dingle on weekdays instead of a weekend, for example.

All of Europe can be crowded in July and August, but that doesn't mean you can't go. You just plan around the crowds...

We skipped the Ring of Kerry because I felt that is one area that wouldn't be good in peak season. But we saw Dingle Peninsula, which was great and NOT crowded. (This wasn't a weekend, remember.)

We visited Italy in June 2004, and I would say Italy was MORE crowded than Ireland. But I think that was partly because in Ireland you can spread out and visit many villages and the countryside. But in Italy everybody is headed for Florence, Venice, and Rome!

The advice re: early morning and getting to places on week days is spot on. Problem you have is the weather is best in June / July / August. I wouldn't let the crowd thing turn me off though as it adds to the athmosphere. It would be worse if it was a goast town !!

As warm as it has been on the European mainland the past two summers, you may expect Ireland to be very crowded with tourists from France, Spain, Italy, etc. because that's the month they close down their factories and send all the employees on their month-long vacation.

September is still nice weather in Ireland and most Continental tourists will have returned to their jobs.

Sorry, I haven't been to southern England in August.

David

I wouldnt worry about Tourist crowds here in August, I agree Kerry is pretty busy in August, but it not so bad that you should worry about it!

We've holidayed in July and August, and although the crowds were bothersome at the major tourist spots in July, we had no problem in August (we were there the last two weeks). And Ireland, generally, is far less busy than southern England.

But it also depends on what you want to see and where you are going to locate yourself. If, for example, you are going to stay in Kinsale, you are going to find a lot of crowds. If you want to kiss the Blarney Stone, more crowds. But if you want to see Glendalough, the place is so huge, you can easily lose other people. If you want to walk on Irish beaches, we rarely found more than a handful of people on Dog's Bay beach in Galway or on Achill Island. The thing about Ireland is that you really go to appreciate the scenery, the pubs, the walks. And you can always, even in July, find those places where you are on your own. Have fun wherever you go.

David,
We were there in August, 2005 and I had a similar concern. But we spent a week in Westport and a week in Donegal and there were no crowds and beautiful locations. Just stay away from the usual spots and it will be great.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Rosetravels, you advise to stay out of the usual spots - I'm assuming these include Dublin, the Ring of Kerry, and Glendalough?

David,
We're going this August - we heard about the crowds, and yes, we would like to avoid them, too. I'm hoping that if we stay away from big towns, we'll be fine - though we have a few touristy places on our list.
I'll post a trip report.

xyz99: Thanks! Looking forward to the trip report! Have a great time!

We were in Ireland the first 18 days of August last year. We'd been there before, so we skipped most tourist spots. We spent our time in Donegal. No crowds, incredible scenery. We loved it. If I'd never been before, though, I would still go to the places that were important to me, just be sure you have reservations.

If you have flexibility, I'd go at the end of September. May and September are usually the best months weather-wise in Ireland. Obviously, it could still rain for your entire trip, but your best chance at good weather are during those 2 months.

This observation comes from living there for 3 years, and visiting 2-4 times per year for the past 17 years.

David,
We were also in Dublin for several days and it was crowded but still well worth visiting.

I think the places more tourists visit are the ROK, Killarny, Kenmare, Kinsale, Cliffs of Moher - all the places most people talk about going.

We were in Galway for a night and it was one big, wild party - very crowded. But once we left Galway and headed north we met other tourists but they were Irish, not American, which made it quite interesting.

To me the charm of Ireland isn't the 'must-see' spots but it's the lovely small towns, pubs and coastline. I look for the most beautiful area with great day trips and stay a week exploring. For us Westport and Donegal were perfect.

David-Perry,

What Rosetravels said is so right. You can get away from crowds and any place in Ireland can be enjoyed. Just go and have a wonderful trip.

For an August trip, I would definitely recommend the Northwest of Ireland, as it is less traveled, fortunately for those of us who know the secret. For me, the Slieve League Cliffs are far more appealing than the Cliffs of Moher. Inis Bofin is less travelled than Inis Mor and well worth a visit. Achill Island is also well worth a trip. Bervie's on Achill is the perfect get away for a few days of unwinding. Westport is a treasure trove of trad music.

I agree with those who have said that experiencing Ireland is in its scenery, music and people. All of those can be found in the Northwest. The Inishowen Peninsula is stunning in its topography.

Have a most excellent adenture!

Slan Agus Beannacht,

Bit Devine
Cowboy Craic

I have just returned from Achill island on the west coast of ireland co Mayo, i would highly rec the Bervie for accomodation and we found the island to be quiet with lots of beaches and a great scenic Atlantic drive which we did twice one clockwise and then anti clockwise.
Co Clare/Co Mayo are less touristy no ring of Kerry here, which is busy all the time.
Scenic drives are plentiful and Westport is a wonderful little town with great restaurants and is near Coagh Patrick for a hike.
Trust me its not going to be like Disney World with the crowds .
Any ifo please e-mail
Angie

David,

Don't let talk of overwhelming crowds in August prevent you from visiting Ireland. My wife and I have a decade's worth of wonderful memories traveling to Ireland - always in August. In addition, the more popular tourist destinations, such as the Ring of Kerry, Glendalough, and Cliffs of Moher, can still be enjoyed during high season. The key here is to visit early in the day, when most of the tour bus groups are still enjoying their breakfast. Finally, Lady's advice concerning accommodation reservations is well taken. It's good peace of mind to have your resrvations secured prior to leaving, especially in August.

Best of luck.