Ireland in December
 

My husband and I will be flying into Dublin and spending 5 nights from 15-20 December. As it's our first visit to Ireland, we thought we might like to spend a couple of nights outside of Dublin. Any suggestions for this time of year? We don't mind renting a car.

ttt

I'm a native Dub and would like to suggest a few things. Dublin traffic is very bad at the moment and I would suggest that you give consideration where you collect the car, to avoid driving through Dublin. I would suggest that you avoid Dublin when arriving at the airport and then return the car to the airport, getting a transfer to your Dublin accommodation on your return leg.

If you're driving, then Kilkenny is lovely with history, good bars and things to do. it's only 70 miles/100k from Dublin. Drogheda is even closer and do-able by train. Athlone is a fine town on the impressive River Shannon - from there you could drive to Clonmacnoise, one of Ireland's finest monastic remains with round tower etc.

A coastal drive down the south-east coast can be enjoyable - make sure you visit the popular-wit-Dubs Hunter's Hotel near rathnew (mail me for directions). Wicklow and Arklow are lovely towns but you have to visit Charles Stewart Parnell's ex-house at Avonmore if you're going this direction. I'm sure it will be open in December.

For Dublin-based trips by public transport, Howth and Malahide are possible in the same day - finish at the latter since there is a better choice of eating places.

For more ideas please visit my website and do contact me via the "contacts" link on every page.

Have a great trip,

Peter

http://www.hidden-dublin.com/

Hello.

you could drive up to somewhere like Slane in Meath, which is a lovely town and use it as a base to explore the likes of Newgrange.

Kilkenny, seems like your best bet. Great little city, plenty of places to eat and drink.

Galway would be about 3 1/2 hours drive and is very beautiful too.

The Wicklow area is very nice with lots of lovely spots to walk or drive and lots of monastic ruins and lakes and the like. However, Avondale House, mentioned above, is actually closed during the winter. The grounds are a beautiful park and woodland area and they are open all year round.

Dublin is quite a small concentrated city with regard to its tourist attractions. So it might be better to only rent a car for the days you intend to leave Dublin.

Enjoy your trip, wherever you decide to go!!

hmmmm....I'm Irish by marriage, American by birth...and spent a while living in Louth...I would skip Drogheda and Dundalk - serisouly - we, lovingly, refer to Louth as the New Jersey of Ireland ;-) (unless you wish to see Newgrange - which is very impressive and worth the visit) seriously...not very charming at all...more "suburban" due to all the new building and commuters. MAYBE Carlingford...but in December? even Carlingford is rather dead and dreary...pubs though are very festive and fun for the run-up to Christmas (!!) I'd probably head west myself. (I'm sure our relitives are gasping at my disloyalty of that one!)
Ireland is not large....so you can kind of go wherever you want ;-) I've taken the train fromm Dublin-Galway even for the weekend...only a few hours.

Remember that the days are very short in Ireland in December - that might affect your sightseeing, and your driving.

....but that won't adversely effect your drinking time of course!

Peter, I know you live in Ireland but you might want to check your facts about Parnell's estate near Rathdrum in Co. Wicklow. It is called Avondale not Avonmore. It is open mid-March through Oct. "Assuming" it is open in Dec may be fine for you but perhaps not for tourists who could go out of their way to find it closed.

I think Peter made a mistake :-) Avonm,ore is a brand of milk here in Ireland. Easily done