shirley82

Hi

Going to Ireland for the first time over the last weekend of March. The plan is to fly into Dublin and stay for two days, fly to Cork and rent a car and fly out of Shannon three days later.

Is there any benefit to flying into Shannon and out of Dublin instead?

I have no idea where to go once we arrive in Cork. Is it better to drive to one place and leave from there each day or to drive up/down the coast and stay at different spots along the way?

Someone mentioned buses to me, but I've been thinking that a car is easier?

Not really sure how to approach the planning of this part of the trip. Since we don't have much time, we'd like to see a couple of "no miss" sites in the southwest without trying to see everything and burning out. Feeling a bit overwhelmed at trying to figure out exactly what to focus on. I plan on returning, so I'd rather really explore a few places than rush through a ton of them. Any help and/or words of wisdom appreciated.

Thanks!

CAPH52

shirley, have you done a search on this site? You might want to try pulling up all of the Ireland threads and just reading through them.

I know it's really overwhelming at first. But there's been so much written on this site. I think if you just sit down with the idea that you're going to commit a couple of hours to reading through threads, you'll begin to get a better idea of what's out there.

You also might want to pick up a good guide book.

Are you sure you want to fly from Dublin to Cork? You might want to rent a car in Dublin and drive.

I just really think you need to do some serious reading.

You say "over the last weekend of March". But you're obviously staying longer than a weekend. Are you arriving the 25th?

shirley82

Hi-

I have done a bit of research on my own, and plan to more, but since it's such a short stay, I figured I'd ask. I did a search, and have bought a book. I was looking for opinions for what others have found to be stand out more than anything else. Asking the question was part of my research. : )

No, not sure I wanted to fly. Seemed like it might save some time. Will it not really be worth it?

Planning on arriving on a Friday morning and leaving on the following Wednesday.

Sorry if what I'm asking is on the inane side, but as I'm planning a trip for others as well as myself, I was trying to be sure I'd covered my bases.

Thanks for the reply!

CAPH52

Hi Shirley,
Didn't mean to make you feel that what you were asking was inane. Just wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on all that this site has to offer!

There have been so many wonderful, helpful trip reports, etc. posted here. They're a great way to start getting info as to what's worth seeing.

FWIW, we're also arriving the last weekend in March (leaving Chicago 3/25).

We're flying in and out of Shannon. The plan is to spend our first two nights in Galway, the next two in Westport and our last night in Ennis. We arrive back in Chicago the night of 3/31.

But when my husband and I went in 1982 we flew in and out of Dublin. We were there 7 nights, spending our first and last in Dublin. In between, we drove through most of Ireland.

I wouldn't recommend that. But we enjoyed it!

Since you just have a few days, I think you really need to read up and decide what most interests you.

I'm somewhat curious as to why you chose Cork if you don't know what's worth seeing in that area.

shirley82

Hi-

One of my traveling companions has been to Ireland before but didn't see the Blarney stone, so it's become a "no miss" even though I've heard it's missable. Since we have to go there, I basically just set the rest of the route from there. Stopping in Waterford held no special appeal for me, so I chose southwest instead of southeast.

This trip was just decided a few days ago, so everything is flexible. I'm now seriously considering flying into Shannon and out of Dublin. As I'm flying out of NYC I'm fortunate to have near limitless options when it comes to this. Which of course doesn't help me decide anything - lol! Reading everyones raves on this site only to make me want to see EVERYTHING.

Thanks for the advice about the flight to Cork. Hadn't really considered driving that stretch, but it may not save time to fly anyway and will give us much greater flexibility, so I'm looking into it now.

This is only my second trip overseas - the last one was in November, so it's a learning curve. I'd love to travel for longer, and more often, but work and cash flow do not allow for it. Your trip looks great. Definitely some spots on my list for next time. Thanks for the help!

yesiree100

An into Shannon out of Dublin is a great idea, but your trip appears to be very short (are you there for only 4 nights...or more than that?).

Are you open to dropping Dublin from your itinerary and just focusing on the SW or is Dublin in the 'must see' category?

shirley82

Hi!

Dublin itself isn't so much the must see, but the Guiness brewery and Jameson distillery definitely are. ; ) After a bought of particularly productive insomnia, I think I've got something worked out. I got driving times from Michelin, so I'm hoping those are fairly accurate.

Day 1 - Arrive early AM, pick up car, and drive straight to Galway for the day/night

Day 2 - Drive down the coast from Galway to Killarney (stopping at Cliffs of Moher)

Day 3 - Dingle Penninsula or Ring of Kerry

Day 4 - Drive from Kilarney to Cork (stopping at Blarney)

Day 5 - Drive from Cork to Dublin

Day 6 - Dublin, fly out

I'll admit that I added a day to give us some breathing room. Tried to limit the driving distance to 3 hours a day - obviously this isn't going to work perfectly as we deal with side trips and whatnot. Our flight out is at 7ish, so we will have the better part of the day to enjoy ourselves.

Does this look doable? Anything that I should definitely kill/add? Anything not in the guide books, but on my way and worth stopping at?

Thanks so much. This forum is super helpful for bouncing ideas around.

yesiree100

Your itinerary is doable, but you're covering a lot of ground. The drive times on Michelin can be optomistic... expect to average about 35mph.

I'd suggest saving Galway for a trip when you'll have time to see Connemara. Instead, I'd spend Day 1 in Bunratty or Ennis... take a ride to see the Cliffs of Moher and/or the Burren or Bunratty Castle and Folkpark and sneak in a two hour nap to ward off jetlag.

Staying in County Clare will also mean you will have less driving on Day 2 and have more time to do some things around Killarney (the lakes, Muckross House, The ROK, etc).

I recommend the Jameson Distillery in Midleton, near Cork, over the one in Dublin (be sure to raise your hand when they ask for volunteers...free whiskey). Note that the Guiness Storehouse is a museum/multimedia experience...not a brewery tour (although you do get a pint at the end).

Finishing the trip in Dublin is fine, but I would suggest saving the miles and spending the gained time doing the Dingle, ROK or County Clare (or maybe Cashel) AND enjoying a few pints of Guinness the way they were intended...in a pub.

I hope this gives you a little insight. Also, you might consider posting your itinerary on a new thread, some people might not read all the way to the bottom of this one.

Itallian_Chauffer

If you haven't bought/booked yet...

Fly INTO Shannon ---

Easier to get in and out. Roads are MUCH more Tourist friendly, especially for tired, culture shock ("wrong" side driving, etc.).
Go to Galway LAST, before Dublin. The National Road from Galway to Dublin is shorter and better than the Cork to Dublin route, though the old N8 IS vastly improved with bypasses of MOST, but not all, towns.
Day 1: Drive to Blarney and pre-arrainge an early check-in at B&B. Take a 2 hour nap to acclimate/reset your clock and then tour the Castle and grounds. If you feel time permits, and you feel up to it, drive to Cohb and tour the museum and/or Cathedral, or drive into Kinsale to look around.
Day 2: Drive to Killarney, via the N22 (the shorter, direct route)or the much more scenic (but MUCh longer) R586, via Dunmanway, Drimoleague and Bantry, to the N71 through Glenngarriff, on to Kenmare, via the Caha Pass and then on to Killarney, through Moll's Gap and Ladies View.
Day 3: Drive from Kenmare or Killarney to Dingle and do the Slea Head Drive.
Day 4: Drive out of Dingle, over Connor Pass and pass through Tralee and Listowel to Tarbert. Take the ferry across the Shannon to Killimer and drive to the Cliffs of Moher, and through the Burren, to arrive in Galway.
Day 5: Drive from Galway to Dublin.

Day 2 is the only really 'long drive' day, and then, ONLY if you opt for the longer drive. Day 4 would be the next longest, but both routes will offer LOTS of opportunity to stop, stretch and gawk at the views...

Bob

shirley82

Thanks SOOO much Bob
I hadn't even considered that, will definitely remap the reverse path as another alternative.
Thanks!!

Itallian_Chauffer

The other reason to fly into Shannon, rather than dublin is that you are arriving on the weekend and this close to your departure date, finding affordable accommodations in Dublin, on the weekend will be QUITE difficult.
Bob

McShane

Shirley,
Bob's advice is GREAT! The only thing I would change is to skip Galway. You'll have a day in Dublin to enjoy an Irish city and I think what's really special about Ireland are the smaller towns. You could spend an extra day in Co. Kerry or West Cork and explore the Beara Peninsula or Sheepshead or Dingle or the Ring of Kerry... Two nights in Kenmare would be a perfect base for that area. With limited time there's just more spectacular places to see.

Have a great trip!

flanneruk

There's currently a price war on Cork-Dublin (+ vv) flights between Ryanair and Aer Arann.

If you're still planning on travelling between these two cities, the plane will be a great deal cheaper than the real cost of a day's car hire. And there's no point at all in having a car in Dublin.

CU

Hi Shirley.
Foirstly may I wish you a cead milte failte go h-eireann.
I trust that after all the great advice you get here that you will see what you are missing. Do not try to fit in too much as it is impossible.
Could I suggest a web site that is especially designed for visitors like you and it may help you on your way -
www.ireland.ie/getting_around.asp
www.townandcountry.ie would also help.
For shopping before you fly out look at www.airportshopping.ie
If you do fly into Dublin have a look at www.railtours.ie
Enjoy.

shirley82

We had originally planned on flying to Dublin, but feel like it won't really be a timesaver and that we might in fact spend more time with security and whatnot than we would just driving. Also, since there's three of us, it's not much of a money saver. We're going to ditch the car before we get into Dublin anyway.

I think I'm going to cut out Galway completely. It seems to make a lot more sense to crash in Ennis the first day and then once we've settled in (and taken a nap) head to the cliffs of moher or bunratty castle.

Still trying to figure out the second and third nights. If we're going to do the Dingle Penninsula, it seems to make more sense to stay in Tralee or Killarney. We're open to staying in smaller towns too. As long as there's a pub within walking distance from where we're sleeping, and it goes along our route, it'll do the trick. Actually, that pretty much goes for all of our nights too. Anywhere that anybody's stayed that was particularly charming is open for consideration!

I can't thank you all enough for your advice. It's infinitely better to hear this from actual humans than to read about it in a guidebook!!

NewYorkTraveler

CU,
Thanks for posting the airport shopping site. I'm flying into Dublin next week and was wondering what would be available in Duty Free upon my return.

yesiree,
Your Kilkenny walking tour was the first thing I packed. Can't wait. BTW, how's the weather?

Cheers.

Al

yesiree100

Shirley - Glad you've been able to use the advice you gotten on this board. In Ennis the Old Ground Hotel is right in city centre (I've been in their restaurant and lobby and it looked nice)...it's not a B&B, but it has parking and amenities, and I think breakfast is included. I've also read a suggestion on the boards for Grey Gables B&B.

NY Traveller - glad you've got the Kilkenny walking tour packed. I'm not in Ireland right now, but the weather in Milwaukee has been pretty mild I have put up a higher res version of the Walking Tour at http://www.knockahopple.com/downloadkilkenny.html ...in case the maps on the version you printed are too low quality.

Safe travels.

cahilla

Hi Shirley82:

I'm heading over in late March too, and I thought you might want to know that I just got what looks like a very good deal from Hertz on a car rental: a small, automatic transmission for $210/week, from Shannon Airport. Insurance is not included, but my credit card is covering that. The other prices I saw were at least $100 more.

Have fun!

TimS

Since most credit cards do NOT provide insurance coverage in Ireland, if yours--like mine--does, make sure you have a written statement confirming that when you pick up your car.

shirley82

Hi everyone!
Looks like we've got it well at hand now, finally booked the flight - open jaw into Shannon, out of Dublin. Working on the details of where to stay at this point, but much less pressure now that the flight is settled
Going to pack your walking tour yessiree Kilkenny might be a nice break on the drive from Cork to Dublin!!
Thanks again for all the advice and help!