Ireland in March??
 

My brother and I are interested in spending our spring break in Ireland this March. We're both in our early 20s and have had plenty of travel experience as we've lived abroad while growing up. We're planning to fly out to Dublin from DC on Friday, March 13 and return the following Saturday. I've been to Dublin before with a group and traveled south along the coast to Waterford and Cork, but are interested in getting to Donegal and/or Galway this time around. Does anybody have any information regarding transportation between these three cities? I know there are car rental companies that will rent to people under the age of 25 for a higher fee, however I don't have the time to obtain an international driver's license before our departure and would prefer to rely on trains or buses. Any advice in terms of festivals, events or sites of interest would me much appreciated!! Thanks for any information!

For the IDP, you simply go into a local AAA office, show them your real license and give them $10. They give you this little card. IT takes maybe 15 minutes.

You can take the bus to many places.

You can very easily take either a train or a bus between Dublin and Galway. In fact, the bus leaves from the airport and, I believe, runs several times a day.

My daughter did an internship in Galway her junior year of college. She spent her first week in a hostel there. She liked it very much. If you're interested, I'll get the name for you. It's very conveniently located right on Eyre Square.

Here's a link to my very long trip report from my visit while my daughter was there. Just in case you want to skim it for info on restaurants, etc.:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34977787

And here's a link to that hostel:

http://www.kinlaygalway.ie/

'Get where you're going' is among my travel rules, so I take the CityLink Bus from Dublin airport to Galway (Tourist Office on Forster St.). It runs hourly, takes about 4-hours, & gets you to Galway just in time to check in to a B&B.

Galway is a BusEireann Hub, so you should be able to catch a Bus from Galway to Westport or Ballina (Co. Mayo), Sligo or Donegal.

Dress warm! I've been in Ireland in March when it snowes in Galway.

Sorry! My last sentence should have read: 'I have been in Ireland in March when it snowed in Donegal'

Thanks SO much for all the info! I just spoke to a friend of mine who traveled to Ireland two years ago and she said Donegal wasn't worth visiting if you I didn't already know someone...something about the area residents not liking outsiders??

classiquep29, I am rendered almost speechless. That is nonsense.

I agree with Padraig! If you read through the trip reports here you'll see that many people on this board have visited and enjoyed Donegal. My only experience was in 1982. But we certainly enjoyed it then!

However, I'm a little curious as to why you chose Donegal since you don't seem to know much about it. Family ties? Or perhaps you've heard tales of it's beauty?

An alternative would be to use the hostel in Galway as a base and do day trips. On the ground floor of that hostel is a company that sells tickets for day trips to the Aran Islands. And I know that, when a friend from home was visiting, my daughter took a day bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher. That was in late May/early June though so you'd have to check to be sure the bus tour runs in March.

If you are interested in festivals and events, is there a specific reason you want to avoid the one in Dublin on March 17?

You do not need an international drivers license in Ireland.