Ireland in May
 

The pieces are in place - 5 weeks to go and counting.
A few last minute questions: How much cash would you suggest bringing (6 nights in Dublin with some side trips and 4 nights in Kenmare at a resort)

Tipping suggestions?
Other than Book of Kells and Kilmainham Gaol, are there other sites we should pre-book?

I understand we go through customs at the Dublin airport flying home. How much extra time would you allocate?

The planned itinerary (this is the "hope". Given that we are older and slower these days I suspect that we will not meet all of the site seeing aspirations and that is fine)
Day one: check in at hotel in Dublin (College Green hotel), recover from flight. if up to it Book of Kells, Inveagh gardens, early dinner somewhere (maybe even at hotel)
Day two - tour to the north - Battle of the Boyne visitor center, Malahyde castle and Howthe, dinner at Glovers Alley
Day three - Kilmainham goal and Dublin Castle – dinner at Johnnie Fox’s music pub (live music)
Day four - tour to south – Powerscourt Gardens, Wicklow, Glendoulouch, dinner at Mok Chinese restaurant
Day five - EPIC Museum, custom house, Old Post office - dinner with Fodor's friend Karen W and her husband at the Pigs Ear
Day six National gallery, pack, whatever we want to do – extra special fancy dinner Patrick Guilbaud
Day seven - drive to Sheen Falls in Kenmare with a stop at Cashel - dinner at the Lime Tree
Day eight - driving tour of the Breara peninsula and Dereengardens - dinner #35
Day nine - quiet day at resort - dinner at Falls Restaurant
Day ten Killarney National Park - dinner at hotel
Day eleven - drive to hotel by Dublin airport - with a stop in Kilkenny
Day twelve - home it is

all advice welcome

Hi Laura,
Thank you for posting these questions. The answers will help us, too!

Dublin Airport website:
https://www.dublinairport.com/flight...velling-to-usa

Tipping, please don't, or if you must round up a bill to a convenient figure. You don't need to tip anybody and everybody despite what some websites claim.
This site has a good explanation however:
https://irelandexplore.com/tipping-in-ireland/ though some of those suggested tips feel excessive and unnecessary.
https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/...ng-in-ireland/ An article from the Irish broadcaster RTE on tipping.

As for Cash I can't say how much you should carry - it depends somewhat on whether you are happy to take a load of euros home with you or pay to exchange them again if you don't spend them. You can always take more out at an ATM.

TIPPING: My husband has finally cut back on his tipping in Ireland, but at bars, he always rounds up. I'd say at restaurants, we probably still do 10%.
We still take care of housekeeping staff much the same way we do in the States, making sure to leave a daily tip instead of an end-of-stay tip.

CASH: As I've often mentioned here, my husband tends to hoard foreign currency everywhere in his dresser, so we often have a stash of at least 100 Euro as a starting point, but I can assure you it's not necessary. Everyone in Ireland seems to take credit. ATMs abound. I have both Samsung Pay and Google Pay on my phone, and that's actually what I used for most purchases in Ireland for the past few trips, much to my husband's amazement.

DUBLIN AIRPORT: I detest this airport for our returns. That "arrive three hours early" is not to be ignored. The so-called "convenience" of pre-screening for American customs, especially when we can get off the plane from any other destination and use our Global entry to waltz through US Customs on the ground, is maddening. I have no clue as to what the current situation is, though, given the recent US political stuff. It would be interesting to find out. You guys must report back!

Thanks all, especially for the heads up about the Dublin airport. I'll bring some euros along and the worst that happens is the cleaning staff will get a nice tip at the end of the day. Appreciate the advice