I'm starting to plan for my third trip to Ireland, which will be for about 8 or 9 days at the end of November. Looking for ideas on itinerary - with three thoughts in mind: 1) Not to do too much overlap with what I have seen before, and 2)stick more to medium and larger size towns, given that the weather will not be great at that time of year for driving thru more rural areas. <BR><BR>On my first trip I was only in counties Clare and Galway (inc. Connemara). On my second trip, I was started in Dublin and basically looped around the coast until Connemara, hitting the Wicklow Mtns., Avoca, Kilkenny, Cobh, Cashel, Kinsale, the Beara, Kerry and Dingle peninsulas, cliffs of Moher, and Galway City.<BR><BR>So, what I have come up with is this: Fly in and out of Shannon, going to Cork city for a couple of days, Youghal, Waterford, maybe Wexford, and mosey inland for a day or two back to Shannon.<BR><BR>I would like to go north to Donegal and parts of N. Ireland, but I think the warmer months are better for that. <BR><BR>Any comments or other suggestions on these plans?

One other thought I forgot to mention - given the time of year, I wasn't planning to prebook any of the accommodations, except for perhaps the first night, in order to have maximum flexibility. It does not seem like it would be a problem in the low season. Any thoughts?

Your plan is not bad. Do not miss the Middleton Distillery outside of Cork.

Hi Howard,<BR><BR>Since you have spent a good deal of time in the lower half of Ireland, you may want to consider the Northwest as your base.<BR><BR>If you search on my email you will find a trip report on Ireland (includes Cotswolds and Wales). It includes our thoughts on a variety of places. <BR><BR>Our favorite part of Ireland was the North and West. It seems that most folks concentrate on the Southern half. Too bad.<BR><BR>A note about going in late November. Many of the historical venues are closed for the season at that time of year.<BR><BR>Have fun

John - Thanks for the advice. I have thought about NW (Donegal in particular seems really nice), but I thought that would be better in the summer months - as it is more rural - for two reasons - as youstate, many historical attractions are closed in winter - this is more so the case in rural areas. In larger towns, life goes on winter or summer, and scenic drives/hiking would not be as appealing in winter.<BR><BR>BTW, I did a search on your e-mail address. Problem was, tehre was so many of them - including ones on Ireland, that I could not find one that deals specifically with what we are discussing here - I opened a few, then gave up.

Howard:<BR><BR>I traveled to Ireland my first time in late November and loved it. I really enjoy the smaller towns with or without the historic sites. I think at that time of year, you get to see more of Irish life and it is exceptional in the smaller towns. I sat for hours in front of a fire with an English couple and the bar staff at a pub in Crookhaven, drinking hard cider (hey, we started before noon, I figured I shouldn't start the Guinness until later) and chatted about everything imaginable. I've never had a better time.<BR><BR>I would agree with John about the Northwest. In my mind, scenery in Ireland is equally, if not more spectacular when the weather isn't perfect. You probably won't get to go on long hike, but slow drives in the countryside will be unforgetable.<BR><BR>Bill

Based on the suggestions above, I reread the sections of my guidebook on N and NW Ireland. Agree, the scenery sounds great, but can't say that I agree that it is great in bad weather. Also like the idea of sitting in a pub, etc. but don't want too spend too much time doing that. Looked up weather statistics since the other day - in Cork, the average number of hours of sunshine per day in Nov. is between 2 and 3. In NW Ireland, the figure is between 1 and 2. Can't say that either number makes my blood pound.<BR><BR>Thanx for the advice.

You're right. You are not going to get great weather anywhere in Ireland at that time of year.

I went in November 2001. Flew into Shannon out of Dublin.<BR>We had great weather. Rain 1 day. Sunny 2 days and overcast the rest. <BR>I suggest making reservations a few nights -especially on the weekend.<BR>We booked ahead for 4 of the night and were glad we did only because many B&B's were closed. Not only the ones that showed in the book. Some were closed for renovations, and many B&B owners were away for holiday. On the weekend when we were just a few hours from Dublin, mny B&B's were booked by weekending Irish.<BR>The days were short and we booked too much but I loved this time of year there- not touristy- really great!<BR>Have a wonderful time!<BR><BR>

I wouldn't spend time in Cork City, but the area around it is nice. Killarny would be nice without the tourist crowds, so would Kinsale. We usually go in September but moved it up to August this year because we're spending a lot of time in Donegal and on the Inishowen Peninsula. The Shannon area and Galway will be business as usual. Suggest www.ireland-withpatpreston.com and ask her for advice.