Ireland itinerary - help!
 

My husband and I are going to Ireland in March for our 25th wedding anniversary. Never been before. We plan to fly into the Shannon airport and stay 2 nights. We will then travel to the other side of the country where we have a room for 7 nights (outside of Dublin) and then fly back home from Dublin airport. While on the Shannon side of the country, we would like to see the Cliffs of Moher for sure, but don't know what else to see in our limited time there. We would be interested in castles and experiencing historic Irish culture (like a medieval banquet or something like the Irish Evening that is offered at Bunratty Castle). Also, we weren't sure where to stay. Galway? Shannon? Somewhere in between? I have questions about what all to see the 7 days we will be on the eastern side, but we'll tackle one question at a time. :) Thank you in advance!!

The Aran Islands are wonderful and I recommend them highly. It's at least a half-day to visit them.

Two days for Clare is like 2 hours for New York but then most folk think there's only 1/2 mile of tourist cliff and a bit of moonscape. Fact is that just the Burren and Cliffs geo park covers an area twice the size of the entire Dingle peninsula which many on here say takes 3 days at least?

I always give Ennis as the best touring base for all of Clare including here in the east of the county as well. Bunratty is fine if you can get into the Banquet and plan on going to bed before 9pm. Doolin is the only place in Ireland for music, if you believe some press but with only 3 bars to chose from? Kinvara also has a Castle banquet and is becoming more popular. Galway is the city option as would be Limerick

https://goo.gl/UtW24m

S

missed the last bit,,

S...hannon itself has an Airport and a couple of industrial estates, its a working town and not much on the front for visitors.

I agree with Tony2phones about having Ennis as a touring base. It is a delightful town, and I spent only one night at the Old Ground Hotel. I wish I could have stayed in the town -- and the Hotel -- longer. By the way, if you are going in March, wear warm clothes. I was there in August and was so glad I took my light down jacket and a cashmere sweater!

Thank you all so much!! I know that 2 days is most definitely not enough. We actually just decided to add those two days to dedicate to the Clare area. Our original trip was just to stay in Killiney in County Dublin and do day trips here and there from that location. . . . I know we are going to get there and wish we had a ton more time. Is the castle experience worth doing or a waste of time? It seems cool, but you never know about those things.

Any suggestions from anyone on the best way to see things/best things to see from the County Dublin side?

There is so much I want to see and take in. This is a bit overwhelming for sure!

Thanks again!

Is your time near Dublin set in stone? If it was me I'd do the reverse and spend more time on the West Coast and just a few days near Dublin.

Yes, our time in Dublin is set in stone. I'm kind of wishing now that it wasn't. I don't intend to spend the entire week in Dublin City though -- we want to explore as much as possible.

If you are confined to Dublin, then the city itself has loads to keep you occupied for 2 or 3 days. You can get the DART into the city centre from Killiney ( its actually a lovely trip overlooking Dublin Bay). These are a few things to do in town itself
Trinity College - The Long Hall & The Book of Kells
Jeannie Johnson Famine Ship,
Kilmainham Jail ( a must)
Croke Park Museum,
Christchurch and St Patrick Cathedrals
Guinness Storehouse ( very touristy)
Dublin Castle ( not really a castle but great history as the HQ of British Rule in Ireland)

From Dublin, you could do day tours to the following
Newgrange ( a huge megalithic tomb that predates the pyramids and Stonehenge. Indeed, the people who built it 5000 years ago, constructed it in such a manner , that every year, at dawn on the shortest day, the sun shines directly into the main passage and lights up the interior)

Another tour would be to Belfast, to the Titanic Experience ( very good). If there, be sure to take a black taxi tour, which will give you an insight into the "Troubles".
You could also take a day tour to the Giants Causeway from Dublin, but this would be a long day.

I'm sure I've left out a load of stuff, but I'm sure somebody will be along with more suggestions. Incidentally, I too, would have reversed the amount of days spent in the west and Dublin

How exciting. My husband and I are in the process of planning our 2nd visit for May of 16. We went for 9 days 2 years ago with our two college aged children. We talk about our trip often. We flew into Shannon and drove to Clifden (too far after flight)..I would stay somewhere near shannon. Galway is a must see as are the Cliffs, then we drove to Adare Manor in Limerick, we are returning there for 3 nights as we loved the area so much. Killarney was fabulous and the Rings of Kerry were unbelievable. We only stayed in Waterford for one night and the city closed up at 6. Dublin was great and the previous posters put the highlights. I would suggest NO car in Dublin...too scary for us. Ireland is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. We just celebrated our 25th this past summer. Happy Anniversary. Mary

I am planning June trip so looking forward to hearing more about your plans and trip report. I'm thinking 3 nights in Dublin since history and art museums as well as Book of Kells are on my list.