I plan on being in Ireland with my girlfriend from June 14-21. I am flying from London to Dublin around 11 am and I fly out of Shannon on the 21st at 5 pm. As of right now this is my itinerary. I have not booked any hotels/B &B?s so I am looking for any recommendations. Also, I would like to spend one night in a castle, but I don?t want to spend over $225 for the luxury. Anyway

14 Arrive in Dublin
15 Tour Dublin
16 Rent a car and head toward Waterford
17 Drive to see Cork, Blarney Ect and then head to Killarny. (Is that too far for one day?)
18 Tour Around The Ring of Kerry
19 (This is where I need some help) Drive to Ennis
20 Drive to Galway
21 Drive back to Shannon

I would really appreciate any input.

Doesn't sound too bad.
I would probably skip Ennis, and head on into Galway ( or maybe stay at Dromoland castle or Ashford castle that night) You will have a lot of daylight so , if you take your time, you should make it to Galway in one day.

If you save the castle to your last night, you could still choose from either Dromoland or Ashford - you don't have to be to the airport until about 2:30 or 3, so you have a bit of leeway on where you stay your last night.

I would probably not stay in Waterford. Either stay in Kilkenny (45 min north of Waterford) or do the Crystal Factory and head on to Cashel /Cahir . Much more quaint.

Book ahead your nights in Dublin, your Castle night , and if Galway is a weekend - you might want to book that too. Depends on how much you like hunting for a B&B when you get into town.

Debbie

Sounds like a fun but always too short trip. You'll probably be making plans for a return on your trip home. Your plan has you jumping from town to town every night, which is not the most fun, but given your trip, may be the best choice given what you want to see. Pack light. If you were going for longer, you would definitely want to slow down.

14th - Fine; Book your rooms now, they book up very early on the weekends if you are staying in the city center.

15th - Fine: Take one of the bus tours of Dublin. It takes you by most of the sites and the info on them is good. Note: if you go the the Guinness brewery, you will actually be visiting a musem about Guinness, not the actual brewery. The pub at the top has a great view of Dublin.

16th - I'm not a huge fan of Waterford City. Other than the crystal factory it's not that wonderful. OK, you have your girlfriend with you so you may have to go, but there is other crystal and you can buy waterford crystal anywhere in the country. Cost is the same. I would go to either Kilkenny or Cashel/Cahir instead. If you stayed in Cahir or Cashel, you could see Kilkenny on the way. BTW, it will stay light VERY late into the evening. The sun will set after 10PM.

17th - No need to visit Cork. Not very tourist friendly and very hard to find your way around. You will be lost several times. The Blarney stone is Ireland's biggest tourist trap. The grounds around Blarney are pretty, but there's so many other castles to see. You could easily make it from Cahir to Killarney in one day. In June esp, I would not stay in Killarney. Kenmare would be a good option. Another possibility would be to go to Dingle instead of The Ring of Kerry.

18th - With only one day in the area, I think I would do Dingle instead of the Ring of Kerry. Both are beautiful RoK being a bit more subtle. General opinion is, mile for mile, you get more bang for your buck in Dingle.

19th - Fine - Thake the Tarbert-Killimer ferry across the River Shannon and catch the Cliffs of Moher. Warning: The cliffs will be packed from about 9:00-4:00. try to visit them later in the day. There are lots of towns to stay in around Ennis. You could feasibly find a central location to Galway and Co Clare that would prevent you from having to move on the last two nights.

Now that I've said that, I only know of one "castle" (there may be more) that would fit into the price range. Most of them are very high end hotels. North of Galway is Cregg Castle which is actually a manor house I believe. They have great food and the family performs music on most nights. The place gets very high reviews. I haven't made it there yet. Dromoland and Ashford are quite expensive though they may have some deals now. I saw that Ashford had rates at E125 pp in May for some of the smaller rooms. Check out the websites.

This was a quick shot at the itinerary and honestly, and there are many many options. I tried to stick close to your plan. You will get many opinions. Have Fun!!!

Bill

Thanks Debbie and Bill for the advice.

So with that said......I don't have a real need to go to Galway and I don't want to spread myself too thin.. I just wanted to see the sights around the Ring of Kerry and then move on to see the Cliff of Moher. So I think I should adjust the trip and spend the 18th, 19th and 20th in and around the area. Would either of you suggest where I should stay and which area should I spend two nights and where I sould stay for one. Thanks again.

Well, then - I would spend the 16th & 17th around the Cashel area
Then base yourself between Killarney & Dingle for your 3 nights 18-19-20. That way you can settle in, but see most all of the area.

If you want a manor type house for one night , you could do Adare Manor(?) or move up and stay on the 20th at Dromoland, if they are in your price range.

Debbie

Rujackmac,

You'll have a splendid time in Ireland, but I think your itinerary would benefit from a bit of tinkering.

First and foremost, both Blarney and Waterford Crystal make for pleasant enough visits, but neither is worth a special trip. Given your time constraints, allow me to suggest that you spend a full day (perhaps even two) in the close-to-Dublin Wicklow Mountains. The area is quite scenic and features some solid tourist attractions, two of which are Powerscourt and Glendalough.

From County Wicklow I would suggest that you head west, making a stop at the must-see Rock of Cashel, in Co. Tipperary, and then it's on to Dingle. You'll want two full days in Dingle, perhaps taking a bike ride along the magnificent Slea Head, and another day to explore, via a short ferry ride, the Blasket Islands.

From Dingle you'll need to head north, cross the Shannon, and perhaps spend your final night in West Clare. If you're staying in or near Doolin, consider The Lazy Lobster for dinner. If you're in Lahinch, Mr. Eamonn's is especially good as well.

Best of luck.

P.S. For a listing of tourist-tested accommodations in Irelend, check-out the following website: http://users.net1plus.com/dillon/ireland.html

Don't stay in Killarney. Stay in Kenmare - about 20 miles over the mountains from Killarney. Shelbourne Lodge is a fantastic B&B you'll love it - also Kenmare is comapct village with really good restaurants (also has 2 5* hotels - Sheen Falls and The Park if you want to push the boat out - even if you don't want to push the boat out go to The Park for cocktails it has a wonderful atmosphere). I promise you won't regret Kenmare! If you like driving the mountain road has some great scenery and hair pin bends - try to go in the evening (bright till late) when the tour buses are gone. If windy mountain roads scare you then head towards from Killarney Cork and take the well sign posted turn about 10/12 miles out.
I wish I was going back to Kenmare this year!