We are just starting to plan a trip to bring my mom and her 2 sisters (and the sister's daughters)to Ireland. My mom (born in Sligo 84 years ago)hasn't been there since after WWII. She still has a brother there.

We are thinking of going during the 3rd week of July 2007 - unless that is some big festival week in Ireland !

Is there any week that we should stay away from during the month of July. We prefer it to be on the quiet side of mayhem.

Thanks.
T.

I think it depends on where you go exactly...we were in Ireland July 8 through 23 2006 and didn't hit any festivals...there are some web-sites and books which list Irish festivals but sorry I don't have them handy...I remember consulting many web-sites and books to make sure we wouldn't be in an area at the same time as a festival.

Galway was going to have a festival but we stayed in County Clare and left for Westport before Galway's festival for example...

If you plan well you shouldn't have a problem. Good luck! How wonderful you're taking your Mom back!

Any particular counties you'll be headed for? We stayed at a nice b&b in Westport and another nice farmhouse in Hillsborough, County Down, south of Belfast.

This is a great web-site. I used fodors and I also used www.IrelandYes.com. I recommend both if you really like to get into planning. I know I did.

The Yeats Summer School is held in Sligo each year, but I think it begins the last week in July.

Thank you for your replies. Keeping away from the Yeat Summer School type things are exactly the kind of information that I was hoping for. Thanks so very much.

My mom was born in Sligo and her brother is still there, so definately heading there for a day or two - now to plan it away from the summer school dates.

As for planning - yes, I'm a planner, but I'm leaving this trip to my sister and a cousin. My sister is a planner, so I'll definately pass those sites along.

Oh, notice how I'm already posting to Fodors when I'm not the one planning !

Big summer festivals only really apply to Dublin, Galway & Limerick - Horse shows,races & odd concerts. Festivals like the Yeats are hardly likely to affect you & would probably make the trip more interesting. Throughout the summer every town is trying to promote itself with festivals & shows. I always buy the weekly papers for 2 or 3 areas where I am staying to see what is going on that looks interesting.
Sligo is like a crossroads & traffic is always bad but new road developments are benefitting the town. The river area is really nice now & the shopping area is compact. I like the drive out to Strandhill which is still like a real sleepy 50's seaside town - I have some photo's of it in the 50's & there is little change to the seafront.

The Yeats Summer School only happens around Sligo Town and is not a major crowd-drawing festival, so I wouldn't worry too much about avoiding it.
What part of Sligo will you be visiting as I can give you info re things to do around Sligo area.

Well, as I said my sister is planning this.

As for Sligo, we will be visiting family in Culfadda, Ballymote.

My sister is still figuring out whether we want to stay in one place for a week or drive to destinations and stay there. She was thinking to stay in Galway for the week and make day trips.

Thanks for everything.

I last went to Ballymote 14 years ago - they had 2 bars serving soup at dinner time & there were the ruins of a castle. The town is small but the main street is wide. I have been tempted to go back and give it another chance especially when there have been notices for festivals there from the N4. It is about 30 mins from Sligo but could be used as a base though you may have difficulty with accomodation for your party. It would be 2 hours to Westport, 1.5 hours to Knock, Ballina, Enniscrone, Donegal and within an hours trip of Sligo, Parkes castle, Lough Arrow, Lough Key & Carrick on Shannon. Galway might be a bit too far for the driver(s) in your group.
To avoid the packing & unpacking of a touring holiday in view of the number in your group you would be best picking at most 3 stops & touring from there.
Some of Irelands pleasures can be experienced in some unlikely places - for me I came across a donkey & cart outside a shop in Gurteen, there was a milk churn on the cart & I took a photo that I look at often - why? because my father often told me stories of when he was a boy & he would see a donkey & cart with a milk churn each morning at the very same crossroads in Gurteen. I have not seen it there since & there is little else to stop for at Gurteen but I'm still glad I went there.

Gurteen is my area! There is the Coleman Center if you are at all interested in music. Michael Coleman, the great fiddle player was born in Killavil right down the road from Gurteen. They have ceili's and set dancing lessons in the center and a pretty nice interprative center on Irish music and dancing. There is usually a great sesiun in Teach Murray's with Peter Horan. Just down the road towards Monastraden is Clogher Stone Fort. It is on the McDermott estate in the little woods. I have never seen anybody there when I went. It has a souterrain that you can crawl through. Amazing! Also, the ruins of Moygara Castle is close and St. Attracta's Holy Well. And of course the best place in all Ireland, my granny's house where I lived and they would collect the creamery cans with the horse carts to take into the creamery in Gurteen! You just have to know the right places to go :=)