slippypenguin

So, I started planning a trip to Ireland for my husband and I last summer, that is until he said to scrap the idea. Now it is back on the table and I'm a bit stressed. We are looking at flying from the east coast (MD) into Dublin or Shannon on July 19th/20th and staying in Ireland until July 29th or 30th. I have no idea what seems like a reasonable amount of time for our trip. I also have no idea when/how to go about figuring out lodging and timing. My husband is willing to drive, so that should not be a problem (yes, we know the roads are crazy). We have listed some things we want to do/see:
Ring of Kerry
Cliffs of Moher
A castle or two (which ones?)
Guinness tour
Jameson? (I'm a whiskey fan)- is it worth it
We do not care to deal with the Blarney stone (is this a mistake?)
We also love food/culture and would love to check out a farm or some markets...
As you can see I really have no idea and I am very overwhelmed. Advice on places to go and things to see as well as timing would be great! Also, since it is our first time we were thinking about doing a tour. Thoughts on this? Thank you in advance!

slippypenguin

Other places of interest:
Book of Kells
Avoca Handweavers
Rock of Chashel

longhorn55

You are looking at 10 days to tour Ireland. This is a good amount of time, but just know that you can't see and do everything in 10 days (or 20 days or 30 days...)

You are already getting a good start by listing the things you are interested in seeing. BTW, it's not a mistake to skip the Blarney Stone. It's your vacation--see and do what YOU want to do, not what anyone else thinks you should see and do.

Now, start reading a couple of good guidebooks from your library or bookstore to come up with a list of everything you'd like to see and do. Then consult a good map of Ireland (we used the Rough Guide map, but the OSI maps are highly recommended) and the online AA Route Planner for Ireland to see how much area is actually feasible for you to cover in those 10 days. Delete sites and activities as necessary.

Consider flying in to Shannon and out of Dublin (or vice versa) to maximize the amount of ground you cover in those 10 days.

You have many choices regarding accommodations--castles, hotels and B&Bs. The guidebooks you read will have some recommendations and I found that the reviews on Trip Advisor were a great source. I booked all of the B&Bs we used on our two trips to Ireland based on TA reviews and I wasn't disappointed in any of them.

Personally, I found it a lot of fun to plan our two self-guided trips to Ireland, but if you think it will be too overwhelming, you can always try a tour. You'll just have to weigh the pros and cons of organized tours and decide what's right for YOU.

Hope this info is helpful in getting you started on your plans.

leslieq

Don't bother with the Blarney stone...but DO see the Lakes of Killarney and Muckross Castle. Both are gorgeous and you can plan them around the Ring of Kerry. Be sure to pop into an Irish pub to hear the traditional music (am biased, as I play it).

julia1

So, why are you interested in visiting Ireland? (As opposed to, say, England, Italy, Germany, etc...) I would start there, with your answers to that question, if I were you. You've listed a few sites, that's a beginning.

I suggest visiting your public library or a nearby bookstore and checking out a few Ireland guidebooks. Many such books offer a few sample itineraries to give you an idea of what is possible, whether what you prefer is to skim the highlights of a country or to delve more deeply into the culture, the history, whatever it is that turns you on and makes you want to visit. Check out the Rick Steves Ireland offerings, including a sample itinerary, here: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...d/ire_menu.htm I know it's trendy to put him down for one reason or another, but many people will agree that he's built a very successful organization by simplifying travel for people who want to follow in his footsteps through places like Ireland, both north and south.

Dublin is an interesting city. If you fly into Dublin, you could use pubic transportation for a few days while you check out the city and what it has to offer you, then pick up a rental car for the remainder of your trip. If you're interested in visiting Northern Ireland as well, you could head north toward Belfast from Dublin. The Antrim coast is stunning. As is Ireland's west coast. You could do a circle tour, across the top of the island, down the west coast to the Dingle Peninsula, then fly out of Shannon.

Ireland is an easy place to visit on your own. If you're unpractised in driving on the left side of the road, it's really not that difficult and you'll find yourself feeling pretty comfortable sooner than you expect, in my experience. I've spent a total of more than five weeks both north and south and still haven't seen it all. I tell you this to encourage you not to feel like you have to rush around trying to see it all. Pick and choose what you find most interesting, then plot your route on a map, leaving a good amount of unscheduled 'free' time for serendipity and unexpected stops to add the magic to your trip.

jaja

Well, you could:
Day one. Arrive Shannon, check out the area and get over jetlag. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Knappogue Castle, Craggaunowen. Stay Bunratty or Ennis.

Day two. Drive to the Cliffs (I prefer the boat tour. That's your call). Head south, take the ferry and stay Killarney.

Day three. Drive the Ring of Kerry. Stay Killarney.

Day four. Explore the Beara Peninsula. Stay Bantry or somewhere around there, Kinsale, perhaps.

Day five. Drive through Cahir (castle and Swiss Cottage) and Cashel (Rock of Cashel) to Kilkenny. Stay Kilkenny.

Day six. Explore around Kilkenny. Lots to do there. Stay Kilkenny.

Day seven. Drive northeast to visit Glendalough, Avoca, Powerscourt. Turn in car at Dun Laoghaire and stay there.

Days eight and nine. Public transport to Dublin and explore. Hop-on-hop-off bus tour, perhaps. You'll see the Book of Kells (one page, anyway) and can take the Guinness tour which isn't really a tour but you get a drink at the end. You may take the Jameson tour here but I don't know much about that.

Lots of farms and markets all along the route.

There, I think we ticked all the boxes...now you can start playing around with my ideas and see what suits your fancy. I'm sure other will chime in!

jaja

A couple of other thoughts...rather than driving the Ring of Kerry, take the Gap of Dunloe tour. Many people prefer the Beara Peninsula to the Ring of Kerry anyway.

Lots of B&Bs are on working farms, which is always interesting.

tower

As "Longhorn" says above: <i>Personally, I found it a lot of fun to plan our two self-guided trips to Ireland, but if you think it will be too overwhelming, you can always try a tour. You'll just have to weigh the pros and cons of organized tours and decide what's right for YOU</i>


Penguin:
I've traveled Ireland several times in the 70's, 80's, 90's as recently as '96, and I've driven each time. I never thought I would say this, since I'm a fiercely independent traveler worldwide..but honestly, in the state of mind you describe, I would suggest you go to a travel agent and find a tour. You'll see a good chunk of the country without any of the hassle which many first time travelers want to avoid.

Please believe me, I'm being sincere. Whatever you finally decide, please DO try to take the trip. You'll love it one way or another...promise.

Here's a taste of what Ireland was not too many years ago, when we visited Boston family connections and watched their little thatched roof cottage blossom into the modern era, with help from the government...which I've recorded herein:

Stu Tower

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...6PhMe88fG7yQE#

Ayla_C

We really enjoyed the Jameson tour. In fact we did the tour in Dublin and the one in Middleton. Offer to be a volunteer when they ask at the beginning. We skipped the Guinness one as we heard it is more just paying for a really expensive Guinness with a nice view. If you want an interesting brewery tour the Smithwicks tour in Kilkenny is very interesting, but they only do them certain days (at least when we went last year) and you'll need a reservation.

I think we might be in the minority here, but we really enjoyed Blarney Castle. We didn't kiss the stone but the grounds were absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed it so much more then the Rock of Cashel, which was mainly covered with scaffolding and no gardens. I agree with Jaja on the Cliffs cruise, but when we were there it was very rough seas and many people got seasick. So just beware and have strong stomachs if you decide to do that.

We were in Ireland for 10 days as well and did the self drive thing. You could spend a lot more time there but we were happy with that amount of time. We flew in and out of Dublin (better airfare and cheaper car rental to return to the same place). I suggest going through Dan Dooley for the car rental. They were great to work with and no hidden fees. The roads were definitely crazy but my husband loved driving on them.

I did all my lodging research on TripAdvisor and then contacted B&Bs to check availability. I think that you have plenty of time to get things figured out for a self drive tour.

GreenDragon

penguin, go check out Michele at www.irelandyes.com. She has been to Ireland over 50 times and has a very active and helpful forum. You've gotten good advice above - use that and start forming your plans.

I also recommend flying into one and out of the other airport (DUB and SNN). Dan Dooley is a great, low-stress car rental - you pay the price you are quoted, no extra add-ons.

Blarney - meh. I've never been, and I've gone to Ireland 4 times.

For planning, estimate about 35mph for driving times. Add to that stops for random tractors, sheep, photo opps, rest stops, and just stopping and looking at the fantastic landscape.

I have all my trip reports here if you want some light reading to cure your insomnia

allisonm

We went to Ireland for the first time in 1995. I really wasn't sure what to see or do, so I looked at a couple of tours, took their highlights and planned our own tour.

We had two teenaged sons with us and did way too much but had a blast. We have learned to slow down.

I agree to fly into one airport and out another. You can take jaja's plan and reverse it if you want to start in Dublin for a couple of nights, where you won't need a car. That would eliminate any need to drive the first day, and you can pick up a car at the airport and head south.

We went to Blarney Castle and enjoyed it. The grounds were beautiful in July, and you can do some shopping in the Woolen Mills nearby.

I agree that the Beara Penninsula is more interesting than the Ring of Kerry. You could base in Kenmare (one of our favorites) and still see a part of the ROK on the drive from Kenmare to Killarney.

The planning isn't as overwhelming as you think! Once you sit down and start to get a game plan in place, it will be lots of fun. And you can keep coming back here to fine tune.

(We are going back for trip #9 in April!)

indy_dad

We chose to focus on SW Ireland. Commentary and photos:

http://ukfrey.blogspot.com/2011/08/ireland.html

Good luck.