ResaA

DH and I are traveling to Ireland in October, for the first time. We are flying direct to Dublin spending our first day there (we land at about 8am) and then spending the night, the next day we are driving to Cork and spending 5 days in Cork. Looking for must see and do's in both places - mainly the Cork area. We plan on a day trip toward Waterford, but from there we need suggestions, ideas, etc. Thanks!!

bratsandbeer

http://www.discoverireland.ie/ You may find something here of interest.

Newgrange which is a 1/2 hour north of Dublin is one of my favorite places to see.

Rock of Cashel

Dingle Peninsula.

Viajero2

We could not get out of Cork fast enough. Nowhere near a place where I would spend a day, let alone five, even less as part of a first time in Ireland. Why are you going to Cork for five (5) days!!??

My advice is that you dedicate more time to Dublin. As far as the rest of the time, any suggestion would be a guessing game as we don't know how you plan to move around, ages, likes, dislike, etc... The weblink Discover Ireland and/or a guidebook should be your start point.

Padraig

I think Cork is okay as a base for a few days. The city is not a major destination in itself, but as a base it serves, to the east, Fota, Cobh, and west Waterford (some nice coastal villages). To the west, along the coast, you have some very attractive places like Kinsale, Clonakilty, Glandore, and if you want to take a long drive, the Beara peninsula. To the north-west you have high ground and one of my favourite places, Gougane Barra. And if you must, Blarney is close.

For a great dining experience, vegetarian food that appeals to carnivores, try Café Paradiso: http://www.cafeparadiso.ie/ . Spend a couple of hours in the English Market: http://www.cork-guide.ie/cork_city/english-market.html .

annw

I too would shave time off Cork and add time to Dublin; if you are committed to Cork, In Cork area we've stayed at Kinsale and I would do that again. Lovely spot, good food and drink, nice lodging.

bob_brown

I took a 7 night tour of Ireland. For me there were only two "must seesquot;
the Trinity College Library where the Book of Kells, which is regarded as a national treasure, and the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast.

I presume that the Dingle Peninsula would be fine if one had time to stop and roam a bit. We did not do much on the tour but drive around it.

If you are in for fun and games, you could stay overnight at a hotel in Tralee known correctly as the Earl of Desmond. We (tour members) dubbed it Hotel Crazy Axx for several reasons:
* the toilet handle was in the shower
* the light switches were odd
* turning on the TV was a challenge; the first of us to figure it out told the rest with a hallway announcement
* at dinner, one lady asked for a second cup of tea and was told she could not have it!!
* no hot water for showers one morning
* early in the morning of the day we left a wedding party broke up with loud, long GOODBYEs in the parking lot. The ruckus touched off a shouting match in various accents of the English speaking world. (I do not understand all that Aussie and Kiwi (New zealand) slang, but some of it sounded rather provocative.

Given that our tour schedule condescended to spend only 40 minutes total, bus door to bus door, at the cliffs. (I was not happy with that!!)

So if and when I return to Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher will be priority one; the Dingle will be #2.
The Vale of Avoca is worth seeing as well; it is a lovely place.
(Wicklow is near there.)

ResaA

Thank You for all the advise, tips, etc. Cork is just our stopping ground at night. We are using SPG points (and promos) for the hotel and Cork seemed to fit the best. We plan on driving to different areas and are okay with a few hours in the car to do so, we realize that it will happen, and that we will spend a ton in gas. We are in our upper 20s and definatly into sight-seeing, and taking the country in. We aren't into the bar-scene that much. If that helps at all for other advise... Thanks, again.

sheri_lp

Our rental was a diesel and we didn't spend as much as we thought we would just better MPG I guess.

sandra3120

Bob Brown - your experience of Ireland, which was quite limited, should serve as a lesson to others planning trips: tours are only for people who want to be spoonfed and they disappoint the rest. I hope you do decide to return to Ireland. There is so much more to appreciate than you saw. Resa and her husband are doing the better thing in choosing to drive on their own.

For Resa, Waterford could easily be skipped, but there are other points east of Cork that you may enjoy. West of Cork, there are loads, and I wish you both the best of trips.

johngerard

I stayed in Youghal a few years ago.
Recommend Kinsale, Cobh and a trip around Cork's covered market - the fish market in particular.
I did not particularly like Cork itself as it was still being regenerated in its capital of culture year and the roadworks were terrible.

catherinehaas

Ireland. Been there several times. Could not agree with everyone more. Cork is NOT someplace to spend 5 days. Good that you are getting out during the day.

Few things to know:
1. Blarney Castle - take the bleach wipes if you plan on kissing it. The Irish like to urinate on the "stone" at night.
2. Kylemore Abbey - wonderful place to spend the day. Take the drive out via Clifden.
3. Ashford Castle - beautiful castle but they will not let you inside unless you are staying there.
4. Cliffs of Moher - Most spectacular place, especially at sunset. WOW!
5. Glendalough - This is in the Wicklow Mountains and is breathtaking. This is a must if you are driving.

Worth noting - Southern Ireland is different from the north. I LOVE northern Ireland!!! More mountainous....

Ireland is wonderful... The people are truly delightful. Watch out for the beer - bit stronger.

Padraig

catherinehaas wrote: " Blarney Castle - take the bleach wipes if you plan on kissing it. The Irish like to urinate on the "stone" at night." and "The people are truly delightful."

Are you suggesting that pissing on something people kiss is the behaviour of delightful people?

Taking the piss is an Irish tradition. We do not award points for fooling the truly gullible.

The best route from Cork to Kylemore Abbey is not via Clifden.

catherinehaas

Note:

I did not say that the route to Kylemore Abbey via Clifden was the shortest. But I thought that the views on that route were spectacular. Matter of opinion.

Young spirited people exist everywhere and do crazy things. The whole of the Irish people are wonderful, even if a few decide to piss on the Blarney Stone at night. I was just passing along facts that I wish I had known ahead of time... Take it for what it is worth...

wojazz3

A few things:

5 days in Co Cork is a great idea if you like slow travel. I've spent a week there before and didn't come close to running ouit of things to do. I'm not a fan of the city, but the county has some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland and the landscape is dotted with antiquities.

Ah yes, pointing Roger at the Rock. The story is likely to be an urban legend, though I'm sure it has probably happened but is highly unlikely it's an everynight event. Probably the locals trying to kee the tour buses away.

The beer being stronger. Well not really. Guinness Draft is somewhere between 4.0-4.2 ABV which is very close to 3.2 beer in the states. 3.2 beer in the states is measured in ABW and 3.2 is about 4.0. Guinness is both low alcohol and low calorie (not much more than light beers in the States) and apparently chock full of antioxidants so drink it to your health. The other stouts are similar in alchol content. Smithwicks sold on tap in Ireland is actually slightly lower (from what I can find on line, but the US bottled version range is 3.8 - 4.5 abv. Well, you get the point. The beers aren't really that strong. OK, that wasn't very interesting. I need to get a life.

Bill