Thia

I will be travelling around Ireland in May '98. I have read a bit of information about Ireland and places to visit, however, I am looking for any suggestions on an itinerary/route to follow. We will be starting in Dublin and travelling for around 2 weeks. We would like to visit all the traditional "tourist" attractions, but would also like suggestions for small towns, Celtic sites, out of the way places, etc. Also, if anyone has stayed at a castle hotel in Ireland, we'd love recommendations! Thanks!

Avril

Hi Thia.I was born in Limerick which is on the west coast of Ireland( directly across from Dublin on the east)and Dublin is a good place to start your trip.Then when that's 'done' you can really start to have fun.IE:THE WEST IS THE BEST!!As Ireland is a small country it is very pleasurable to DRIVE from town to town and not get bored as the scenery especially on coastal roads is spectacular.Warning: you will not want to come home so bring all your life's possessions with you (your cat/dog/husbandetc.)Try driving from Dublin to Limerick(2 hours)stay one night in Limerick-don't miss King John's Castle.Then drive down the coast road to Tralee and the whole west coast of Kerry(The ring of Kerry)Killarney is famous for its scenery and Lakes.Then drive to Cork,on the south coast and don't miss Kinsale.Further alond is Waterford home of the famous crystal.Then Wexford and Wicklow and back up to Dublin if you have to leave from Dublin.If you don't have your heart set on flying into Dublin you should fly into Shannon on the west coast.My home in Limerick is 20 mins.from Shannon airport and I could suggest a whole other itinerary for that area.So let me know if you are flexible.Avril

Tom

Thia: I travelled in the northern half of Ireland in April,'96which should supplement what the Irish, Avril has said above. In so doing, I saw many castles, forts and Celtic sites (e.g., stone crosse) north of Donegal and up towards Inishowen. It's an incredible feeling to stumble across one of these historic spots - well
off the beaten path - often times in the middle of a pasture. If you want more details - just e-mail me or re-post again. On that note, since you're starting in Dublin, stop by a book store and pick-up a book about the above which will give you fare more details than you'd ever imagine!

Patrick Williams

It will be hard to beat the "packaged" tour of southern Ireland provided thru BLUE HEART TOURS in DC. They offer a 10 day deal that includes 2 meals/VERY decent hotels/ground transport/entry fees/and RT airfare from DULLES for under $1200/person.
Took it in '95 and would love to go again. VERY easy traveling itinerary and lots of stops at the wonderful "no name" places in the country.
Slainte' !!

Shawn Ricoy

My husband and I spent two weeks in Ireland July 97. We drove and stayed in B&Bs the whole way. We flew in and out of Shannon, so we started on the west coast, and just headed north from Shannon. The West and northwest are beautiful, and less congested with tourists (which is the way we prefer to travel). I especially enjoyed the Cliffs of Moher, Kylemore Abbey, Glenveagh Nat'l Park, climbing Croagh Patrick, towns of Ballyna, Letterkenny, Derry, Giants Causeway, Dublin, island of Insishmore,and Ballybunion. We hit almost everything except the southern coast and Ring of Kerry. We hit the Dingle Penninsula instead. We liked the smaller towns, great pub food, very friendly people. Enjoy!

Mary

The best advice I got before we went to Ireland was: Stay West of the Shannon and it has been repeated above; I don't know where you're from, but we are from the East Coast so for us Dublin pretty much looked like a combination of Boston and New York--it's great for a day or two, but then you'll want to get to the Dingle Peninsula, Galway and we especially loved Conamarra--beautiful with classic small pubs to stop at; the one "touristy" thing I highly recommend is to drive the Ring of Kerry.

We used the Aer Lingus car and B&B package--great value and at each B&B the landlady would call ahead to her friend in the next town we were going to--we were never steered wrong.

One tip--it took us longer to drive everywhere than we expected because of the small roads--so just take your time and enjoy the incredible scenery.

If you're flying in and out of Shannon--we actually flew into Dublin and out of Shannon which is a nice way to do it--give yourself time at the great duty-free there.

Have a great time.

Seamus

Just returned from a grand time in Ireland, a charmed trip during which everythign just seemed to fall into place. As mentioned by others, Dublin is a must for a day or two, then head out to experience what most Amercians envision as "the real Ireland". Our trip was booked through Destinations Ireland & Great Britain in Brooklyn, and the agent (Jay) did a smashing job of arranging everything on the "Castles & Manors" package. We had a great driver to ourselves, and satyed in the finest places. A highlight was a night at Ballymaloe House in County Cork- home to the "Martha Stewart of Ireland" and a renowned cooking school; prepare to eat likje royalty in a warm, welcoming environment. Another memorable stay was at The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge - be sure to have dinner there. Glenlo Abbey in Galway was great, as well, but a bit more hotel-ish than the other places. Some definites: don't miss the passage tombs at Newgrange; try to take in Muckross House near Killarney; and don't drive yourself unless you are prepared for total culture shock and have great insurance.

D. Quirk

Avril, 4 of us, 3 sisters and 1 husband in their 40s and 50s are landing in Shannon on Dec27. We have no idea what to do. What can we do for New Years? We'll be in the country until Jan 5.

D Quirk

E-mail address is incorrect in message by D. Quirk. Should be ,[email protected] Now, where to spend New Years? Is this a complete mistake, Ireland in January? What can we do? Is everything closed?

jorge

Hi. I'm from Portugal. With some friends we are planning a trip to Ireland next spring. I'd like to thank you all for the good suggestions. I think it is possible to do a trip with the advantage if using the Bed & Breakfast facility in all Ireland. We heard it's less expensive and very confortable. Is it a good choice? Any more suggestions?
Thank you, see you soon.
Jorge