Ireland Trip Report
Mar 25th, 2006 | 06:56 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 125
Likes: 0
Ireland Trip Report
Day 1
Flew into Shannon from Boston via Aer Lingus. Once again proved to be an exceptionally comfortable ride, the food isn't even half bad. Seats seem a bit roomier than on other airlines. Rented car from Hertz. Paid the extra 10E a day to use the Neverlost System by Magellen (GPS Computer). This was an unbelievable help. I strongly recommend it. Drove to Lough Gur and saw several different neolithic sites. The Great Stone Circle and Megalithic Tombs were pretty neat. There are also two ruined castles. It's like a trip through time. We didn't even see anyone else on this part of the trip which made it even better for the excursion of the beaten path. We then drove on to Kinsale. This was a nice little town known for it's food. We ate at the White House pub. I had the catch of the day (haddock) which was prepared very well and my boyfriend had a wonderfully delicious and tender sirloin. We had pints of Murphy's to wash it all down. We spent several hours exploring Charles Fort which we really enjoyed (history buffs). We stayed at the Waterlands B&B which was close to the town but not close enough to walk. The breakfast was great, the rooms immaculate, and the hosts were wonderful. It is a great B&B to base out of. One critism I would have for Kinsale is that even the off-season traffic was crazy. There are two public lots that were nearly full so we spent some time looking for a parking spot.
Day 2
We drove onto Cashel. We got there a bit early and it was raining pretty steadily but we are hearty New-Englanders. The Rock of Cashel was a great stop. This is one of those sites that lives up to the hipe. We spent a long time there. We then went to the Bru Boru Heritage Center. I will tell you now that it was a waste of time and money. We then checked into Joy's Rockside B&B. Thank you Fodorites for the recommendation because this was a great B&B!!! In a country of friendly people, the owners of this place were the friendliest. Clean, good breakfast, good conversation, good information, etc. We then headed downtown to the tourist info place. That is worth the stop. They have the original declartions of Cashel there and a history of the town. And all I wanted was stamps for my post cards! Cashel was a nice town. Better driving a parking situations. We walked around and ate at a pub called Hannigan's recommended by the B&B folks. We had Chicken Kiev & Chicken Cordon Bleu. Very good, big portions, and the Guinness washed it all down. We even had a pretty decent espresso there.
Day 3
We headed to Wicklow via Glendalough. We first stopped at the Browne's Hill Dolmen. Thank goodness for Neverlost because we would have been. If you are coming from Carlow (on the R726?) it is on the right. Believe me when I say if you blink you will miss it. If you like to look at 4000 year old rock structures, don't miss it. Finally, the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. The mountains were very interesting from a geological/ecological standpoint. Worth a look see. The visitor center at Glendalough has a short movie and tour that is a pretty good introduction to the sites you will tour. I really enjoyed Glendalough. The Upper Lake is a nice hike over a asphalt path but nothing too difficult. The sites are worth seeing. Then onto Wicklow. I did not like this town very much. Traffic was nuts and it seems a bit run down. We stayed at the Silver Sands B&B. It's got a great location right on the main drag with a great view but it's small and a bit run down. The propieters were not friendly at all. Breakfast was good. We ate a great Italian dinner in town at a restaraunt called Papa?.. shoot I lost the name, it is Papasomething and was great.
Days 4-6
Dublin... We drove into Dublin Center to drop of the Hertz rental. With the Neverlost it was no problem (we know another couple who spent 3 hours looking and finally just gave up and dropped at the airport). We then walked about a half-hour to our hotel The Westbury. We don't normally spend that kind of money on a hotel but it was worth it. Incredible service, I mean incredible. The rooms were immaculate the location could not be better (right off Grafton St.) There is a pub outside called McDaid's that is perfect for someone in their mid-30s. Other places made us feel like we were 60. Great pub, GREAT GUINNESS. We love Italian food. We ate at Little Ceasar's and Milano. Both places had very good food. The latter was more modern and the former traditional Italian. Either one is recommended by us. We went to Trinity to see the book of Kells. It wasn't too crowded but if it was it might be a waste. We also went to the National Museum and Christchurch which would be good at any time of year. We were there for St. Patrick's Day. The parade was pretty good but not as good as those in New York and Boston. At 2, when the parade was done, everyone poured into the pubs and the mayhem began. It was alot of fun and the city did an excellent job hosting such a fun event. We took a taxi to the airport. Plan anywhere from 1/2 hr to and hr to get there. We didn't take quite as long because it was Saturday. The trip cost 35 E plus tip. We took Aer Lingus back as always we love that airline.
I hope that might help any confused travelers out there. This was our second trip by the way. We love Ireland more every time we go. Happy travels!
Flew into Shannon from Boston via Aer Lingus. Once again proved to be an exceptionally comfortable ride, the food isn't even half bad. Seats seem a bit roomier than on other airlines. Rented car from Hertz. Paid the extra 10E a day to use the Neverlost System by Magellen (GPS Computer). This was an unbelievable help. I strongly recommend it. Drove to Lough Gur and saw several different neolithic sites. The Great Stone Circle and Megalithic Tombs were pretty neat. There are also two ruined castles. It's like a trip through time. We didn't even see anyone else on this part of the trip which made it even better for the excursion of the beaten path. We then drove on to Kinsale. This was a nice little town known for it's food. We ate at the White House pub. I had the catch of the day (haddock) which was prepared very well and my boyfriend had a wonderfully delicious and tender sirloin. We had pints of Murphy's to wash it all down. We spent several hours exploring Charles Fort which we really enjoyed (history buffs). We stayed at the Waterlands B&B which was close to the town but not close enough to walk. The breakfast was great, the rooms immaculate, and the hosts were wonderful. It is a great B&B to base out of. One critism I would have for Kinsale is that even the off-season traffic was crazy. There are two public lots that were nearly full so we spent some time looking for a parking spot.
Day 2
We drove onto Cashel. We got there a bit early and it was raining pretty steadily but we are hearty New-Englanders. The Rock of Cashel was a great stop. This is one of those sites that lives up to the hipe. We spent a long time there. We then went to the Bru Boru Heritage Center. I will tell you now that it was a waste of time and money. We then checked into Joy's Rockside B&B. Thank you Fodorites for the recommendation because this was a great B&B!!! In a country of friendly people, the owners of this place were the friendliest. Clean, good breakfast, good conversation, good information, etc. We then headed downtown to the tourist info place. That is worth the stop. They have the original declartions of Cashel there and a history of the town. And all I wanted was stamps for my post cards! Cashel was a nice town. Better driving a parking situations. We walked around and ate at a pub called Hannigan's recommended by the B&B folks. We had Chicken Kiev & Chicken Cordon Bleu. Very good, big portions, and the Guinness washed it all down. We even had a pretty decent espresso there.
Day 3
We headed to Wicklow via Glendalough. We first stopped at the Browne's Hill Dolmen. Thank goodness for Neverlost because we would have been. If you are coming from Carlow (on the R726?) it is on the right. Believe me when I say if you blink you will miss it. If you like to look at 4000 year old rock structures, don't miss it. Finally, the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. The mountains were very interesting from a geological/ecological standpoint. Worth a look see. The visitor center at Glendalough has a short movie and tour that is a pretty good introduction to the sites you will tour. I really enjoyed Glendalough. The Upper Lake is a nice hike over a asphalt path but nothing too difficult. The sites are worth seeing. Then onto Wicklow. I did not like this town very much. Traffic was nuts and it seems a bit run down. We stayed at the Silver Sands B&B. It's got a great location right on the main drag with a great view but it's small and a bit run down. The propieters were not friendly at all. Breakfast was good. We ate a great Italian dinner in town at a restaraunt called Papa?.. shoot I lost the name, it is Papasomething and was great.
Days 4-6
Dublin... We drove into Dublin Center to drop of the Hertz rental. With the Neverlost it was no problem (we know another couple who spent 3 hours looking and finally just gave up and dropped at the airport). We then walked about a half-hour to our hotel The Westbury. We don't normally spend that kind of money on a hotel but it was worth it. Incredible service, I mean incredible. The rooms were immaculate the location could not be better (right off Grafton St.) There is a pub outside called McDaid's that is perfect for someone in their mid-30s. Other places made us feel like we were 60. Great pub, GREAT GUINNESS. We love Italian food. We ate at Little Ceasar's and Milano. Both places had very good food. The latter was more modern and the former traditional Italian. Either one is recommended by us. We went to Trinity to see the book of Kells. It wasn't too crowded but if it was it might be a waste. We also went to the National Museum and Christchurch which would be good at any time of year. We were there for St. Patrick's Day. The parade was pretty good but not as good as those in New York and Boston. At 2, when the parade was done, everyone poured into the pubs and the mayhem began. It was alot of fun and the city did an excellent job hosting such a fun event. We took a taxi to the airport. Plan anywhere from 1/2 hr to and hr to get there. We didn't take quite as long because it was Saturday. The trip cost 35 E plus tip. We took Aer Lingus back as always we love that airline.
I hope that might help any confused travelers out there. This was our second trip by the way. We love Ireland more every time we go. Happy travels!
Mar 26th, 2006 | 09:28 AM
#3
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,647
Likes: 0
Nice report. Was very pleased to see that you chose to visit and enjoyed Lough Gur. It doesn't seem to get a lot of attention and I'm not sure why. Too much 'off the beaten path', I guess, but I, too enjoyed my time there.
Dublin hotels are ALL expensive, so splurging a bit more really isn't that extravigant (as long as you are happy with the service and facilities, so I'm guessing it worked out well for you.
I'm facinated by the GPS thing. How well did it work in places like Lough Gur, or is it better suited for places like Dublin?
Most important question of all -- did Ireland 'HOOK' you?
When are you going back?
Bob
Dublin hotels are ALL expensive, so splurging a bit more really isn't that extravigant (as long as you are happy with the service and facilities, so I'm guessing it worked out well for you.
I'm facinated by the GPS thing. How well did it work in places like Lough Gur, or is it better suited for places like Dublin?
Most important question of all -- did Ireland 'HOOK' you?
When are you going back?
Bob
Hadn't heard of that one before!
Apr 1st, 2006 | 05:55 AM
#6
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 125
Likes: 0
Sorry so long to get back... crazy time at work. Anyway, the GPS system was very helpful in the smaller areas. The one small complaint is that some of the roads have chaged recently in Ireland (lots of constuction with the booming economy) and the software in the machine hadn't been updated so the computer would think you were off the road but eventually it would find its way back. Again, it was a great investment that kept the traditional "map bickering" out of our trip.
As far as "is Kinsale worth it" I think you will get varying opinions if you ask that of any place. It all depends on what you like. I went there because one of my friends insisted I see it and I did think it was a very nice town. I think that anyone who likes good food and interesting history would enjoy it. I can also say that my all-time favorite town in Ireland is Kilkenney.
Irish Eyes, I will definitely post before we go again. You haven't steered me wrong so far.
As far as "is Kinsale worth it" I think you will get varying opinions if you ask that of any place. It all depends on what you like. I went there because one of my friends insisted I see it and I did think it was a very nice town. I think that anyone who likes good food and interesting history would enjoy it. I can also say that my all-time favorite town in Ireland is Kilkenney.
Irish Eyes, I will definitely post before we go again. You haven't steered me wrong so far.
