I am a single mother thinking of taking my two boys, 10/15 to Ireland for vacation. I have been to Ireland before, but only spent time in Dublin. The boys are primarily interested in Irish history, especially the Vikings and want to see castles and scenery. Would I be able to do this on my own, or does anyone know of a tour operator that specializes in family tours or customized tours with children. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Lexi13,
If you are currently raising two boys as a single mom a trip to Ireland with them is a cinch...consider a car rental (yes, you can drive yourself!) plan time for the myriad of historical sites on the west coast of Ireland..castles, ring forts, prehistorical dolmens and tombs, etc. etc. etc.
Let us know when you would like to go and for how long and the answers about itinerary, accommodations and budget I'm sure will fly.

Lexi13 - yes I agree with Cavan - driving around Ireland is the way to go. Your 2 boys could help with the navigating (make sure you get a good driving map).
As for places you want to see - there are numerous sites. Consider Newgrange near Drogheda (north of Dublin)- ancient burial chamber, 3000 yrs old. Kilkenny has an interesting castle, as well as some old churches, even a tavern, which was the house, where the local witch once lived.
Dingle Peninsula, has Gallurus Oratory, and the beehive huts. Then there is more ancient ruins at Ardmore, half way between Dungarvan & Youghal on the N25 between the cities of Waterford & Cork.

Generally the tour companies do not allow children under 12 years old to go on the tours. You might be better served by renting a car (as everyone had suggested) and doing it yourself. Since your plans are very specific i.e. Viking Ireland, castles, history, etc. you might condsider hiring a travel planner to help you with your choices and itinerary. Just do a Google and input something like "ireland itinerary planning" or "ireland trip planning" or "ireland travel planning". You will come up with companies that can help you out. On the other hand, if you prefer to do all the research and planning yourself get some good guides to Ireland. It probably depends on how much time you have available for planning and when you are going.

I flew into Dublin and out of Shannon, driving the southern route. As everyone else has suggested, rent a car. The only tricky part is the roundabouts! This way you can leave when you want to or stay longer than expected. There are no shortages of castles in Ireland. You can check out Irish b&b websites to find out possible places to stay. I'm not positive but I think Oct is not the height of tourist season. You should be able to drive & find a b&b to sleep at before it gets dark. As long as their porch light is on, they still have vacancy. I went in late November and we did not have any b&b reservations. We winged it as we weren't sure how long it would take for us to drive & see all the places we picked.
**One important tip....make sure you book your entire trip on Mastercard. When I went, they were the only credit card that would cover insurance on the car. You would have to pay for the additional car insurance with Visa & American Express. Doing this saved me a couple hundred dollars. They will not let you rent a car unless you have that additional insurance..something about IRA terrorism and car bombings.**
Websites to check out:
www.dirl.com
www.irishfarmholidays.com
www.iol.ie
www.spectretours.com
Car rental agencies at the Dublin airport:
Dan Dooley (we used them)
Hamill's
Malone Thrifty
Atlas
Argus (car & van)
Sixt
You'll have a great time!

Don't see any problem with a driving tour. If you can, and are willing to travel with the boys anywhere else, Ireland should be a breeze. Consider an 'open jaw' flight, into Shannon and out of Dublin (or reversed) to minimize the amount of driving. Highlights to consider include: Bunnratty, Limmerick, Lough Gur, Carraganowen, Galway and Connemearra, Cliffs of Moher, Dingle, Killarney, Kinsale, Blarney, Cashel and Cahir, Kilkenney, Glendalough, Newgrange and Dublin.
If you do a little research, you will find plenty to satisfy the interests mentioned, and Foderites will hyappily suggest restraunts, B&B and hotels and routes.
When would you plan to go? Time of year might affect your choices and expense.

drive you can do it -- you didn't say how long you were going but but M.C. will only let you rent a car for fifteen days - I got a Diners card because they will let you rent for 30 days - they aren't good for much else though but I just got it
for the car rental for this trip
You and your boys have fun - You will all enjoy ireland

Wow, thanks for all your great help! Great ideas, especially helpful when you are first starting to plan. I think I will do my own driving, and probably will fly into Shannon and out of Dublin. I'll be there in April for seven days and these places all sound perfect for us. Newgrange, the ancient ruins at Ardmore, Kilkenny, Dingle Pennisula, Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Galway and a possible horseback riding trip, would be my perfect itinerary. Too much, if so what itineray would you suggest? Help with a plan and places to stay would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

Oops, forgot to mention Dublin as well.

lexi,
Can you add a travel day on to each end of your trip in order to have seven full days?
Landing in Shannon is the best way to start. You and the boys can visit Bunratty Castle and Folk Park as you fight jet lag and spend your first night in one of the great B&Bs just down the road from the castle.
You can then spend the next day or two in west clare...castles, the Burren, Craigenowen project, Dysert O'Dea archaeological trail, the ocean, the cliffs of Moher and great scenery!
Check out the site for Clare tourism ( lost the link for the moment)

You would not be disappointed if you then headed up to the Galway/Connemara area for a few days with a day trip to the Aran Islands.

Over to Dublin for a few days. You could leave the car in Galway and take a train through the midlands to Dublin where a car is a nuisance at best!

Tons of links for the above suggestions that I'll post shortly.

I travel with my grandchildren yearly in Ireland and my one caveat is to spend more than one night in an area..

The Burren might be a fun trip for all of you - there is a great set of maps 'The Rambler's Guide to the Burren' that are hand drawn and have all kinds of archeological points of interest marked on them, some with history as well. We were just there and wished we'd had a full day (without toddler and grandparents) to explore the Burren.

If you can get one of the guided archeological tours it would be well worth it. I don't mean a big bus - more of a van with a knowledgeable historian type - I saw some ads for some... if I still have the info I'll post it but not sure I do. But, you can do it well enough with the Rambler's Guide maps if one of your kids can help navigate.

Take a compass. Not for the wild backwoods hiking, but for keeping your bearings driving if you are going to be exploring a bit.

You might skip the Ring of Kerry and go for the Gap of Dunloe & Muckross route - there is some good hiking around there, you can rent bikes in Killarney and ride the gap, or take pony trap rides & boats. Or bike then boat - the Ring of Kerry comes highly recommended but might just be another boring day in the car for teenagers.

My parents when on the Ring tour on a bus - they enjoyed it but one thing they said was that the bus driver didn't stop at a bunch of places they would have liked. We were biking that day and had a blast.

Helen

Are you Flying into Dublin? If so spend a few day as there is plenty to do with the boys. Yoy can get bus day trips to Newgrange, Powerscourt and Glendolough. Then you could rent a car and drive the countryside. Don't waste money on a car and leave it in Galway and take a train...you are paying for the car! I think a start in Dublin would be good with Boys.

S

Lexi13, Remember that you want to see and do things in Ireland. Visiting sightseeing attractions will take time. Horseback riding takes part of the day. Driving around Ireland takes time. Try to base for two days where ever possible.

Once again, thanks for all your help. As I am in the early planning stages I am grateful for the help, I'll let you all know how it goes.

Agree about the Burren. It is small mountains (tall hills?) of slate. The kids would love clambering up and around them. At the foot of the Burren is the Alowee cave, inhabited 10,000 years ago by cave bears. There is an excellent guided tour of the cave.

Lexi13-
I recently returned from Ireland after taking my 3 girls - 11/12/13. Their favorites were the Cliffs of Moher, and horsebacking riding on the Dingle peninsula - incredible scenery and part of the ride is on the beach. We used Long's ---Long's Horseriding & Ponytrekking
Ventry, Co.Kerry
Ireland
Phone +353 66 915 97 23
Mobile + 353 87 22 50 286
e-mail : [email protected]