Irish Vacation Off Season
 

Hey, everyone…

My father and I will be traveling to Ireland this December. While I realize this probably isn’t the best time to visit the Emerald Isle weather-wise, it is the only time that works for us. My father is a lobbyist, so he can only travel when the state government is in recess and I am an MBA student, so it is my winter break. Also, my father has recently been told that he doesn’t have a lot of time left. While his illness does not limit his physical activity—at least not yet—it does eliminate our ability to delay his dream vacation any longer.

My main concern is the weather. We will be in Ireland from December 4th to December 20th. From what I understand, Ireland’s main tourist draws are a mixture of sites (both indoor and out, though mainly the latter) and culture (pubs, music, etc). I want my father’s experience to be everything that he has ever hoped for. So, I am curious if any of you know if there is anything that shouldn’t (because it’s too dangerous when wet or not worth getting soaked) or just can’t be done at this time of year?

Any advice that you have to give for destinations that we MUST see would also be very helpful. At this point all I have arranged is the tickets. This trip is an early surprise Christmas present for him. He is very proud of our Irish heritage and it means everything to me to be able to share this experience with him.

Thank you in advance to any and all who can give me some direction. I’ve never planned a trip like this before. You have no idea what this will mean to my father and me.

Thank you!


--Brian

Hi Brian it is not that wet and rainy every day at leas here in Dublin it's not. It's not a bad time at all actually it will be lovely before christmas.

We need more info to help you

What do you wantfrom this i.e. to see everywhere, certain aspects, have an easy time i.e. no driving etc.

What are your interests...you dad may be interested in a tour of the Dail in DUnlin (govt offices) that only takes place on Saturdays.

Any areas of the country you are interested in to narrow it down.

Start here and people will chime in.

S

Yes, please - more details about your goals. Perhaps some questions to help narrow things down?

- Do you want to visit an area where your family originated? If so, do you know where that is?

- Are you "city people" or "country people" when it comes to travel?

- Do you want to see what most other travelers to Ireland visit? Or would you like to have some more original experiences, even though that might make some friends and relatives wonder why you didn't kiss the Blarney Stone?

- What is your travel style? Do you like to move to a new place every day? Settle in at one spot for the whole vacation with just day trips out? Or move every few days?

You have a pretty good amount of time for your trip, so you do have some options. There are many people here experienced in what I call the "classic" Ireland trip (Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, etc.) and some others (like me) who skipped those but have other ideas to offer.

BTW, I took a similar winter trip to Ireland with my father in 2003 and I treasure those memories. We're all here to help - just let us know what you're after!

Rain doesn't vary that much from month to month in Ireland. And, unless one of you is unfortunate enough to function only in weather that gives an Irishman skin cancer, it's never really cold. The wettest, blusteriest weather is usually around the spring and autumn equinoxes.

Anyway, there's no such thing as bad weather: just dumbly-chosen clothing. The only thing I'd have second thoughts about at that time of year might be some of the more stunning cliff paths.

The problem in mid-December is short daylight (and it's the combination of slippery cliff paths and twilight gloom that would worry me). If you're unused to driving on the proper side of the road, you might want to aim to be tucked up in a pub by 6pm each night.

That probably limits the distances you can travel each day (any distance in Ireland takes an unbelievably long time to drive). And if you're looking up bits of the gt-gt- grandparents' native villages, you need to have researched the family tree and planned out the journeys in great detail before leaving home. You cannot comfortably drive from Cork to Donegal and back in a day, however short the distances might look to an American on the map.

I'm so sorry about your father's illness.

My husband and I took my 87 year old father to Northern Ireland last November. We had a wonderful trip! We connected with his family, stayed in a delightful cottage at a steal and had little traffic as we wondered the coast.

The weather WAS cold and very windy (again, we were on the Antrim coast), but we came home to a nice fire each night and the people were so warm we didn't feel the chill (okay, hats, gloves and scarves helped a lot :) )

Dad is now recovering from a broken hip so I'm very happy we took him while he was still very mobile.

Come back if you need details.

In Feb 2002, six of us flew from Florida into Shannon and out of Dublin. We drove down to Cork City, then north to Galway, Mayo and Sligo, before turning back south through Leitrim and Kildare. Yes, it was chilly and rainier than our other trips (in April and June and July), particularly the further north we went. But it was never too cold, or too wet to enjoy the trip.
We took my then 81 year old father-in-law in April of '99. He never took his coat, hat and gloces off the entire trip, but he never regretted it for even a minute.
Wear layers, bring a good raincoat and hat or umbrella. The winters in Ireland are a lot milder than much of the US, due to the Gulf Stream's warming effects. Plan soundly. but don't hesitate and miss the opportunity to share this memory. Life is too short for regrets.

First off, thank you all for replying so quickly. You have certainly put my mind at ease a bit when it comes to the weather. Cold we can definitely deal with; endless rain keeping us from doing walks would be disappointing.

That said, I’ll start off by responding to Worktowander’s questions because I think that will give a bit more direction as you all requested.

You mentioned visiting our ancestors’ home. Our surname is Fitzharris and we are extremely proud of it; probably fueled by its relative rarity. That is to say, I’ve never met a Fitzharris that I wasn’t related to according to our known and plotted family tree. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to trace back the Fitzharris side of that tree very far. So, sadly, we don’t know from where in Ireland our ancestors originally came. Years ago, my father and I talked about going to Ireland to do genealogical research to try to find out that information, but I don’t think that’s something that we have time to do anymore. I feel that it’s more important that he see the country, rather than go through old records. I am certain that he would agree. However, I found a pub in Dublin named “Fitzharris” and that is definitely on the “must visit” list.

I would say that we are both city and country people. We live in cities in the US, but we love outdoor activities. We were both Eagle Scouts and my dad still goes on hiking/camping trips when he’s able. Though, obviously they’re not as strenuous as the lengthy trips we did years ago. In this vein, we definitely have to see some of the beautiful, natural sites in Ireland, like the Cliffs of Moher.

I think that we’d like to do most of the big touristy hot spots…but I don’t know that we necessarily have to kiss the Blarney Stone, if it isn’t the best use of time. Having some unique, original experiences would be great. I think that he would enjoy seeing the government building, like you said. I know that my dad would enjoy good craic, spending evenings in lively pubs, listening to music and listening to the stories of locals. I want him to FEEL Ireland, if that makes sense.

Logistically, I think we would prefer to have a central location(s) and then do daytrips, if possible, in traditional hub-and-spoke form. We will probably rent a car. I think that will give us more freedom and mobility that will make it easier and faster to get to remote locations. We certainly don’t want a package tour from city to city. However, we wouldn’t mind doing a daily guided tour around Newgrange or something. We are definitely interested in the history as well as the beautiful landscape.

I guess that we sit right in the middle. We definitely want activities during the day, whether they be seeing sites in a city or going on a walk along a cliff’s edge, but then we want to a fun and lively cultural experience at night. I suppose a mixture of “classic” and “differentiated” Irish trip is in order…however, if I had to lean one direction over another, I would probably go toward “classic,” because the cultural side can probably be experienced fairly easily whether you spend time in a large city or a rural village. However, I could be wrong in that assumption.

I certainly wrote a lot--sorry about that. I will try to keep future posts more brief. But, I hope that it gives a bit more direction. What do you all think?

Topping for FitzMen -

I can't give you a ton of advice because my trip skipped most of the classics, so I'm hoping that topping this message will generate some better answers.

Generally, though, it sounds like Dublin should be on your must-do list. I, personally, wouldn't pass up a visit to the Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells. Others will have spent more time in the city and can give more and better suggestions.

You might then consider moving out of the city for your "base camp," maybe somewhere in the southwest.

You'll almost certainly want to rent a car - because driving and navigating is an adventure, and because public transportation in Ireland isn't the best.

If you have time, I highly advise a trip to Inishmore, off the coast of Galway. In the winter it is silent and serene, a beautiful, stark place. I can recommend the Man of Aran bed & breakfast as an isolated spot where you can sleep in one of four (or three? or five? something like that) guest rooms in a traditional thatched-roof cottage.

Someone else will have to weigh in on the Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, etc.

I hope you get some more answers. If not, there are great guidebooks to help.

I have been trying to find out what the seasons are for Irish sports because I think it would be neat to take in a game.

Will there be any professional hurling, Gaelic football, etc. matches in December? Do any Gaelic sports have their season during in December?

Thanks!

For centuries many of the irish names came from tribes and clans. e.g. McNamara - the Mc is irish for Mac = son of. the same is true of Fitzharris Fitz is french for 'son of, and they were original of the Norman clan.
Fitzharris is also associated with the name Fitzhenry.The irish for Fitzharris is Mac Einri
The name Fitzharris was first found in County Wexford where they were granted lands by Strongbow when he invaded Ireland in 1172.One of the first Fitzherris to settle in Philadelphia was Nicholas Fitzherris in 1855. The Fitzharris name was a strongname in the Wexford area around the time of the famine when many died ot had to emigrate. Indeed I saw a record of a Anna Fitzharris Gilday born in Wexford on the 28th. May 1853 and may have come to Cleveland from Ireland in 1854 which was around the time of the famine.
This is the same county that the late President kennedy's ancestors came from.

To help you plan your visit may I sugest
www.nci.ie/holiday
www.ireland.ie
I am sur tat many of our friends will be able to help you on this site also.
All the best to you and yours.

Just to add to above I am sorry to say that the hurling season is closed at this time of year.

Brian,

My husband and I travelled in Ireland last November. Most days we had really nice weather, cold but not too rainy. Anytime you travel off-season you take a chance with the weather, but I've travelled off-season to Ireland twice and was lucky both times.

My personal favorites:

1. The Rock of Cashel (absolutely top of my list)
2. Dublin - Trinity College (Book of Kells) - also in Dublin there are several really great museums
3. Cahir Castle
4. Scenic drives - Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula. I especially love the town of Dingle in off-season. If you are interested in pre-historic sites, there are several on both drives (some off the beaten path but worth the trip)
5. Cliffs of Moher are wonderful, but it's pretty brisk there in winter, I was almost too cold to enjoy it
6. Neolithic site at Newgrange
7. In the evenings, go to local pubs where local musicians play - great fun!

Hope this helps!