January 2005 in Ireland
Nov 24th, 2004, 10:38 AM
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January 2005 in Ireland
I am traveling alone to Ireland in a few weeks. I arrive Shannon on New Years Day 2005. I'm renting a car and hoping to go wherever the wind takes me and the mood strikes. My plan is to see Sligo, Galway, Connemara .... mostly the west coast, possibly the southwest region. I fly out of Dublin on the 9th.
I've been reading Fodors / Frommers / travel brochures ... but still can't get a feel for an itinerary. My original plan was to buy B&B vouchers from townandcountry.ie but I'm beginning to worry the vouchers are not well accepted or may limit my options. Any advice? I'd love to find a few cozy, single friendly areas to settle into for a few days. Good pubs, friendly people, safe for a woman traveling alone.
I'm pretty outgoing and would love to make some friends while I'm over there.
kbrownie
I've been reading Fodors / Frommers / travel brochures ... but still can't get a feel for an itinerary. My original plan was to buy B&B vouchers from townandcountry.ie but I'm beginning to worry the vouchers are not well accepted or may limit my options. Any advice? I'd love to find a few cozy, single friendly areas to settle into for a few days. Good pubs, friendly people, safe for a woman traveling alone.
I'm pretty outgoing and would love to make some friends while I'm over there.
kbrownie
Nov 24th, 2004, 11:00 AM
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I agree to nix the vouchers. There are so many places that don't take the vouchers, so you won't want to limit your choices of places to stay -- shouldn't have any problem that time of the year.
Have a fun trip.
Have a fun trip.
Nov 24th, 2004, 11:28 AM
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Definitely pass on the vouchers. You won't have a problem finding vacancies, at least in the places that are open.
As for an itinerary, I can suggest some, but also go to the library and check out some guidebooks. First thing to remember is that days will be very short, dark by 4.30 or sooner. So, with 8 days, off the cuff, how about staying your first night in Galway. You can walk off your jetlag, have a nice dinner, and hit the sack. The next day drive in Connemara, and either stay in Clifton, or return to Galway. Next day drive to the southwest, going thru the Burren, stop at the Cliff of Moher. Either go to Dingle, Killarney or Kenmare. You could easily stay two or three days there. Then on to somewhere in west Cork, or maybe Kinsale for a couple days, then up toward Dublin (stopping in Cashel), staying in Kilkenny maybe? YOu might think about planning to stay a couple nights north of Dublin so you could visit Newgrange, and be near the airport for departure.
Personally, in January, I wouldn't plan on the north like Sligo, stick to the south.
As for an itinerary, I can suggest some, but also go to the library and check out some guidebooks. First thing to remember is that days will be very short, dark by 4.30 or sooner. So, with 8 days, off the cuff, how about staying your first night in Galway. You can walk off your jetlag, have a nice dinner, and hit the sack. The next day drive in Connemara, and either stay in Clifton, or return to Galway. Next day drive to the southwest, going thru the Burren, stop at the Cliff of Moher. Either go to Dingle, Killarney or Kenmare. You could easily stay two or three days there. Then on to somewhere in west Cork, or maybe Kinsale for a couple days, then up toward Dublin (stopping in Cashel), staying in Kilkenny maybe? YOu might think about planning to stay a couple nights north of Dublin so you could visit Newgrange, and be near the airport for departure.
Personally, in January, I wouldn't plan on the north like Sligo, stick to the south.
Nov 24th, 2004, 11:36 AM
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Kate: Thank you for the tip on Sligo. I'm overzealous in trying to see it all... I want to make the best of my 8 days and enjoy the long winter nights as well. This is sort of a last minute idea, have always wanted to see Ireland.
Nov 24th, 2004, 04:34 PM
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kbrownie, I can't help you with Galway and North. Been there several years ago and that's on my agenda for my next trip. There are some real experts than can.
Topping for those who can help Kbrownie.
Topping for those who can help Kbrownie.
Nov 24th, 2004, 05:04 PM
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Sounds fun, and you have received some good ideas. Dingle would be a nice place to "linger". We were there in April one year and met some Americans who had moved there for 6 months. Loved it, and the Slea Head drive is wonderful. Kinsale is nice, as is Kenmare. WE also flew into Shannon and out of Dublin. With the sometimes slow roads and the days short it would be better not to do the vouchers,.
There probably won't be as much "action" in January, but perhaps you will get the feel of the real people and true Ireland . We love to travel in cooler weather months, but have never been to Europe in Janurary.
I had a friend who went to the Eastern part of Ireland in February, and was never so COLD in her life. Froze the whole time...but still, January should be an interesting time. Have a great trip!!!
There probably won't be as much "action" in January, but perhaps you will get the feel of the real people and true Ireland . We love to travel in cooler weather months, but have never been to Europe in Janurary.
I had a friend who went to the Eastern part of Ireland in February, and was never so COLD in her life. Froze the whole time...but still, January should be an interesting time. Have a great trip!!!
Nov 24th, 2004, 08:55 PM
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I was in Ireland in Jan '03 and had a great time. The country is beautiful and the locals were happy to have business in the off season. Dress warmly and you'll be fine. I prefer Europe in the off season. Just got back tonight from another great trip.
Nov 25th, 2004, 04:08 AM
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We traveled the Northwest in early Feb, a couple of years ago. Temps in the high thirties to low forties (F) and the more north we went, the more it rained. Six of us, in a Mercedes Vito Van, spent one night in Galway and drove out past Kylemore Abbey to Westport and spent the night in Crossmolina. Next day drove into Tubbercurry, Killalla, Ballina and on north into Sligo, before turning back at Ballyshannon and heading south into Letrim. Spent night south of Carrick-on Shannon, in Roosky. Drove through Longford (after a detour to Ballinamunck), Mullingar and the Bog of Allen, into Kildare. Next night we stayed in Malahide, just north of Dublin and took the Bus in and out of the City.
We also spent the first three days in a suburb of Cork City, with family, before starting our 'Northern Adventure'. Flew into Shannon and out of Dublin. Had planned to see Donegal, but rain, cold, foggy windows and the outbreak of flu in one of our party curtailed that.
IMHOP, there is NO bad time to visit Ireland. Different times of year require different stratagies, however.
What are your interests (Castles, scenery, music), have you been to Ireland before (and already seen some of the sights? First timers usually concentrate of the Southwest, seldom traveling further than Galway and a minimal trip into the Connemeara, and often go no further North than the Cliffs of Moher. You can't go wrong either way, though the weather will be marginally better to the South and east, in Jan.
We also spent the first three days in a suburb of Cork City, with family, before starting our 'Northern Adventure'. Flew into Shannon and out of Dublin. Had planned to see Donegal, but rain, cold, foggy windows and the outbreak of flu in one of our party curtailed that.
IMHOP, there is NO bad time to visit Ireland. Different times of year require different stratagies, however.
What are your interests (Castles, scenery, music), have you been to Ireland before (and already seen some of the sights? First timers usually concentrate of the Southwest, seldom traveling further than Galway and a minimal trip into the Connemeara, and often go no further North than the Cliffs of Moher. You can't go wrong either way, though the weather will be marginally better to the South and east, in Jan.
Nov 25th, 2004, 05:42 AM
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Just a few things. That week is one of the quitest weeks in Ireland and a lot of West Coast accomodation will not be open. A lot that is will be doing New Year specials so book your first couple of nights ahead.Personally I think you should swing south to Dingle and the Iveragh penisula rather than heading North to Galway and Sligo.The scenery is fantastic, there'll be a better choice of restaurants and places to stay.Head on through beautiful West Cork and into Cork for a night - it's European City of Culture in 2005 so it will have its best bib an tucker out, then through Waterford and up through Wicklow to Dublin.Here are some recommendations for what they are worth.
Dingle; Stay at Greenmount House or Emlagh House and do not pass up a chance to eat at The Charthouse one of the best and most welcoming houses in Ireland.If you had a chance at all to go to The Skelligs it would be the experience of a a lifetime.In Kenmare stay at Sallyport House or the Shelburne lodge and eat just about anywhere the town is packed with good restaurants.In Clonakilty (Cork) stay at Randles Clonakilty and experience a vibrant Irish town and its pubs. In Cork stay anywhere and eat almost anywhere full of great restaurants but I'd head for cafe Paradiso one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the world. Then to Glencairn in Waterford to Buggy's Inn a cosy restuarant with rooms which great steak and chips. Visit Glendalough and end up in Dublin where you can wonder Temple Bar and watch the new prosperous Ireland at play.
Enjoy.
Dingle; Stay at Greenmount House or Emlagh House and do not pass up a chance to eat at The Charthouse one of the best and most welcoming houses in Ireland.If you had a chance at all to go to The Skelligs it would be the experience of a a lifetime.In Kenmare stay at Sallyport House or the Shelburne lodge and eat just about anywhere the town is packed with good restaurants.In Clonakilty (Cork) stay at Randles Clonakilty and experience a vibrant Irish town and its pubs. In Cork stay anywhere and eat almost anywhere full of great restaurants but I'd head for cafe Paradiso one of the best vegetarian restaurants in the world. Then to Glencairn in Waterford to Buggy's Inn a cosy restuarant with rooms which great steak and chips. Visit Glendalough and end up in Dublin where you can wonder Temple Bar and watch the new prosperous Ireland at play.
Enjoy.
Nov 29th, 2004, 08:18 AM
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Hi kbrownie:
It will certainly be a quiet time in Ireland when you are there, especially on the west coast. I agree with Italian that the weather might be marginally better in the SW, but that all depends on luck. In the NW you might have a very difficult time finding B&Bs that are open as that area of the country gets much less tourism (which those of us who like to travel there appreciate) and thus, far fewer B&Bs.
The SW is a good choice for that time of year. I would consider time in Co. Clare, Dingle, Killarney/Kenmare, possibly as far as Kinsale and then back through Cahir and Cashel. Kinsale would probably more than I would want to do in that period of time, but it is certainly doable. As others have said, it gets dark early in January and you may have a lot of indoor time, but you can always have fun.
You may want to consider a hotel on your first night as it may be hard to find any B&Bs open on New Years Day. Normally, I like the small towns, but they tend to be very quiet and you may find more to do at night in the larger ones. Consider Killarney and Ennis as possible towns to stay in.
Forget the vouchers. It's less expensive to pay individually unless you have a fly-drive-stay deal. You can get the T&C book (non voucher) from the tourist board and in increases the possibility. You might want to consider reserving in advance, not because places will fill up, but because, with no bookings, some B&Bs just decide to shut down for a few days or a week (or more) even if they claim to be open all year.
Hope this helps.
Bill
It will certainly be a quiet time in Ireland when you are there, especially on the west coast. I agree with Italian that the weather might be marginally better in the SW, but that all depends on luck. In the NW you might have a very difficult time finding B&Bs that are open as that area of the country gets much less tourism (which those of us who like to travel there appreciate) and thus, far fewer B&Bs.
The SW is a good choice for that time of year. I would consider time in Co. Clare, Dingle, Killarney/Kenmare, possibly as far as Kinsale and then back through Cahir and Cashel. Kinsale would probably more than I would want to do in that period of time, but it is certainly doable. As others have said, it gets dark early in January and you may have a lot of indoor time, but you can always have fun.
You may want to consider a hotel on your first night as it may be hard to find any B&Bs open on New Years Day. Normally, I like the small towns, but they tend to be very quiet and you may find more to do at night in the larger ones. Consider Killarney and Ennis as possible towns to stay in.
Forget the vouchers. It's less expensive to pay individually unless you have a fly-drive-stay deal. You can get the T&C book (non voucher) from the tourist board and in increases the possibility. You might want to consider reserving in advance, not because places will fill up, but because, with no bookings, some B&Bs just decide to shut down for a few days or a week (or more) even if they claim to be open all year.
Hope this helps.
Bill
Nov 29th, 2004, 05:16 PM
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Whatever your itinerary, IMO the secret to happiness in Ireland in January is... layers.
Lots of layers, silk underwear tops & bottoms, shirts & sweaters that are easy to pile on. Plus a really good rain parka that fits over all the layers.
Lots of layers, silk underwear tops & bottoms, shirts & sweaters that are easy to pile on. Plus a really good rain parka that fits over all the layers.
Dec 13th, 2004, 06:45 AM
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hi kbrownie. i would suggest you travel to galway, stay there for a day or two (lots of great pubs and restaurants etc.) while in galway take a day trip to the burren (fabulous) and the cliffs of moher (awesome). then travel on to sligo, maybe stay over for a night to get a look around. then head straight up here to donegal. you will love donegal - the scenery is amazing and you will be made welcome wherever you go. regarding b&bs up here. there are many open all year round, especially in towns like letterkeny. accommodation will be no problem but i would advise maybe checking first for areas outside towns. but if you base yourself in letterkenny for even your first day you can suss everything out from there. if you would like lots of hints on driving, clothes to bring, money saving tips, safety in ireland, etc., together with facts, figures, trivia on ireland please visit our brand new site (nov 28th 2004). on the site you can also see a selection of pictures taken by ourselves in donegal this year. the ones we took on december 6th last show beautiful blue skies and golfers in their shirtsleeves. the weather is very mild at the moment in donegal. hope you like the site and if i can help further just email me. the site: www.welovedonegal.com all the best, and have a great stay in ireland!
Dec 13th, 2004, 07:38 AM
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I was just there in 2002, April. It was delightful!
If you do decide to go to Kilkenny, I have a couple of suggestions. We stayed at Knocktopher Abbey for the week-long trip, and used it for a base of operations. The advantages to having one base is not having to pack/repack every day. The disadvantage is increased drivetimes, there and back, to each place.
The Abbey was wonderful, highly recommended. Can't help on pricing, though, as it was a timeshare trade.
In Kilkenny, we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Breathnachs. Not 'quaint' per se, but absolutely wonderful service and food. It's upstairs from a club.
I also highly recommend a trip to the Ring of Kerry (Dingle is the northermost 'leg' of this).
If you make it over to Dublin for more than just the flight out, I would recommend seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College, if you are interested in historical stuff or art. I also enjoyed the Dublin Zoo. The hop-on, hop-off bus tours are a great way to see all the major items and then decide what to do more of.
Have a wonderful time!!!! And yes, layers, layers, layers!
If you do decide to go to Kilkenny, I have a couple of suggestions. We stayed at Knocktopher Abbey for the week-long trip, and used it for a base of operations. The advantages to having one base is not having to pack/repack every day. The disadvantage is increased drivetimes, there and back, to each place.
The Abbey was wonderful, highly recommended. Can't help on pricing, though, as it was a timeshare trade.
In Kilkenny, we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Breathnachs. Not 'quaint' per se, but absolutely wonderful service and food. It's upstairs from a club.
I also highly recommend a trip to the Ring of Kerry (Dingle is the northermost 'leg' of this).
If you make it over to Dublin for more than just the flight out, I would recommend seeing the Book of Kells at Trinity College, if you are interested in historical stuff or art. I also enjoyed the Dublin Zoo. The hop-on, hop-off bus tours are a great way to see all the major items and then decide what to do more of.
Have a wonderful time!!!! And yes, layers, layers, layers!
Dec 13th, 2004, 09:43 AM
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Hi all,
I am from Ireland and have been using this blog to plan a trip to Argentina and it was sooo helpful...so I thought I would log on and see what people are saying about Ireland.
I think you are best to have a base for 2- 3 night at a time and do day trips from there...lots of places have special deals here at the moment for 2 nights b and b and evening meals and these are valid for Jan since it is our off season...we see them in our local papers all the time.
Galway is great, as is Kilkenny and of course Dublin...the Grand Hotel Malahide is a beautiful suburb of Dublin beside the sea with great access to the city and it has such deals...like 150 euro for 2 nights b&b and an evening meal.
Hope this helps
I am from Ireland and have been using this blog to plan a trip to Argentina and it was sooo helpful...so I thought I would log on and see what people are saying about Ireland.
I think you are best to have a base for 2- 3 night at a time and do day trips from there...lots of places have special deals here at the moment for 2 nights b and b and evening meals and these are valid for Jan since it is our off season...we see them in our local papers all the time.
Galway is great, as is Kilkenny and of course Dublin...the Grand Hotel Malahide is a beautiful suburb of Dublin beside the sea with great access to the city and it has such deals...like 150 euro for 2 nights b&b and an evening meal.
Hope this helps
Dec 13th, 2004, 10:37 AM
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Hi kbrownie,
I envy you! I did exactly the same trip as you have planned in August this year, and had a car hire/B&B package with vouchers. I didn't have any trouble finding B&Bs that accepted the vouchers, and it was the high season. I also travelled alone and covered nearly 1000 miles in a week, visiting Gallway, Connemara, the Cliffs, Doolin, the Ring, Kenmare, Killkenny, and back to Dublin. If you'd like to see my photos and read my letters to home take a look at www.home.iprimus.com.au/pgoodey/ and click on the Ireland album and letters link. Even in August I found the weather to be a bit on the chilly side and often raining, so take note of the other posters and rug up. Regardless of the weather, the scenery is breathtaking at any time.
You'll meet heaps of people, all very friendly and most comical. Have a great trip and enjoy this spectacular country.
I envy you! I did exactly the same trip as you have planned in August this year, and had a car hire/B&B package with vouchers. I didn't have any trouble finding B&Bs that accepted the vouchers, and it was the high season. I also travelled alone and covered nearly 1000 miles in a week, visiting Gallway, Connemara, the Cliffs, Doolin, the Ring, Kenmare, Killkenny, and back to Dublin. If you'd like to see my photos and read my letters to home take a look at www.home.iprimus.com.au/pgoodey/ and click on the Ireland album and letters link. Even in August I found the weather to be a bit on the chilly side and often raining, so take note of the other posters and rug up. Regardless of the weather, the scenery is breathtaking at any time.
You'll meet heaps of people, all very friendly and most comical. Have a great trip and enjoy this spectacular country.
Dec 14th, 2004, 02:01 AM
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Like most of the others, I would warn against vouchers, particularly for the week you'll be there. A fair number of B&Bs close from Christmas through to 1 February, so you could have trouble with the vouchers. But independently, you'll be able to find accommodation.
Dec 14th, 2004, 02:57 AM
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I don't wish to be a contrarian but I visited Ireland twice in the wintertime. The first time, the weather was much more stormy on the west coast than in the east. I spent the first night at the Royal George Hotel in Limerick City. A group of Brits' rental car had been damaged by a piece of slate falling from the hotel roof in the high winds. They were at the desk, trying to get a statement from the Manager when I came down for Breakfast. The rest of that trip I spent in west Limerick and Kerry. It rained every day. People on the flight back who had been on the east coast reported more agreeable weather.
More recently (Feb'04) we spent five nights in Ennis (County Clare) with a day trip to Galway and to west Clare (Cliffs of Moher, Lahinch, Ennistymon, etc). The weather was cool, but nice.
I don't consider Sligo to be 'north;' I prefer Ballina, (County Mayo) over Sligo.
I don't know what kind of luck you will have finding suitable lodging on New Year's Day; but I wouldn't plan on covering many miles the day of your arrival (unless you are flying First or Business Class and get some sleep on the flight). Ennis is nice; it is close to Shannon and there are several nice hotels to choose from.
More recently (Feb'04) we spent five nights in Ennis (County Clare) with a day trip to Galway and to west Clare (Cliffs of Moher, Lahinch, Ennistymon, etc). The weather was cool, but nice.
I don't consider Sligo to be 'north;' I prefer Ballina, (County Mayo) over Sligo.
I don't know what kind of luck you will have finding suitable lodging on New Year's Day; but I wouldn't plan on covering many miles the day of your arrival (unless you are flying First or Business Class and get some sleep on the flight). Ennis is nice; it is close to Shannon and there are several nice hotels to choose from.
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