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I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their suggestions. We just returned from a week of traveling in the Southwest of Ireland. We had a rental car and stayed at B&B's, so if anyone has any questions, I will be happy to try and answer them.

Vicki-Let's hear about your trip! How were the B&B's?

Vicki, we're considering going to Ireland in the fall (sept or oct). I've been there twice, but not at that time of year. What are the B&B pricings? We'd love to go into the SW, and any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks. matt b.

Please tell us about your trip and your suggestions of what worked for you and what didn't. I am planning a week in Ireland in mid June. I know very little about Ireland so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. We will fly into Shannon and rent a car - hope to do the B & B thing. Thanks

Could you tell us the route you took and what towns you would recommend seeing? We are flying into Shannon and out of Dublin basing at the Longueville House in Mallow, County Cork. Thanks!

Vicki, Good name. Did you get to see the Killarney area? How was it? Did you stop at Muskross House? What else did you see in the area that you would recommend? Tahnks Vicki (too)

Just starting to plan our trip to Ireland which will include SW. Any info. would be great...especially about traditional music.

I guess the easiest way to answer most of the questions is to replay our itinerary. We landed in Shannon and had booked a B&B right close to the airport.(Avalon B&B--highly recommend it). We picked up our rental car, to the B&B for a short nap and then drove into Limerick. The driving for the first few days was tense, but soon we developed a feel for the road and road signs. We headed the next morning for the Cliff of Moher(beautiful and breath-taking) and then headed to Killmer to take the ferry across the bay and on to Dingle. Stayed in Dingle at the Shores Country House and had a room with a view of Tralee Bay. Next day we took the drive around the Dingle Pen. and onward to Kenmare. Stopped at Ladies View, wonderful scenery and gift shop. We stayed two nights in Kenmare at the Harbor View B&B which had a lovely sunroom looking over the bay. We took the drive around the Beara Pen and it was a lot of driving with narrow roads, potholes and livestock in the road. The last day we drove from Kenmare back to Shannon and stopped at Admare, a quaint village with several buildings with thatched roofs. We really enjoyed our trip and the weather co-operated. Not a single day of rain and the sun would come out about 11:00AM every day. By best tip is to keep a Trip Log so you can remember all the wonderful things you saw and places you stayed. The B&B's were very nice and we paid an additional $5.00 for ensuite. The only thing I did not enjoy was having to eat breakfast at a certain time every day. I hope this helps and if you have additional questions - just let me know. Vicki

Will be going to SW Ireland in late May. Please add me to the list of interested folks wanting to learning from your experience. Any advice on airfare, daytrips and B&Bs.

Hi, Vicki. We are going about one year from now, but I am already planning (I like to!) and am excited already. I've read many books (library) and have seen many websites. I am hoping to spend 12 nights or so ... Connemara, Galway, Dingle Pen, very Southern Coast & then Dublin for a couple of days. My main concern is not wanting to rush ... hard to decide just how much to plan for. Also, my question for you ...did you book your airfare and car rental on your own, or as package? Which airline - I have some concerns about Aer Lingus. Ideally, I'd like to fly into Shannon, and out of Dublin or vice versa. I am hoping that is not more expensive than in & out of one place. Thanks for any further info ...

Vicki - Forgive me for piggybacking on your post but we also just returned from Ireland and loved it! I would like to suggest to all posting, rental of an automatic car as adjusting to the "other" side of the NARROW roads demands your attention. Also take the full coverage insurance instead of the 1000.00 deductable as we did. You are responible for everything that happens to the car whether you do it or not. We have to pay for a windshild that another car cracked with a stone. We landed in Shannon, picked up our car and a couple of hours later were in Doolin which is known for their music and 10 mins from the Clifs. Our favorites were the Connemara, Dingle Peninsula with Conor Pass and Slea Head! Beautiful scenery! For everyone going, you will have a great time and we wish we would have purcased more Aran sweaters!

Vicki: Did you get The Shores and the Harbour View from me or is it just a coincidence that we stayed in the same B&Bs? I loved them both. Bill

Am planning a trip to Ireland in a few weeks. Originally, we planned to fly into Dublin, head to Kerry for a couple of days, head up to Galway and Connemara region and then back to Dublin in the span of 7 days. Now I'm thinking we may have planned too much for our vist. So my question is: are the two regions do-able or should we stick to one or the other? If so, which? Appreciate your insight and experience.

How about Shannon instead of Dublin since everything you want to do is closer to Shannon?

C.D. Excellent suggestion regarding the rental car. Bill-I didn't get B&Bsuggestions from you, we both must just have good taste. I am sorry if I have not answered every question, you can e-mail me directly with specific questions and I will try to help. The most important suggestions I would offer is not to try and overdo on touring. I believe it is much better to explore a certain region at one time rather than trying to see everything in a short time. We stayed off the main highways as much as possible and in doing so, discovered wonderful neighborhood pubs and enjoyed talking with the guests. Vicki

Jill - what are your concerns about Aer Lingus? I've flown them 12+ times and they are one of the better international carriers out there, comparatively speaking (not to mention one of the only direct routes to Ireland). Amy

Amy - re: Aer Lingus. My mother had a bad experience (don't remember details) and I've read several negative postings ... BUT I realize that their can be negative slants to almost anything. Glad to hear you had no problems with that many experiences ... I won't be so hesitant to fly them if they've the best rate. Thanks.