OK, so finally, we have decided that they are staying two nights in Dingle and one night in Galway! They are staying at the Charles Stewart B&B while in Dublin, and the Milestone Lodge while in Dingle. I'm still having a bit of a problem getting a feel for a place in Galway. St. Martin's B&B is closed on Aug. 22 due to a wedding, so perhaps Ardawn House? Petra House? Inishmore Lodge? Prague B&B? If anyone has any recommendations for a good place within walking distance to the city centre, with a view of the bay, please let me know! Thanks!

I would nix the charles stuart. Its a noisy street and not a nice area in the evenings. Not seriously bad but its not where I would place friends.

Buswells is a fantastic local in toen near the college and recently renovated. Much better for walking fir your father as well.

Eliza lodge looks very nice but may be noisy on the corner of Temple bar

Anchor - No gardiner street is full of backpacker hostels and cheap B&B's I don't care for it at night

Kilronan would be a good place as its very central on a quiet street

Camden Deluxe is a good location but on weekend may have stag/hens parties

Dergvale is on same street as the Anchor and is a Hostel and hotel too noisy and not bice area.

Townhouse of Dublin? what is the actual nam,e? Is it on Gardiner street?

Try O'Neills Townhouse its a nice B&B over O'neills pub (Never Rowdy mostly locals and college workers beside Trinity). It's a B&B. Stay south of the River especially with your father. I think Parnell St and Gardiner are no go areas and not nice parts of Dublin when you could stay for the same money in a lovely area.

SiobhanP: Thanks for the info - I've been waiting to hear from you! Yes, The Townhouse is on Gardiner St. Can you or anyone else provide me with addtional comments on this lodging? We may change our reservation now.
Thanks!

Hi again sacasey!

Galway took me longer to research than any other city, so I feel your pain..
For a B&B with a view of the bay, Salthill area's your best bet. For a 78 year old, it might be a little too far to walk to town though. If they say it's just a ten minute walk, you can plan on twenty......
The city bus system to bring you to town each day is an idea. There's a B&B in lower Salthill called St. Judes (st-judes.com) that I've read good reviews on. Not to be confused with the Saint Judes on College Rd. Pass that one by...Anyway, The bus stops right in front of St. Judes B&B too....

Roncalli House is another one that's in the area. Chelsea Clinton stayed there once...if it's good enough for the Secret Service..ha

Here are some south-of-the-Liffey listings from the Rick Steves and Lonely Planet Ireland guidebooks taht would be in your price range.
The Fitzwilliam, 41 Upper Fitzwilliam St, www.fitzwilliamguesthouse.ie
Aston Hotel, 7-9 Aston Quay, www.aston-hotel.com
Waterloo House, 8-10 Waterloo Rd, www.waterloohouse.ie

Regarding Galway:

Zaneyjaney - thanks for your reply. I now have the following possibilities and would appreciate any comments on the following lodging and areas:
Whitestrand Road: Roncalli House
Lower Salthill: St. Jude's
Grattan Park: High Tide, The Periwinkle
College Road: Ardawn House,College Crest Guesthouse,Petra House,Four Seasons B&B
Priorities are friendly hosts, view of Galway Bay if possible, but only a 10-20 minute walk from Galway City Centre, since they won't have a car. Can someone comment on differences between the above areas? They'd like both a pretty area and closeness to the centre for dining/pubs, although taxi or public transportation are fine.I just don't anough about Galway to know which of these are advisable.
Thanks!

I am finalzing Dublin lodging. I have narrowed the choices to either O'Neill's Pub and Townhouse, or Eliza Lodge. Eliza Lodge is more expensive, also more centrally located, could be noisy, great views. O'Neill's I have less information on, looks nice, less cost, evidently friendly service, quieter area and still central. Comments are welcome!

Both are central areas and i am glad you are not going to Townhouse on Gardiner. I am sure its fine but its the same location as many of the others I said I would not put friends in.

Eliza Lodge looks lovely and is high up but I would ask them how noisy it is with traffic on the quays. It may be too noisy for your dad but great fun for your sone. very central.

O'Neills is a quieter street (near a fire station but it rarely is noisy) its a pub below that is very ,mellow and has food so it would be good for both of them. If price and quiet are the factors try O'Neills on Pearse Street.

The only place we stayed on your list is Virginia's in Kenmare. It was in early June 2004-we enjoyed it there and breakfasts were great.
It might be better to stay in the Salthill area of Galway. We stayed very close to the city center and were a bit surprised how much of a "college town" feel it had. Very young and upbeat sort of place. Fine for us we were on our honeymoon-but we just were not expecting that.

We have finalized the lodging for our Ireland trip, as follows:
Dublin - 8/20, 8/21 and 8/25 O'Neill's Pub & Townhouse. South of the river, twin room for 128 Euros per night for two. Recommended by SiobhanP - enough said.
Galway - 8/22 - The Periwinkle. It's in Grattan Park, between Galway city centre and Salthill. 75 Euros per night for two. Close to the city, but not in it, and with easy access to water views.
Dingle - 8/23 and 8/24 - Milestone Inn, 70 Euros per night for two. Water views.
These were selected based on their locations and in the case of the lodging outside Dublin, EXTREMELY friendly and helpful proprietors. These owners were very open about their accomodations and answered every question no matter how picky without making me feel ridiculous, and offered much more unsolicited information to me regarding transportation and events to see - 8 months from now! I would highly recommend these places just based on the experience I've had so far!
One more question = we are still trying to figure the best way to go from Galway to Dingle. One of the inns recommended that we could possibly start with a tour group leaving Galway, then hook up with a tour heading to Tralee or near Dingle, and travel that way, as opposed to a bus. Apparently this is sometimes done - any experience with this out there?
Thanks to all of you who have responded, and to jooleeb: we contacted Virginia's when we were considering staying in Kenmare, and thought they had very helpful proprietors similar to what we found in Dingle/Galway. We would have stayed there if we had scheduled a night in Kenmare.