May '09 in Ireland
 

We've decided to return to Ireland next May, statistically one of the driest months there. As background, we spent 3 weeks in Ireland in '99, using Dublin, Kilkenny, Kinsale, Killarny, Dingle, and Galway as bases and staying 3 or 4 days in each place -- and had only 2 days of rain! This time we want to slow down more and would like to spend 2 weeks in vacation rentals. I've come up with this tentative itinerary and would appreciate comments and help from those of you who know Ireland well.
1. A week in West Cork, near either Durrus or Ballydehob, since I've found good rentals there and both seem to be centrally located. Any idea which might make the better base?
2. 4 days in Dingle, one of our favorite places ever. But I'm afraid it's gotten really touristy and wonder if we'd be better off in a nearby village like Ballydavid???
3. A week in Clifden, in the Connemara.
4. 3 days in southern Donegal, in or near Killybegs or perhaps a bit further north in Ardara. Which would be better? I'm also open to northern Donegal if I could find a good central base.
5. A few days in Northern Ireland, to see Derry and the Antrim coast.
All comments and suggestions will be most welcome.

Some comments:
- Yes, Dingle is very touristy, but that has an upside as well as a downside. Plenty of good restaurants and lively pubs. Ballydavid, by contrast, is small and quiet, and you have only two pubs in the village, and the nearest good restaurant (Gorman's) is three miles away, which is not good if you take wine with your meal.
- I think Clifden palls after a day or so. Consider Roundstone.
- Killybegs might disappoint you, but the coast and country to the west of it is lovely. Ardara is not terribly exciting, either, but a little bit better, and is a good base for local touring.

May I suggest Ballycarton House in Limavady for the days in Northern Ireland? http://www.ballycartonhouse.com .
It's a lovely home in the countryside with a wonderful hostess who gives a discount for three or more days; she also has a self-catering unit, laundry facilities and web access.

From there you can visit the Antrim coast, Derry, and drive the Inishowen 100. On your way to or from, there is the Ulster-American Folk Park near Omagh.

This looks like a really nice holiday and like Padraig, I have a few suggestions.

As for May weather, it can be unpredictable but I've had great weather in May and terrible weather (2006 was atrocious)

There isn't a lot in Durrus and Ballydehob didn't strike me as much. Shull is a bit larger and obviously Skibbereen is a busy enough town. I've stayed in Baltimore and liked it a lot. As far as something to do, take a trip to Crookhaven and have a pint or two at O'Sullivan's.

Another place to stay, a bit further afield but still in SW Cork is Castletownshend. You can rent a room at the Castle by the week and it is fairly affordable by castle standards. It's not luxurious and the owner is slightly strange but I found it a great place to stay and the rooms look out on the bay. In Castletownshend is Mary Ann's pub which serves great meals and a great little ol' pub. I love that area and it's hard not to have fun.

The Ballydavid area is beautiful and the drive into Dingle isn't real difficult. I agree though that Dingle's tourism isn't a terrible thing and there are a couple of great music pubs in town. Ventry is another choice as a place to stay on the peninsula. If you're looking for a great B&B with some solitude, consider the Shores onthe north coast just over the Conor Pass. I've stayed many times and I love it there. http://www.theshorescountryhouse.com/

I agree with Padraig on Clifden. Though a bit further north, I would consider Westport which I think is a great viallge again with some great pubs and has access to both the Connemara and Achill island. I would take that over Clifden anytime with lots of touring options. It's more in the middle of soem options than Clifden is which is out on the edge. I stayed at a place outside of Westport in the little village of Murisk. It was about 10 minutes into town. http://www.anu.ie/tighbeag/index.html

The hosts were great and had excellent tips on walking. For a week though, you may consider self catering.

Ardara (pron Ardra) or Killybegs is a toss up in my mind. It's the scenery around them. When following the coast, anytime you see a sign for the scenic drive, take it. The road will be narrow and death defying and well worth it. The B&B that I stayed in in Killybegs has since closed (under sad circumstances - death in the family) but try the Ocean View as it gets great reviews. http://www.oceanviewhouse.info/

The slieve league cliffs are well worth the time. Though they brag at being the highest sea cliffs in Europe, they aren't actually even the highest in Ireland as Acchill holds that claim. I understand the highest are on the Faroe Islands.

In NI I stayed at the Crockatinny Guest House which I liked very much:
http://crockatinney.ndo.co.uk/
The view was wonderful and it was situated halfway between Ballycastle and Ballintoy.

Hope this helps.

Bill

Thank you all for your suggestions, which I'm taking to heart. I think Schull may be the best choice in Cork for us, given a more central location than Castletownshend, and Dingle also a good choice --just found out that the 2 pubs in Ballydavid that Padraig mentions are closed during our visit in early May. I really appreciate the advice about Clifden, which did sort of surprise me since I'd read good things about it here. But since we'll be self-catering for a week, I do want a location with the most things to do around it. But do we go south to Roundstone or north to Westport? And am still undecided about Donegal - leaning toward Ardara because of the location, but we'll definitely visit the country west of Killybegs. Thank you all so much for the help, and I'd love more comments.

Roundstone is one of my favourite places on this planet, and I think I am far from alone in this. It's a small village overlooking a harbour, two small hotels (each with under twenty rooms) with good seafood restaurants and there is one other reasonable restaurant; a few pubs; several B&Bs. I'm off to visit it next week.

Westport is larger, very much a town rather than a village. The main activity is tourism. Several medium-sized hotels, a variety of mostly mid-level eateries, some nice pubs, more shops than Roundstone, more variety generally -- but in a location that is very nice rather than beautiful.

Google for pictures of both places, and it might help your choice.

[BTW, it's "Connemara" rather than "the Connemara".]

sorry aboutthat padraig ... i know better

Padraig's assessment of Westport vs Roundstone was sopt on. Rounstone is a lovely little village and it really depends on what you want to do. If you want to "go local" for a week in a small Irish fishing village, Roundstone would be an excellent choice. I spent a week in Castletownshend once and it was a lot of fun. Westport would provide more nightlife options and it's big enough that people won't recognize you when you come to the same place twice.

Scenery-wise I'd give a slight nod to Westport just because I think Connemara is one landscape, but as you go north to Achill, it seems different to me. That siad though, from Roundstone, you could (if you rise early enough) catch a boat or a plane out to one or more of the Arans and perhaps even stay a night or two. Never a bad choice.

I'm predjudice slightly towards Westport because of the trad music scene. I don't know if there is much of a scene in Roundstone despite the presence of Roundstone Music ... and I'm not much of a fan of Roundstone Music.

If you go looking for Slieve League Cliffs in Co Donegal, there is a road south from Carrick (right next to the Slieve League pub) that heads towards Teelin. Look for the sign to Bunglass Cliffs (not Sleve League). That road will take you to a deceptive closed gate and a car park. Open the gate, drive through and continue to the top. If narrow roads on cliff edges with no guard rails scare you, perhaps you should walk. OTOH, if it's windy (and it is frequently), that can be a tiring hike up the road. There is a car park at the top and some great short or long walks from there.

I'm a huge fan of the Mizen Peninsula and, though I've not stayed in Shull, I think it would be a pretty nice jumping off point. I belive there are boat trips from Shull out to Clear Island (perhaps Sherkin) and probably tours around Fastnet rock. I imagine the seas can get pretty choppy around Fastnet. I've never made the tour but there is hardly a more spectacular location for a lighthouse.

You can certainly do the same trips from Baltimore which, with a week, I think is worth a visit. The trip to Sherkin from Baltimore is about 10-15 minutes on a pretty calm bay. Its a nice ride and you can walk all around Sherkin pretty easily.

Bill

Thanks for the additional help. A place with a trad music scene is very important to my husband - thanks for pointing out the scene in Westport, Bill. And even if we choose Schull for our first week's self-catering, we'll certainly go to Baltimore. We've found over the years that we really enjoy settling into one place for at least a week and making day trips, rather than moving every couple of days. Tha's why, though, we like to find a place that's centrally located for a region, so our driving is kept to a minimum. Really appreciate all your suggestion.

alohatoall writes: "A place with a trad music scene is very important to my husband ..."

Ennis, County Clare has its Fleadh Nua (Spring music fest) the last week of May every Year. Check out keywords Fleadh Nua for skeds and dates; & if you plan to stop there make reservations far in advance.

In addition to scheduled events, you can usually find unscheduled sessions in places like Cruise's Pub during & after the Festival.

As Ned says, Ennis is a great choice for trad. While in Dingle, my personal favorite is the Small Bridge (An Droichead Beag). There are certainly others.

There is a pub on Sherkin (the only one I believe) that is also known for it's trad, many times with visiting musicians. Never caught a session there, may have to start one myself the next time out.

Bill