Must do's
 

The wife and I are traveling to Ireland in late September and are trying to plan our itenery. Could people list the five to ten things we must do in Ireland? What are they essentials?

My list would have to be:-
1. Dingle Peninsula
2. Ring of Kerry
3. Walking in Killarney National Park **
4. Driving the coastal road south of Cork, along the coastal villages, past Glandore, out to Mizen Head, and also follow the road out to Allihlies (near Dursey Island)
I feel that the above drives would have to be the "most scenic" in all of Ireland.
5. Visit to Johny Fox's Pub in County Wicklow.

What are "the" wife's interests? And yours, of course.

Serious time in Dublin (including shopping, pubs, literary walking tours, Trinity College Library).

And pubs!
Enjoy the craic!!
hth

taggie - we like sightseeing, history, architecture. more that route over nightclubs and partying. the five to ten things that we HAVE to see.

Don't miss the Book of Kells in Trinity College, Dublin. Photographs just don't do it justice.

Don't miss the Cliffs of Moher. The first time we saw them we were in awe. If you are flying into Shannon, they are a must-see. We love driving along the coast as the scenery is ever-changing; Dingle is a great example, and are going back there in October. We like to stop in out-of-the way places and try to take the most meandering routes to anywhere when we feel like we have the time. (Don't expect to get anywhere in a big hurry!) If you are in the northwest, go to Slieve League. If you feel the need to be in a city, we seem to gravitate more toward Galway than Dublin, but either would give you a good sample of "city life."

I have been trying to figure out how to get some shots on-line, so here are a few from our last trip, which was in the Northwest and part of Northern Ireland.
http://community.webshots.com/user/almoon11

allisonm - Thank you for the pictures, they're very nice.

Seems like Dingle and the ring of Kerry are high on people's lists.
Glad you liked the Book of Kells, happytourist, as a bookworm I was curious but didn't know anyone who had seen it.

You can take or leave the Ring of Kerry. Not as much "bang for the buck" (excuse the cliche) as Dingle or some of the other sites, in my opinion.

Gap of Dunloe and boat ride thru the 3 lakes was another "must do."

Mizen Head, Sheep Head, and Loop Head Peninsulas are high on my list. I missed the Skellig Islands on my last trip, and I consider it a "must do" on my next trip. %%- ((b))

In no particular order, some of my favorites;

1. Cliffs of Moher and the Burren
2. Connemara & Arans Islands
3. Wicklow - Glendalough, Vale of Avoca
4. Cahir &/or Trim Castle
5. Kilkenny Castle
6. Dublin - shopping! Grafton St, St Stephens' green, Book of Kells, bus tour, National Museum
7. Newgrange & Knowth
8. Dingle - more so than Ring of Kerry tho both nice in September.
9. Galway - fun town
10. B&Bs, listening to music in the pubs, visiting with the locals, going to a horse or grey hound race, bog hopping, picnics, drive through the "mountains", getting lost down some back road...

Safe travels,

Wendy

It all sort of depends on which way you go and/or where you land and leave from. In late September there shouldn't be a big problem with crowds, though the tourist season isn't quite yet over.

Some people like Dublin, others don't. If Irish history is important, then you can't miss visiting Dublin. It is though, a popular party town, so the weekends can get pretty wild. There is BTW, a big difference between a pub and a nightclub.

In Dublin, it's wise to take a hop on hop off tour. It will take you by many of the big sites. Favorites are: The Post Office, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Kilmainham Gaol, Christchurch and St Patrick's Cathedral, The Four Courts, Guinness Brewery (more of a museum to Guinness). I'm sure I left out a bunch. Dublin theater is considered very good. The pub and literary walks are quite good. North of Dublin is Newgrange and Knowth.

South of Dublin are Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall, Glendalough in the Wicklow Mtns and Kilkenny. Those who are Waterford Crystal lovers must make a trip to the factory. Otherwise, it's interesting, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Heading further south and west, you hit the Rock of Cashel and Cahir Castle. Worth missing is Blarney Castle unless you have a lust for things touristy.

tropo's suggestion of following the coast roads in SW Cork is excellent. Kinsale and Cobh are popular towns to visit both having some interesting historical sights.

As far as scenery in the SW, you wouldn't do wrong by hitting any or all of the peninsulas from Mizen to Dingle. Mizen, Sheepshead and Beara are the least visited, Iveragh (Ring of Kerry) and Dingle, the most. The Slea Head Drive and Connor Pass are regularly considered favorites by most.

The Cliffs of Moher are featured in almost everyones attempts to sell you a trip to Ireland. They are truly spectacular and best viewed late in the day (around sunset) after the tour buses are gone.

The Connemara region is very popular and a trip out to Clifden and Kylemore Abbey just up the road is always nice.

If you find yourself somewhere in the middle of the country, Clonmacnoise is one of the great historical sites in Ireland.

OK, that's the south half as best I could do in a hurry. It's hard to give somebody a must see list because, for me, the best places are quiet out of the way places. Others want to see major tourist stops. That's not to knock most of the major tourist spots. They are that because they are beautiful (usually).

Consider taking a look at the Michelin Green Guide for Ireland. The list sites in three categories: Worth or Journey, Worth a detour and Interesting (I think that's the wording).

Let us know if you are considering the north and how much time you have. There is much to see up there.

Bill

--Glendalough! Glendalough!
--Driving the Dingle Peninsula and spending an evening (or two) in Dingle's pubs
--The Cliffs of Moher
--Biking around the Aran Islands
--Walking through Killarney National Park
--Stuffing yourself with fish and chips and Guinness (and/or Smithwick's)

Almost forgot, the Rock of Cashel is a must-see (in my opinion). It's breathtaking.

Hi Big Steve,
It almost the hardest thing to give travel advice as a native, so forgive me if this is rubbish. I guess we tend to take for granted some of the most beautiful things our countries offer. Anyway, here are some things I have really enjoyed in Ireland which may fit your interests:

1 - The Ulster-American Folk Park, in Omagh, Co. Tyrone
(This folk park takes you on a walk through life in Ireland pre-Famine. You get to walk into cottages where the poorest families dined on potatoes around an open fire, at every meal. You move up the ranks to the house of the local 'gentry' who had somewhat more comfortable surroundings. After you've seen pre-famine Ireland, the tour takes you to the boat yards, you get to sit in a typical 'coffin-ship' which brought hundreds of thousands of Irish to the U.S. during the famine). The sound affects are amazing, I have grown up with this story yet I found myself close to tears. Emerging on the other side of the boatyard, you follow the steps of emigrants arriving in the U.S. to make a new life, also fascinating. I think we spent 3-4 hours at this park. It's history brought to life in a format perfect for vacation time. There are others (Bunratty Folk Park at Bunratty Castle is one) but I haven't visited these (yet).

2 - Castle Ward, Co.Down
This property is in N.Ireland, so part of the UK and owned by the National Trust. It came to mind when you mentioned architecture. This formal house and gardens was built by a local landowner and his wife who disagreed on the style - she liked Gothic, he liked (Georgian I think). So, from one side of the house you see one style, and from the other side, the other style. They carry this compromise right through the whole house! The guided tour is great, and the gardens are good for walks and picnics. Castle Ward is near the town of Downpatrick (burial place of St. Patrick).

Since I am being quite longwinded, I'll leave it there and feel free to ask if any questions...

Anna

Anna,

Well, I don't know about Steve but I know where *I'm* heading next time I get into the country! Thanks so much for the detailed explaination of those two places.
I'm sold!

Cheers,

Wendy