'Must See' sites in Ireland
 

This is my second posting on this topic so I think I can be a little better at what I am looking for :-).

I am travelling to Ireland in mid-November with three friends and we are in the early stages of planning our itinerary. We are going to spend the first two nights in Dublin, then renting a car for four days (to see the Irish countryside) and then returning to Dublin for the last night.

My question to the forum is:

What are some of the 'must see' sites in the Irish countryside that we should be sure to include in our itinerary?

Only one of us has been to Ireland before and that was 15 years ago so we don't really have a good frame of reference as to what sites to make sure we see when we drive out of Dublin.

Thanks in Advance!! Great site....

on your other thread you asked about going to County Cork and County Mayo. Are those still in the mix?

4 days isn't very long to get to the northwest/southwest coast - especially in November when the days are short and weather pretty iffy.

If Cork and Mayo aren't "musts", what sorts of things are you interested in?

Cork and Mayo would still be nice but I chose to leave those out of this post so that I could get a broader range of responses.

Really what we are more interested in is getting the 'local flavor'. I know this means different things to different people but we really just want to see and meet the people that live in the countryside. This would include shopping, hitting a few pubs and seeing some historical sites.

It's hard to explain but the itinerary truly is a blank slate right now and we don't have any preconceptions about what we think is important.

After we get into a few guidebooks and see what responses we get from here I think we might be ready to narrow down some of the options.

Brad: One year I just did County Dublin, Wicklow, and Louth. Stayed in Malahide 2 nights coming in and last night. Went down to Rathnew in County Wicklow for 5 nights and toured that lovely county. Next went to Carlingford in County Louth. Stayed 7 nights. We could get the bus over to NI and back. The was at the end of Oct and beginning of Nov. Had a wonderful time and hope one day to repeat it. Good Luck, Joan

Glendalough
Monasterboice
The Ring of Kerry

It would be impossible to do them all in only 4 days, but here are my faves -

Slea Head drive and Dingle town
Kenmare
Cliffs of Moher
Kilkee Loop
Connemara and Clifden
Galway Town

I'd do a West Coast run from Dublin and either concentrate on the Northern portion or the Southern. Have fun!

Considering your limited time and the probable weather at that time of year, I'd likely head down to Wexford, Waterford, Cashel, Cork, and maybe Glendalough on the way. I think I'd save the west coast for another trip.

I would agree with mexicobeachbum - the West is too far for a 4-day trip, when there is so much to see in the East. We were there in May 2004, and really enjoyed Kilkenny (the castle and a town full of pubs!) We stayed at Dunromin B&B in Kilkenny - the owners Tom and Valerie were the friendliest, most helpful and charming people we met (and we met many lovely people in Ireland). In the southeast, be sure to visit Glendalough, Powerscourt Gardens, and the village of Enniskerry. From our B&B (Ferndale) we could walk to Powerscourt! For a great pub, go to Johnny Fox's near Enniskerry. You'll love Dublin too! We can't wait to go back. Have a great trip!

I agree with the previous 2 posts, the west is to far in 4 days in November. It will be dark at 4pm and you are also likely to get fog.

The destinations mention south of Dublin would be great, Wicklow in particular is a lovely county and you could easily spend 4 very pleasant days there.

Another suggestion is to travel North of Dublin and visit Newgrange, Carlingford and into N Ireland to the Mournes, Rostrevor, Warrinpoint, Silent Valley and Tullymore Forest park.

Enjoy your trip

Helen

Brad - my wife usually replies to these, but i thought i would take a shot. from what i have seen, most are sending you west, which, while the more beautiful part of the country, is not where you are landing, going from or going to be.

4 days is short. but you will have the most wonderful time. don't push it. take the time to savor what you see. and then go back.

i loved powerscourt waterfall. stay away from the tourists, take the time to wander. glendalough abbey and the waterfall is facinating, given the history.

look for the largest, most magnificent laurel you have ever seen, reaching and stretching 3 stories high.


head south. you can't miss. gardens of ireland in wicklow. the beautiful bray beaches.

if you want local favor, head off the beaten path. the "must sees" are what you see.