March 23-30 we are taking a Brian Moore self-directed tour of Ireland so I need so experienced help in designing my itinerary. This is our first time to Ireland and we are flying into Dublin and plan to stay 2 days there before going to City Cork for another 2 day stay. Eventually ending up flying out of Shannon to the USA.<BR>Need advice on; <BR>1.What to see in Dublin and Cork?<BR>2.How to finish up the trip on our way to Shannon from Cork City?<BR>3.Where to stay and eat in Dublin and Cork?<BR>4.What sites to see along the way (castles, factories, shopping for traditional Irish wares)?<BR>5.What to wear this time of year?<BR><BR><BR>Thank in advance, Greg<BR>

I'm kind of curious about this too. <BR><BR>Greg, As a suggestion, try looking at some package tour itineraries to get some ideas. Contiki offers a tour of southern Ireland. You probably won't won't to jump around as much on your trip, but the itineraries will probably cover the highlights for you. There are also some trip reports on this site that you might find helpful.

Greg,<BR><BR>I was in the same position as you last year before my first trip to Ireland. I was disapponted with some of the websites offered on Irish Tourism. I found Pat Preston's website to be by far the best out there. She offers books and tours, but her website offers great itenary advice and has a fantastic question and answer forum. I posted a few questions and got a wealth of advice from Pat and others in the forum. Definitely worth checking out. Have fun in Ireland!<BR>http://www.irelandexpert.com/

I'd definitely recommend going on the Literary Pub Crawl while in Dublin. It was a lot of fun, educational and appealed to a wide range of ages.<BR><BR>I'm not sure if the exhibit is still on, but you can view the Book of Kells at the Trinity College. Just to see the library was worth the visit. <BR><BR>Grafton Street is a popular shopping district. Temple Bar area is the place for nightlife. <BR><BR>

Yes, Pat's site is a good resource. Also, people often skip Blarney Castle as a hokie tourist site. Actually, it was kind of exciting and the view from the top is great. Get there early a.m. before the tour buses -- which shouldn't be a problem in March. In Dublin, PorterHouse is a really nice pub. People will direct you to Powerscourt Gardens and also to Kilkenny Castle. These are on two different highways, but you can actually visit both by driving over the Wicklow Gap. We did this in September and it was fine; could be a little foggy in March but practically no traffic. Have fun.

If you're going to be in Cork, you should make the drive over to see the Blarney Castle. Cork itself is pretty industrial and at times, dismal.

Thanks all, I will try Pat Preston's website. <BR>Greg

We just returned from a similar trip to yours - 2 nights in Cork, 5 in Dublin. In Cork, we stayed at the Victoria Hotel - extremely convenient, nothing fancy, but comfortable, and very reasonable rates. Although Cork was dreary in the rain, we spent an enjoyable sunny afternoon just strolling around. A great day trip from Cork is Cobh, a seaside resort town that was also the embarkation point for the majority of Irish emigrants. Fota Wildlife Park, just a few minutes away, is fun if the weather is fine. Two restaurants that we enjoyed were Valparaiso (Spanish) and Milano (Italian).<BR><BR>

Whoops, I hit “post” before I intended to!<BR><BR>Dublin is a great city to wander around, especially around Grafton St./St. Stephen’s Green and Temple Bar. If you’re interested in Irish history, I definitely recommend the tour of Kilmainham Gaol, but it might be a little long if you’re not keen on political history. On a lighter note, the tour (self-guided) of the old Guinness brewery is enjoyable, and concludes with the best pint we had in Dublin. The DART is useful for day trips – we visited some of the coastal towns, as well as Malahide, where there’s a storybook-looking castle, with a good tour. We enjoyed all of the restaurants we had dinner in, including Saffron 2000 and Rubicon, both on Lower Baggot St./Merrion Row. Excellent fish and chips at Beshoff’s. And our hotel, Longfield’s, was one of my favorites anywhere.<BR>

Greg,<BR>In Cork I would highly recommend Darcy's B&B. It's on Wellington Rd just behind MacCurtain St. It is a fantastic Georgian style townhouse which was once owned by the Murphy family (as in Murphy's the drink!). The staff are very friendly and helpful. Get a room at the front of the house and you will have a great view of the city. When I stayed (in the summer) it cost 25(IR&pound per person in a double room.

Is that Brian Moore, as in the novelist?<BR><BR>If it ain't, then definitely pick up one of his to read on the plane. The man's the absolute best. I recommend "Lies of Silence" or "The Statement," for starters.<BR><BR>If you are interested in literary Dublin, do check out the Dublin Writer's Museum. It's an interesting place to spend an hour or so, and it's right in City Centre.<BR><BR>There's more info about Dublin on my site, or feel free to drop me an e-mail.<BR><BR>All the best,<BR><BR>Mick<BR>www.dfaguide.com

To Mick,<BR>Brian Moore = Brian Moore International Tours. I dont know of any connectionto the author Brian Moore.<BR>I got on your site and chuckled at your Irish jokes. Hope to meet the O'Mally twins. <BR>Can't wait for a good pint of draft Guiness <BR>Greg

In Dublin some obvious touristy things are:<BR>Guiness brewery tour<BR>Jamison's Irish Whiskey Corner Tour<BR>Musical/Literary Pub Crawl<BR>I just enjoyed walking around the city and soaking it up. The post office on McConnell St. is neat because of the Irish uprising history. U2 has a bar in Dublin as well. Also in other parts of Irl don't miss Cashel (Rock of Cashel) and the SW is the best...Ring of Kerry, Dingle peninsula with Dingle Town and also Tralee.

Just came back from Ireland on a Brian Moore tour. Had a great time. Your B&B's are from Town and Country homes. You can get all this information at townandcountryhomes.ie. You shoud have a reservation the night you arrive in Dublin. Suggestion - upgrade your car to automatic, get driving conditions by way of roadwatch.ie. We flew into Dublin and stayed at the Lawrence House in Contarf, Dublin 3 for two nights. You will be tired. Go slow the first day. This was a good location due to the fact that you do not want to drive in Dublin. This was very convenient to Dublin City. Bus at the end of road. Take a city tour, go to Trintiy College to see the Book of Kells, Temple Bar and Gaston Street areas. Buy gifts at Carrolls in Dublin. Not bad prices.<BR> <BR>We drove to Galway and stayed there for the next 3 days. This is a great place.<BR><BR>We flew out of Shannon. I suggest that you stay the night before somewhere around the airport. We went to the Quality Hotel Shannon (Lannigans Restaurant)for dinner and drinks. <BR><BR>I am sorry I can't help you out on Cork. I would go back to Ireland in a heartbeart. The Irish are very warm people and love the Yanks.<BR><BR>We made all our B & B reservations on the internet before we left. We used the ATM at the airport to get money. The roads are nothing like the USA. Enjoy.

A few suggestions for Dublin:<BR><BR>Try Stag's Head in Temple Bar. Not much from the outside but it's absolutely outstanding inside. The perfect spot to enjoy a pint of Guinness.<BR><BR>If you like Fish & Chips, skip Beshoff's. Leo Burdock's is the best.<BR><BR>For some traditional Irish music try the second floor of Oliver St. John Gogarty Pub (Temple Bar area). Once again, a Guinness wouldn't hurt.

Greg,<BR><BR>I would second the recommendation for Pat's web site and here are some other ones you might like to check out,<BR><BR>Useful Web Sites for Ireland holidays - Ireland and its regions<BR>www.ireland.travel.ie<BR>Ireland West : www.westireland.travel.ie <BR>www.connemarra-tourism.org/<BR>www.connemara-tourism.org/index.html <BR>www.connemara.net/<BR>East Coast/Midlands : www.midlandseastireland.travel.ie <BR>Cork - Kerry : www.cork-kerry.travel.ie <BR>www.dingle-peninsula.ie/ <BR>Ireland South East : www.southeastireland.travel.ie <BR>Ireland North West : www.northwestireland.travel.ie <BR>Dublin : www.visitdublin.com <BR>The Shannon Region : www.shannonireland.travel.ie <BR><BR>General Information on getting around and accessing main sites<BR>www.ireland.com <BR>www.heritageireland.com - Great information on heritage cards which allow access to most sites.<BR> www.cie.ie – CIE is the umbrella company for public transport and has links to the bus and rail schedules and Dublin Bus schedules. CIE tours also has specialized section on tours to main attractions<BR>www.aircoach.ie – This is a non-stop bus link to and from the airport to the major hotels.<BR>www.ryanair.ie – No frills cheap airline has fares as low as 9 Irish pounds to airports in the UK & Europe.<BR>www.tourismresources.ie<BR><BR>Accommod ation & Restaurants<BR>www.ireland.travel.ie<BR>www.townan dcountry.ie<BR>www.irishfarmholidays.com<BR>www.hi dden-ireland.com,<BR>www.jurys.com<BR>www.templehouse.ie (Sligo – NorthWest)<BR>www.beourguest.ie <BR>www.family-homes.ie <BR>www.dublinn.com (Kilronan House)<BR>www.castlesireland.com/<BR>www.gsh.ie<BR>www.irelands-blue-book.ie/<BR>www.ballymaloe.com (In Cork – the southern region – it has an excellent restaurant)<BR>www.irishcountryhousesandcastles.co m<BR> <BR>Passage Graves/Ancient Tombs<BR>www.loughcrew.com,<BR>www.meathtourism.ie <BR>Driving in Ireland<BR>www.roadwatch.ie<BR>Walking Tours<BR>http://www.irishwaymarkedways.ie <BR>Conferences <BR>http://www.conference-ireland.ie or http://www.incentive-ireland.ie<BR>English Tours<BR>http://www.languagelearning.travel.ie<BR>Golf<BR>http://www.golf.travel.ie <BR>Fishing<BR>http://www.cfb.ie<BR> <BR>