Off-season time in Ireland
 

We are trying to plan a trip to Ireland this year, but our four kids range in age from 10 to 19 so we're looking for some really good fares, when would the best time be to fly?

From what I've read here and elsewhere, the high season (most expensive) is July and August, with a little June thrown in there.
The shoulder season (therefore cheaper) is April, May, September, October... and you would still have decent weather. Some people's favorite times seem to be May and September.
Best fares will come with online savvy and checking prices at the MANY different sites (i.e. travelocity, expedia, priceline, orbitz, as well as the airlines themselves). Good prices come and go quickly, so might be lucky to catch one even in the higher season, especially if your dates/days are flexible.
Good luck!

btw, as someone else posted in the other thread "excellent airfares to europe", you can check sites like STA.com for student and youth fares.

Oh, and cheapest tickets would probably be in the winter months, but would assume you'd like to have nicest weather as possible, and as much daylight as you can get.

I was in Ireland Jan '03 -flew from LA to Dublin on Aer Lingus for $315 (taxes included). The weather was cold, but not uncomfortable. Only one afternoon of rain during a one week visit. Ireland is great during the off seaxon.

..spent a winter in Dublin Dec to end of March...It is grey, rarely snows,but the days are short..it would be dark when i left to go to work and it would be dark before i left to return home..so much of the fun of vacation in ireland is the countryside..although there can be glorious crips days and co. Kerry was probably close to 50 in the afternoon in march, there were so very damp chilly days..not condusive for jaunts in the country...i remember being on the dingle penisula on a weekend and it was so foggy that the visability was probably 100 ft..not great for vistas!..april, may, sept and oct would be great, but the winter months can be a bit dreary so i really wouldnt go..the savings would just not be worth it.

I've gotten great fares for November travel, most often directly from Aer Lingus. Some years, we tack on a few days to our Thanksgiving vacation and travel then.

Drusullivan,

Keep checking the Aerlingus site. After the madness of the summer dies down [when you will pay top dollar -which regretably I have for the summer weather] they generally post unbelievable sales. Sometimes the best of the sales are for couples traveling together or families. I have lots of friends from Ireland who live in the States and take advantage of the sales to go home to visit "off-peak". Sometimes the fares are so good that I've been tempted to go with them just for the heck of it. ; )

With 4 kids you need all the help they can give you!

Hope you find something that works for you!

kakalena

We flew AerLingus BWI-SNN late Feb.'04 returning 2 Mar.'04 for $198 R/T ($257 incl. taxes & fees). They had the same deal from BOS & JFK. That was pretty much 'rock bottom;' but there are usually some pretty good deals anytime between Oct and May.

Just keep checking AerLingus web site for their latest offers. If a Newark gateway is more convenient, you might do the same with Continental Airlines. They service both DUB & SNN out of EWR and they'll usualy match Aer Lingus' offers.

NEDSIRELAND, I remember that Aer Lingus special earlier this year -- It was from Jan to March. Only catch was you could only stay 3-4 days. It was a good deal for a friend of mine who took his wife & 3 kids back to visit the family for 4 days at a cost of $1250.00 fromn the East Coast.

It would even be a good deal for a group who just wanted to so some pub crawling in Dublin for 4 days. ((b))

You'll get the best fares in February and November. January and December sometimes can be expensive, because so many people fly home to Ireland from the US and Canada for Christmas.

September gets my vote. May be slightly more expensive than Oct/Nov but the trade off is that the weather is likely to be quite good. We always seem to get good weather as soon as the kids go back to school!

As you're choosing dates, pay attention to what amyprib recommended and decide what it was you were planning to do. Airfares get cheaper in Winter, but the days are very short - so you may pay less to get there, but get less vacation time if you're planning mostly outdoor activities and sightseeing.

Early spring is one possible good tradeoff. Longer daylight hours (even until 10-11pm by late May) and fares that are usually cheaper than summer. Winter on the other hand, you can get as little as 6-7 hrs of daylight which is great and a good savings if you'll just be wandering streets or inside, but not so good for scenic drives, checking out cliffs and castles or hikes through the hills.

I went with my 2 kids for spring break in early April for about $450 each from BWI. It was light until 8pm and the weather was mostly beautiful. Some things were closed, though, not to open until after Easter. It was uncrowded and so pleasant!
Rebecca

I also flew out of BWI last Feb.I paid $98 each way on Aer Lingus.These fares usually come up around oct or nov.So keep checking.Incidently..I am leaving on 10-17-04.....I bought my tix in June and paid $114 each way.