Once Again Asking .... This Time Ireland
 

Next year we will once again be in Oxford, England for classes and once again it is my job to come up with a "where to go and what to see" itinerary for the following two weeks. I have decided on visiting Ireland again and have rented a small cottage in County Wicklow for a week. Leaving me with a week to .....? We have already visited many of the main tourist areas in Ireland and two years ago had a wonderful time in northern part. Now I am looking for another area to settle for five or six days. Can anyone share their "favorite" place; countryside, village or city? Also favorite hotel or B and B or vacation rental? We are an older couple, like a nice bar but not a touristy atmosphere . Ocean, lakes and rivers enjoyed and welcomed.

I have just returned from a trip to the southeast of Ireland. I heartily recommend the Ballyduff House B&B in County Kilkenny (near Inistioge and Thomastown). Website - http://ballyduffhouse.ie/

As you can see from the website, this is a lovely country home, with the River Nore just behind it. The breakfasts are great, and in the evenings they serve tea, coffee and wine by the fire in the library.

We stayed 4 nights - I wish it had been longer.

The area also has a lot to offer in terms of sights - Jerpoint Abbey, Kilkenny within easy reach, Kells priory, and very nice small towns such as Inistioge and St. Mullins.

This is not a "main tourist area". Rural Kilkenny is a little off the tourist trail, and very authentic, in my opinion. When we go to Ireland again, this will be high on our list of places to visit.

Perhaps spending your second week in Kilkenny might be limiting your horizons. Kilkenny city is accessible from Co Wicklow as a day trip, Inistioge included. Another outing: again reachable from Wicklow, the Barrow river is a much underappreciated area - if you like walking, the river walk between Graignamanagh and St Mullins is a great day out.
For your second week, you might consider heading west. A quiet spot that ticks the boxes for lakes, rivers and ocean is Lough Inagh Lodge, a small hotel on the lake shore, only a few miles from the sea at Dogs Bay near Roundstone. All of what Connemara has to offer is on your doorstep, plus islands like Inishbofin and Clare Island.

Cliften and Connemara, trip to Inishmore. Tony2phones great map and itinerary
http://ireland.activeboard.com/t5005...-galway-route/

Why not go all the way south to west Cork. A night in Kinsale which is abit touristy but then south to Baltimore which is a lovely seaside village at the extreme south of Ireland. Islands just off shore to visit and a short drive to the Mizenhead and Beara peninsulas. No tourist busses and a lovely village square that sits outside of two pubs that overlook the harbor and islands. Good restaurants within walking distance or Pub grub outside while overlooking the water. The village does have a website. Have fun

To the original poster - what area in Wicklow are you staying in for the first week?

Have you ever been to County Cavan? My favorite B&B's in all of Ireland is St Kyran's in Virginia, County Cavan. Its a lovely peaceful B&B sitting on Lough Ramor. The town of Virginia is a pretty little town. The hosts, Patrick and Helena are wonderful people with a lot of great ideas for day trips. The B&B also has an amazing restaurant so you don't even have to leave the beautiful surroundings if you choose to stay put for a day. I love it there