One Week in Ireland - Not Enough!
Nov 2nd, 2004, 01:10 PM
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One Week in Ireland - Not Enough!
First, I must give credit to all of the folks who regularly share their insights on Ireland on this board. You are too numerous to name, and I don't want to leave anyone out, so I won't try (although many of you responded to my pre-trip request for help from Ireland Gurus). My wife and I found that the info from this board was much, much more helpful and accurate than the guide books we bought (sorry Fodors!).
Anyway, not being a genuis at narrative, I'll try to keep this simple: comments and observations along with a brief chronology to let you know what we did.
Flew from Philly to Shannon overnight, arriving about 9:00 a.m. Saturday, October 23. Nice flight on USAIR. We had several connections to get from Myrtle Beach to Philly, and when our flights were delayed, we began to worry a little. No problem; when we touched down in Philly, USAIR reps had a go-cart ready and made sure our luggage got to the plane--from our experience, the bankruptcy has not affected the good frontline service we've always received with USAIR (no affiliation by the way). Cleared customs without any problem; had our rental car (Nissan Micra--small, perfect for the roads) from AutoEurope/Europcar in less than 30 minutes, delivered to the airport door. They accepted my mastercard in lieu of collision coverage.
Drove directly to Kenmare, through Killarney National Park/Moll's Gap, took a little less than 3 hours. We stayed three nights in Kenmare at the Shelburne Lodge. It was superb, probably the most comfortable overall accommodations I've ever experienced. John and Maura are outstanding hosts. Breakfasts were unbelievable. I know lots of folks love the Greenmount House breakfasts in Dingle, but having sampled both, there was no comparison (even though Greenmount breakfasts were very good).
Here's the Shelburne Lodge breakfast menu for our three days. Choose any or all of: Tea or Coffee, along with fresh juice; brown bread and soda bread; honey and butter; muesli, porridge (with Bailey's or without), fruit (I have to elaborate here: poached pears with a honey glaze or homegrown apples with dates, both outstanding); cheeses (aged sharp cheddar, blue, and two soft cheeses the names of which I cannot recall); traditional Irish breakfast; Fish of the day--my wife got this the first morning, some type whitefish like sole--delicious; omelette with choice of cheese, smoked salmon, mushroom, herbs.
Outstanding! And the house and grounds were lovely. It is about a 7 or 8 minute walk to the town (or to the riverside park, through the golf course).
Kenmare itself was by far our favorite place. Knowing what we know now, we would definitly have stayed all 6 days there. That would give you time to explore ALL of the peninsulas that most of us end up choosing between (Dingle, Inveraugh, Beara). The town is small, but what a great variety of shops, restaurants, and pubs.
On Tuesday we headed up to Dingle Town for what we thought would be 2 nights (a day in town, and day to explore Slea Head). We stopped at Inch beach, had to see what the other side of the Atlantic looked like compared to our own beach. The scenery heading inland and into Dingle Town was awesome, more green than the areas we had seen south.
Then we hit Dingle Town. Many of you Dingle fans are not going to like this--I am prepared for the onslaught, so here goes. We just didn't connect with Dingle. Maybe we got too comfortable with Kenmare; maybe too many shops and restaurants were closed; maybe the wind was just a little too biting; maybe the stars didn't line up. I don't have any specific gripe against Dingle Town, we just didn't feel it. Now that said, we found a very friendly bartender at the Dingle Pub, which we enjoyed a lot. Perhaps even better was the most unique pub we encountered on our whole trip: Dick Mack's. I can't describe it, except to say it's small, oddly shaped, full of local characters who seem to tolerate tourists very well, and lots of shoes lining the walls up top near the ceiling.
Woke up Wednesday morning to a very good breakfast at Greenmount House, but not approaching the greatness of Shelburne Lodge in Kenmare. The room itself was very spacious, with a great view of Dingle Bay. I'd definitely recommend this lodge if you're staying in Dingle.
Just after breakfast, we heard a weather forecast for a very bad 24-48 hours of storms in the south, with winds of 70 MPH possible. Not the greatest forecast for driving around Slea Head. Reluctantly, we decided to scrap our second night in Dingle and head further North to escape the worst of the weather. We missed seeing Slea Head, but I have to say we were a little excited to leave Dingle and see if we could find a place to stay Wednesday night that we liked a little better than Dingle.
Drove up the coast Wednesday, seeming to stay just ahead of really bad weather, but we could tell the wind was really picking up. Crossed the Shannon River on the Tarbet-Killimer ferry. Looked at Kilkee and decided that wasn't quite the place. Ironically, all the empty summer cottages at Kilkee reminded me a bit of the way our hometown (Myrtle Beach) used to look during the off season up until a few years ago.
We drove up and checked out Ennistymon, not quite right, and then Lahinch. Lahinch was perfect! Very small, basically a one-street town, but we found a decent room (100 Euro per night) at the Shamrock Inn right in the heart of things, and we rode out the storm that night after enjoying a great chat with the young bartender in the Fitzgerald Pub. Lahinch has a beach that looks a lot like the one at Inch, and even a surf shop! A cool little place for an overnight, and it set us up nicely for a drive up to the Cliffs of Moher, through the southern edge of the Burren, and then on to Bunratty for our last night before flying out.
We checked in to the Bunratty Lodge in the early afternoon. We loved it. Mary was a gracious host, and she served a very nice breakfast; the house is immaculate. I will say to get to the lodge, you drive past the castle and shops, past a lot of other B&B's, until it looks like you're lost, and then finally there it is at the end of the road. No problem, just a short little drive back to the castle, shops, and best of all--Kathleen's Pub, The Creamery Pub, and (I guess) Durty Nelly's. We loved Kathleen's for the food; loved the Creamery for the huge L-shaped bar; and probably would have liked Durty Nelly's better if not for the huge crowd of tour bus riders inside.
Bunratty is super small, but it is a comfortable way to unwind on your last afternoon/evening. And it is very close to the airport. We returned our car, and were on the Europcar shuttle within 5 minutes. It was a short ride, but the young driver was hilarious, just a natural cut-up with a very quick tongue. He had the whole van howling in 5 minutes. Flight back was actually early, so we were able to catch a better connection and avoid our anticipated 4 hour layover in Philly. Not a bad way to end a great vacation.
Okay, I'll end with a few specific comments.
Restaurants: Kenmare--Packies was outstanding, cozy, charming, and had the best grilled oysters I've ever had. (Otherwise in Kenmare, we just had pub-grub, which is a misnomer; we had great *starters* and made a tapas style meal every night except for Packies--probably the best pub for food was Foley's.) Sneem--the Blue Bull for lunch--great chowder!! Dingle--Fenton's, which was fine, we had seafood, only problem was that it was fairly crowded, and the wait staff seemed a little stressed (Chart House was closed; we were too early for Out of the Blue, and not really in the mood for an extragant dinner anyway--Out of the Blue's prices were 25-30 Euro per entre.) In Lahinch we ate at the hotel restaurant (actually, the sister hotel, The Atlantic)--it was fine, not memorable, but on par with good pub-grub. In Bunratty, Kathleen's finally served me the combination of fish and chips I had not been able to find: fish crispy/outside and moist/inside and the chips still hot.
The Pubs:
Nothing like them in the U.S. (at least not that I have found, and not for a lack of trying!) I have always been a guinness fan, and this trip (as did a previous one to Scotland) just reinforced my worship of the black stuff. I must say, I thought the Beamish stout was a close second. My better half's gripe? She's a Chardonnay drinker, and that makes for tough going in the pubs; it's there, but it's one size fits all (either a Chilean or an Australian).
Highlights/Scenery:
The drive from Kenmare to Glengariff along the N 71; then back through the Healy Pass (awesome!); from Kenmare to Sneem along the ring of kerry route (the coast road); Sneem is a pretty little town; the inland road from Sneem, through Moll's Gap, and back to Kenmare; Killarney National Park (especially the grounds of the Muckross House; wish we had set aside more time for some serious walking in the Park); the approach to Dingle Town through the interior after the road leaves the coast; the awesome Cliffs of Moher--so glad we saw them; Burren? Maybe we didn't get deep enough into the territory to do it justice.
Weather: 2 days of sun; 2 days of pretty steady rain (mostly light though); 2 days overcast. When the sun is out, it is unbelievably clear and beautiful. And the rain produced two very nice rainbows for us at the beginning and end of our trip.
Funniest Quirk:
There is no diet Mountain Dew where we went. When my wife told John at the Shelburne Lodge that she craved a diet Mountain Dew at breakfast, he looked shocked and said *for breakfast!* Apparently mountain dew is a code word for moonshine in that area. We had a good laugh over that.
We definitely want to go back. Learning what we liked most and liked less from this trip, I believe we will make a choice as to one small region to stay in. I am thinking Connemara. As I said above, we would have enjoyed just staying in Kenmare better than moving from town-to-town; gives you more time to mingle with locals, to pick up on the very gentle pace, and to better fantasize about your retirement to this gem of an island!
Anyway, not being a genuis at narrative, I'll try to keep this simple: comments and observations along with a brief chronology to let you know what we did.
Flew from Philly to Shannon overnight, arriving about 9:00 a.m. Saturday, October 23. Nice flight on USAIR. We had several connections to get from Myrtle Beach to Philly, and when our flights were delayed, we began to worry a little. No problem; when we touched down in Philly, USAIR reps had a go-cart ready and made sure our luggage got to the plane--from our experience, the bankruptcy has not affected the good frontline service we've always received with USAIR (no affiliation by the way). Cleared customs without any problem; had our rental car (Nissan Micra--small, perfect for the roads) from AutoEurope/Europcar in less than 30 minutes, delivered to the airport door. They accepted my mastercard in lieu of collision coverage.
Drove directly to Kenmare, through Killarney National Park/Moll's Gap, took a little less than 3 hours. We stayed three nights in Kenmare at the Shelburne Lodge. It was superb, probably the most comfortable overall accommodations I've ever experienced. John and Maura are outstanding hosts. Breakfasts were unbelievable. I know lots of folks love the Greenmount House breakfasts in Dingle, but having sampled both, there was no comparison (even though Greenmount breakfasts were very good).
Here's the Shelburne Lodge breakfast menu for our three days. Choose any or all of: Tea or Coffee, along with fresh juice; brown bread and soda bread; honey and butter; muesli, porridge (with Bailey's or without), fruit (I have to elaborate here: poached pears with a honey glaze or homegrown apples with dates, both outstanding); cheeses (aged sharp cheddar, blue, and two soft cheeses the names of which I cannot recall); traditional Irish breakfast; Fish of the day--my wife got this the first morning, some type whitefish like sole--delicious; omelette with choice of cheese, smoked salmon, mushroom, herbs.
Outstanding! And the house and grounds were lovely. It is about a 7 or 8 minute walk to the town (or to the riverside park, through the golf course).
Kenmare itself was by far our favorite place. Knowing what we know now, we would definitly have stayed all 6 days there. That would give you time to explore ALL of the peninsulas that most of us end up choosing between (Dingle, Inveraugh, Beara). The town is small, but what a great variety of shops, restaurants, and pubs.
On Tuesday we headed up to Dingle Town for what we thought would be 2 nights (a day in town, and day to explore Slea Head). We stopped at Inch beach, had to see what the other side of the Atlantic looked like compared to our own beach. The scenery heading inland and into Dingle Town was awesome, more green than the areas we had seen south.
Then we hit Dingle Town. Many of you Dingle fans are not going to like this--I am prepared for the onslaught, so here goes. We just didn't connect with Dingle. Maybe we got too comfortable with Kenmare; maybe too many shops and restaurants were closed; maybe the wind was just a little too biting; maybe the stars didn't line up. I don't have any specific gripe against Dingle Town, we just didn't feel it. Now that said, we found a very friendly bartender at the Dingle Pub, which we enjoyed a lot. Perhaps even better was the most unique pub we encountered on our whole trip: Dick Mack's. I can't describe it, except to say it's small, oddly shaped, full of local characters who seem to tolerate tourists very well, and lots of shoes lining the walls up top near the ceiling.
Woke up Wednesday morning to a very good breakfast at Greenmount House, but not approaching the greatness of Shelburne Lodge in Kenmare. The room itself was very spacious, with a great view of Dingle Bay. I'd definitely recommend this lodge if you're staying in Dingle.
Just after breakfast, we heard a weather forecast for a very bad 24-48 hours of storms in the south, with winds of 70 MPH possible. Not the greatest forecast for driving around Slea Head. Reluctantly, we decided to scrap our second night in Dingle and head further North to escape the worst of the weather. We missed seeing Slea Head, but I have to say we were a little excited to leave Dingle and see if we could find a place to stay Wednesday night that we liked a little better than Dingle.
Drove up the coast Wednesday, seeming to stay just ahead of really bad weather, but we could tell the wind was really picking up. Crossed the Shannon River on the Tarbet-Killimer ferry. Looked at Kilkee and decided that wasn't quite the place. Ironically, all the empty summer cottages at Kilkee reminded me a bit of the way our hometown (Myrtle Beach) used to look during the off season up until a few years ago.
We drove up and checked out Ennistymon, not quite right, and then Lahinch. Lahinch was perfect! Very small, basically a one-street town, but we found a decent room (100 Euro per night) at the Shamrock Inn right in the heart of things, and we rode out the storm that night after enjoying a great chat with the young bartender in the Fitzgerald Pub. Lahinch has a beach that looks a lot like the one at Inch, and even a surf shop! A cool little place for an overnight, and it set us up nicely for a drive up to the Cliffs of Moher, through the southern edge of the Burren, and then on to Bunratty for our last night before flying out.
We checked in to the Bunratty Lodge in the early afternoon. We loved it. Mary was a gracious host, and she served a very nice breakfast; the house is immaculate. I will say to get to the lodge, you drive past the castle and shops, past a lot of other B&B's, until it looks like you're lost, and then finally there it is at the end of the road. No problem, just a short little drive back to the castle, shops, and best of all--Kathleen's Pub, The Creamery Pub, and (I guess) Durty Nelly's. We loved Kathleen's for the food; loved the Creamery for the huge L-shaped bar; and probably would have liked Durty Nelly's better if not for the huge crowd of tour bus riders inside.
Bunratty is super small, but it is a comfortable way to unwind on your last afternoon/evening. And it is very close to the airport. We returned our car, and were on the Europcar shuttle within 5 minutes. It was a short ride, but the young driver was hilarious, just a natural cut-up with a very quick tongue. He had the whole van howling in 5 minutes. Flight back was actually early, so we were able to catch a better connection and avoid our anticipated 4 hour layover in Philly. Not a bad way to end a great vacation.
Okay, I'll end with a few specific comments.
Restaurants: Kenmare--Packies was outstanding, cozy, charming, and had the best grilled oysters I've ever had. (Otherwise in Kenmare, we just had pub-grub, which is a misnomer; we had great *starters* and made a tapas style meal every night except for Packies--probably the best pub for food was Foley's.) Sneem--the Blue Bull for lunch--great chowder!! Dingle--Fenton's, which was fine, we had seafood, only problem was that it was fairly crowded, and the wait staff seemed a little stressed (Chart House was closed; we were too early for Out of the Blue, and not really in the mood for an extragant dinner anyway--Out of the Blue's prices were 25-30 Euro per entre.) In Lahinch we ate at the hotel restaurant (actually, the sister hotel, The Atlantic)--it was fine, not memorable, but on par with good pub-grub. In Bunratty, Kathleen's finally served me the combination of fish and chips I had not been able to find: fish crispy/outside and moist/inside and the chips still hot.
The Pubs:
Nothing like them in the U.S. (at least not that I have found, and not for a lack of trying!) I have always been a guinness fan, and this trip (as did a previous one to Scotland) just reinforced my worship of the black stuff. I must say, I thought the Beamish stout was a close second. My better half's gripe? She's a Chardonnay drinker, and that makes for tough going in the pubs; it's there, but it's one size fits all (either a Chilean or an Australian).
Highlights/Scenery:
The drive from Kenmare to Glengariff along the N 71; then back through the Healy Pass (awesome!); from Kenmare to Sneem along the ring of kerry route (the coast road); Sneem is a pretty little town; the inland road from Sneem, through Moll's Gap, and back to Kenmare; Killarney National Park (especially the grounds of the Muckross House; wish we had set aside more time for some serious walking in the Park); the approach to Dingle Town through the interior after the road leaves the coast; the awesome Cliffs of Moher--so glad we saw them; Burren? Maybe we didn't get deep enough into the territory to do it justice.
Weather: 2 days of sun; 2 days of pretty steady rain (mostly light though); 2 days overcast. When the sun is out, it is unbelievably clear and beautiful. And the rain produced two very nice rainbows for us at the beginning and end of our trip.
Funniest Quirk:
There is no diet Mountain Dew where we went. When my wife told John at the Shelburne Lodge that she craved a diet Mountain Dew at breakfast, he looked shocked and said *for breakfast!* Apparently mountain dew is a code word for moonshine in that area. We had a good laugh over that.
We definitely want to go back. Learning what we liked most and liked less from this trip, I believe we will make a choice as to one small region to stay in. I am thinking Connemara. As I said above, we would have enjoyed just staying in Kenmare better than moving from town-to-town; gives you more time to mingle with locals, to pick up on the very gentle pace, and to better fantasize about your retirement to this gem of an island!
Nov 2nd, 2004, 05:20 PM
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I was in Ireland for 3 wks in March with a friend, and now we are going as a couple for 3 wks Nov 15-Dec6, an inpulse decision. It is Mikes first trip to Europe/Ireland.
Your travelogue is great to refresh the memories of March in Ireland. Flew into Shannon then, this time Dublin.
Your travelogue is great to refresh the memories of March in Ireland. Flew into Shannon then, this time Dublin.
Nov 2nd, 2004, 06:38 PM
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Interesting your reaction to Dingle. We hit it first, and then to Kenmare. Perhaps I would have had a similar feeling had we spent a few days in Kenmare/Killarney before Dingle, but we liked them both.
It was Doolin that disappointed us. In fact, it was the only "downer" of 10 days in Ireland. That's relative, of course, because a "downer" in Ireland is still special. It just fell short of my expectations.
It was Doolin that disappointed us. In fact, it was the only "downer" of 10 days in Ireland. That's relative, of course, because a "downer" in Ireland is still special. It just fell short of my expectations.
Nov 3rd, 2004, 08:58 AM
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We stayed in/around Dingle for 3 days of our weeklong trip. I know what you are saying about the town itself but seeing Slea Head completely floored us! I am so sorry you missed it - it is just breathtaking. I think half the reason we ended up loving Dingle was actually Slea Head...it somehow made us want to like Dingle more and we found reasons to.
Nov 3rd, 2004, 09:59 AM
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Thanks for the narrative about your trip to Ireland. It is a pity you did not get to see Slea Head Drive. It is one of the most beautiful in Ireland. In the off-season places like Dingle tend to roll up the sidewalks and hibernate. Kenmare is more in the thick of it and would have more going on well into the off-season. But there is really no comparison between the two -- they are totally different places. I think you would get a different feel for Dingle in season. I was there in late October and found Dingle a bit on the sleepy side with many restaurants closed while Kenmare was booming. Of course it was bank holiday weekend in Kenmare! It is like comparing apples and oranges -- you like both but for different reasons.
Nov 3rd, 2004, 01:10 PM
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Good to hear you loved Kenmare, also a favourite of ours. Perhaps next time you travel to Ireland you might contemplate renting a self-catering cottage, particularly if you like that feeling of settling in a bit. We travel that way a lot and love coming back to our own peat fire in the evenings. Of course, you're probably not going to get the excellent breakfasts.
Nov 4th, 2004, 09:07 AM
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rickmav,
you mean you endure having to make up your own bed while on vacation? (Just kidding of course.)
I appreciate the comments about Slea Head and Dingle. I definitely hate having missed Slea Head, the Blasket Centre, etc. And I hope I wasn't too hard on Dingle--probably more to do with our pickiness and peculiarities than any deficiency in Dingle.
you mean you endure having to make up your own bed while on vacation? (Just kidding of course.)
I appreciate the comments about Slea Head and Dingle. I definitely hate having missed Slea Head, the Blasket Centre, etc. And I hope I wasn't too hard on Dingle--probably more to do with our pickiness and peculiarities than any deficiency in Dingle.
Nov 4th, 2004, 02:16 PM
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Thanks for the trip report. One comment I have on using Kenmare as a base to see all three peninsulas as you mentioned--
Is that really feasible? I've been using the aaroadwatch.ie website to plan our trip, and according to that, Kenmare to Dingle is a 2 hour drive. So I don't see how you could explore the Dingle Peninsula as a day trip out of Kenmare since it would be 4 hours drive round trip just to get between the two. Perhaps you could reach the Beara peninsula more easily from Kenmare. It looks closer on the map but I didn't plug that one into the aaroadwatch website.
We had originally planned to stay a week in Kenmare at a self catering, but before reading your post, I had changed my mind because we have to go to Dublin for the last 3 nights of our 11 night trip, and I found out the drive from Kenmare to Dublin is about 5 hours without stopping to see the sites along the way. That seems way too long, especially since we'll have our teens with us.
Now you've got me feeling like we should at least stop a couple nights in Kenmare (we're going to stay in Dingle at least 2 nights). Of course, we'll be there in late June, the high season, and I think that is a big difference. I've read so much about the crowds and buses on the Ring of Kerry in the summer that I don't really want to tackle it.
If we stayed in Kenmare for two nights, but didn't drive "The Ring", we could always occupy ourselves at Killarney National Park, right? Or perhaps the Beara Peninsula. Does anyone know how convenient Kenmare is to touring Beara?
Also, on the way to Dublin, we plan to overnight in Cashel to see Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel. I think I'd prefer at least two nights in each place we stop. Would two nights be too much there?
Thanks to all!
Is that really feasible? I've been using the aaroadwatch.ie website to plan our trip, and according to that, Kenmare to Dingle is a 2 hour drive. So I don't see how you could explore the Dingle Peninsula as a day trip out of Kenmare since it would be 4 hours drive round trip just to get between the two. Perhaps you could reach the Beara peninsula more easily from Kenmare. It looks closer on the map but I didn't plug that one into the aaroadwatch website.
We had originally planned to stay a week in Kenmare at a self catering, but before reading your post, I had changed my mind because we have to go to Dublin for the last 3 nights of our 11 night trip, and I found out the drive from Kenmare to Dublin is about 5 hours without stopping to see the sites along the way. That seems way too long, especially since we'll have our teens with us.
Now you've got me feeling like we should at least stop a couple nights in Kenmare (we're going to stay in Dingle at least 2 nights). Of course, we'll be there in late June, the high season, and I think that is a big difference. I've read so much about the crowds and buses on the Ring of Kerry in the summer that I don't really want to tackle it.
If we stayed in Kenmare for two nights, but didn't drive "The Ring", we could always occupy ourselves at Killarney National Park, right? Or perhaps the Beara Peninsula. Does anyone know how convenient Kenmare is to touring Beara?
Also, on the way to Dublin, we plan to overnight in Cashel to see Cahir Castle and the Rock of Cashel. I think I'd prefer at least two nights in each place we stop. Would two nights be too much there?
Thanks to all!
Nov 4th, 2004, 04:17 PM
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We stayed in Kenmare three nights, did ROK one day and Beara the other. If you do the Beara (it's a shorter drive), be sure to come back up via Healy Pass, assuming you go counter-clockwise! A very cool drive. If you go to Killarney, the kids might enjoy the Gap of Dunloe.
Nov 4th, 2004, 08:42 PM
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Bucky, Beara is a good day trip from Kenmare and I recommend Derreen Gardens near Lauragh for a hike. It is not formal but a more rugged, woodland type garden on the water. Healy Pass is a must and the kids might get a kick out of taking the cable car out to Dursey Island. Another thing to do not too far afield is visit Ilnacullin Gardens on Garinish Island near Glengarriff. You take boats to the island (seals on the rocks) and then can wander all around the island in the formal and informal gardens and woods. There is also the Seafari tour from Kenmare.
I don't think that two days in Cashel is too much because the drive and sightseeing along the way will take up most of the day from Kenmare to Cashel. You can see Cahir Castle on the driving day. The next day see the Rock of Cashel, Hore Abbey, Athassel Abbey (near Golden), Holycross Abbey and maybe a show at Bru Boru that evening.
I don't think that two days in Cashel is too much because the drive and sightseeing along the way will take up most of the day from Kenmare to Cashel. You can see Cahir Castle on the driving day. The next day see the Rock of Cashel, Hore Abbey, Athassel Abbey (near Golden), Holycross Abbey and maybe a show at Bru Boru that evening.
Nov 5th, 2004, 08:00 AM
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Bucky,
I do think it is feasible to do a day trip to the Dingle peninsula from Kenmare. We drove to Dingle from Kenmare in 2 hours, going through Killarney National Park and with a pretty long stop at the beach in Inch. So you could make it a little quicker than that to Dingle. Also, if you're going in June, you'll have a lot of daylight hours. But I certainly agree with the obvious: Dingle Town itself is the most convenient base to explore Slea Head.
I do think it is feasible to do a day trip to the Dingle peninsula from Kenmare. We drove to Dingle from Kenmare in 2 hours, going through Killarney National Park and with a pretty long stop at the beach in Inch. So you could make it a little quicker than that to Dingle. Also, if you're going in June, you'll have a lot of daylight hours. But I certainly agree with the obvious: Dingle Town itself is the most convenient base to explore Slea Head.
Nov 5th, 2004, 11:23 AM
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Beara is definitly easy to explore from Kenmare-i wouldn't consider it a "Full" day trip. Also like you said Killarney National Park has plenty to do-lots of hiking and tuors ect. and is a day trip from Kenmare. You might also want to consider taking a carriage ride through the Gap of Dunloe(or hike it if your up to it-but be plenty energized for that).
The ROK will be HEAVILY populated during the summer. We found Mizen Head and Sheeps Head Peninsulas to be far more exciting and breathtaking that ROK.They are not heavily populated-On Sheeps Head tuor buses cannot even get out to because the roads are two small, It definitlyan adventurous ride sometimes there is grass growing in the middle of the road-Both peninsulas you have to hike out to the lighthouses-on a beautiful day pictures do not do them justice-I'm sure "Budman" will back me on this one
The ROK will be HEAVILY populated during the summer. We found Mizen Head and Sheeps Head Peninsulas to be far more exciting and breathtaking that ROK.They are not heavily populated-On Sheeps Head tuor buses cannot even get out to because the roads are two small, It definitlyan adventurous ride sometimes there is grass growing in the middle of the road-Both peninsulas you have to hike out to the lighthouses-on a beautiful day pictures do not do them justice-I'm sure "Budman" will back me on this one
Nov 5th, 2004, 12:20 PM
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beachdweller,
I think it may depend on the time of year. I believe you were there in the off season. In summer, I'm sure it's a different story with the crowds.
Also, we are traveling with two teens. Although they are good sports, I don't think we would want to attempt Dingle as a day trip from Kenmare. I don't really think you could do it justice, if you want to see all of Dingle. And that's just not the kind of pace we like on a vacation.
I think it may depend on the time of year. I believe you were there in the off season. In summer, I'm sure it's a different story with the crowds.
Also, we are traveling with two teens. Although they are good sports, I don't think we would want to attempt Dingle as a day trip from Kenmare. I don't really think you could do it justice, if you want to see all of Dingle. And that's just not the kind of pace we like on a vacation.
Nov 9th, 2004, 11:48 AM
#16
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beach_dweller, thanks for the trip report...I've begun planning our first family trip to Ireland for June 2006. My grandmother was from Ireland and it's been a life-long dream to visit Ireland.
My cousin visited Ireland over 10 years ago and felt unwelcome! I am very worried about this as she's a very gracious and polite person.
Please relate your experience? Did you feel welcome? I'm from San Diego in the USA...are you from the USA? did you feel any anti-USA sentiment in Ireland?
Maybe the time period when my cousin travelled to Ireland was a more troubled time and this didn't help matters? And she just had bad luck?
I want to visit Dingle, Dublin, and the cliffs of Moher, and my husband is a biologist and wants to see the flora of the Burren...the wildflowers. (ARe wildflowers blooming in June?)
What highlights do you think we shouldn't miss? I am interested in culture, history, food, music, Irish dance, castles, seacoast, and any nature (for my husband).
I'm determined to go to Ireland as it's been a life-long dream. But I would like to have a realistic idea of what to expect from the Irish people...Can you share anything you learned about connecting with the Irish people? I don't want to step on any toes and want to avoid cultural misunderstandings.
Thanks! [email protected]
My cousin visited Ireland over 10 years ago and felt unwelcome! I am very worried about this as she's a very gracious and polite person.
Please relate your experience? Did you feel welcome? I'm from San Diego in the USA...are you from the USA? did you feel any anti-USA sentiment in Ireland?
Maybe the time period when my cousin travelled to Ireland was a more troubled time and this didn't help matters? And she just had bad luck?
I want to visit Dingle, Dublin, and the cliffs of Moher, and my husband is a biologist and wants to see the flora of the Burren...the wildflowers. (ARe wildflowers blooming in June?)
What highlights do you think we shouldn't miss? I am interested in culture, history, food, music, Irish dance, castles, seacoast, and any nature (for my husband).
I'm determined to go to Ireland as it's been a life-long dream. But I would like to have a realistic idea of what to expect from the Irish people...Can you share anything you learned about connecting with the Irish people? I don't want to step on any toes and want to avoid cultural misunderstandings.
Thanks! [email protected]
Nov 10th, 2004, 09:50 AM
#17
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Melissa,
My wife & I felt very comfortable and welcomed in Ireland. I will say that we did not have the same talkative, inclusive experience in the pubs that many posters have reported. No-one was ever rude or anything like that--just that no-one (bartender or patron) ever initiated a conversation with us. We iniated conversations (usually with the bartenders, as the pubs were fairly empty in the early evenings) and had some good chats.
One obvious explanation is that in late October, the locals are somewhat weary after a long summer full of visitors.
Now, as far as the B&B's we stayed at, everyone was very nice, very accommodating, especially at the Shelburne Lodge. Maura and Tom made us feel at home; they were perfect hosts, achieving a great balance between being responsive but not obtrusive.
As to anti-American sentiment--we didn't see a trace of it. In fact, I quizzed our bartender in Dingle about his perception of American foreign policy, expecting some negativity, but he seemed to have a very forgiving attitude and gave President Bush the benefit of any doubts.
Highlights? Many of the cultural aspects you mentioned I think you'll find in the pubs (just try to stay up later than we were able to!). We really missed seeing the Blasket Centre; I think that would have been great. We didn't really target any museums.
Flora? We just barely hit the edge of the Burren (ran out of time), just when it was starting to look interesting. I can say that the difference in vegetation accompanying change in altitude was impressive (especially Healy Pass and Killarney National Park/Moll's Gap). Also, we were really surprised at the variety of trees, bushes and shrubs. Kenmare really had almost a tropical feel in some places, and then climb a hill for a little while, and you're thinking alpine, with fir trees.
My wife & I felt very comfortable and welcomed in Ireland. I will say that we did not have the same talkative, inclusive experience in the pubs that many posters have reported. No-one was ever rude or anything like that--just that no-one (bartender or patron) ever initiated a conversation with us. We iniated conversations (usually with the bartenders, as the pubs were fairly empty in the early evenings) and had some good chats.
One obvious explanation is that in late October, the locals are somewhat weary after a long summer full of visitors.
Now, as far as the B&B's we stayed at, everyone was very nice, very accommodating, especially at the Shelburne Lodge. Maura and Tom made us feel at home; they were perfect hosts, achieving a great balance between being responsive but not obtrusive.
As to anti-American sentiment--we didn't see a trace of it. In fact, I quizzed our bartender in Dingle about his perception of American foreign policy, expecting some negativity, but he seemed to have a very forgiving attitude and gave President Bush the benefit of any doubts.
Highlights? Many of the cultural aspects you mentioned I think you'll find in the pubs (just try to stay up later than we were able to!). We really missed seeing the Blasket Centre; I think that would have been great. We didn't really target any museums.
Flora? We just barely hit the edge of the Burren (ran out of time), just when it was starting to look interesting. I can say that the difference in vegetation accompanying change in altitude was impressive (especially Healy Pass and Killarney National Park/Moll's Gap). Also, we were really surprised at the variety of trees, bushes and shrubs. Kenmare really had almost a tropical feel in some places, and then climb a hill for a little while, and you're thinking alpine, with fir trees.
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