julies

I've been reading a Frommer's book on Ireland, and I keep reading about so many places that are overrun with tourists that I wonder if this is really true. We'd be visiting in the 2nd half of May and wonder if time of the year also makes a difference as far as places being really crowded. We've only got 2 weeks and don't need or want to see all the typical tourist biggies anyway, and we are not fond of places with one tour bus after another pulling through. Do you have suggestions of places to steer clear of either because they lose their charm because of the busloads of people or because they are overhyped?

Rather than constantly moving around, we intend to limit ourselves to perhaps 3 base areas. We'll rent a car although my husband is leery of driving on the left hand side. Although we do admire gorgeous scenery, we want to more than just drive around and look at scenery and tourist sites. Some of the time we'd like to do some active things like biking and hiking in unique, interesting areas, and we are interested in at least spending part of our time in places with charming little villages with ambience. We want to see what I guess would be referred to as "traditional" Ireland. We don't need or want touristy places with lots of shopping opportunities and tourist traps. Off the typical foreign-tourist track is more than fine with us. So, before I start doing some intensive searching and investigating, I'd like to know both where I should steer clear of and perhaps some hidden gems I should look into. Thanks.

Padraig

For most values of "overrun", very few places are overrun with tourists. Even less so in May.

flanneruk

I'm glad Padraig said that, because I'd assumed I must have been visiting some other Ireland all these years.

Except along marching routes in the North on and around the Twelfth, and around Dublin stadia for rugby internationals or Gaelic sports finals, I've never seen a real crowd anywhere in Ireland outside the Ryanair checkin queues for London or the Spanish resorts. Note that ALL those crowds are close to 100% Irish.

There are a couple of obvious tourist traps (like Blarney Castle and that "medieval" banquet somerwhere near Shannon), and some of the world's most hidous caravan parks near bits of the coast.

Otherwise, just assume these travel books are talking drivel. Ireland's practically the emptiest country in Western Europe. Unless you're extremely misanthropic, the risk you might encounter other human beings - some of them not Irish - oughtn't to be a criterion for choosing where to go.

julies

I'm so glad to hear that the author of the book I've been reading mistates things because I was getting worried when I repeatedly read things like,...'the cliffs are being loved to death. Crowds, disgorged by busses on the hour, now jam large stretches of the rim. Recent additions of souvenir stands and an unnecessary visitor's center have marred the vista." There are similar descriptions of other sites.

And, it sounds like May will be a good month to visit because it is shoulder season. Plus, I think tourism is down this year because of the economy. Am I correct? Thanks again.

Padraig

Tourism is down a bit, mainly because of other economies than ours. When people lose their jobs, or become worried about their futures, holiday plans get cut back.

Our economy has suffered a bigger shock than most, but that impacts mainly on the numbers of Irish taking holidays in other countries. One bonus for those that come here is that our prices are coming down a little -- from very high to fairly high. From a visitor's point of view, that is particularly evident in hotel accommodation prices and in mid-range or top-end restaurants, so if that is your type of market, you might find some bargains. [House prices are down greatly, but that is irrelevant to the average visitor.]

Opinions on the visitor centre at the cliffs of Moher are divided: some people like it. I haven't been there, so I have no opinion.

hetismij

We went to Ireland last August/September, only for a long weekend mind. We flew in and out of Cork and explored County Cork, with a tiny bit of Kerry included too since we visited Beara.
We didn't like Cobh because that was full of tourists, as was Kinsale. But the rest of what we saw was glorious and uncrowded.

Cowboy1968

I cannot remember such major crowds at the Cliffs of Moher. Obviously, you will see more people on a sunny summer Sunday afternoon than on a misty spring Tuesday morning, but the viewing area is quite large so I cannot imagine to have problems to take a look. Since the visitor centre got dug into a hill near the cliffs, I don't know how that travel guide genius thinks it has "marred the vista".
The Cliffs charge a whopping 8 Euro parking fee (but per car, not per visitor!), but access and view down the Cliffs has no extra charge. So far, I have not paid to go inside the visitor centre since I did not see a major benefit in watching the Atlantic as a VR stunt on a screen for €5 when I can see it for real for free.

Cowboy1968

And since you asked about unique, interesting areas which do not see lots of tourism (or none at all):

http://www.loughbooraparklands.com/
http://www.discoverloughderg.ie/
http://www.megalithicireland.com/Dunamase.html
http://www.roscreaheritage.com/index.htm
http://www.heritageireland.ie (see how many more OPW managed sights/sites exist besides the 10 everyone visits)

for more outdoor activities and hiking:
http://www.coillteoutdoors.ie/

jent103

I was in Ireland the first week of June a couple of years ago, and though it certainly wasn't deserted, I didn't feel at all like it was "overrun" with other tourists. I imagine you'd have even less to worry about in May. Our trip was very soon after the Cliffs of Moher visitors' centre opened; I felt it was tastefully done and didn't "mar the vista" in the slightest. We didn't watch the film or anything so I can't comment there. Our visit was on a weekday morning with cloudy weather; it was probably one of the more crowded destinations on our trip, but there weren't enough people to lessen my enjoyment.

As a side note, we also took a cruise to see the Cliffs, and I enjoyed that even more than the view from the top. It was a very cool way to get a different perspective. You are on a boat with other people (our cruise had maybe 40-50 total? I'm fuzzy on the details), but it was definitely worth it to me.

julies

Padraig--we consider ourselves budget to moderate travelers who don't look for anything particularly fancy. And, we are hoping to find some self-catering places because we've done enough traveling to know that we prefer to have more room to spread out and enjoy having some kitchen facilities. I'm curious about your comment that Ireland is changing from a very expensive place to visit to a fairly expensive place to visit. Are you referring to the price of lodging or the price of food or admissions or transportation or what? And, how would prices in rural places compare to someplace like rural France (someplace we've had lots of experience)? As budget to moderate travelers will we be in for sticker shock?

Cowboy--thanks for the links. I'm going to start reading through them.

I appreciate the comments too about places that others enjoyed and/or found crowded, and I'll keep them in mind. Sounds like my initial impression from the book was erroneous.

Padraig

julies, you can expect rural Ireland to be more expensive than rural France, but I don't pay enough attention to be able to map it all out for you. Certainly modest hotel accommodation (2 star standard) is a good cheaper in France, and a moderately nice meal (cooked to order) is generally somewhat cheaper there. Drink generally costs more here in Ireland. Admissions to places or sites that might interest a visitor are generally cheaper in Ireland, so you may recoup a bit on that.

jaja

I hesitate to say this, but Co. Donegal is blissfully uncrowded. Also Achill Island is wonderful. Mind you, we were on Achill Island in September but May should be comparable.

Now don't everybody rush to the north.

I agree about the boat cruise to see the Cliffs from the Atlantic. The boat was pretty full, but we just walked to the front (bow? I grew up on the prairie) and had a grand view of everything.

tcreath

We were in Ireland in early February a few years ago, so pretty much everywhere was quiet, but one place that seems to get few tourists is the Ring of Beara. Most tourists seem to head to Dingle or the Ring of Kerry. This penninsula was gorgeous and rugged, with only a few towns. We stayed in Kenmare as a base - lovely town but I'm sure it gets is fair share of tourists.

I don't recall the countryside being too expensive. We are more budget travelers and with a bit of research we had no problems finding B&Bs within our budget. I guess the one difference we noticed is that prices are per person as opposed to per room in most of western Europe.

Tracy

Erin74

We were there in May and the only place I saw tour buses was at Blarney Castle and in downtown Killarney.

Keep in mind that tourism is a huge industry in Ireland and there's kind of no way you can visit and not encounter other tourists. Also, just because the Cliffs of Moher are a tourist destination doesn't mean you should skip them. There's a reason people want to see them-- they're amazing. While I thought downtown Killarney was a charmless tourist trap, the surrounding countryside (the lakes, Muckross House, Ross Castle) was one of my very favorite parts of Ireland and I'd have liked to stay there longer. If you really want to get off the beaten path, you can. We were definitely the only tourists in Cleggan. Mayo and Donegal in general seemed tour bus-free. You can certainly find little, quiet places to balance out the most popular stops.

irishface

I agree that there are lots of places to go and not see another tourist. Even when there are other tourists around, it never felt overwhelming to me. County Mayo and county Donegal are wonderful spots full of historic sights, walking opportunities and places to pull over for a picnic. West Cork is a great area as well. I am prejudiced but I am partial to county Wicklow. Within minutes of bustling Dublin, one can be out on seemingly empty roads.

There are also lots of lesser known islands to explore on a day trip or even an overnight.

Even at the height of the season, the Dingle Peninsula, Killarney National Park and Connemara have plenty of elbow room.

have fun!

AlessandraZoe

Second-hand information:
I was told by one set of bike guides who "test-drive" various routes for future trips that the Dingle Peninsula was a "biking no-no" during mid-June through August, and they were so sad they couldn't route their bikers there. If I recall correctly, the biggest issue was an endless stream of caravan/bus traffic along a road that really can't handle it. They said it became one big gas fume for their cyclists mid-summer.

But actually, I think you'll be fine in May. Go for it!

First-hand information: Yeah, there are a lot of buses going up to Cliffs of Moher, but they never impacted our ride up to the Cliffs--or our view. The parking lot and the Cliffs are big enough.

There are some routes in Connemara that become a bit crowded mid-summer--Kylemore Abbey area, for example--but the size is still very manageable. I could never term it as "overrun" by any means. I can remember biking some other routes in Connemara where I didn't even see a car for 1/2 hour or so. So I'm sure you'll be fine in May.

"While I'm thinking about it" information, please make sure to bike single file in Ireland and wear REALLY bright clothing (getting the vest as the poster above suggested is right). I know this is standard advice everywhere, but there's a good reason I'm emphasizing it in Ireland. There are lots of picturesque but high stone walls along roadsides that keep you hidden from even the most cautious driver around a curve. You usually don't have to worry about Irish drivers but as you know, the ever ubiquitous American drivers aren't used to driving on the left while sharing the road with cyclists--OR sheep, for that matter.

Pricing: We have been to Ireland three times over the past six years, and duh, each time we've experienced sticker shock (yes, we are slow learners). It's amazingly more expensive than France. But obviously it's never been expensive enough to keep us from going back.

nytraveler

I've been to Ireland numerous times and the only time I saw anything that looked mobbed was at a professional conference I attended, when one speaker was unexpectedly popular. Granted I haven;t done the Blarney Stone in Auguts (but who would - or at all). but we never found places crowded and traffic is minimal (although driving is often slow going due to local roads and lots of sheep).

However, no one is giving anything away - the economy is strong and so are the prices.

JanisV

The second half of May is a WONDERFUL time to be in Ireland! The fields are full of little lambs, it's incredibly GREEN everywhere, there's wisteria blooming... Great choice!

As you can tell, we were there the 2nd 2 weeks in May a few years ago. Nothing was super busy or overbooked, certainly nothing overrun by tourists. We flew into Shannon and made a circle -- Killarney and the Ring of Kerry, up to Galway and Clifden (Connemara), across to Dublin, Glendalough and the Wicklows, and back to Shannon. If we were to do it again (and we might), I'd definitely do an open-jawed ticket - into Shannon and out of Dublin.

Happy trails!

rvflyer

We were in NW Ireland Aug 6-20, 2009. We chose that area because it has seen, for the most part, the least amount of tourist during peak season. This was true...the only time we experienced crowds was in Westport, due to the big C&W Music festival on arrival, and then a bike rally the next weekend. Spent 3 days in Galway/Inishmore, and Galway was manageable in high season. Northern Mayo and all of Donegal county was not crowded. We really enjoyed the 3-4 days we spent in the Tobercurry and Gurteen villages south of Sligo. They were samll, laid back, and very friendly people. We especially enjoyed the Colman Music Center in Gurteen, and the traditional Irish Pub Music (sessions) in that area. The south Sligo region is chalk-full of great Irish musicians. We enjoyed Ennis at the end, and wished for an additional night there, as 1 didn't allow us to see it all. I would do all the other parts of Ireland in the shoulder season, and save NW Ireland for the peak season. Dan

julies

Thanks so much for all the helpful suggestions and thoughts. I initially posted this because I was apprehensive about including places that are so jam packed with people that what would have been a marvelous place is instead a turnoff because of the crowds. We can remember places like that (Zakopane, Poland in August for example) where we just wanted to get away from the people. Now, all I have to do is work on my itinerary....