Meg

My husband are I are planning a trip to Ireland this March; I'd appreciate any advice on places to visit, to eat, to stay, anything! We have never been to Ireland before but my brother attended the U of Galway for a year and loved it. Thanks!

Cathy

Meg,
What are you interested in ? There is so much to see and do that it is not possible to do everything and not miss all the highlights. Check out www.ireland.travel.ie for the top ten attractions in each region,

Cathy

lorne

we visited ireland 5 years ago and fell in love with the country.we stayed one night in dublin,took a bus tour the next day before driving to kilkenny. b&b's were great and reasonable. we stayed three days in kilarney,drove the ring of kerry,enjoyed the music,the guiness and the scenery. i would rec. visits to small villages like dingle,doolin,lisdunvarna(?) we also enjoyed galway and a day trip to inishmore in the aran islands.lots to see but this just scratches the surface.-lorne

Heather

I've only been to Ireland once for 1-1/2 weeks, but loved everywhere that we went. The highlights (for me, anyway) were:

Hiking around Aran Islands
Live music and beer in Doolin
Visiting Muckross House in Killarney National Park
Touring around Dingle Pennisula & driving over Connor Pass (I had a memorable 30th b'day dinner at Lord Byron's in Dingle ... great staff and delicious food)
Eating in Kinsale
Visiting Adare for an adorable thatched-roof village experience (the Blue Door restaurant was a great lunch there)

We thought that the Galway area was a great place to relax and explore. Before our trip to the Aran Islands, we had a delightful, cheap, filling breakfast in the Galway hostel overlooking the water. The hosts were absolutely charming. For restaurants, we followed our noses and suggestions from locals.

The Eyewitness Guide provides very nice photos and overall descriptions of the areas of Ireland. Our sleeping itinerary was Dublin-Galway-Doolin-Dingle-outskirts of Killarney-Kinsale-outskirts of Waterford (for a ferry connection to Wales). Please feel free to drop me an email any time if you have any questions or would like more info.

Have a wonderful vacation!

Mike

Go to the races.

Of course, if you're in Ireland during Cheltenham week, a number of the locals will be off to England, having a grand time.

PS All the tips will sound persuasive. Discretion is the better part of valour.

arjay

B&B's are DEF the way to go in Ireland. And the people are just incredibly warm and delightful. We spent our last nite in Lisdoonvarna (mentioned above), and in a friendly little pub, the music was live and locals were getting up and singing (as well as dancing, of course). One fine-looking woman, in her 70s, launched into a marvelous rendition of several old favorites (Danny Boy was among them, if mem'ry serves). Afterwards, as she was leaving and walked past our table, I complimented her on her marvelous voice. She told us how she'd been invited to go on the Ed Sullivan show many years ago (but declined)....Among sights to see: We found the ancient ruins of Glenadlough very moving and mystical. (Not too far south of Dublin). Weather was against us that day, so we didn't stay as long or explore as much as I would've liked. But it's well worth reading up on and visitng. You're going to love Ireland!

janice

I agree that ruins are wonderful - if you're interested in that kind of thing. My #1 recommendation is the Cliffs of Moher - I know, every guidebook recommends them too, but I found them breathtaking and memorable.
And a tip - I agree that Galway, Doolin etc are great places to stay, but unless you really don't need to sleep, make sure that your room is not directly above the pub. (a lot of hotels seem to have pubs attached to them) I fell asleep more than once listening to a bunch of REALLY DRUNK PEOPLE singing the BeeGee's greatest hits, or assorted Eagles music. (nothing Irish though, I wonder why?)

ginny

Meg: Don't miss taking in a banquet at a castle. We did the one at Bunratty this past Sept. and had a great time. We flew into Shannon and spent the first night at a B&B near the castle before heading to our base in Co. Galway. Driving along the coast of Galway Bay and beyond is breathtaking. We watched the sun go down on Galway Bay from a jetty down a side street in Barna. Visited Cong, Kylemore Abbey and took the ferry out of Rossaveal to one of the Aran Islands(definitely a must) to name a few of the things we enjoyed. We did self-catering so it was especially nice to come back in the evenings to more than just one room and be able to put a peat fire on! Have a wonderful trip!

Dave

In Dublin, take a walking history tour of Dublin and a walking tour of the college to see the book of Kells. Walk across the bridges. See a play at the Abbey Theater. Drive about a half hour north to see Newgrange. Have breakfast at Bewleys.

Steven

The Antrim Coast road in Northern Ireland is not to be missed, along with the Mourne Mountains.

The most spectacular place I've ever been in Ireland (I've been over 12 times, lived there for a few years, and have covered the country from side to side and top to bottom) is Malin Head in Donegal.

The Wicklow Mountains also are a great spot. Johnny Fox's pub not too far south of Dublin is a very popular place, and with reason. The food's great, and lots of atmosphere.

Lori

Hi, Meg! We took our boys and did 10 days' B&B/driving through the South. One of our favorite memories was pony-trekking in the Gap of Dunlough. Kilkenny is wonderful--sweet, quaint, great restaurants,etc. We wish we'd have had more time for Dublin (only spent one day there). REally, you can't go wrong in Ireland--everything's great. Definitely do Bunratty--great intro to Ireland if you fly into Shannon.

Mike

Re Bunratty banquets. Behave very, very badly. Make a lot of noise. Make sure you know the words to Danny Boy or The Rose of Tralee. That's what my father did (Rose of Tralee) when he took me there as a young boy. He left with no buttons on his shirt and a few bruises, but he had had a truly splendid night. It helped that there was a local football/hurling team (can't remember which) in for a night out, who supported his rather distinctive vocal style with enormous vigour.

If you're travelling with young children, perhaps not. I was traumatised at the sight of my father being forcibly imprisoned without trial - he put up quite a struggle.