tcreath

DH and I are going to Ireland, for the first time, in February. Unfortunately this is a short trip; we will be gone four nights before we return home. With us will be my mom and my aunt, neither of which has been out of the country before.

Before I get into the itinerary, let me start by saying that we are flying Chicago to Shannon, Dublin to Chicago. I originally wanted to fly into and out of Shannon, but the flight from Dublin was (past tense!) a non-stop and the itinerary best suited our needs. Unfortunately our flights have changes and we are now laying over in Shannon on the way home, but I wanted to specify that up front.

Due to another schedule change with our flights, we are now arriving in Shannon at around 11:00 a.m.

Okay, here is the itinerary:

February 17th
Arrive in Shannon; pick up car and drive to Bunratty castle (5 miles) and onto Ennis (15 miles); may visit Cliffs of Moher (25 miles)if we have time
Overnight in Ennis

February 18th
Drive to Tralee (67 miles) to begin circular drive around Dingle Peninsula
Overnight Killarney

February 19th
Drive to Rock of Cashel (109 miles) and on to Kilkenny (48 miles)
Visit Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle
Overnight Kilkenny

February 20th
Drive to Dun Laoghaire (84 miles)
Park car; DART train to Dublin (approximately 20 minutes)
Hope to visit Trinity College (Book of Kells), Guinness Factory, St. Patrick’s, maybe a bus tour; basically whatever we have time to see in the short time we are there
Overnight Dun Laoghaire

February 21st
Drive to airport (16 miles); drop car off
Home

Okay, now my questions:
1) Is Ennis a good place to stop on the first night? Please keep in mind that a) we aren't arriving until 11:00 and b) my mom and aunt have never been to Europe so we don't want to have to drive too far.

2) I picked Killarney as an overnight base because its not too far from the Dingle Penninsula and it seemed like a good place to start our long journey to Kilkenny the next day. To be honest I would rather stay in Kenmare, but I've given it some thought and I think that Killarney may be best because its closer and larger so there will probably be more going on (since its February). Any thoughts?

3) I chose Kilkenny because I wanted to a good place to stop on the way back towards Dublin. I have also considered Waterford and/or Wexford, since I thought it may be nice to see some coast and because it seems like it would make sense if we are staying in Dun Laoghaire the final night. However, both the Rock of Cashel and the Kilkenny castle interest us, so I'm thinking that this will be best. Any comments?

4) And finally, is Dun Laoghaire a good base for visiting Dublin for the afternoon? Hotel prices in Dublin are high, and DH would like to just drive to the airport the next morning so staying in Dun Laoghaire would allow us to keep the car easily. Our flight leaves at 10:05 the next day.

I have been struggling with this short itinerary. I really want everyone to have a great time, particularly my mom (this is her mothers day present and she has always wanted to visit Ireland) and my aunt (who lost her 20 year old son, my cousin, in a horrible work accident a short few months ago). I don't want it to be too rushed, but I want to be able to see some great sights.

Any thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Tracy

CAPH52

Hi, Tracy. Can't comment on all of your itinerary. But will tell you what I can.

We stayed in Ennis our last night before flying out of Shannon. It's a quick drive to/from the airport. So I think it's a good choice for your first night. And it's really not all that far from the Cliffs of Moher. We stopped at the Cliffs late in the afternoon on our way to Ennis. I'm guessing that whether you visit them that day depends on just how tired you are! Remember also that, in February, the days will be short. You don't want to be out on the roads after dark.

As to Dun Laoghaire, we stayed there our first night in Ireland on our first trip, 24 years ago. We had, obviously, flown into Dublin. It's too long ago (and we were too tired!) to remember a lot of details. But we were happy with it. I know that we went to Dublin from there, but can't remember how we got there!

Have a great trip!

CAPH52

Just so you don't think that all of my input was very dated, our stay in Ennis was this past March!

I don't know whether you were looking for lodging or restaurant info. But we liked Grey Gables B&B in Ennis and had a nice meal in the bar area of the Old Ground Hotel.

tcreath

CAPH, thank you for your reply!

I'm really hoping to see the cliffs, but as DH is nervous enough about driving there (I think he's having flashbacks of our horrendous drive through London a few years back!) so we certainly don't want to travel after dark. I'm hoping to plan enough to do to keep us busy, or at least busy enough to stay awake, on our arrival day. DH and I won't have much of a problem, as we are seasoned travelers, but I remember all too well how jet lag can be on the first trip! I'm hoping that by keeping everyone entertained they won't be as anxious to crawl into bed.

We are planning on staying in B&B's, so thank you for the suggestion! I just starting doing a little bit of searching on B&B's, so I will definitely check out Grey Gables.

Thanks again!
Tracy

tcreath

Topping

Holldoll

Ennis is a great little town--it's less than an hour from Shannon. So you could be there early enough, and then take a drive to the Cliffs. It just all depends on how tired everyone is from the flight. I go from Chicago too--I mostly feel okay in the afternoon, then have an early dinner and to bed. A little sleep on the plane goes a long way. By the way, we've stayed at the Old Ground in Ennis and can highly recommend it.

Padhraicin

I live in Dublin and, although Dun Laoghaire is ok, it is a bit far out for getting to airport the next morning. I think you should consider staying somewhere on the north side of Dublin.
Do you specifically want to stay in a hotel? If so I can send you some links to hotels on the northside. An other option would be bed and breakfast and there are some good ones in Clontarf and Drumcondra area. Check out www.failteireland.com. If you need further information about accommodation in Dublin refer back to me and I will post further information.

Padhraicin

Sorry - I gave you wrong link.
Should have said -
www.tourismireland.com
www.visitdublin.com
www.dublintourism.com
They are official tourism websites.

wojazz3

Hi Tracy:

A few thoughts. I would consider this a pretty crowded itinerary given the time of year and my personal style of travel which is pretty slow. You may not get the earliest of starts on day two because of jet lag.

Ennis is fine and at that time of year is a good choice because it will have the most going on in the area.

Day 2: This is a full day and remember the daylight will be fairly short at that time of year (not terrible though). If you time the ferry just right (at Killimer), it may be a quicker trip that way. If you just miss the ferry, you'll have an hour wait. Something to keep in mind. The ride should be roughly an hour with no stops. The ferry leaves every hour on the hour. If you like to stop a lot, the Dingle Peninsula will give you plenty to see, but if the weather is bad, you may not be able to see much.

Killarney is a good choice at that time of year because it too will have the most going on, but you may get there pretty late in the evening. It's as good a choice as any considering your choices for the next day. All in all, a very full day.

Day 3: I would be surprised if you could get it all in unless you rush. Kilkenny Castle will have it's last admittance at 4:15. The drive from Cashel to Kilkenny will be a slow drive on smaller roads. Do what you can though. Again, Kilkenny is a good choice to stay in for that night.

I agree with Padhraicin on staying in Dun Laoghaire. Another possibility would be Malahide which is a pretty sea side town not far from the airport. Again, once you get there and settle in, you probably won't have a lot of time to see the sights. By the time you get to the city center, the hop on hop off option probably won't be a very good deal and I believe it stops running fairly early at that time of year. You might mearly be able to make the circuit on it.

Hope this helps.

Bill

tcreath

Thank you all so much for your comments. I so greatly appreciate it!

Holldoll, thank you for your thoughts on Ennis. It sounds like it will work just fine for our first night. I'm hoping we can stay awake until around dinner time. By then it will be dark. We can take a small nap before dinner and then try to get a really good first nights sleep. DH and I both take Ambien so we don't really have jet lag issues, but I'm sure mom and my aunt will, this being their first trip overseas.

Padhraicin, thank you for your comments on Dun Laoghaire and suggestions on other towns nearer to the airport. I will definitely look into the websites that you provided me. Can you tell me if the towns you mentioned are easily accessible to the DART?

Bill, thank you so much for all of your detailed comments! My biggest concern with this trip is balancing our days out so that we see a lot without trying to do too much. With the short daylight hours this makes it even more of a concern. Do you have any suggestions on how to make this itinerary less rushed?

In retrospect I wish I would never have booked a flight out of Dublin. Not that I don't want to visit Dublin, but it would have been so much easier, and such a timesaver, to just stay on the west coast and fly into/out of Shannon.

Thanks again!
Tracy

wojazz3

Hi Tracy:

I think one thing that may give you a bit more time is to not go into Dublin at all. Find a place to saty near the airport and spend the day sightseeing in the countryside. My feeling is that, by the time you get into Dublin, it will be too late in the day to actually get a feel for it. My discovery of Dublin was, the more time I spent in it, the more I liked it. I didn't think much of it after a short 1 day visit but my opinion has improved dramatically after longer visits. It takes a while to soak it in and you don't have that kind of time.

As far as slowing down, I think leaving Dingle out, as painful as it sounds, would help. If the weather is bad, the long drive down, around and over to Killarney will be a waste. I saw Dingle on a misty day once and couldn't see the water from the top of the cliffs. The beehive huts (probably fake) were quite nice in the mist though. I'm not saying what you are doing can't be done, but you will be spending a lot of time in the car or, just cruising by lots of things. You might just want to play day 2 by ear and see what happens when you get up. If you are up early and the weather looks great, take off. If not, perhaps a trip down to Loophead along the Calre coast and return to Ennis.

If you decide not to see Dublin then you good see Kilkenny castle on the last full day, visit a bit more of the town and maybe make your way back to the Dublin airport area at the end of the day. If you had time, you could tour through Glendalough on the way which can be lovely in any weather.

Another consideration is to stay in hotels instead of B&Bs. I am almost always in favor of B&Bs, but with your schedule, you may find yourself arriving later and finding the B&B owner home late can be problematic. Also, B&B owners tend to like to serve breakfast later during the off season, so getting out before 9:30-10 might be a struggle. Hotels seem to have a lot of special offers during the off season. You may actually find a great deal at a castle at that time of year. Take a look at Dromoland castle. They may not have anything that is aprticularly special right now for February, but that could change as February gets closer.

Another point, you will very likely be driving after dark. I've always been a bit confused as to why people find that so hard. Will you probably slow down just a bit? Sure. The roads are narrow and winding but the way I see it is that you can see headlights coming around a blind corner at night far better than you can see a car coming around that same corner in the day time. I find driving in Ireland at night no more difficult than during the day and I've done it countless times. The only time it's really a problem is when jet lag is still having an effect. Also, the likelihood of encountering a tour bus in the opposite direction is almost 0 as opposed to the daylight hours when it is high.

So my advice, leave out the trip into the city of Dublin and catch more of Kilkenny and Glendalough on the last full day. Keep day two open and play it by ear. If you all have a tough time getting up that morning, go somewhere close in Co. Clare. If you are up bright and early and have a good day, you could high tail it to Dingle. Finally, hotel stays may provide you more flexibility with arrival and departure times.

Keep planning. You'll have fun no matter what. Bill

tcreath

Bill, thank you again for the wealth of information. It will be a tremendous help.

I think you are right about Dublin. I think its best if we save it for another trip. We just won't have enough time to enjoy it. And to be honest we are going to Ireland for the countryside, not the city. We will probably just plan on getting to Dublin sometime in the evening of our last day.

I also like the idea of leaving day 2 open. I think that we will not book a hotel or B&B on that day and just play it by ear. I'm assuming that we won't have any problem finding two open rooms in February?

I will also look into the hotel suggestion. I never really thought about it, but it makes sense. I definitely want to get an early start each day, so sitting around at a breakfast table until 9 or 10, regardless of how great the breakfast is, isn't really going to work if we want to make the most of our time.

Tracy

wojazz3

You should have no problem finding rooms in February, especially at hotels. If you are looking at B&Bs, you might have to go door to door because many of them close down at that time of year. You can easily find hotels in Ennis, Killarney and Kilkenny. Many of the hotels may have a breakfast optiona at an earlier time and check in will be easier.

Bill

Padhraicin

I think you have got some good advice from other fodorites - but, you are left with choices! At that time of year you will not have a problem finding accommodation so you have the option of leaving some of your schedule open to change.
Consider taking Killimer-Tarbert ferry from Co.Clare towards Kerry and go direct to Dingle and maybe spend a night there rather than Killarney. The real beauty of Dingle is West of Dingle town and, although it looks simple on the map, it takes time to drive around the pennisula. Again, you could leave this open as you will have no problem finding accommodation if you just arrive at the door of hotels or B & B at that time of year.
At the Dublin end of the trip, your options could be:
Stay in hotel or B & B on north side of Dublin - if you still want to visit Dublin and use DART - Howth (a fishing village about 10 mls from Dublin) or Clontarf (20 mins from town on direct and good bus service).
If you are going to abandon the Dublin city visit - options would be to give yourself more time earlier in the trip so that you spend a day in Kilkenny and come on to Dublin on your last night - stay at hotels either at the airport or near the airport - Drumcondra / Swords area.
(B & B's in areas near the airport will be used to people leaving early and will provide early breakfast.)
I would be inclined to keep schedule open as days are short in February and weather is unpredictable.
Found a few other websites that will give you ideas about accommodation on offer - www.accommodation.ie and www.irishb&b.com.
You can also check our distances on www.aaroadwatch.ie (there is a route planner at the end of the page).
Just be careful that you don't end up doing an awful lot of driving - a lot of tourists to Ireland try to pack in too much in 3 or 4 days and,do not really have time to get a feel for the place at all.

wojazz3

I agree that Dingle would be nicer to stay in than Killarney. Consider approaching Dingle from the north side of the peninsula over Connor pass if the skies are clear. Not such a great idea if they are cloudy. The advantage of Killarney is that it will be a shorter drive the next day if you intend to go through Cashel but you'll still have to make the drive the night before.

The ferry at Killimer is a good choice, again remeber that timing is crucial because it only runs once an hour.

Bill

Padhraicin

Well spotted Bill - I am used to taking it in Summer and didn't realise that it obviously has a different schedule in winter.


Winter:
1st OCTOBER - 31st MARCH
Departure Monday - Saturday Sunday
1st Ferry Killimer every hour on the hour 07.00 - 19.00 09.00 - 19.00
Tarbert every hour on the half hour 07.30 - 19.30 09.30 - 19.30

wojazz3

I just missed it once on the Tarbert side when it was running every hour. There's not a lot to do around there. Nice view of the Shannon though. My guess is that it would take about an hour from Ennis (using tourist, not local driving speed). Does that sound right to you Padhraicin?

Padhraicin

I really do have a life ! but this fodor thing is addictive ! !
I just checked distance on the route planner on www.aaroadwatch.ie and Ennis to Killimer, according to that is 1 hr and 2 minutes.

tcreath

Again, I can't thank you both enough for all of your kind and helpful information.

At this point I am almost tempted to come up with a loose itinerary, such as the one above, and just play the whole thing by ear, with the exception of maybe the first night. I don't think we will have problems finding a place to stay that time of year, and I think it may be easier than being tied down to a specific itinerary. To be honest this form of travel makes me a little nervous, as I am usually very organized and like things planned ahead of time, but with this trip it seems like this could be the easier solution. This way we can plan our itinerary around the weather and see how we feel. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Tracy

Holldoll

Just to reiterate what Bill said--we went in late February once and many or most B&Bs were not open--esp. in the west (can't speak for other areas cause we stayed in the west). So I agree you should go with hotels, and absent some strange circumstance, can probably book those along the way. The hotel rates are lots cheaper during that off season, so it won't be pricey.