Requesting suggestions for daytrips from Nenaugh, Co Tipperary
 

Hello!

We are renting a cottage in GarryKennedy (Nenaugh, Co in Tipperary) which is about 30 miles from Shannon for a week in September. Does anyone have suggestions for daytrips from this location? We are close to Bunratty, Cahir and Rock of Cashel. Also thinking about Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Connmerra. We'll probably rest a day in the middle of the week so that leaves us 5 days to travel.

Thanks!

Garrykennedy is a great little village.

Cahir (Castle and the Swiss Cottage) and Cashel would be high on my list. I'd do The Dingle instead of the Ring of Kerry from this location. If you go all the way to Connemara, you should stay overnight.

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park is a nice way to spend a morning or afternoon...especially in Sept when there are fewer tourists.

Some other options:

A trip around Lough Derg with stops in Killaloe (Cathedral, Brian Boru Fort, Graves of the Leinstermen, 5 Counties Lookout, lake cruise), Tuamgraney (shops of local craftspersons), Portumna (castle and trails) and Puckane (Puckane crafts).

Clare Glens on the Tipp/Limerick border offers some nice trails along both sides of the river. Nearby Glenstal Abbey (in Moroe) has an interesting Sunday morning mass with incense and the monks doing Gregorian chant. We often head to Limerick after mass for 11am brunch at the amazing buffet at the Jasmine Palace on O'Connel St. Then head to Fethard for their Sunday boot sale (flea market - which ends mid afternoon).

The Cliffs/Burren with a stop at Quin Abbey or doing Loop Head (Kilbaha church has the story of the Little Ark).

A trip to Michelstown Caves via the Glen of Aherlow.

When you head to the Rock of Cashel, consider a stop at the Plantaterium in Dundrum for some interesting gardens and/or making a stop in Golden (between Cashel and Tipperary town) to wander around the large ruin of Athassel Priory.

Holycross Abbey is a nice restored abbey that is now an operating parish.

Kilkenny is a great town to visit (Castle, St. Canice's, Kilkenny Design Centre, St. Mary's Cathedral-don't miss the eerie relics in the side altar) with nearby Bennettsbridge (Irish pottery), Kells (huge priory ruin) and Thomastown (Jerpoint Abbey).

In Nenagh, try some bakery (especially the cakes) from Collin's or Quiggley's and lunch at Andy Flinn's (I think they start serving at noon). The two churches in town (right next to each other) are worth a peek (the Catholic Church has an interesting piece of carved bog oak in a side altar).

Birr is very nice (not sure what the castle garden hours are in Sept).

The bar in Killoscully (it's featured in the hit Irish TV show) and the views of Tipperary are nice too.

The best thing thing I can suggest is a traditional Irish music session at Jimmy the Mills (I think it's near Upperchurch...I'll have to consult my notes). Jimmy runs it out of his house on Thursday nights. The night begins around nine with beverages and sandwiches available. You'll want to arrive by nine to get a spot (it will likely be full of locals, but they are friendly to tourists). It will offer a taste of Ireland most tourists don't get to experience.

If you have questions on any of these suggestions or need directions drop me a line.

Two young Irish ladies from Oola (Co. Limerick) picked me up hitch-hiking in Miltown-Malbay around 10 AM one day in September '02. They had come from Oola to Tarbert and across on the Ferry. We went to the Cliffs of Moher and then to Doolin to have lunch at Gus O'Connor's (he passed away in Apr. '03). So it's do-able to tour west Clare from Tipp.

Be careful, though! Lisdoonvarna has a MatchMaking Festival in September and they take it seriously. One of those young ladies was definitely: 'on the hunt.' She had come from England to visit her friend and whatever ... We stopped for a beer at John Daly's MatchMaker's Pub.
To clarify things a bit: I'm a male septuagenarian and hitch-hiking is my main mode of travel off the main roads

Yessiree - How long would it take to do the Ring of Kerry from this location?

Thanks!!!

To do the ROK from Nenagh, you really would need to spend one night in Kerry.

I've had great day trips out to the Dingle Peninsula from there though. We usually pack sandwiches to eat seaside and then grab a sit-down meal later (with stops along the way for 99s <ice cream cones>). It usually ends up being a 12-14 hour day, but it's a comfortable and enjoyable pace.

The ROK doesn't look that much further than Dingle, but it really is when you consider the amount of time spend on side roads and the extra distance you travel.

I think you would be very impressed with The Dingle experience. It's got a lot of "wow" packed in it compared to the ROK's more subtle grandier.

I realized I didn't specifically answer your question.

It's about 90 miles from Nenagh to Killarney (at least a 2hr drive). The usual ROK route from Killarney is about 110 miles (and will require a bare minimum of 5 hours of driving...most people give themselves a full day from Killarney to do the Ring). These times don't factor in the most important part of the trip...the stops you will make...and on the Ring, there are several.

Unless you're planning to stay overnight along the way, I wouldn't recommend ROK from Nenagh.

The Dingle is more compact and has fewer tourists, so its 85 mile trip from Nenagh to Tralee and 95 mile loop on the penninsula takes less time (it's common to do The Dingle in a 1/2 day from Tralee).

Loop Head in south Clare is another coastal alternative.

Just came back from a great trip to Ireland and enjoyed some things near Tipperary.

Rock of Cashel
Clonmacnoise

Birr Castle with the Gardens, the Science Center and the great old telescope:
http://www.birrcastle.com

A Really interesting train ride through the Peatlands:
http://www.irishtourist.com/details/..._railway.shtml

We stayed in a beautiful vacation rental cottage in Garrykennedy in May 2005. See the website at www.GarrykennedyCottage.com

The lakeside village has a great restaurant and great 2 pubs with traditional irish music. We toured most days visiting the rock of cashell, the cliffs of moher and bunratty castle. My husband played golf in Nenagh and we also did a great day trip on the lake from Killaloe. We did the ring of kerry on a previous trip so did not do it on our most recent trip. Enjoy, Hope you have a great time.

Just some quick thoughts. I traveled to Ireland this past summer.
Arrived in Shannon - and made the drive to Dingle ( never again ) tough driving with no sleep. However - no doubt Dingle was the highlight of our trip.
We spent two nights in Dingle - two nights in Kilarney - two nights in Kinsale and two nights in Cashel.

We elected to not do the ROK rather spent more time in Dingle and arranged for a driver to show us around the beautiful scenary.

We took our time on the trip and only drove a couple of hours per day. This allowed for plenty of time for sightseeing and taking our time in each of the towns.

Have Fun !

Welcome to Garrykennedy. Great to see that some people have good taste.Bring a fishing rod and go down to the lake and catch your breakfast. You cannot beat a fresh Lough Derg trout even though it could be a pike. To get a comprehensive insight to the areas you want to visit go to www.shannonregiontourism.ie
On the top left corner are four counties, Clare, North Tipperary (where you will be)Limerick and Offaly and suggested tours.
If you see me passing, I will be the guy with the sparkle in my eye, give me a wave!!!!!!!!