sue

My partner and I are trying to decide if we should plan a 10 day trip to Ireland. We live in Los Angeles, but will be in New York the end of june and it would be so easy to go from there... <BR>Here's our questions...We're thinking of flying into Shannon -driving to Adare, then to Killarney and Dingle (we HATE driving on cliffs- is this the case on the Dingle Peninsula?)(or anywhere else for that matter) then to Kenmare,Kinsale(Cork?),Cashel, Kilkenny and finally Dublin - spending two days there. Is this ambitious? We haven't even thought about hotel/B&B's...Too late to book? Can we wing it? We're open to itinerary suggestions !!! Thanks! <BR>

Donna

Do not back out. Go on this trip. It is not too late. Fly into Shannon, drive the 30 minutes to Adare, and call RIGHT NOW to get a room at Adare Manor. If you can't stay there, stay at the Dunraven Arms, or get any other place in Adare you can, it is too cool to pass up. Quaint, take the time to walk up and down the street and go into the little shops and buy your sweaters. <BR> <BR>Don't know about Dingle, someone else will have to help you. Killarney is great, and you must take a day to go to Muckross House. <BR> <BR>Kilkenny is really neat. We were there for St. Paddy's day last year, parade and all. Great Castle. <BR> <BR>Shop at Nicholas Mosse pottery at Bennetsbridge, Co. Kilkenny, about 10 minutes from Kilkenny town. <BR> <BR> <BR>Cashel is really cool, ruins and all. Stay at Cashel Palace, and ask for the room in the back that looks out to the Rock of Cashel, which is lit up into the night. Neat scene for you. <BR> <BR>Get your maps right away, get your car right away, and map out a scenario for driving . . . takes longer than you think to get from place to place as the roads are a bit narrow and you will be driving on the left . . . . . . . . <BR> <BR>best wishes. <BR> <BR>Take a few days and go up to Kinnitty Castle which is just east of Birr in Co. Offaly and STAY THERE. Get your room now. It is north of Kilkenny. You will never regret this. We had the entire castle to ourselves . . . only one other couple in the hotel. Went horseback riding above the treeline. Learned about the more haunted castle in Ireland from our horsemaster, it is called Leap Castle (pronounced Lepp), so we drove there, and proceeded to get the willies just by being on the grounds. <BR> <BR>I prefer the countryside and don't much care for Dublin, but GO ANYWAY and don't look back! have a great time. <BR>

Cathy

Sue, <BR>Re accommodation it is advisable to book NOW as end of June is the height of the toruist season. Your plan sounds ok but remember tourist season traffic around Kerry will be at its peak. <BR> <BR>If you find that it difficult to find a place to stay within your budget etc in Dublin then why not stay in one of the suites at St Patrick's College Maynooth - 20 minutes drive from Dublin or a short train ride. Don't take the rental car into Dublin as the traffic is chaotic. Rent before you depart from the States - most people recommend Dan Dooley - they have a web site and a toll free number. <BR> <BR> <BR>Check out the following web sites to find unusual places to stay - www.hidden-ireland.com. www.ireland.travel.com, www.loughcrew.com <BR> <BR>and enjoy yourself. <BR> <BR>Cathy

Sandy

We went to Ireland over Thanksgiving last November and had a wonderful time. The Irish Tourist Board will give/send you a great book w/color pictures of B&Bs, we used it and found great places to stay. <BR> <BR>We rented a "B" class car from the Irish company, Dan Dooley (in Ireland: 062-53103; 800-331-9301 in US) and can't recommend them enough. Not only were they a pleasure to deal with but they were cheaper than any other quote I received by at least $100. They even reimbursed us for a ruined tire and hardly any rental company covers tires! <BR> <BR>We drove the Dingle pensula and found it beautiful, especially around Slea Head. In Nov, there was hardly any traffic and the roads were quite narrow, it may not be as pleasant during the summer if you run into a lot of traffic and/or tour buses. <BR> <BR>We flew into Shannon and out of Dublin. After visiting Dublin, I wished we'd stayed more around the Shannon area. We enjoyed Dublin but felt like it was just another big city. The smaller towns really offered more and we'd like to have spent more time exploring them. <BR> <BR>You'll enjoy Ireland no matter which area you visit, it's really a neat place to visit.

Kathleen

Exactly what do you mean by 'cliff driving'? What height? A lot of the roads on Dingle are on the edge of mountains-especially the Connor Pass. A portion of the south road onto the Peninsula, just east of Inch, has collapsed, and traffic is reduced to a single lane, with a traffic light-and they don't know when it will be fixed. Some of the roads there are narrow, and there will be tons of coaches on the roads. But Dingle may be better and easier than the Ring of Kerry, and really shouldn't be missed--it's my favorite place in the world!

Dave

Sue, <BR> <BR>I was in Ireland last month, and Dingle was the best part of the trip. <BR> <BR>The family who owns Kirrarra House B&B (Eileen and Tim Collins) offer 2.5 hour "Archeological Tours" of the Dingle Penninsula by minibus. In the summer there are two tours - one east of Dingle and another to the west. I took the western one (incl. Gallarus Oratory) and it was really worth the trip. You can probably find the phone number in most guidebooks. (In June you might need to book in advance, since I believe they get very busy). <BR> <BR>The 2 hour "Eco Boat Tour" of Dingle Bay is also great if the weather is good. The office is in the Tourist Information Center, around the corner from the main entrance (I'm NOT talking about the "Dolphin Boats", which don't leave Dingle Harbor).

John

You are missing County Waterford! All of Ireland is there - the scenery, the people, the music, the pubs, the fun of it all.

sue

Thank you all for your wise words and advise. As for cliffs, it's pretty much anything that is on the edge of a mountain or high peak with a large drop on the other side..call me crazy, but it's a phobia.Funny thing, though, my partner has the same fear!! Those guided tours sound like the answer.

Sue

Hi, it's me again.... one more question.....has anyone ever used the Aer Lingus travel services? I spoke to them today and they offer several hotel (booked and open voucher) programs, car rental (Avis-not Dan Dooley as recommended) if you purchase tickets through them. Any thoughts? <BR>Many thanks from the scared cliff drivers....