LindainOhio

We are considering attending a wedding next July 28th in Galway. I had actually been researching a fall trip to Ireland and the SW coast. I was interested in visiting Doolin, Dingle, Kenmare--now I would be adding Galway for probably 2 nts.

We are hikers and our last few trips have included a lot of hiking. We would love to hike in Ireland. We also want to see the fabulous scenery that I read about on this site and see in photos.

Even here in the U.S. we prefer visiting small towns, the mountains, lakes and ocean.

We go to 3-4 Irish festivals every summer and thoroughly enjoy traditional music. We love the Elders, Celtic Storm and our own local New Barleycorn, so enjoying this music in Ireland would be great.

I think we would fly in/out of Shannon and would have 10 days---possibly 2 weeks if my husband could get his schedule changed.

Any planning suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. Do you think there would be much difference in crowds if we travel before or after the wedding?

Possible itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive Shannon--drive to Dingle? not sure this is possible--will be flying from Cleveland.

Day 2& 3 Dingle

Day4,5,6 Kenmare

Day 7,8 not sure how long it takes to get to Galway--I am sure I need to stay somewhere

Day 9,10 Galway

Day 11 or 12 Back to Shannon--fly home

GreenDragon

Looks like a perfectly reasonable itinerary so far! I would recommend either Ennis or Doolin for your on-the-way-to-Galway stop. The Cliffs of Moher are near Doolin, and the Burren is a wonderful area to explore.

Dingle is do-able from Shannon, but you may want one night somewhat closer, say Tralee. It's not that it's a far drive, it's that it is through Conor Pass -- not for the weak of heart or the freshly arrived!

So, Tralee (decent sized city) for your first night, and then head to Dingle the second day. Tralee is still a bit of a drive, but it's mostly larger, wider roads that are well-traveled.

TimS

Allow a minimum of two hours to drive from Shannon to Tralee. It's another hour or so to Dingle via the main road--longer if you take Conor Pass. If the weather is clear as you approach Dingle, drive over the pass. You may not get another chance.

Since you love traditional music, I'm sure you already know that you'll find plenty in the pubs in Dingle, Galway, Doolin, and Ennis.

Here is an alternative route for your consideration. Shannon to Kenmare, with a stop overnight enroute. Kenmare to Dingle. Dingle to Galway, taking the Killimer-Tarbert ferry across the Shannon River, continuing north either via Ennis or along the coast, with an overnight enroute.

Two guidebooks to consider buying: Lonely Planet _Ireland_ (current edition was published in January--I have the 2003 edition which is great) and Lonely Planet _Walking in Ireland_ (published in 2003--I haven't used it, but it would match your interests).

Driving in Ireland requires having a detailed map. If you don't already have one, consider buying the Michelin Ireland map and use it for your planning. It's available from amazon.com.

wojazz3

Hi Linda:

I think that you have a good itinerary. Goos to see another Elders fan.

Yes you can make it to Dingle on the first day. I'm not much of a fan of Tralee. It's a rather industrial city by my standards. If I were going to stop, I'd drive the extra 20 minutes to Castlegregory and stay at The Shores, one of the finest (and not very expensive) B&Bs in Ireland. She looks out on the longest beach in Ireland and Brandon Point, the food is magnificent and the accommodations are as comfortabale as can be. You will want to make a reservation. On Wednesday and Saturday there is a session at Ned Natterjack's which is as old Irish as it gets. Great little pub. The guys that own the place also opened up a pub in Camp (I believe that's where it is) called the Seven Hogs. They have music there too.

Personally I would stay at The Shores the whole time. There is great hiking on Dingle and walking up to Brandon Point would be glorious. Getting over Conor Pass is not as tough as it used to be. Most of the road has been widened. There is one narrow section and you can see the cars coming in the opposite direction, so you know to stop. Who knows, they may have widened it all by then. The south side of the pass is an easy road to travel.

The Kenmare area is loaded with hiking. You could consider sections of the Kerry Way and/or the Beara Way. If the weather is clear, try to make a trip out to Great Skellig. Portmagee is the most common jumping off point. This is as memorable as a trip can be. You can hike to the top of the rock and see dry stone huts that are about 1500 years old in immaculate condition. This are may not be open forever, so I would go if you can. It's a very fragile environment.

There is also a nice, fairly short though sometimes muddy hike at the tip of the Sheepshead Peninsula out to the lighthouse. It's a beautiful walk with lots of cliff options and the lighthouse is in a wonderful position. There will be much less tourism down that way. The hike is no more than 30-45 minutes each way.

Kenmare to Galway can be done in a day. There are two options. One is to take the ferry at Killimer and the other is to head towards Limerick. In the direction you are going, the Limerick route isn't too bad because you bypass most of the city to get to the N18. The ferry runs every 30 minutes at that time of year so you are likely to not have to wait very long if you go that way. The route on the ferry is more scenic and you could follow the coast though that would make the day longer. If you wanted to break it up by spending the night in Doolin, you certainly could. Since that is on your list of destinations, it's a pretty good idea. I certainly would.

Flying in and out of Shannon is a good choice and you're hitting smack dab in the middle of tourist season so it probably won't make much difference which side of the wedding you choose.

Bill

LindainOhio

Thanks so much for the quick responses. I'm checking past posts and finding some great recommendations.

I appreciate any suggestions/recommendations with our itinerary and lodging.

Thanks again.

NEDSIRELAND

If you come up the coast road from Killimer (kill eye mur) you might run into the Willie Clancy Memorial Caeli (step dancing classes & competitions). I don't know what the dates are for 2007, but it's usually mid-July. It's centered at the Armada Hotel at Spanish Point (Co. Clare). There's also a nice 9-hole Links Golf Course at Spanish Point: where one doesn't have to pay an arm and a leg to play but which definitely gives one a Links Golf playing experience.

I have stayed at Fitzgerald's B&B in nearby Miltown Malbay: very nice.

For Galway, I recommend that you book early and try to stay in the Salthill area. For Hikers, even upper Salthill would be less than 30-min from Eyre Square (along the beach promenade, past the Claddagh port and Spanish Arch and you're there).

Day-1: If you don't make it to Tralee, think about stopping in Newcastlewest. The Courtenay Lodge is on your left as you enter town on the N-21: nice, but I prefer Killeline, a resort about 1km south on the Old Cork Road. It has a fully equipped workout room, steam and sauna and a 20m heated indoor swimming pool. If you pass Mick McCoy's Sports bar and the Golf Course, you've passed it

NEDSIRELAND

After Newcastlewest there's the Devon Inn (a couple of miles further on the N-21) and then you have Leens Hotel in Abbeyfeale (on the Feale river that separates Limerick from Kerry). I don't think they have any parking facility at Leens: they just might direct you back to the Devon Inn because the same family runs both. There's nothing in the vicinity of the Devon Inn, so you might either want to stop in Newcastlewest or continue on to Tralee.

For a wedding in Galway, it's not uncommon for the wedding party to book a block of rooms where the reception will take place. Contact whoever is making the arrangements to get divs on one of the rooms.

LindainOhio

I am always amazed at how helpful everyone is here on Fodors and how you experts answer the same questions over and over for the new travellers.

Appreciate the great advice.