What's your favorite town in Ireland and why?
 

Hello everyone. Planning my first trip to Ireland. Would love to hear about your favorite places. Thanks!

to the top for cassandra!

Cassandra, <BR> <BR>I'm not sure why you're not getting any replies. Ireland questions are usually good for generating lots of responses. Perhaps it's because there have been lots of other Ireland postings recently. I personally just added a too-long posting on Dingle (look for the Sciuird Tours thread). <BR> <BR>I was not very impressed with the Irish cities I visited (Dublin, Galway, Cork, Limerick). Not that there was anything wrong - they just didn't capture my imagination. What I enjoyed most were the small to mid-sized towns (Dingle, Drogheda, Cashel, ...) which were interesting in themselves and also close to specific attractions (Newgrange, Rock of Cashel, etc). <BR> <BR>

Kiltimagh, County Mayo, by far.

Doolin. The bars often have impromptu Irish folk music provided by earnest and talented amateur musicians. The Cliffs of Moher are nice without being a tourist trap like Blarney Castle.

Cassandra, now I know that this may not be everyones favorite city in Ireland and I'll admit it's not cheap or quaint the way people may want an Irish town to be... however my husband and I LOVE Dublin... I can't put my finger on it exactly, the generally speaking-gregarious people, the smoke filled pubs (we don't even smoke) the murky river?? I don't know what it is but we can't seem to get enough of Dublin.. must be my North Sider Blood...I mean we really love that town and we dream of buying a flat there someday, when our elusive ship comes in, that is.

I thought Kinsail in County Cork was very nice. Compact, scenic, lots of good restaurants. Charles Fort is great for walking around. The harbor, with lots of sailboats, is nice. We didn't stay in town, but at a bed & breakfast in a VERY old semi-castle about a half-hour away

Kinsale would be a second choice for me. Fun town, on the water. LUSITANIA was sunk only a couple miles out in 1915.

I have to admit that my trip to Ireland was 15 years ago and much could have changed since then. But I have very fond memories of Cork.......can't point to anything specific, but I loved it... comfortable, a good size, attractive; for some reason I especially liked the river running through it at various points. For scenic beauty you can't beat the evocative Dingle Peninsula, Ring of Kerry, and Cliffs of Moher. I did like Dublin, too. Didn't get to see north or central part of the country, though. <BR>The Irish people are lovely. And, I hear that the food/restaurants has improved since I was there!! <BR>Good luck, and enjoy your trip!

Cassandra: <BR> <BR>Have to agree with the others that Kinsale is probably one of the nicest, although Kenmare was cozy, clean and beautiful as well as Oughterard which is NW of Galway and at the gateway to the Connemara region.

Well, a couple people have seconded my mention of Kinsale, so I'll second Dave's mention of Kenmare. A charming town, very near the Ring of Kerry and the Beara Peninsula. We stayed in a wonderful farmhouse B&B about 2 or 3 miles outside of town. Kenmare is SO much nicer than Killarney!

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Slane is a nice town along the Boyne RIver, not far out of DUblin and near Newgrange. <BR> <BR>One town I thought was a real dump was Lisdoonvarna. I guess it spruces itself up for the matchmaker festival, but last March it was dreadful. The scenery in the surrounding area was intersting however

topping

One reason that many Americans dislike Dublin is that it's not the thatched-roof, donkey-cart driven by flat-cap wearing old man with no teeth and a friendly smile Ireland they all see to fantasize about. It's a very vibrant, exciting city, and as cosmopolitan as any city in the world. It's changed a lot in the past 15 years, and I think for the better (with the noted exception of the huge drug problem).<BR><BR>My favorite cities are (in order) Belfast (lived there, so I know it best), Kilkenny (doesn't really qualify as a city, but it's a great town), Dublin, Derry, Galway.<BR><BR>Areas: Connemara, the Donegal Coast, and the Mourne Mountains are my three most very favorite places in Ireland.

My son just returned from Ireland (7 weeks backpacking). He loved Ireland, - Wicklow, Dingle area, Donegal, Ballycastle, Antrim, etc. But, he preferred Belfast over Dublin.