Going to Ireland - Tips and Suggestions Welcomed

[MissVelvetDress_75]

For whatever reason, I had old men hitting on me the first time I traveled over there. It became a running joke between my friend and I. It never failed, I would always have a man old enough to be my grandfather chatting with me and buying me drinks. It was hilarious. Anyway, one man in a pub kindly inquired about what I did for a living. I explained to him that I was in the retirement services industry and I help people with their retirement funding, etc. He took a sip from his pint and kindly told me that I work too hard and that was a problem with Americans. After that conversation, my friend took a picture of me with him, and he kissed my cheek when the picture was taken. Then when I was in Dublin, my friend and I were walking out of a store and an older man walked in and stopped as we walked out. He grabbed my hand, and started singing to me. It was all too weird. At least I know I can pull an old drunk Irishman.

 

[BluRmGrl]

Oh Gawd, I want to go back to Ireland RIGHT.NOW. The 2 1/2 days we spent in Dublin was only enough time to hit some of the things I wanted to see in the city. We didn't get to any of the countryside (which I know is nearly criminal!), but I've got a plan to fix that: Kelly & I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in 2012 & I intend to spend 2wks in Ireland to celebrate. It'll be a long wait, but that'll just give me more time to plot our travels.

By the way, I highly recommend the Bulmer's Apple Cider.

 

[lauramullen]

I didn't get out to the countryside when I went last summer. I regret that, but I'm planning on going back in the next two years.

 

[MsPurrl]

I've been really "homesick" for Ireland since we got back last July.

 

[Galeongirl]

I've been really "homesick" for Ireland since we got back last July.

Same here. But it feels better now I know I'm going back.

 

[MsPurrl]

Same here. But it feels better now I know I'm going back.

Yeah, that would work! Have a wonderful, wonderful trip!

 

[corianderstem]

I was a little Ireland'd out after so much research, so I mostly took a break this week.

BUT! I had the most brilliant idea I've ever had this week -

I've been worried about driving immediately after getting off a plane all jet-lagged and junk - if I wanted to go straight to Kinsale, I'd have to rent a car at the airport and drive the half hour drive with no time to rest and adjust, and that just freaked me out.

Well, I woke up thinking this week, why not start the trip in Dublin and do my planned itinerary backward? Spend the few carless days there at the START of the trip, rather than the end?

Then I'm rested and acclimated and can deal with the car after I've caught the train to Galway, then spend time in the west, and do Dingle, and then fly out of Cork at the end of the trip.

Problem solved. Huzzah! I am so S-M-R-T.

 

[MsPurrl]

I was a little Ireland'd out after so much research, so I mostly took a break this week.

BUT! I had the most brilliant idea I've ever had this week -

I've been worried about driving immediately after getting off a plane all jet-lagged and junk - if I wanted to go straight to Kinsale, I'd have to rent a car at the airport and drive the half hour drive with no time to rest and adjust, and that just freaked me out.

Well, I woke up thinking this week, why not start the trip in Dublin and do my planned itinerary backward? Spend the few carless days there at the START of the trip, rather than the end?

Then I'm rested and acclimated and can deal with the car after I've caught the train to Galway, then spend time in the west, and do Dingle, and then fly out of Cork at the end of the trip.

Problem solved. Huzzah! I am so S-M-R-T.

There you go--great idea!

If you decide to go to Newgrange and Knowth, here is the info on Over The Top Tours, which picked us up at our hotel, took us to the Bru na Boine visitor center (access to both Newgrange and Knowth), and returned us to our hotel.

http://overthetoptours.com/

 

[financeguy]

For whatever reason, I had old men hitting on me the first time I traveled over there. It became a running joke between my friend and I. It never failed, I would always have a man old enough to be my grandfather chatting with me and buying me drinks. It was hilarious. Anyway, one man in a pub kindly inquired about what I did for a living. I explained to him that I was in the retirement services industry and I help people with their retirement funding, etc. He took a sip from his pint and kindly told me that I work too hard and that was a problem with Americans. After that conversation, my friend took a picture of me with him, and he kissed my cheek when the picture was taken. Then when I was in Dublin, my friend and I were walking out of a store and an older man walked in and stopped as we walked out. He grabbed my hand, and started singing to me. It was all too weird. At least I know I can pull an old drunk Irishman.

That is hilarious.

 

[hardyharhar]

Problem solved. Huzzah! I am so S-M-R-T.

btw.... sounds like a great idea!

 

[corianderstem]

Through a fun chain of events, I found myself in the company of 4 Irish men tonight.

That doesn't really have anything to do with my trip, but I was tickled by that chain of events.

They're here on business, but stuck here due to the Iceland volcano shenanigans.

 

[Carek1230]

I was a little Ireland'd out after so much research, so I mostly took a break this week.

BUT! I had the most brilliant idea I've ever had this week -

I've been worried about driving immediately after getting off a plane all jet-lagged and junk - if I wanted to go straight to Kinsale, I'd have to rent a car at the airport and drive the half hour drive with no time to rest and adjust, and that just freaked me out.

Well, I woke up thinking this week, why not start the trip in Dublin and do my planned itinerary backward? Spend the few carless days there at the START of the trip, rather than the end?

Then I'm rested and acclimated and can deal with the car after I've caught the train to Galway, then spend time in the west, and do Dingle, and then fly out of Cork at the end of the trip.

Problem solved. Huzzah! I am so S-M-R-T.

\

This is an excellent idea. Is it cheaper or more expensive to do it this way?

Also so cool meeting up with the Irishmen the other night. Sorry to hear their trip was extended due to the volcanic ash, but then you had a chance to enjoy some true Irish company! Did they give you any good suggestions to use on your trip?

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, one of them told me to go in September instead of May, as the weather would be sunnier. I'll definitely consider it, but having cloudy/rainy weather really wasn't behind my reasoning for going in May, so I don't know that I'll change my mind.

I haven't checked into flight differences about going into Dublin and out of Cork - I can't imagine it would be any different than vice versa - it's only $40 more at this point to fly round trip in and out of Dublin than to go into one and out of the other. Even flying into Shannon and out of Dublin was about the same price.

As they all worked for Ryan Air, I did give them shit about charging fees for the toilets, though.

 

[Carek1230]

As they all worked for Ryan Air, I did give them shit about charging fees for the toilets, though.

Good for you, I think that is so stupid to even CONSIDER doing!

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

Hulu - Three Sheets: Ireland - Watch the full episode now.

 

[Niamh_Saoirse]

For whatever reason, I had old men hitting on me the first time I traveled over there. It became a running joke between my friend and I. It never failed, I would always have a man old enough to be my grandfather chatting with me and buying me drinks. It was hilarious. Anyway, one man in a pub kindly inquired about what I did for a living. I explained to him that I was in the retirement services industry and I help people with their retirement funding, etc. He took a sip from his pint and kindly told me that I work too hard and that was a problem with Americans. After that conversation, my friend took a picture of me with him, and he kissed my cheek when the picture was taken. Then when I was in Dublin, my friend and I were walking out of a store and an older man walked in and stopped as we walked out. He grabbed my hand, and started singing to me. It was all too weird. At least I know I can pull an old drunk Irishman.

LMAO! For some reason, I totally know what you mean. Stuff like that happened to me while I lived in Dublin. Irish people have to be the funniest people on earth.

 

[Niamh_Saoirse]

Yeah, one of them told me to go in September instead of May, as the weather would be sunnier. I'll definitely consider it, but having cloudy/rainy weather really wasn't behind my reasoning for going in May, so I don't know that I'll change my mind.

I haven't checked into flight differences about going into Dublin and out of Cork - I can't imagine it would be any different than vice versa - it's only $40 more at this point to fly round trip in and out of Dublin than to go into one and out of the other. Even flying into Shannon and out of Dublin was about the same price.

As they all worked for Ryan Air, I did give them shit about charging fees for the toilets, though.

Ahhh, good old Ryan Scare. Michael O'Leary and his fantastic ideas.

 

[corianderstem]

Resurrecting this from a year ago .... I'm still going! My plans moved from May to September. I'm about ready to start booking hotels, but probably won't pull the trigger on air fare quite yet .... I can cancel hotel reservations, but juuuust in case, I'll wait a bit longer on the flight. Prices have been holding steady - for now!

There's just so much information out there, it makes it really easy to overplan and be overwhelmed. After many rough drafts of itineraries and trolling forums for feedback from other travelers, I think I'm set in my plan.

There's so much I want to see, and don't want to spend the two weeks in the car getting from Thing to See to Other Thing to See, so alas, a lot of things I want to see got left out. As I'd been told, plan as if you will be going back in the future, otherwise you'll cram too much in.

So here it is:

I originally had just 3 days in Dublin, but as my first day will be me trying to see the Dublin sites while also dealing with jet lag and probably being overwhelmed and hitting the ground running, I wanted to give myself another day to explore the city, to see what I didn't get to see the first day, and if I get to see everything the first day, then I have other things I'd like to do if I have time, or I'll just relax and hang out.

Day 1 Dublin - city sight-seeing
Day 2 Dublin - guided tour up to Newgrange and Monasterboice
Day 3 Dublin - guided tour down to Glendalough
Day 4 Dublin - city sight-seeing, maybe see a U2 locale, maybe take the DART to Dun Laoghaire

(I think I finally found a hotel I'm happy with. A good hotel with decent rates - $130/night, in a great location and good reviews online. YAY. I was thinking I'd like to splurge and stay somewhere more swanky, but the swanky hotels are just too expensive. If I find some screaming deal within the next few months, I can always cancel the other booking, thanks to Hotels.com "no cancellation fee" policy. )

Day 5 - Pick up car, drive to Westport with stopover at Clonmacnoise, night in Westport

(I was trying to avoid having any one-night stays in any town, but that was before I found that renting a car out of Dublin instead of Galway would save me almost $200, and as someone pointed out, it would be easier to get used to driving straight out of Dublin on the motorway, rather than in Galway. And this allowed me the freedom to check out another little bit of the west.)

Day 6 - drive around area to see things like Croaig Patrick and Doo Lough Valley, then on to Galway

Day 7 Galway - day trip to Aran Islands
Day 8 Galway - driving around Connemara
Day 9 Galway - explore the city

(I'm going with a B&B in the Salthill neighborhood, as it just sounds lovely out there, despite being out of the city center. Sounds like driving/parking is a pain right in the city, and there's a frequent bus going between the two. Plus, I can stay right by Galway Bay!)

Day 10 - drive to Dingle, taking time for Cliffs of Moher (if there's time and it's not too foggy to see anything) and a bit of the Burren (if time)

Day 11 Dingle - explore the city
Day 12 Dingle - drive around the Peninsula, Slea Head drive, see the stuff there is to see

(My first choice of B&B was booked already, so I'm waiting to hear from my second choice. All the ones I'd listed for Dingle seem like great options, so I'm not too worried.)

Day 13 - drive up to Ennis, hang out there
Day 14 - fly home out of Shannon

I am SO EXCITED.

Originally I was waiting to see if U2 would be playing Dublin shows in September as rumored, but the more I planned, the more I began to hope that a show wouldn't happen, because it would make my plans so much more complicated.

 

[MsPurrl]

Resurrecting this from a year ago .... I'm still going! My plans moved from May to September. I'm about ready to start booking hotels, but probably won't pull the trigger on air fare quite yet .... I can cancel hotel reservations, but juuuust in case, I'll wait a bit longer on the flight. Prices have been holding steady - for now!

There's just so much information out there, it makes it really easy to overplan and be overwhelmed. After many rough drafts of itineraries and trolling forums for feedback from other travelers, I think I'm set in my plan.

There's so much I want to see, and don't want to spend the two weeks in the car getting from Thing to See to Other Thing to See, so alas, a lot of things I want to see got left out. As I'd been told, plan as if you will be going back in the future, otherwise you'll cram too much in.

So here it is:

I originally had just 3 days in Dublin, but as my first day will be me trying to see the Dublin sites while also dealing with jet lag and probably being overwhelmed and hitting the ground running, I wanted to give myself another day to explore the city, to see what I didn't get to see the first day, and if I get to see everything the first day, then I have other things I'd like to do if I have time, or I'll just relax and hang out.

Day 1 Dublin - city sight-seeing
Day 2 Dublin - guided tour up to Newgrange and Monasterboice
Day 3 Dublin - guided tour down to Glendalough
Day 4 Dublin - city sight-seeing, maybe see a U2 locale, maybe take the DART to Dun Laoghaire

(I think I finally found a hotel I'm happy with. A good hotel with decent rates - $130/night, in a great location and good reviews online. YAY. I was thinking I'd like to splurge and stay somewhere more swanky, but the swanky hotels are just too expensive. If I find some screaming deal within the next few months, I can always cancel the other booking, thanks to Hotels.com "no cancellation fee" policy. )

Day 5 - Pick up car, drive to Westport with stopover at Clonmacnoise, night in Westport

(I was trying to avoid having any one-night stays in any town, but that was before I found that renting a car out of Dublin instead of Galway would save me almost $200, and as someone pointed out, it would be easier to get used to driving straight out of Dublin on the motorway, rather than in Galway. And this allowed me the freedom to check out another little bit of the west.)

Day 6 - drive around area to see things like Croaig Patrick and Doo Lough Valley, then on to Galway

Day 7 Galway - day trip to Aran Islands
Day 8 Galway - driving around Connemara
Day 9 Galway - explore the city

(I'm going with a B&B in the Salthill neighborhood, as it just sounds lovely out there, despite being out of the city center. Sounds like driving/parking is a pain right in the city, and there's a frequent bus going between the two. Plus, I can stay right by Galway Bay!)

Day 10 - drive to Dingle, taking time for Cliffs of Moher (if there's time and it's not too foggy to see anything) and a bit of the Burren (if time)

Day 11 Dingle - explore the city
Day 12 Dingle - drive around the Peninsula, Slea Head drive, see the stuff there is to see

(My first choice of B&B was booked already, so I'm waiting to hear from my second choice. All the ones I'd listed for Dingle seem like great options, so I'm not too worried.)

Day 13 - drive up to Ennis, hang out there
Day 14 - fly home out of Shannon

I am SO EXCITED.

Originally I was waiting to see if U2 would be playing Dublin shows in September as rumored, but the more I planned, the more I began to hope that a show wouldn't happen, because it would make my plans so much more complicated.

Yay! Glad to hear that you're still planning to go, and it sounds like a great itinerary. I'm glad to see you're planning to go to Newgrange. Since Newgrange is only accessible out of the Bru Na Boine Visitor Center, if you have time you might as well also see the Knowth burial mounds, too--the bus leaves from the same place as the Newgrange tour.

I know you can only two "so many" things, but if you can make it to the Rock of Cashel, I think it would be well worth your time.

 

[corianderstem]

Rock of Cashel is too far out of the way, unfortunately, and I'm not willing to give up one of my other days to make the trip out there. If I'd been flying in or out of Cork, then I would consider it. Cork was on the original itinerary, but the more I thought about it, Cork fell to the bottom of cities I wanted to see.

The tours to Newgrange I'm looking at are the ones that specifically include Monasterboice, as I was more interested in seeing that over some of the other Bru Na Boine sites. I'm looking at two different tour companies that leave from Dublin, with the main visit being to Newgrange, and then on to Monasterboice.

 

[BluRmGrl]

Dear Cori,
I am insanely jealous of these plans. This will be an amazing trip. I hate you.

Respectfully,
Blu








You're going to have an amazing time, meet some of the world's nicest people, & get some of the most spectacular photos. I am thrilled for you & didn't mean those things I said earlier. Except the jealousy part... I'm still insanely jealous.

 

[MsPurrl]

As am I, BluRmGrl--still scheming to get back there!

 

[Niamh_Saoirse]

The trip you have planned sounds like a blast!

If you have some time on your hands (and some cash left), try and visit Bunratty Castle while in Ennis. I love that place! I attended twice the medieval dinners they have and had great fun (now that I think about it, maybe we thought we had the time of our lives because we got completely wasted during dinner and then in Durty Nelly's).

Dingle is such an amazing place, totally worth visting.

I also like the Viking Splash tour in Dublin but the hubby says it's a piece of shite (he is a Dubliner, what can you expect!)

 

[corianderstem]

Is the Viking Splash tour one of those tours with an amphibious vehicle, where it's partly on land, partly in the water? I'm just guessing, based on the name. They have those in Seattle. They're touristy and the guides are entertaining in that cheesy way, but the trip has its charms!

I probably won't have time for Bunratty. I'm guessing it'll take the bulk of the day to get up to the Ennis/Shannon area - I'm going to assume I'm going to be just wiped on day 13 and will just bum around Ennis, rather than see a "big" attraction.

I just bought some maps today. The Rough Guide's map of Ireland, and an ordnance map, which has been recommended to me. Alas, the one I bought is just for the west, and I may decide to buy a second for the south, to capture Dingle and area. Those are the two areas I plan on doing the most driving/exploring.

 

[Niamh_Saoirse]

That's exactly what the Viking Splash Tour is, cheesy and trashy at its best,but for some reason I enjoyed it a lot.

How about going to a session in the evening in Ennis? There are so many talented musicians around. Just make sure you go to a more local pub rather one of the touristy places they usually recommend you at hotels.

 

[corianderstem]

I'll be trying to take in sessions in whatever city I'm in. My hotel is actually between Ennis and the Shannon airport, so it'll depend on how beat I am that last night.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Dalton]

Go during a leap year. Get drunk, propose to a man.

 

[corianderstem]

That was one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

I'll try and come home married.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

can deal with the car

Are you worried about the driving just because it's the opposite side of the road? If so, don't stress, you'd be surprised by how quickly your brain will adjust. You'll freak out at the first couple of intersections, but after that it very, very quickly just clicks and becomes almost as instinctive as your 'home' driving is now.

The first time I ever had to drive on the opposite side to what I am used to was after a 16hr flight into LA, midnight arrival, and then straight into a rental car at the airport and off to Vegas that very moment. Not clever. The highways were obviously not a problem, but just getting out and away from LAX was an absolute nightmare.

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, the mere idea of it is freaking me out a little bit. But it's good to hear from multiple people that you catch on pretty quickly. I'm an excellent driver (/Rainman).

I'm sure you'd find lots of Americans who would find driving out of LAX to be quite the nightmare as well! Ha.

There are a few bits of driving I'm hoping to do that will be on rugged roads and passes, a few of which have been described as "harrowing." Conor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula is one of those, so it'll be a wait and see approach. If it's foggy as I'm coming into Dingle, I'll probably just stick with the alternate route that doesn't involve driving along narrow cliffs.