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Where should we go in Ireland?
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Where should we go in Ireland?
I'm in the very beginning planning stages of our trip to Ireland. We'll probably be leaving the first week of May.
I know a few of you have been there, and some of you are from there, so I'd really appreciate some ideas.
Thanks!!! 
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Posted 1/22/08 9:21 PM  |
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donegal419
St. Gerard, pray for us.
Member since 7/07 7650 total posts
Name:
K
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
i could go on and on and on... i travel there frequently as i have family there. if you are booking through a tour or a travel agent, they are going to give you the typical American tour: fly into Shannon: do Clare, Kerry, Cork, then up through Kilkenny and Dublin and fly out of Dublin.
Of these places I recommend:
Clare (Cliffs of Moher, any seaside town in Clare... Clare is gorgeous and home to probably the best traditional music in the country.)
Kerry: I love Dingle, the Ring of Kerry. Killarney is a great town.
Cork: Cobh (port town, Titanic left from here). I also really like Cork City. The blarney stone is so not a big deal...
Dublin: lots in the city... shopping, good night life, historical buildings.
But honestly, the West and North of Ireland are the most beautiful and unique. Look into Co. Galway. Galway city is awesome...also the Aran Islands are off the coast here and not too be missed. ALthough the indigenous language and culture is almost lost there so see it while you can.
I may be biased because this is where my family is from, but so many Americans don't get up to Donegal. It is STUNNING! the whole coast of Donegal is amazing.. so many fun beaches, seaside towns. I love Dunfanaghy, Killybegs. Also, like Galway, Donegal has a large Gaelic speaking area (called the Gaeltacht) in northwest Donegal....Gweedore. Fanad Head is stunning and Letterkenny is the largest growing city in Europe.. in north-central Donegal.
North Ireland, while not in the Republic is great too... Giant's Causeway, Derry city and Belfast are great...
Be prepared to go broke on this trip. the Euro to the dollar ***** right now! and if you go to Northern Ireland, they use sterling (Bristish pound) which is even worse. Also, Ireland is SOOOOO expensive right now, it's insane!!!
FM if you have any questions...
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| Posted 1/22/08 10:34 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by donegal419
i could go on and on and on... i travel there frequently as i have family there. if you are booking through a tour or a travel agent, they are going to give you the typical American tour: fly into Shannon: do Clare, Kerry, Cork, then up through Kilkenny and Dublin and fly out of Dublin.
Of these places I recommend:
Clare (Cliffs of Moher, any seaside town in Clare... Clare is gorgeous and home to probably the best traditional music in the country.)
Kerry: I love Dingle, the Ring of Kerry. Killarney is a great town.
Cork: Cobh (port town, Titanic left from here). I also really like Cork City. The blarney stone is so not a big deal...
Dublin: lots in the city... shopping, good night life, historical buildings.
But honestly, the West and North of Ireland are the most beautiful and unique. Look into Co. Galway. Galway city is awesome...also the Aran Islands are off the coast here and not too be missed. ALthough the indigenous language and culture is almost lost there so see it while you can.
I may be biased because this is where my family is from, but so many Americans don't get up to Donegal. It is STUNNING! the whole coast of Donegal is amazing.. so many fun beaches, seaside towns. I love Dunfanaghy, Killybegs. Also, like Galway, Donegal has a large Gaelic speaking area (called the Gaeltacht) in northwest Donegal....Gweedore. Fanad Head is stunning and Letterkenny is the largest growing city in Europe.. in north-central Donegal.
North Ireland, while not in the Republic is great too... Giant's Causeway, Derry city and Belfast are great...
Be prepared to go broke on this trip. the Euro to the dollar ***** right now! and if you go to Northern Ireland, they use sterling (Bristish pound) which is even worse. Also, Ireland is SOOOOO expensive right now, it's insane!!!
FM if you have any questions...
Thank you SO much! I don't really want to do the typical touristy places, so these are perfect suggestions. How many days do you think we should plan on if we wanted to hit a number of the places you mentioned?
And I hear ya about the dollar being so weak right now. Ugh. Not looking forward to breaking the bank, but this is probably the only chance we'll get to go for quite a while.
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| Posted 1/22/08 10:43 PM |
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donegal419
St. Gerard, pray for us.
Member since 7/07 7650 total posts
Name:
K
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by Anniegrl
Thank you SO much! I don't really want to do the typical touristy places, so these are perfect suggestions. How many days do you think we should plan on if we wanted to hit a number of the places you mentioned?
And I hear ya about the dollar being so weak right now. Ugh. Not looking forward to breaking the bank, but this is probably the only chance we'll get to go for quite a while.
I would say you would want at least a week...it all depends how you like to travel and what you want to see.... if you wanted to fly into Shannon, you could do Clare...then drive up the West Coast and hit Galway and Mayo... then you could travel a bit into the midlands (Cavan and Sligo, which are also lovely) Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim (my father is from there) sits at the start of the River Shannon...very pretty. Then you would go do North into Donegal. I would say a day/night in Clare, two days in Galway, maybe a day trip to Mayo (Westport is a lovely town) and you could do at least two days in Donegal.... Also as a "Yankee" you'll want at least 2 days in Dublin to see the touristy things.... Again, time and money is probably a factor... but I would say a week to 10 days would give you time to enjoy and relax. Ireland is only the size of Florida so even from the top of the country to the bottom, it's only a bout a 7 hour drive. You will have to rent a car. There are lots of buses, but to a tourist, they won't bring you door to door to where you need to be except in the major cities.
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| Posted 1/22/08 10:54 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by donegal419
I would say you would want at least a week...it all depends how you like to travel and what you want to see.... if you wanted to fly into Shannon, you could do Clare...then drive up the West Coast and hit Galway and Mayo... then you could travel a bit into the midlands (Cavan and Sligo, which are also lovely) Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim (my father is from there) sits at the start of the River Shannon...very pretty. Then you would go do North into Donegal. I would say a day/night in Clare, two days in Galway, maybe a day trip to Mayo (Westport is a lovely town) and you could do at least two days in Donegal.... Also as a "Yankee" you'll want at least 2 days in Dublin to see the touristy things.... Again, time and money is probably a factor... but I would say a week to 10 days would give you time to enjoy and relax. Ireland is only the size of Florida so even from the top of the country to the bottom, it's only a bout a 7 hour drive. You will have to rent a car. There are lots of buses, but to a tourist, they won't bring you door to door to where you need to be except in the major cities.
Ok, perfect. I was thinking 10 days would be good, so it sounds like we can get a lot done. Again, thank you so much for your help!!!
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| Posted 1/23/08 8:19 AM |
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donegal419
St. Gerard, pray for us.
Member since 7/07 7650 total posts
Name:
K
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by Anniegrl
Ok, perfect. I was thinking 10 days would be good, so it sounds like we can get a lot done. Again, thank you so much for your help!!!
you're welcome! please let me know if you need any more help!
I woudl try booking your tickets on-line if you can...sometimes Aer Lingus has awesome deals on-line! Delta and Continental also fly into Ireland.
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| Posted 1/23/08 1:22 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by donegal419
Posted by Anniegrl
Ok, perfect. I was thinking 10 days would be good, so it sounds like we can get a lot done. Again, thank you so much for your help!!!
you're welcome! please let me know if you need any more help!
I woudl try booking your tickets on-line if you can...sometimes Aer Lingus has awesome deals on-line! Delta and Continental also fly into Ireland.
I don't think Aer Lingus flies out of Denver (we live in CO) but I'll check into it. Thanks! And I may be bugging you with more questions 
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| Posted 1/23/08 2:14 PM |
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ODonnell
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Member since 9/05 5983 total posts
Name:
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
This is the itinerary I am putting together for a private group tour next Spring. It covers just the South, Southeast and Southwestern parts of Ireland.
Day 1
Arrive in Dublin Airport
Depart on a guided tour of Dublin including visits to St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral where the remains of the Anglo-Norman conqueror of Dublin, Strongbow are buried and Trinity College, home to the Book of Kells
Dinner & overnight in Wynn's Hotel (3 star city centre hotel)
Day 2
Tour the Wicklow Mountains
Visit Powerscourt Gardens The gardens at Powerscourt are among the finest in Ireland, both for their design and for their dramatic setting at the foot of the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain.
Visit St. Kevin's 6th century monastery at Glendalough. The steep wooded slopes of Glendalough, the “valley of the two lakes”, harbour one of Ireland’s most atmospheric monastic settlements. Sacked time and again by the Vikings, it nevertheless flourished for over 600 years.
Dinner & overnight in Wynn's Hotel (3 star city centre hotel)
Day 3
Depart for Kilkenny via Kildare
Travel through the Curragh of Kildare
Visit the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens This is a state – run bloodstock farm, which was founded in 1900 by an eccentric Anglo – Irish colonel called William Walker. On finishing the tour of the stud farm take a walk through the Japanese Gardens, which were laid out in 1906 to represent the “Life of Man.”
Visit Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle has been an important site since Strongbow constructed the first building a wooden tower in the 12th century. William the Earl Marshall built the first stone castle on the site in 1260
Free time in Kilkenny City
Dinner & overnight in Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel (4 star town centre hotel)
Day 4
Depart for Cork via New Ross and Waterford
Visit to Waterford Crystal Glass
Travel along the south east coast to Kinsale
Visit Cobh heritage Centre where the history this small maritime town played in the mass emigration to the United States and Canada and the transportation of convicts to Australia is recalled.
Dinner & overnight in Imperial Hotel, Cork (4 star city centre hotel)
Day 5
Depart for Kenmare
Visit Blarney Castle and opportunity for shopping at Blarney Woollen Mills
Continue on to Kenmare via the valley of the river Lee to the old market town of Macroom, where you will see Macroom Castle, once home of Sir William Penn, whose son was later to found the state of Pennsylvania.
Travel over the Cork/Kerry Mountains via the Irish speaking villages of Ballymakeery & Ballyvourney to Kenmare town.
Afternoon free in Kenmare
Dinner & overnight in Kenmare Bay Hotel (3 star hotel)
Day 6
Visit to Muckross House and Gardens, This imposing Victorian mansion was built in 1843 in Elizabethan style. Inside, the elegant rooms are decorated with period furnishings.
Tour the Ring of Kerry via Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Coomakesta Pass with it magnificent views over Derrynane, home of Daniel O’ Connell, know as “The Liberator”, Castlecove & Sneem, Moll’s Gap, Ladies View, Killarney National Park and along the Lakes of Killarney.
(Many great pubs & restaurants in the villages and towns on the Ring of Kerry but I would especially recommend The Blind Piper in Caherdaniel.)
Dinner & overnight in Kenmare Bay Hotel (3 star hotel)
Day 7
Depart for Ennistymon
Travel via Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West and Limerick
Visit the beautiful thatched village of Adare
Visit Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, a formidable castle built in the 15th century. Its most important residents were the O’ Brien’s, Earls of Thomond, who lived there from around 1500 to the 1640’s.
Dinner & overnight in Falls Hotel, Ennistymon (3 star hotel)
Day 8
Travel along the Atlantic coast via small villages of Lahinch and Doolin up to Ballyvaughan in the Galway Bay.
Visit the dramatic 650ft Cliffs of Moher and travel along the west coast to see The Burren (Gaelic for rocky land).
Visit Poulnabrone, this famous dolmen is a striking portal tomb dating back to 2500 – 3000 BC
Dinner & overnight in Falls Hotel, Ennistymon (3 star hotel)
Day 9
Transfer to Shannon Airport
Depart on a return flight
Message edited 1/23/2008 2:20:43 PM.
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| Posted 1/23/08 2:20 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
|
Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by ODonnell
This is the itinerary I am putting together for a private group tour next Spring. It covers just the South, Southeast and Southwestern parts of Ireland.
Day 1
Arrive in Dublin Airport
Depart on a guided tour of Dublin including visits to St. Patrick's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral where the remains of the Anglo-Norman conqueror of Dublin, Strongbow are buried and Trinity College, home to the Book of Kells
Dinner & overnight in Wynn's Hotel (3 star city centre hotel)
Day 2
Tour the Wicklow Mountains
Visit Powerscourt Gardens The gardens at Powerscourt are among the finest in Ireland, both for their design and for their dramatic setting at the foot of the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain.
Visit St. Kevin's 6th century monastery at Glendalough. The steep wooded slopes of Glendalough, the “valley of the two lakes”, harbour one of Ireland’s most atmospheric monastic settlements. Sacked time and again by the Vikings, it nevertheless flourished for over 600 years.
Dinner & overnight in Wynn's Hotel (3 star city centre hotel)
Day 3
Depart for Kilkenny via Kildare
Travel through the Curragh of Kildare
Visit the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens This is a state – run bloodstock farm, which was founded in 1900 by an eccentric Anglo – Irish colonel called William Walker. On finishing the tour of the stud farm take a walk through the Japanese Gardens, which were laid out in 1906 to represent the “Life of Man.”
Visit Kilkenny Castle Kilkenny Castle has been an important site since Strongbow constructed the first building a wooden tower in the 12th century. William the Earl Marshall built the first stone castle on the site in 1260
Free time in Kilkenny City
Dinner & overnight in Kilkenny Hibernian Hotel (4 star town centre hotel)
Day 4
Depart for Cork via New Ross and Waterford
Visit to Waterford Crystal Glass
Travel along the south east coast to Kinsale
Visit Cobh heritage Centre where the history this small maritime town played in the mass emigration to the United States and Canada and the transportation of convicts to Australia is recalled.
Dinner & overnight in Imperial Hotel, Cork (4 star city centre hotel)
Day 5
Depart for Kenmare
Visit Blarney Castle and opportunity for shopping at Blarney Woollen Mills
Continue on to Kenmare via the valley of the river Lee to the old market town of Macroom, where you will see Macroom Castle, once home of Sir William Penn, whose son was later to found the state of Pennsylvania.
Travel over the Cork/Kerry Mountains via the Irish speaking villages of Ballymakeery & Ballyvourney to Kenmare town.
Afternoon free in Kenmare
Dinner & overnight in Kenmare Bay Hotel (3 star hotel)
Day 6
Visit to Muckross House and Gardens, This imposing Victorian mansion was built in 1843 in Elizabethan style. Inside, the elegant rooms are decorated with period furnishings.
Tour the Ring of Kerry via Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen, Waterville, Coomakesta Pass with it magnificent views over Derrynane, home of Daniel O’ Connell, know as “The Liberator”, Castlecove & Sneem, Moll’s Gap, Ladies View, Killarney National Park and along the Lakes of Killarney.
(Many great pubs & restaurants in the villages and towns on the Ring of Kerry but I would especially recommend The Blind Piper in Caherdaniel.)
Dinner & overnight in Kenmare Bay Hotel (3 star hotel)
Day 7
Depart for Ennistymon
Travel via Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West and Limerick
Visit the beautiful thatched village of Adare
Visit Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, a formidable castle built in the 15th century. Its most important residents were the O’ Brien’s, Earls of Thomond, who lived there from around 1500 to the 1640’s.
Dinner & overnight in Falls Hotel, Ennistymon (3 star hotel)
Day 8
Travel along the Atlantic coast via small villages of Lahinch and Doolin up to Ballyvaughan in the Galway Bay.
Visit the dramatic 650ft Cliffs of Moher and travel along the west coast to see The Burren (Gaelic for rocky land).
Visit Poulnabrone, this famous dolmen is a striking portal tomb dating back to 2500 – 3000 BC
Dinner & overnight in Falls Hotel, Ennistymon (3 star hotel)
Day 9
Transfer to Shannon Airport
Depart on a return flight
Thank you so much! I am particularly interested in the stud farm
I'm putting all these ideas into a Word doc and will start doing some research tonight....
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| Posted 1/23/08 2:22 PM |
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donegal419
St. Gerard, pray for us.
Member since 7/07 7650 total posts
Name:
K
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by Anniegrl
I don't think Aer Lingus flies out of Denver (we live in CO) but I'll check into it. Thanks! And I may be bugging you with more questions
The onyl airports AerLingus flies out in the States that I know of are:
NY- JFK
Chicago, O'Hare
Orlando International, FL
Los Angeles
and I think they now fly out of Baltimore, but I could be wrong. If you fly Aer Lingus, you will need to do a transfer. there are no direct flights from Denver
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| Posted 1/23/08 2:49 PM |
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Anniegrl
I'm two!
Member since 5/05 4320 total posts
Name:
Ann
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Re: Where should we go in Ireland?
Posted by donegal419
Posted by Anniegrl
I don't think Aer Lingus flies out of Denver (we live in CO) but I'll check into it. Thanks! And I may be bugging you with more questions
The onyl airports AerLingus flies out in the States that I know of are:
NY- JFK
Chicago, O'Hare
Orlando International, FL
Los Angeles
and I think they now fly out of Baltimore, but I could be wrong. If you fly Aer Lingus, you will need to do a transfer. there are no direct flights from Denver
Yeah, as soon as I typed that I realized that we'd connect somewhere to Aer Lingus, like at JFK. I wish we were going tomorrow! I'm so excited! 
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| Posted 1/23/08 3:00 PM |
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