Irish Vacation

[Crysania]

My favourite place so far has been up in the northwest, Co. Donegal. We spent 4 or 5 days in a little town on the Atlantic coast near Dungloe and it was just amazing. I found Donegal to be just breathtaking.

If you think you might like to stay in one area and make day trips outward from it (which we've done and gotten to see a lot of the area we were staying in), look into self-catering cottages. If you book a cottage for a week, it can be much cheaper than B&B's (we just rented one in Kilfenora for 7 nights and it's only costing us 250 Euro).

~Crysania

[OnTheMoor]

Careful with the guide books now. Mark your route then rip the map out. Then again, note all the pubs in the book and make sure you miss every single one of them, they'll be packed with every Australian backpacker on the island. I just don't have the time for Lonely Planet, because of their inconsistent writing. Maybe their Irish researchers are better than, say, all their other ones. I go with Rough Guides now, my favourite by a long shot. Well researched, great perspective (not drunken backpacker and not tour bus seniors) and great context sections. I assume they have an Irish book. Whatever you end up doing you'll have fun I'm sure, especially if you're starting your planning now.

[brianc]

Careful with the guide books now. Mark your route then rip the map out. Then again, note all the pubs in the book and make sure you miss every single one of them, they'll be packed with every Australian backpacker on the island. I just don't have the time for Lonely Planet, because of their inconsistent writing. Maybe their Irish researchers are better than, say, all their other ones. I go with Rough Guides now, my favourite by a long shot. Well researched, great perspective (not drunken backpacker and not tour bus seniors) and great context sections. I assume they have an Irish book. Whatever you end up doing you'll have fun I'm sure, especially if you're starting your planning now.

Well, to be sure, they have different writers for different countries/areas, and you're not off the mark with the inconsistency issue, IMO.

What I liked is their description of Killarney: 'the tourist trap from hell'. And their description of the Ring of Kerry was most certainly based on experience... avoiding the tour buses that all go in "this" direction, etc. Their recommendation was to cut across the Ring via Ballabemagh (sp?) Gap, which we did so many years ago... and it was more than worth it. The road was ours, shared by the odd local sheep or ram.

[talasiga]

......
they'll be packed with every Australian backpacker on the island
.......

I guess I was a bit different because although Australian I wasn't a backpacker and I am unlike most Australian visitors to Ireland who are part or full Irish ancestry.

In Australia we have a warm tendency towards Irish visitors whether they be backpackers or not.

Of course I cannot speak for Aussie pubs because I don't frequent them.

[dfernandez77]

Can you walk 8 miles a day?

If so, do a walking tour. Walking is the best way to get a feel for the place.

I did this one last year:
http://www.goireland.com/vacations/walk/kerrygems.htm

Pics (too many) are here:
http://www.beancurdturtle.com

These are a nice start to get a feel:
http://www.beancurdturtle.com/Day3-WebGallery/
http://www.beancurdturtle.com/Day4-WebGallery/

[djm]

Rather more sheep pictures than can be normally justified, Daniel.

djm

[talasiga]

My wife and I are planning a vacation to Ireland in 2008. We'd like to see pubs and music, of course, but also castles, the countryside, Newgrange and similar, monasteries and scenic vistas. We'd like to spend more time in the countryside rather than the cities. We don't want a whirlwind tour, trying to see the whole of Ireland in two weeks. We'd rather limit the scope of our vacation and spend time enjoying the places we do visit. Two weeks is our working time frame for the length of the trip.
.....

I emphasised KERRY before.
We intended to spend a week in Donegal also.
We cancelled it to extend our stay in Dingle Peninsula.

I will do Donegal next time I think.
One of the most beautiful things in Ireland is the eye contact.

[dfernandez77]

Rather more sheep pictures than can be normally justified, Daniel.

djm

Thanks for allowing the wiggle word.

They are mostly before I met up with an engaging young German lady in the tour group.

[walrii]

Thanks for all the info, folks. Keep it coming. Thanks especially for all the pictures and links thereto - We're getting excited already and the trip is still a year out.

A friend loaned us the journal he kept during his motor coach tour of Ireland some years ago. The journal is runs on about being stuck on an uncomfortable bus all day and spending every night in a different hotel then concludes with what a wonderful trip it was! We Yanks can be a strange bunch. I think we've about ruled out a coach tour.

Some years back, I spend several weeks in Germany courtesy of the military and was impressed with the rail system. On a day off, we would take a train somewhere interesting, spend the day playing tourist and be back by bedtime. Is Ireland's public transportation system in the same class? I'm thinking of picking a couple or three places to visit, then taking day trips around wherever we bed down. Is that a workable plan or not? (In the US, such a plan is NOT workable!)

Thanks again for all the help.

[Cayden]

Is Ireland's public transportation system in the same class?

[chas]

We did a circuit around the southern half of the island -- several days in Dublin, then south, one day in County Cork, then 2-3 days each in Kerry, Clare, and Roscommon. I'd say the single coolest thing we saw was the Waterford crystal works. I don't normally like guided tours, but it was absolutely amazing. We went to Roscommon (Keadue) to see O'Carolan's grave, which was no great thrill, but wound up doing a lot of exploring of the bogs, which are very cool. (We're in the carnivorous plant of the month club.) Beyond that, all the stuff the others have mentioned. Oh, and of course, the Guinness brewery.

Next time it's a circuit of the north.

[walrii]

Peter, I'll take that as a "no."

[PhilO]

As Peter implied - no car needed or wanted in Dublin - feet and buses are great; if you want to see Ireland after that and not be on one of those bus tours, rent a car.

Philo

[Cayden]

Peter, I'll take that as a "no."

Yes, unfortunately the public transport system in Ireland is a neglected corner. There are trains between major cities, eventhough when thravelling from Limerick to Galway you'll have to go via Dublin, and busses ( www.buseireann.ie ) going places too but in general you won't really get anywhere without a car.

That aside, interesting places to see can be a bit out of the way but it really depends on the kind of things you want to do. If you're happy to sit around the major tourist traps you'll get there somehow but anything beyond that is harder to find.

On the other hand, seeing a place is like peeling an onion, you'll have to start with the outside layers and go see the 'big' things, Cliffs of Moher and all that before you loose yourself walking around the bogs to find this or that spot.














and despite the comments, Killarney is surrounded by extremely pretty landscapes and if you keep away from the jaunting cars, stay away from the souvenirshops and don't go into the tourist restaurants but instead go for a long walk in the woods near Ross castle or into the mountains on a fine day it's quite enjoyable:

[PhilO]

Alright Peter, I'm getting tired of forwarding these gorgeous examples of both Ireland and your photographic skills to my daughter in Williamstown, MA. Why don't you just send them direct already?

Philo