I'm going there with a longtime girlfriend and her daughter, am v.v. excited, to paraphrase Bridget Jones! Anybody who's been have any helpful tips or off-the-beaten-track places they'd like to share? We're planning on doing the usual touristy stuff (Ring of Kerry, although Dingle Peninsula sounds unmissable too), Rock of Cashel, etc. We are more outdoor-scenery, bird-watching, natural-wonders types, although good pub recommendations will certainly be appreciated! Thanks!
Ireland
- Thread starter cyclecat
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Funny, we just adopted a kitty and named her Lizzie. She's a sweet little grey Oriental SH (like a Siamese, only without the points). Anyway...I'll let you know what not to miss after we get back. We're leaving on the 11th of March!! I fear it'll be too chilly to cycle, seeing as how I'm a cold weather wimp when it comes to that, plus I have two other non-cyclists to consider. We are looking for good hikes, though, or B&Bs to stay where there are nice walks, within walking distance!!
Hello Cyclecat,
I'm from Dublin, Ireland so I thought I'd respond to this post - usually I just lurk.
It is freezing here at the moment with frost and snow in some parts of the West and North of Ireland. If you are arriving around the 11th it more than likely will be a completely different climate. Perhaps cold but hopefully not wet and grey (the worst Irish weather type)Nonetheless always bring sunglasses and raingear everywhere you go - you can never tell how the weather will change during a day (or even an hour!!)
I'm sorry I can't give you any specific information on cycling/walking in Ireland. There are loads of books available from any bookshop here or indeed the tourist shop in the airport but I don't have any titles to recommend. It really depends on what area you decide to go to.
One piece of advice: definitely have somewhere booked for our national holiday St Patricks Day (17th March) especially if you are going to be in Dublin city. It is always v.v. busy.
More info is available on www.tourismireland.com or www.gulliver.ie for booking accommodation.
hope you have a great holiday.And remember not to pass too many of the pubs!!
I'm from Dublin, Ireland so I thought I'd respond to this post - usually I just lurk.
It is freezing here at the moment with frost and snow in some parts of the West and North of Ireland. If you are arriving around the 11th it more than likely will be a completely different climate. Perhaps cold but hopefully not wet and grey (the worst Irish weather type)Nonetheless always bring sunglasses and raingear everywhere you go - you can never tell how the weather will change during a day (or even an hour!!)
I'm sorry I can't give you any specific information on cycling/walking in Ireland. There are loads of books available from any bookshop here or indeed the tourist shop in the airport but I don't have any titles to recommend. It really depends on what area you decide to go to.
One piece of advice: definitely have somewhere booked for our national holiday St Patricks Day (17th March) especially if you are going to be in Dublin city. It is always v.v. busy.
More info is available on www.tourismireland.com or www.gulliver.ie for booking accommodation.
hope you have a great holiday.And remember not to pass too many of the pubs!!
gettingfit2004
Cathlete
My husband took me there a few years ago when we lived in England. His family is from County Cork and we just had the best time. The scenery was so beautiful (Ring of Kerry) -- every where I looked it was like a picture postcard -- and the people could not have been nicer. They were most gracious to us and I must say real party goers as well!
You will have a wonderful time and don't forget to have a Guinness Stout! I usually don't drink them but the one I had in Ireland was the best I ever tasted....right out of the tap. (By the pint or the half pint.)
You will have a wonderful time and don't forget to have a Guinness Stout! I usually don't drink them but the one I had in Ireland was the best I ever tasted....right out of the tap. (By the pint or the half pint.)
Hi, and thanks for your feedback, especially since you're a lurker!
I'm hoping you'll decide not to lurk once more. We're flying into and out of Dublin, and we're thinking maybe since we aren't big on crowds, we might try to find a smaller town somewhere west/northwest or southwest of Dublin to celebrate, and then spend the 18th in Dublin. Does this sound foolhardy, are we crazy to pass up St. Patrick's Day in Dublin? And if you don't think we are, do you know
of any other towns that have celebrations on a smaller scale? We've decided to concentrate on the lower half (i.e. warmer half!) of the country.
Thanks again!
I'm hoping you'll decide not to lurk once more. We're flying into and out of Dublin, and we're thinking maybe since we aren't big on crowds, we might try to find a smaller town somewhere west/northwest or southwest of Dublin to celebrate, and then spend the 18th in Dublin. Does this sound foolhardy, are we crazy to pass up St. Patrick's Day in Dublin? And if you don't think we are, do you know
of any other towns that have celebrations on a smaller scale? We've decided to concentrate on the lower half (i.e. warmer half!) of the country.
Thanks again!
Funny you mention the Guinness! I'm not big on those cans of it here in the lower 48, but I've heard it's a completely different brew out there, so no way will I pass it up (nor the Murphy's). Now we're trying to find B&Bs within walking distance of pubs, since we hear the roads are treacherous and don't want to become statistics! Am definitely looking forward to Ring of Kerry and also Dingle Peninsula.
Thanks for your help!
Thanks for your help!
Wanted to pass along a website:
http://www.irelandyes.com/
There are a ton of resources that might be helpful. The author of the site, Michelle, sells a book that is really detailed and full of awesome information about off the beaten path places, bed and breakfasts and other places of interest.
Enjoy your time in Ireland!
http://www.irelandyes.com/
There are a ton of resources that might be helpful. The author of the site, Michelle, sells a book that is really detailed and full of awesome information about off the beaten path places, bed and breakfasts and other places of interest.
Enjoy your time in Ireland!
My family and I went to Ireland in the fall of '97, so I don't know if my information is current, but here it is....
Started our trip in Dublin, stayed at the Clarence Hotel, which is owned by some of the members of U2...beautiful hotel, very expensive (my dad was footing the bill) in a very cool part of town called Temple Bar.
After 3 nights we drove to Waterford and stayed one night in a B& B. Let me just warn you that driving places took us much longer than we expected.
After Waterford, we headed to the Dingle Peninsula and stayed in the town of Dingle at the Milltown House. The time spent there was among the best times of my life, and our entire family agreed that if we had to do the whole trip over, we would have just gone straight to Dingle and stayed there.
We flew out of Shannon.
If you are interested, I could probably dig up more details regarding restaurants, etc. that we went to, as well as other details. I have a pretty comprehensive itinerary.
Have a great trip!! I am so jealous! My husband and I still talk about that trip as being the best ever, and I definitely hope to get back there someday.
Tracy
Started our trip in Dublin, stayed at the Clarence Hotel, which is owned by some of the members of U2...beautiful hotel, very expensive (my dad was footing the bill) in a very cool part of town called Temple Bar.
After 3 nights we drove to Waterford and stayed one night in a B& B. Let me just warn you that driving places took us much longer than we expected.
After Waterford, we headed to the Dingle Peninsula and stayed in the town of Dingle at the Milltown House. The time spent there was among the best times of my life, and our entire family agreed that if we had to do the whole trip over, we would have just gone straight to Dingle and stayed there.
We flew out of Shannon.
If you are interested, I could probably dig up more details regarding restaurants, etc. that we went to, as well as other details. I have a pretty comprehensive itinerary.
Have a great trip!! I am so jealous! My husband and I still talk about that trip as being the best ever, and I definitely hope to get back there someday.
Tracy
Hi again,
There are usually much bigger celebrations for St. Patrick's Day in Dublin. The parade is much bigger and there are usually more events including a firework display synchronised to a specially commissioned sound track check out http://www.stpatricksday.ie/cms/index.html for more details on this years celebrations). Having said all that it doesn't mean at all that there will not be celebrations in the rest of the country - every town/village has a parade of some sort with marching bands etc. You will probably find great celebrations all over the country (Killarney will be initiating their 250 year celebrations www.killarney250.com so I'd say that their celebrations will be great and expanded this year.)
YOu don't say how long you are travelling around Ireland so it is difficult to say where you should go - I'd suggest heading out of Dublin immediately head to South East - Wexford/Kilkenny/Waterford /Cork area - then Killarney - Ring of Kerry/Dingle if time up to Galway and then back to Dublin. Do heed the warnings of others here - it will always take you longer to get somewhere than anticipated. You can see quite alot of Dublin in one of the tour buses (I don't work for them)and you can get the atmosphere of the city in a busy afternoon of just wandering around Grafton Street/temple Bar. All this is dependent, of course, on how long you are actually in Ireland.
I am conscious that this is a long mail and I'm taking up alot of space her so if you want any further suggestions you can email me on [email protected]. Other wise, have a great holiday and remember it doesn't really matter where you go. Hopefully my fellow compatriots will be chatty, friendly and helpful and may provide some further ideas and local knowledge. Just have a good map and be willing to just take a chance. I used to work for one of the tourist offices in Dublin and my usual advice was to just drive out of the city and head for some big town. If on the way you decided to turn off the road, good. Ireland's advantage and pull is the scenery and regardless of where you are in Ireland there is always green fields and something nice to look at. Have fun.
There are usually much bigger celebrations for St. Patrick's Day in Dublin. The parade is much bigger and there are usually more events including a firework display synchronised to a specially commissioned sound track check out http://www.stpatricksday.ie/cms/index.html for more details on this years celebrations). Having said all that it doesn't mean at all that there will not be celebrations in the rest of the country - every town/village has a parade of some sort with marching bands etc. You will probably find great celebrations all over the country (Killarney will be initiating their 250 year celebrations www.killarney250.com so I'd say that their celebrations will be great and expanded this year.)
YOu don't say how long you are travelling around Ireland so it is difficult to say where you should go - I'd suggest heading out of Dublin immediately head to South East - Wexford/Kilkenny/Waterford /Cork area - then Killarney - Ring of Kerry/Dingle if time up to Galway and then back to Dublin. Do heed the warnings of others here - it will always take you longer to get somewhere than anticipated. You can see quite alot of Dublin in one of the tour buses (I don't work for them)and you can get the atmosphere of the city in a busy afternoon of just wandering around Grafton Street/temple Bar. All this is dependent, of course, on how long you are actually in Ireland.
I am conscious that this is a long mail and I'm taking up alot of space her so if you want any further suggestions you can email me on [email protected]. Other wise, have a great holiday and remember it doesn't really matter where you go. Hopefully my fellow compatriots will be chatty, friendly and helpful and may provide some further ideas and local knowledge. Just have a good map and be willing to just take a chance. I used to work for one of the tourist offices in Dublin and my usual advice was to just drive out of the city and head for some big town. If on the way you decided to turn off the road, good. Ireland's advantage and pull is the scenery and regardless of where you are in Ireland there is always green fields and something nice to look at. Have fun.
Yes, wow, thanks! It seems like our decision to sort of concentrate on a smaller geographical area is the right one, considering what you said about it taking longer to get places than you'd think. And any info about anything else at all you might care to share would be much appreciated! We've got a deal that includes B&Bs from Town & Country and Ireland Farmhouse (these definitely look nicer), so we're limited to those. Too bad, because that hotel in Dublin sounds great. x(
At least we can hit the Temple Bar.
At least we can hit the Temple Bar.