10 days in Ireland

[LHR02]

Since deciding on going to Ireland vs Scotland once again I have been researching that country. And am a bit overwhelmed! Need to call on some of you for suggestions.....what things/areas should I put on my MUST SEE list? Right now, I have about a month's worth....certainly not doable this trip. Plus, will be there Christmas and New Years so have to decide where to home base for the holidays. Help! Haven't decided for sure on a rental vs bus/train but it appears that a car will be the better choice here as so much is not easily accessable via public transport. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I much prefer the train, especially traveling alone, but from what I see that is not a great idea in Ireland. It is getting close to time when I must make some firm plans, so I look to you all for guidance.

ging

[Kim]

We didn't have any problems with the trains in Ireland, it really wasn't any different from anywhere else-besides the fact that we didn't have a pass for Ireland.

Must see..

I loved Galway, thought it was a fantastic little town.
From there, you must do a tour to the Cliffs of Moher (the day tours stop in the Burren region, Doolin, some underground caves etc.) All fascinating and I'm sure you would love it.

The other thing you have to do from Galway is take the ferry (you have to take a bus to the ferry) and go over to Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands. This is where they still handknit the wool sweaters, speak Gaelic etc. Might be interesting to see a smaller island as well, but I don't know how much is there.

I think you would love Ireland, knowing you and how you felt about Scotland.

Galway-a MUST SEE!

Kim

[LHR02]

Thanks Kim......had settled on Galway myself if for no other reason than seemed to be a good home base. Would you consider staying there over one of the holidays? One thing I am finding is that most B&B's and guesthouses are closed over holidays, so am going to need to 'hotel' it and hate to spend the money to do so in a town not worth two or three days. Have been thinking Galway and either Shannon or Dublin as the holiday stays. Previous experience says a 'bigger' town is better for holidays.

Also, trains.....you had no trouble relying on that? Seems everything I am reading...LP, Eyewitness, Irish Travel brochures....list a great many places not accessable by train?! I would really rather train/bus it if possible.....but i.e. Ring of Kerry seems to have little public transport? Am I getting bad info?

Any other towns anyone would suggest for holiday stay/home bases? I'm totally open for this leg of the trip, and unlike previous trip do not have the luxury of just winging it...need to have a bit more firm itenerary for this trip. It's not open ended as my last one was.

thanks!
ging

[Kim]

No, we had no problems with the trains-although you're right, I don't think the ring of Kerry is to accessible. Mostly done by a tour.

There are the main routes that the trains run then there are smaller local trains, which are just as easy to use that connect with the smaller places. Forget what they are called..

If you are going to go to Dublin anyway, you mine as well see it at the holidays. I didn't think it was all that interesting but it might have some life in the holiday season.

Go with Galway and Dublin.. you will definately enjoy Galway and the surrounding places and activities there. It's not big but it has serious personality.

I don't say this often and in fact Ireland is probably the only place I might suggest it but have you thought of renting a car? I would have loved to rent a car through Ireland.

Also, for accommodation-have you taken a look at:
www.irelandbnb.com/

Kim

[nitsansh]

Unlike Kim I think that public transportation in Ireland is a pain in the ass... If you can afford rental car, go for it. Otherwise, consider one of those backpackers tours. There are 2 that I know of: Paddywagon and Tir-Na-Nog.
I did a tour for 8 days with return trip from London by bus and ferry. It was a 12 hours journey which you better do without, using Ryanair's cheap flights. You can fly with Ryanair from London Stansted to Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Shannon or Knock.
I doubt if you make a good choice to travel at mid-winter. The chances of a fine day are about 1 in 5. You should go to Ireland to explore the countryside, and if it's rainy or foggy you'll just waste your time. I was lucky - only one day was ruined by bad weather, but that was in May, not December.

[LHR02]

>>>>>>I doubt if you make a good choice to travel at mid-winter. The chances of a fine day are about 1 in 5. <<<<<<

Well you may be correct....but I was told the same thing more or less last year. Traveled Nov thru Mar and had minimum 80% gorgeous weather, or 4 out of 5 fine days...and the pics to prove it! ;D Lucky perhaps, but I don't mind the cold, or rain, and love off season for lack of crowds. Too many folks I think are 'scared off' of low season travel by dire predictions of horrid weather. For me it didn't hold true.

Still giving some thought to a rental car.....I love the trains, but does look like Ireland is not a good choice for it. And yes, I can afford it if I decide to go that way.

[nitsansh]

Well... people have different views about the weather, and some are more tolerant than others... some like it warm, some like it cool, and some don't care if it's wet...
If you believe what Lonely Planet guide says, December is the clowdest month of the year. My "1 in 5 days" comment was based on what I was told by guides when we visited Newgrange. This is a pre-historic site in the Boyne Valley, north of Dublin. It has an underground chamber which is accesed by tunnel. It was designed so that only in 5 days around winter solstice (Dec 21) the sun at dawn can enter through the tunnel and lit the inner chamber. People make reservation a year ahead to visit the site on these days and see this special phenomena, but the site's statistic shows that an average of 4 of these 5 days clowds block the sunlight...
The problem with the weather in Ireland is not the cold in winter. Thanks to the hot gulf stream and it's being an island surrounded by sea from all directions, Ireland enjoys a relative warm winter for a latitude of 52-55'. It rarely freezes in Ireland and snow falls just a few times a year.
But it rains a lot... about 1000mm a year which are spread around the year. The dryer inland regions recieve 150 days of rain a year. The west coast is the wettest - and that's where most of the attractions are. If it's not rainy - it might be foggy, which as far as visibility is even worse. Add to that the short days in December - expect 7-8 hours of daylight.
It doesn't matter much if you visit the cities. In bad weather you go indoors. But it DOES matter if you want to explore the countryside. Ireland has 2 major attractions - the natural scenery, and the nicest people you can find in Europe. You would miss one of those attractions if you're unlucky with the weather. Weather is allways a matter of luck - but in mid-winter, you've got the worst odds against you. The people are the same no matter of the weather, but you've got the pubs at night for this, while in the day, people have their business.
One more factor against off-season travel in Ireland is that tourist infrastructure is severly cut. You're right that many hostels and B&B's are closed - there are no tourists, so why should the owners maintain them? Tourists attractions might be closed as well, and there might be also no organized excursions. And the transportation in rural areas, which is infrequent in high season - is even less frequent. So you'll need a car even more than in high season. I hope that rental companies don't close their outlets and sell their cars in off season...
One thing is good in off season - the prices are lowest - but what you pay is probably what you'll get...
Experienced travellers should know - the best time to travel is not high season and not off season - it's the so-called shoulder seasons, the beginning and end of the season. In most of Europe, that's April-May and September-October.

[LHR02]

Since I lived in Europe for 6 years as well as traveling there quite a bit since I am well aware of the things you opined about. But thanks for the reminder. I still enjoy off season travel, hazards, horrors, and all and will continue to go then. Last winter I found very little that was closed, but many things did have reduced hours.

But as I said, to each their own. There's surely no need to continue this particular discussion. I AM going in December, already have my tickets. I was simply looking for insight on places to be sure not to miss while I was there.

[nitsansh]

This is not personal and I hope you don't take it as such... this board is not for your and my eyes only... I hope you'll enjoy your trip and have the best of the weather, but if that's not the case, don't be surprised...
So now the stuff you're looking for...
I suggest that you base yourself in these 4 locations, each for 2-3 nights: Dublin, Killarney, Doolin and Galway.
I don't think you need to spend more than a day in the cities of Dublin or Galway. I was only about half a day and one night in each, and I don't think I missed something.
Killarney is your base for the south-west county of Kerry. In high season it's overcrowded with tourists, but you wouldn't have that problem of course... they are attracted to Killarney for the nearby lakes, the national park, gap of Dunlow, Muckross house and gardens, and the Ring of Kerry route around the peninsula west from Killarney.
Doolin is the base for Clare county. One of Ireland's landmarks, the Cliffs of Moher, are about 5KM away. This is a wall of cliffs about 5KM long and 200m high at its peak. Backpackers usually cycle or hike there. Also nearby is the Burren, which has a unique landscape: It's the only place on the west coast that is NOT green. As Kim noted, you can go to this area as day trip from Galway, but I suggest you stay in Doolin, because this town is famous for the best Craic in Ireland.
In my tour we had a free day in Doolin, and while my 3 companions cycled around the Burren, I took a small boat to the easternmost of the Arran islands which is just off the coast of Doolin. If you want to get away from everything, this is the place you should go. Except for a handfull of old people who speak very little English (the local tongue is Irish) you'll meet no human beings.
Most people who visit Arran islands, however, go to the big island. You can get there by ferry from Galway or a port further west, or by a 10-minutes flight from the mainland which is fairly cheap. You should make another day trip from Galway to Connemara, the beautiful mountainous region to the north-west. This region is off the public transportastion routes, and you can do it by tour or by car rental.
A car will also allow you to visit sights between these 4 night bases. A must stop on a tour of southern Ireland is Blarney castle, near Cork, the Irish republic's 2nd largest city. Most visitors climb up and kiss the famous Blarney stone, which according to tradition gives anyone who kiss it "the gift of the gab".
Another castle highly recommended is Bunratty, near Shannon airport. You can stop there between Killarney and Doolin if you take the road via Limerick. It's a shorter route to cross the Shannon river estuary by ferry (Tarbert-Killimer).
From Dublin you can make day trips either to the Boyne Valley prehistoric sites I mentioned earlier (Newgrange and another one), or to Wicklow mountains, the only scenic region on the east coast.
There are some other places worth a visit on the long road from Dublin to Killarney. Kilkenny, Cashel, and if you make a detour to the south east - Waterford and Wexford.
The counties of Kerry and Cork have much more scenery to offer, especially in the peninsulas north and south of the Ring of Kerry.
This suggested route only covers the southern half of Ireland. You won't have time to explore the entire island. I was told there is great scenery further north from Connemara in counties Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. This part of the country is less travelled by tourists. Even in high season it's never crowded.