So,  got the trip booked!

Details:
I am delighted to confirm your Tour Ireland Booking for you
Your Tour Ireland Booking Reference Number is: XXXXXXX

18-Aug-14       Dublin Abbey Glen B&B or similar
19-Aug-14       Dublin Abbey Glen B&B or similar
20-Aug-14       Kilkenny Mena House B&B or similar
21-Aug-14       Cork La Cita B&B or similar
22-Aug-14       Cork La Cita B&B or similar
23-Aug-14       Kerry Cahernane House Hotel or similar
24-Aug-14       Kerry Cahernane House Hotel or similar
25-Aug-14       Clare Eden Hill House B&B or similar
26-Aug-14       Galway Almara House B&B or similar (Change of B&B)
27-Aug-14       Galway Almara House B&B or similar (Change of B&B)
28-Aug-14       Dublin Abbey Glen B&B or similar

The above accommodation is based in a Double Room on a B&B Basis

Please advise that you are happy with all the above accommodation

Car Hire

F) Mazda 3 or Similar
Compact, 2-4 Door, Automatic, No Aircon
•5 Passengers
•2 Large Suitcases, 1 Small Suitcases
•Automatic Transmission
•0 g/km CO2

19th Aug 2014 Day Trip to Giants Causeway included

Can you please advise your flight times as I need to arrange your pick up times for the car?
When picking up and dropping of the car Hertz only allow a 30 minutes grace period. If you go over this time there will be an extra day charge for the car.

The Total that was take from your credit card today was €426.00. Please note Deposit and Balance is always taken in Euro’s.


So, now that its booked and set, any good ideas on what I should do given my itenerary? I am to going to use the second day in Dublin to go to the Giants Causeway on a bus tour, as I did not want to drive in Northern Ireland.














So I have had my leave approved for late August of this year for two weeks. I am trying to plan a trip to Ireland to take my wife, but do not want to take a guided tour. I was quoted at 890 per person for 11 days, 10 night, which included an F class car rental along with staying in Bed and Breakfasts. My plan is to go from the following locations:

Dublin to Kilkenny

Kilkenny to Cork

Cork to Kerry

Kerry to Adare

Adare to Dublin


Over the course of 11 days. Is this a bit much as I would like to see the highlights of what is on this tour (along with Arfcoms recommendations of awesome stuff to see):

11 Days, 10 Nights


Now I know that we are on the hook for foods and attractions, so I am wondering if a person wanted to see some awesome stuff in Ireland, is this the best way to do it for first timer who really does not like the idea of traveling with a group?

As far as food goes, I know it is very expensive, but is there a way around it? The bed and breakfasts offer breakfast every morning, and I was also looking at eating ONLY pub food as its cheaper from what I have read. Does anyone have a thought on eating while there?

Also is driving on the wrong side of the road really problematic for an American who has never driven a right hand drive vehicle?

And finally, what would you see while there given the places and time constraints.

Of note is that my kids will be staying with their grandparents so it is just me and the wife for this one and she has never been over seas.


Also, I would not mind extending for a day in order to go to Galway if Galway is a nifty place...

UPDATE- Here is what I am thinking, I need some input from Arfcom about my thoughts on this itinerary as I am going to get the quote on it finalized in the next couple of days.

This is set to happen in August.

2 nights in Dublin, the 17th and 18th (on the 17th,  I want to see the Giants Causeway and Bushmills. )
2 nights in Kilkenny 19th and 20th
1 night in Cork – the 21st
2 in Kerry- the 22nd and 23rd
1 in Ennis (Clare Eden Hill House B&B or similar perhaps?) 24th, my birthday!
2 in Galway- the 25th and26th
1 in Dublin- the 27th
Fly out on the evening of the 28th.
For a total of= 11 nights and 12 days?

Grab a Murphy's instead

Driving around the Ring of Kerry is both beautiful and terrifying. Their roads there are incredibly narrow, there are no shoulders, the don't mow the sides, the roads wind and curve like no bodies business, and the Irish drive like Afghans. I almost had a heart attack multiple times.

If someone who looks like a bus driver flags you down from the side of the road while you are driving, don't stop.  It's a cop and will give you a ticket.

Everyone I've spoken to about Ireland tells me that Galway is Must See.

Supposedly a great party town.

Well, shit.

Seriously?

WTF? Why do  they not just use a car and pull people over?

I love Guinness and Murphy's don't get me wrong but make sure and try an Old Speckled Hen while your over there too!  It's an English beer rather than Irish but it sure is good!

It's been a while since I was there. What you showed sounds doable in 11 days. I was there for 9 and we did a similar circle. Felt a bit rushed, though.

Cliffs of Mohr are a must see, imho. (check out pics on the web for your own decision). 800 foot cliffs, straight down to the ocean.

Blarney castle was neat. I'm sure there are other castles around. Not sure if all of them cost to get in.

The Muckross house and gardens in Kilarney is SPECTACULAR.


We had one of the "dinner/shows" in one of the castles. I was underwhelmed with the food and show, especially for the price.

Best food to be had is in the pubs. Ask the locals where the best pub to eat is. Also, unless it's changed, you DON"T tip. Seems it's an insult. You have to get a baked potato at least once. I know "it's just a potato" but it was the best one I've ever had. Must be something in the soil or climate.

Seafood seemed to be extremely good. Very fresh.

I was in one pub and they had lamb. I'd never had it and asked about it. The owner said, "You Yanks don't serve real lamb. The farmers are greedy and raise the lamb past the time when you're supposed to and it tastes strong. You order this lamb and if you don't like it, you don't pay". That was one of the most delicious cuts of meat I've ever put in my mouth.

I don't remember there being much to see/do in Cork, other than get lost. Who knew there were TWO rivers running through downtown.

Limerick was kind of a dump.

+1 on the Ring of Kerry (iirc takes you by the Cliffs)

You Mrs. might like Waterford Crystal just south of Dublin. You wallet wouldn't.

Wexford (between Waterford and Dublin) was a nice seaside town. Some of the better food we had was at a pub on some sidestreet, there. Forget the name.

I'll try to drag out my itinerary tonight and see if anything jumps out in my memory.

I do remember that I didn't care for Dublin much at all. Just another big city and not what I'd want to go to Ireland for. The only reason we were there is that is where the jujitsu tournament we came for was held.

What do you want to see? We were there for 20 days and drove most of the island, and ran out of time to see everything









 
 

Cliffs of Moher. I had my toes hanging over that ledge. Got video of it. Wife can't watch it.


Just looked at your actual itinerary. I gotta say, I'm jealous. I'd really like to go back, just can't afford it with the family. You're going to have a great time!

ETA. Looks like Killarney (Muckross house) is right on the way to Kerry where you're slated for 2 nights. It really was one of the coolest days we had. Didn't have near enough time there.

 

 

 

I've been day dreaming of flying into Dublin with nothing more than maybe a backpack and good boots and humping it to Galway bay.  Just buy things on the way I need, mail home whats too heavy to pack.

Pro-tip: It is safe to eat the berries in Dingle
 

One of Irish decent does not drink the swill of the occupiers in the lands of their fathers.

Plenty of good Irish beer.

Man, that would be awesome. You should, while your still young enough and unattached.

Everyone there was very friendly.

You should learn their drinking songs so you can join in at closing time (11 or 12, iirc). All the locals would gather 'round and sing vulgar songs. It was great.

Yea, missed a great chance when I was diving, spent too much on the girl I was with... oh well.

I'm a huge fan of Irish folk songs, I can't imagine all the stuff that never made it here to the states!



I am kind of buddies with the manager of the big local Irish bar here in Seattle (Kells), I'm sure he could get me contacts.  
Hmm....



 

My wife and I did a guided tour a couple of years ago with some friends.

Guiness was  a let down.  Jamesons was great though.   Dublin apparently has a great zoo, but we didn't get to see it.

Blarney Castle was pretty cool,  there are some hiking trails that I didn't get a chance to explore though (stupid guided tour).  Personally I would have liked a half day or more at Blarney Castle, that's our biggest regret

Cliffs of Moher were neat, but it doesn't take too long to see them... they are just cliffs.  I really wanted to take the boat out to Skellig Rock and climb it myself,  but again guided tour!

We did one of the Castle dinner shows, and it was fun.  Nothing like Medival Times ( it was actually good!)

We did get to see the Presidental Motorcade drive by!  Man, what a wake up call to how jacked up our country is... the Motorcade was maybe 6 cars total just driving down one of the streets while I was walking back with a soda.  No security perimeters or blockades, no shutting down side streets and all other hupla.. just some cars driving down the road.

You'll have a blast, I spent 2 weeks there a few years ago.

Awesome Advice, and I am going to take a whole ton of it!

I think a single day in Dublin is good enough for me to be honest- Book of Kells and Guinness- then off to the countryside!

Awesome to know...seriousy questions- how good is the pub food compared to say your average bar here in the states?

I actually have no desire to go to Northern Ireland outside of seeing thr Giants Causeway.

I am totally going to do this and post it on Arf...:)

Sounds like a great place.

A watched a soccer match in a local bar in Galway.  Ireland vs someone big.  Ireland almost won.the bar was going fucking crazy.  


I took the picture in my avatar on the ring of Kerry.  Some kid and a donkey sitting on the side of the road.  I don't know why.  He didn't try to sell me anything.  He didn't even look at me.

I suggest driving the ring.  It isn't any more scary than any other part of Ireland.  If you drive you can spend as much or as little time in each area.

The bar food, here, is shite compared to there.

For the most part, they don't have "real" restaurants. There are some but not like here.

The pub is not like a bar, here. It's the meeting place. Place for entertainment. Place to eat. And a place to get a pint or a shot. Every pub I was in took pride on their food. For the most part it was like eating at someone's home, as far as the quality. Fresh. Not pre-packaged, microwaved, deep fried crap. (of course the fish and chips are deep fried )

Some of the guys on my team were young and not willing to step out of what they knew. They'd eat at McDonalds and order the "import" Budweiser at the pub.

Oh, and, since you're goin' with your wife, you might want to get some dark or mirrored sunglasses. If you're like me, slim females with curly red hair and an Irish brogue are like kryptonite. And there are plenty.

Probably a "tinker". What they call gypsies. I saw a few, out playing music for tips. Harmless enough but they're not friendly like the other folks.

Couple other words:

"Locked" usually means drunk. It can also mean that you're "in a spot". Sort of like "Well you're fucked, now".

"Slapper" is a slut.

Another interesting thing is that about half of our team had at least a little bit of the accent by the time we came home. It was pretty funny.

If you do go to the Muckross house, there is a horse carriage ride that's available. The cool part about that is the driver. (At least the fellow we had). He spoke with such a thick brogue that you could hardly understand him but he knew a lot about the area and talked the entire time.

At the Blarney castle is the Blarney stone. They'll tell you all about it. There is a rumor that old men pee on the stone. (Kissing the Blarney stone is supposed to give one "the gift of gab")
I didn't kiss it.

Galway is a must see: like Dublin but more authentic and more hoppin. Lots of clubs and busy pubs.

There is a lot to do in Dublin but it doesn't feel like "real authentic Ireland". Double Decker bus tour in Dublin was pretty fun. We did a guided walking tour and a pub crawl. Both were decent and very informative.

Kilarney National Park is pretty cool. Torq Waterfall is a quick and fun stop.


Even better than the Ring of Kerry is the Dingle Peninsula. You can to go Galway from there.
Inch Beach (I believe it's on the Dingle Peninsula drive)

Cork was pretty neat, make sure you check out the English Market. Might want to go there for breakfast or lunch.

You should tour the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin just for the experience, and to drink in the highest bar in Dublin. I thought it was pretty neat, but you can breeze through the parts of the tour that you don't find interesting.

ETA: Jameson tour I really liked. Save some room in your suitcase to bring home duty-free whiskey in the airport. In Ireland you'll have a greater selection and the duty free stuff is much cheaper.
ETA2: Doing both the Guiness tour and the Jameson tour really put things into perspective for you. I recommend.

We did:
Dublin > Cork > Kilarney > Galway

Talk to your cell phone provider before you go. You may be able to pay them some money to get international service for a little while: highly recommended.

Source: Went to Ireland for 10 days.

This is mostly true. When we drove the Ring of Kerry, it didn't work out so great because it was raining and overcast the whole time. It was raining so much that the concept of "rain pants" actually made sense.

ETA:
CORK:


Blarney Castle:


Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin:


Statue at Dublin Castle:


Another statue:


A closeup of the bullet holes in the statue:


Riverwalk nearby in dublin:


Cliffs of Moher:

Just spent 10 days there in September. Did a similar trip. I would recommend these things:


If you have a Garmin, get the Ireland maps and bring it. It worked awesome.

Bring a small, collapsible cooler bag for the car. It will save money on snacks and lunches.

The small side trips that the Garmin will have as points of interest were some of the best parts of the trip and broke up the long stretches of driving.

It takes a couple days to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car. I hit a stonewall in a parking lot. Get the extra insurance for the car. The main highways are great, but much of your driving will be on the secondary and back roads. It will take you twice as long to drive on these roads than you think.

Consider staying in one place for a few or more days and branching out on side trips, rather than one long loop. We did a combination of both and rented an apartment in Killenny for the 8 of the 10 days. You can get to know the locals a lot better. Cork is not too far from there and would make a good day trip. We got a great deal on renting the whole apartment, but we split the cost with another couple.

Ring of Dingle is way better than the Ring of Kerry. The village of Dingle is cool.


You must go to the Neolithic passage tomb at Newgrange. I repeat, you must go to Newgrange. It can be done as a day trip from Kilkenny.


The Cliffs of Moher were spectacular.

The Aran Islands and Dun Aengus were my favorite part


This is close to Dublin; a great first stop

GPS is a great idea. It wasn't as advanced when I was there.

+1 on Glendalough. Stone church standing since 600 a.d.! Walking through the cemetery was a very interesting. There is a set of stones where a mother and baby died on the same day (day of baby's birth). Father, right next, died one year later on the same day. I'm not much on the supernatural but standing at that sight was very peculiar.

The place really is as beautiful as they say. Just looking at these pics makes me want to make more of an effort to find a way to take the family there.

stop at Jameson if you can when your in Cork..   and buy me stuff!!!!

went to ireland back in dec, stayed in enniskerry at powerscourt. it about 30min south of dublin. didnt venture out to far, went to Bray,Glendolock. took the train from bray to dublin on the last day.
id do it again, so we could see and do more. as far as giuness, to thick and heavy, try smithwick's it is pronounced smiddocks

The wife and I did a similar trip a few years ago that you're planning OP.

Driving on the left isn't hard if you pay attention. And make sure your car has a GPS.

Eating isn't as expensive as you may think. We had most of our meals in pubs and it wasn't too bad.

As far as Galway, a pub owner told us that if it were up to him, he would never set foot in Galway or Dublin and I think he was right. I wasn't impressed with either place.

If you go to Blarney, I highly recommend the White House B&B. It' was very nice, the owner was great, and it's only a short walk to the village.

Speaking of such, when planning your trip, if you are going to spend time drinking in pubs, get a B&B close enough to walk. The Garda are VERY serious about dunk driving.

My wife and I went to Ireland on our honeymoon, 13 years ago.  We rented a little econobox car and drove all over the country - flew into Dublin and worked our way west.  We stayed at a couple of bed & breakfasts and found they were much nicer than the hotels, just research them first.  





Driving on the left isn't hard, just pay attention.  After a couple days it's second nature.  The Irish drive like maniacs.  Roads are generally in good condition, but out in the country they can be very narrow with lots of blind corners, and people WILL pass going around those corners and up hills.  Meanwhile, motorcyclists will be buzzing in between both lanes of traffic.





Dublin was just kind of "meh" to me, although my wife liked it.  IMO it was just another big city.  We really enjoyed the countryside, though.  Small town pubs are a blast and people are very friendly.  





Trim Castle is very cool, it's the largest Norman castle in the country and is partially restored.





Kildare was a fun town - we hung out at a pub and drank with the locals, climbed the round tower, and toured St. Brigid's Cathedral.  The caretaker let my wife ring the churchbell at 11:00 but she lost count halfway through.  He just said "eh, ring it a few more times and call it good".  Kildare also had a flea market/farmers market on the weekend that had some good deals.





The Rock of Cashel is a must see, as is the Cliffs of Moher.





I liked Newgrange (stone age burial mound) a lot, but my wife thought it was boring.





Bunratty Castle was cheesy, basically a tourist trap for foreigners.





Ennis was probably our favorite town - lots of traditional Irish music, and it just looks like an old medieval town, with narrow streets and whatnot.
We want to go back one of these days and take our daughter.  We will definitely rent a car again - half the fun is finding your own way around, getting lost, and finding something unexpected.  It's nice not having to stick with a set schedule.  If you get a car and go to any of the large tourist attractions I recommend getting there right away in the morning when they open so you can beat the busloads of tourists.

 

Agreed.

Feel free to skip it...you won't miss much.

Don't believe for a second that the rental will be that cheap! You'll get there and find out just how much it really is. Pull in your mirrors at every stop and when driving through tight spaces or parked. Hairpin turns a barely the size of real hairpins. Do an internet search of B&B's in Ireland, and you'll find quickly that staying in B&B's is way cheaper then any package. Most are built on old castle grounds and the economy there is weak enough they fight for business and treat tourists incredibly well. Check into county fairs......not at all like the US! I went to one that was all falconry and bird of prey exhibits, typical craft stuff, fox hunts, and gun booths...........Holland and Holland, Rigby, Purdy...etc....Not like the US at all. Blarney is a tourist trap, but the castle ground and gardens are a sight to behold. Ring of Kerry is nice to drive. Gallway, aka the cliffs of Mohair/ are incredible. If you golf, play while there. Cashel is a beautiful town and castle grounds to visit. The "Cats" festival in Kilkenny is a hoot. Heads up though on dining.......EVERYTHING CLOSES AT 5:00PM.....EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! If you don't hit a restaurant before 5, you'll be into bar food,(soup), or one of only a few fast-food joints on the whole island. Good luck and enjoy!

I agree with Alemonkey, Ennis was one of my favorite towns as well. You have to go to Cruise's pub if you go to Ennis, the oldest I have been in, maybe the oldest still in operation in the Republic, opened in the late 16th century, IIRC. Last trip over I flew into Shannon, seen enough of Dublin on another trip. I have family in Waterford and have been to visit a few times, it's a cool place to visit as well. I usually seek out the historical places and natural wonders, if you've never been to Europe you will be amazed at how old things are, lot of history there, some farms that have been in the same family for over 1500 years, amazing.  In the southwest you should visit the Mizen Head, a lot of stairs but worth the walk for the view in any weather. Pub food is usually reliable and affordable although the menus all begin to look the same after a while.  Cork is a smaller but dirtier Dublin, Galway is progressive but congested, I prefer the smaller towns and villages, they have more character and characters.  A trip out to the Aran Islands is a great way to spend a day.  As far as driving on the right, you'll pick it up quickly but forget it just as quickly after a few pints, don't ask me how I know. The roads are walled with stone in many places and very narrow, they were built during horse and buggy days. Most of the rental cars were all scraped up on the left side, ours was missing a mirror when we took it back after an encounter with a garbage truck in a narrow lane. You will have a blast, be sure to take lots of pictures and don't be afraid to talk to the locals, they are very pleasant people, just don't mention leprechauns.

The rental guy was impressed that I still had both my mirrors when I returned my car. He said that when renting to Americans, they expect them to be missing upon return.  I didn't tell him that I had been driving on the left off and on since 1979.

I agree on Cashel, but it's way out of his way. That's the only reason I didn't recommend it.

Bunratty is where we did the dinner and show. I agree with your assessment. Except for this drop dead gorgeous red head playing the violin at the entrance.

Interesting post. Sl just to be clear, all restaurants close at 5 and the only bar food around is soup? Somehow this doesnt make a lot of sense.

Bunratty does not rank high on my list...and realistically a single day in Dublin is enough for me. I would rather see the countryside.

All businesses shy of filling stations and bars close at 5pm. The exceptions are the few fast food restaurants available.....pretty much count them on one hand country wide. The bar food is good, just very limited and is mostly staples and soups. I think the biggy while I was there was ox-tail soup. I swear every bar had it on the board. Also a heads up on touristing through Ireland. Browse the Irish sports schedule before attempting to travel through towns.......Just try getting through Thurles when a soccer/football game is under way......aint happenin!

Cork was a blast and you have to stay alert as the streets are really tight,(tires on the walks tight), and alot of one-way traffic.

Oh, and at least in Dublin the road signs are NOT on the road!  They are up higher on the sides of the buildings (if there are all)

I did pretty much the same trip with a guy from one of the S shops when I was stationed in Germany.  We took Christmas week, flew in, rented a car and drove.  It was a blast.

One of the things we did to maximize our money (I was an E-2 and he was an E-5) was grab bread, cheese and mustard at shops in the town and we lived off sammiches during the trip.  We spent most of our money on booze and stayed in hostels....

I remember that, took us a while to figure it out.  





I wasn't that big of a fan of Dublin, but one of the coolest experiences was when we walked around the corner and there was the Post Office where Michael Collins and other IRA members had holed up.  We had just watched the movie recently so we recognized it immediately even though we hadn't been looking for it.



 

Bump for update!

I went for a four day from germany.  Flew up on a cheap flight barely left dublin.  Dublin was dirty as sin the areas right out side were very neat and clean.  I wish I had never come back.  I will go back one day.  The Guinness at the top of the store room was somehow the best I had ever had.

BUMP!

really a beautiful drive and well worth it. if you do it, drive it clockwise, going south out of kilkenny. yeah, the maps say to go counterclockwise, but trust me, you'll enjoy clockwise better and there's not near the traffic. cliffs of moher aren't far either.