Michele, you were right in the other post, I have too much time this afternoon. Guess I'm taking advantage of the long weekend.

My fantasy would be mostly time, time enough to drive myself around (comfy, upscale car with automatic transmission and GPS) and see some of everything in both the Republic and NI. The Green Blur without the Blur. We can call it the Green Meander. Well, of course, this would require some serious euros, also. Or someone else's credit card with a big credit limit!

To stay, a mix of real castles and B&Bs, out of the way farmhouses and cottages.

To go along, well, I would love to take all four kids, their spouses and all 7 grandchildren but it would be hard to cram them and their luggage into my rental car. Hey, this is a fantasy, isn't it? I can also take my husband! No real desire to see the cities but if I know the other family members some of them would want to check out Dublin and Galway (we'll give them the keys to the car and we'll stay in the castle).

Barring taking the whole crew, I would again take my eldest daughter who accompanied me on my first two trips. We had such a wonderful time as neophytes, imagine what fun we would have with IrelandYes backing us.

Let's see, a week in NI , two weeks in the southwest peninsulas, a week in the southeast and east coast, a week Shannonside, a week or two Connemara and Co. Mayo, and a week in Co. Donegal. Some time to mess around the midlands, which I usually ignore, shame on me. Not in that particular order, of course. No sense in backtracking even in that luxury car.

I'd just take Michele's book and my Eyewitness guide and do one day at a time.

What fun! Thanks for the idea, Michele!

My Fantasy Trip would be:

Two week on Inis Mor at Man of Aran cottages
One week in County Donegal
One week in Westport
Two week in County Armagh
One week in County Antrim
One week at Abbeyview Cottage in Ballybrittas, Co Laois
One week in the vicinity of Kilkenny
One week in Co Roscommon

I would have a driver, as I would rather focus on finding the perfect scenery for photography for my book, researching & tracing my roots and enjoying mightygood craic along the way. I would stay in B&Bs, eat loads of Wexford strawberries.

Now to win the lottery so that I can afford to do more than fantasize!

Slan Beo,

Bit

Oh, good idea, Joan. Not sure she could put up with my crazy family, but maybe in my fantasy world, either they would be more normal or she would be able to understand us!

Michele is going to be mighty busy, going along on these fantasy tours. But lots of fodder for her next book!

What good fantasies everyone has for their dream trip to Ireland. Joan, I will be delighted to come along!

Michele

I've been out of town for the last four days, so I'm a little 'late to the party', but I'll add MY dream to the list -- with one, BIG qualifier ...

My up-coming trip will be my first foray into Donnegal and Northern Ireland.  Even though I am POSITIVE that I am going to be enthralled with both, they would currently get short-shift on TODAY'S fantasy trip ...

I would rent a house in Millstreet, Co. Cork for AT LEAST one month, so that I could live there and entertain any visitors as might find their way to my door.
I even have THE house picked out, even though it ISN'T for rent, hasn't yet been refurbished and is a BIT outside of town  -- but being able to carry your breakfast cuppa up the lane and sip it while sitting at the base of Coomaratoosh Falls WHILE THE TEA IS STILL HOT -- has GOT to score Fantasy Cred!  This is my SELFISH Fantasy, but I'm NOT (too) selfish, by nature.

So, HERE'S the REAL DEAL ---

        I would very much like to put together a tour, populated by a number of people from this board (and a few others), to show and BE SHOWN the best that Ireland has to offer.

For example:
    Wojazz3 (Bill) would be our guide to Kenmare, Laoghaire (Helen) would be the guide to her locale SW of Macroom, Cowboy Craic (Bit) would lead us around Aran Mor, ShiobanP and Cailin(from Fodor's) would be our resident guides to Dublin, Catherine (from www.welovedonegal.com would lead us around Donegal, Dude ( who from the sound of things will no doubt be a full-blown EXPERT on Limavady) can lead us there  ---  etc, etc. 

Since everyone prefers to travel at different times of the year and has different favorite spots, I suspect the tour would need to be done in stages, spanning multiple months.  That would be good, though, as it would help to keep the participants down to a managable number.  I would, of course HAVE to be present for the ENTIRE tour (Oh, the SACRIFICES I make for love of Ireland!   ). 

And, since logistics would mean that some people would have to forgo PARTS of the tour -- much as they do now on THEIR trips -- I SUPPOSE we would be FORCED to repeat the event, every year, but I, for one, am willing to make THAT sacrifice, for the good of all.     

Bob

-- Edited by Itallian Chauffeur at 23:47, 2007-05-28

Why, OF COURSE, Corey and Liam!       That was the purpose of the ETC, ETC ...

I have this vision of 50 - 100 people, counting brothers, sisters, cousins, spouses, partners and friends.  Far too many for a one-time tour.

But, you raise an EXCELLENT point.


What PERSON would you CHOOSE as your guide to PARTICULAR locations -- (like Galway, Westport, Killarney, Sheeps Head, Mizen, Clonakilty, Kinsale, Cork, etc, etc ...)???

Bob 

our fantasy trip would be to live in Dingle for a year!

okay - that's a little much! Well, we just had our fantasy trip a couple of weeks ago - and are planning to do it again next May!

The quick fix would be first-class air to Shannon with a copter landing at Mt. Juliet Resort in Thomastown, near Kilkenny...Mid-to-late June when the trout are rising in the evening as the foals play tag at Ballylynch Stud next door. I am convinced that here (and Yosemite) are two places where God takes a vacation.

And if we win the New Grange lottery, Winter solstice inside the passage tomb.

Actually, the fantasy trip was the one we just got back from. Details to follow!

Slainte,
jb

-- Edited by cryogenine at 22:07, 2007-05-29

I'm going back in time on my fantasy trip to Ireland. I'm 16 again, the same age as my beloved Irish "Nanny" was before she emigrated to Americay. We are walking around the historic Palm House in the Belfast Botanic Gardens...only it's not so historic as it's around 1913. My Nanny confides in me about the fella she wants to kiss.

Anybody else want to be 16 again? We're all 16 and gorgeous. We somehow sneak into one of those ladies snugs...the private booths at the Belfast Crown saloon, the really gorgeous one.... When they toss us out, some rich guy with an expensive carriage (I think his name is Itallian_Chauffer) takes us all to the west coast, which is totally NOT touristy at all since it is 1913. We explore the wild coast of Connemara...we stop for tea and Irish brown bread and hot soup...

We are invited to spend the night at some rich guy's castle, which is haunted...

When we get to the Cliffs of Moher, they are in a pristine state...we spend hours lolling around on the grassy banks, watching the seabirds below us, dreaming of falling in love someday...

We end up in a little pub where they let us in because it's still early, and we listen to some live Irish trad music, in Kilfenora...we join in the set dancing.

Then we zap into the future and U2 is playing in Dublin, and it's like one huge block party!

Oops, I changed time. My Nanny never emigrated to Americay because I zapped forward in time to the U2 concert in dublin. That means she never met my grandpa in Americay so my Dad was never born and I was never born. Wait, this is my fantasy, I can fix this.

Zap...everything is in its rightful place. Nanny emigrates to Americay in 1914 and meets my Grandpa. They fall in love and marry. From the day I am born, I feel a longing to return to Ireland, and I feel at last like I have returned home when I set foot in Ireland in summer of 2006 with my husband and my 2 daughters, who look at me curiously and ask "So Mom, are you happy now?" Yes, I'm happy now.


-- Edited by Melissa5 at 05:04, 2007-06-04