1st trip to Ireland

officer35 · Member

1st trip to Ireland

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Gary --

Short answer -- TOO MUCH, TOO DISORGANIZED, TOO MUCH 'JUMPING AROUND' and WAY TOO MUCH 'WINDSHIELD TIME'. It's what we call the 'Green Blur' Tour.
hmm

Longer answer:
Go to www.aaroadwatch.ie and select 'ROUTE PLANNER'. Plug in your desired trip info -- for example:
Start - Waterford
END - Killarney
VIA - Cahir
Via - Blarney

Ignore the estimated travel time and, instead, divide the 'TOTAL MILES DRIVEN' by 35 (as in, 35 MPH -- your actual average speed might even be SLOWER). Then add in an hour or two for each stop. That is CLOSE to how long the day's journey will take.

Then, come back and tell us what you enjoy seeing and if any particular area has personal significance, and I'm certain that you'll get LOTS of recommendations.
smile

Bob

YaYa · Guru

Gary,

Why not slow down as Bob said and stay in the West of Ireland and get a real feel for that part of the country. I find what draws me back to Ireland are her people. Take time to meet them.

Joan

Michele Erdvig · Host

Gary,

Welcome to the forum. Both Bob and Joan have been to Ireland many times and give good advice. Sometimes the realities of driving around Ireland are very different from your perceived impressions when you have not been there before. Ireland looks like a teeny, tiny country that you can zip around in a few hours. Reality is I have been there 44 times and still have not seen everything Ireland has to offer.

Driving is slow and there are few expressways like we are used to. The 35 mph rule is an excellent rule of thumb when planning any driving trip there. Since you are traveling with your two sons, consider doing less so they are not bored to death by being in the car all day. I know you have already cut out some things that you wanted to see. If you want to have a sane trip, I suggest cutting even more. Sometimes the difference between a bad trip and a good one is ruthlessly pruning your itinerary.

Because of your short time and your arrival and departure in Knock, I suggest sticking to the west of Ireland. There will be plenty of good things to see, fun activities to do and a lot less time in the car if you plan carefully.

I will take just one portion of your proposed itinerary to illustrate why it is too much.

Your wrote: We'll Waterford Crystal then to Cahir then down to Blarney for the afternoon. Then a little drive to spend the night just outside of Killarney.

You will most likely spend a couple of hours at the Waterford factory. Cahir Castle is one of Ireland's best. By the time you get the tour, see the movie and let the boys have heaps of fun exploring every nook and cranny of the castle on their own, you will have spent another 2-3 hours. Lunch is another hour. Depending on how crowded Blarney Castle is it could be another couple of hours. The "little" drive to Killarney from Blarney is about 2 hours. The total drive for that day will take you about 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Sightseeing adds up to 6 or 7 hours. Don't forget that you have to sleep too!

You can have a wonderful trip to Ireland. I hope you will go back to the drawing board and start again. No one gets their itinerary right immediately. It takes time, work and refining to make your trip one to remember. We are all here to help you so please consider that we only want you and your sons to enjoy Ireland as much as we always do.

Michele

Auld Sod · Veteran Member

Gary,

All the advice you've seen here is spot on.

I tweaked and tweaked and tweaked our trip for 6-8 months and still there were last minute changes. On the maps, the distances look short to us Yanks but trust Bob and Michelle, 35 mph is a pretty good assesment of your avg speed. Then there are the traffic jams caused by sheep...if you're lucky enough to encounter them!

Good luck to you and have a great trip, Ireland truly is a magical land and the scenery is second only to the people.

Chris

-- Edited by Auld Sod at 16:26, 2007-06-07

officer35 · Member

Thanks for some quick responses. Maybe this will help my wife to see why I didn't want to go over to Dublin. Also her idea for Waterford and Blarney. I'd rather stay away from the tourist traps and big cities. I guess we'll do some carving tonight and see what scupture we come up with. Thanks Gary.

Oh by the way, the "officer35", well thats what I am and thats my ID number.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Gary,

You and your wife can plan a great itinerary. Just take into consideration that you need time to actually do things, not just drive past and wave at them. Your sons will thank you for letting them actually experience Ireland rather than just see it.

Michele

CowboyCraic · Guru

Gary,

There is so much to see and do in the Northwest alone, with a swing down south of Galway, which would make more sense since you are arriving and departing out of Knock. There is Donegal, Westport, Achill Island, the Slieve League Cliffs, to name but a few enticements. wink

Just assure your wife that there will be another trip, this time in/out of Dublin, which will allow her to see Dublin, Waterford and Blarney. Then chose a special date for next trip which has special meaning for the two of you. That will give you something to focus on when you are departing and not wanting to leave. I am sure you have an anniversary coming up that would do! biggrin

As the rets have pointed out, itineraries need tweaking. Even after you arrive in Ireland, you will find that you are tweaking the itinerary or in some cases tossing it aside and following your whim.

Slan Beo,

Bit

Marie · Guru

Gary:

I just got returned from my first trip to Ireland (not counting the one when I was 3), and what the others are telling you is true. I drove 1600km in two weeks. My daughters are 19 and 24 and the car time was too much for them. We never spent more than 3 hours in the car at any given time, but it was still tiresome for them.
They said it was the one thing they would NOT want to do again! I can't say I actually regret doing it that way (we drove in a circle around most of the Republic)but knowing what I know now, I would not repeat it. Additionally, driving there took a lot of mental energy.

Happy planning!

Marie

Dude · Guru

Officer, you have to remember that you don't get that courtesy discount on your speed when you are in Ireland! My sister is with the OK highway patrol so I know these things!

Keep plugging away and you will come up with the perfect (well, almost) plan for your trip. And we will help you every step of the way.

suzinfla · Member

Dear Officer,

I too am new around here. I started a thread "where to begin" several weeks ago, as I was overwhelmed at all the wonder Ireland offered. Like you I don't want to miss a thing. The support and wisdom on this site is wonderful, they have gently convinced me to scale back. I still don't have an itinerary for a July 29 departure all though I am getting closer. What I have noticed is the more I zoom in on a particular area the more I realize each corner has to offer. Good Luck with your plans. And again thanks to all the kind members helping us along.

Suzanne

officer35 · Member

As we are reconstructing our itinerary...we are not sure what to cut. We have decided to cut Dublin this trip. So...here's what we have come up with..
.Fly into Knock...

Day 1~~~ Night Ballina (this is mandatory with the travel agency)
From then on we have B&B vouchers.

Day 2 ~~~Possibly Galway(not sure what all to see there)
We have 2 boys ages 14 & 17. Any suggestions?

Day 3~~~ Cliffs of Moher and the Burren. Stay in Kilrush

Day 4~~~ we thought about Killarney..now we are wondering about The Ring of Kerry...Is that going to be boring for the kids?

Day 5~~~Cork. I really want to go to the Blarney Castle! I don't care what they say I do want to kiss the blarney...Don't I?

Day 6~~~

Day 7~~~

Day 8~~~

My husband is interested in going through Adare on the way back north. I'm not sure whats there since I have not read about it as of yet. . These are also areas of interest Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle.Craggaunowen, Bunratty. Aran Islands

We have a total of 8 nights. Please help us decide what places our boys would appreciate the most. They are both quite active. The 17 year old want to go to a pub. They are both soccer players. The 14 year old loves dirtbikes. We leave in 11 days!
One more ? Do we need to rent a cell phone or can we get along with calling cards and payphones?

Thank you for all of the advice thus far,
Michele(Officer35's wife)

P.S. Thanks to the one who gave the hint for the next trip "Just the 2 of us"

CowboyCraic · Guru

Michele,

You are still trying to go from the Northwest to the southeast, Ballina to Blarney & Cork. Is it doable, yes but advisable, I would have to say definitely not.

The Slieve League Cliffs would be just the ticket for two boys the ages of your sons. Slieve League Cliffs are in Co. Donegal (NW). I would suggest Dingle and Fungi the dolphin as an alternative to Killarney and the ROK if you must journey that far down the coast. There really is a plethora of things to do in the Northwest. It will not be as overrun with tourists either

Day 1 Ballina
Day 2 & 3 Westport
Day 4 & 5 & 6- Donegal Town & the Slieve League Cliffs
IMHO better than the Cliffs of Moher because they are accessible ina way that the Cliffs of Moher can no longer be
Day 7 & 8 - Galway
enroute to Galway you could schedule a time at Ashford Castle for the boys to take a falconry class. It was the highlight for my 16 year old when we did our trip to Scotland last year. Ashford's program is phenomenal
On day 8 take a Ferry from Rossaveal to Inis Mor, rent bikes or a pony cart & driver and tour the island

This is just an idea of what a NW tour would allow for your boys. You have enough on your must see list at this point to fill three weeks instead of 8 days. wink

You will simply have to keep returning uuntil you have seen it all! Blarney is not a favorite of mine.The gardens are lovely but the line of people to kiss a Rock? They aren't getting my money for that! weirdface

I would probably take them to Derry and beyone to the Antrim coast before I would drive them all the way south.

Its a start for you. One more thing, if you haven't already booked your B&Bs it would be in your best interest to lock in your itinerary and book now. Vouchers don't guarantee you a room anywhere.

To get some idea of the distances you would be traveling to reach all of the places you listed, go to www.aaireland.ie and punch in your destinations for two consecutive days then take the mileage listed & divide by 35, which will give you the estimated time not counting stops to see sites, take pictures, use the toilet or countless other distractions. T'were you flying into Knock and out of Shannon, then bunratty and Adare would be feasible options, as would other points south and west.

Slan Beo (Take Care),

Bit

-- Edited by CowboyCraic at 01:06, 2007-06-08

shashie50 · Veteran Member

Gary and Michele,
It sounds like you want to visit all of the most photographed spots in Ireland. Believe me, you are landing in an area full of beautiful scenery, including cliffs and beaches. And you will find castles, abbeys, and other ruins everywhere you go. All you need is a good map and a guidebook - something like "Lonely Planet IRELAND." During the summer, the most well-known places are sure to be crowded.

Although it doesn't compare to the tour at Waterford Crystal, there is a Galway Crystal Factory with a nice museum-type exhibit. Also, if you do go north to Donegal, Belleek Pottery might be an interesting stop (well, I am fond of Belleek and it is more within my budget than Waterford

What kinds of vacation activities do the boys enjoy?

And a question for everyone: what is the deal with Adare? I have passed through it several times, and stopped in the town twice, but never explored it. Besides the photo-op of whitewashed thatched roofed cottages, is there really much there to see? Every time it is mentioned, I wonder what I've missed.

Gary & Michele -- don't worry, you will have a great time!

Dude · Guru

It seems I remember reading or hearing that Galway Crystal no longer give tours. That might figure into your plans, if I'm correct.

shashie50 · Veteran Member

No, it is not a tour. They refer to it as a Heritage Centre. Not anywhere near the experience of seeing them work on Waterford, if that is what you are looking for, but it was an interesting exhibit -- not just about Galway Crystal but also about the history of the city of Galway.

They have a gift shop where I found a couple of bargains, and are a "sister company" to Belleek so they have some of that too. http://www.galwaycrystal.ie/Heritage_centre/heritage_centre.htm

Michele Erdvig · Host

Marsha,

Galway Crystal's showroom and cafe are open but they no longer do tours or show their a/v film.

Michele

shashie50 · Veteran Member

Michele,
That's a shame -- thanks for letting me know!

Michele Erdvig · Host

Marsha,

I agree that it is a shame. But things are changing all over Ireland. I am trying to keep up with it all!

Michele

officer35 · Member

O.K..we are now arranging for our B & B's.
Does anyone know anything about them?

In Killarney
-----------------------
Springfield Lodge
The Purple Heather
Valley View Farmhouse

In Galway
----------------
Periwinkle
HIgh Tide

In Bunratty
-----------------
Clover Hill Lodge
Dunaree
Bunratty Meadows

Thanks,
Officer35

officer35 · Member

Just read a bad report about the Purple Heather ...so forget I ask about that one.

Marie · Guru

Hi, Gary and Marsha:

I can recommend the B & Bs I stayed in. Michele (host) recommended them to me and they worked out great.

Galway - Marless House (hostess, Mary, is VERY nice and helpful)

Killarney - Killarney Lodge (a bit on the expensive side, but very good and very convenient to town)

Bunratty Lodge - Very nice, convenient to the Castle and Folk Park and to the airport (I guess that doesn't matter as you are flying out of Knock)

Have fun planning and happy travels!

Marie

Michele Erdvig · Host

Gary,

I think you are dealing with vouchers - right? If so, the recommendations below take them.

Killarney: Applecroft House, Chelmsford.

Galway: Marless House.

Bunratty: Headley Court is lovely. Bunratty Meadows is fine.

Michele