Thanks to all of you who helped us prepare for our first trip to Ireland.  It won't be my last, for sure!

We flew into Shannon and appreciated having the Bunratty Lodge be so close by.  Mary was a charming hostess and the accommodations and breakfast were delicious.  We enjoyed Durty Nellie's also.  It was hopping!

Then on to Doolin which was such a sweet town.  Thanks to Bill for the suggestion of the Atlantic View.  It was very conveniently located (both to the town and the ferries) and we had a large comfortable room with a great ocean view.  We loved Inishmore.  One mistake we made was not taking a horse drawn cart right after we arrived.  We wanted a coffee and scone first.  When we finished, they were all taken.  We had a great driver though and enjoyed talking to him about the island life.  We loved Dun Aenghus too.  The Cliffs of Mohr were also spectacular and the visitor center very modern and interesting.  Our favorite restaurant of the whole trip was Cullinan's; in fact, we ate there both nights we stayed in Doolin.

Next to Dualla, near Cashel.  Thanks Michelle for the recommendation of the Dualla House.  It was lovely, Mairead was so sweet and we did get to see the dogs herd the sheep.  It was also very convenient to Cashel where we loved the performance at Bru Boru. 

Finally to Dublin where our lodgings at the Days Inn Talbot St. were small with no-frills,  but clean, very well located and relatively inexpensive.  Thanks to whoever recommended that one.  We were able to walk to most everywhere we wanted to go and took the hop-on, hop-off bus everywhere else.  We went to Sweeney Todd at the Gate Theatre and it was great!  My 20 year old daughter enjoyed shopping on Grafton and Nassau streets and we both loved the Guiness Storehouse tour.  

I think we packed the right amount of activitiy into our very short week in Ireland and had a good balance of nature and city.  Everyone was very friendly and we didn't even get lost.  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be to deal with driving on the left and shifting with my left hand.   Most of all, the scenery and the music won us over.  I'll definitely go back!

Thanks again,  Kris