Jerilyn, I hope you post a report of your entire trip over in Trip Reports. Good to hear about Bunratty Lodge since we're staying there our final night--but going to the Irish Night since we've "done" the Banquet. Of course, I always trust Michele's choices.

I just did the review on Trip Advisor.  What a cool sight!  If you've recommended using that before, I missed it.   It seems like it could be quite helpful.
 Judy, enjoy your trip.  Can I come with?  I'm ready to go back!  You can take the girl out of Ireland, but you can't take Ireland out of the girl.  Tell Mary that Jerilyn and family say hello.  She is so delightfully pleasant.  I wish we could've stayed for a week just to get to know her better.  Let me know if you figure out what the breakfast potato triangle thing she serves...we couldn't quite place the mild spice in it...maybe garlic.  We stayed in the family room, which had 2 bathrooms...always a good thing! 
Do they serve mead at the Irish Night?  It was tasty, but whew! it packed a punch.  
I'll try to get my thoughts and words in order and write a report.  We had a great time and I'm so blessed to have 2 teenage kids who like their parents and are fun to travel with. 
Jerilyn
 

I have 3 sisters and my theory is "there's always room for one more"  :)  Two years ago I had the trip of a lifetime...went to Ireland with those 3 sisters and our parents.  We hadn't done a 'family trip' in about 30 years (maybe even 35 years).  It was so funny! 
I especially enjoyed it because, being the youngest, I always got the worst seat in the car (middle of the back seat, squished between 2 bigger sisters, or up front between mom and dad and not in the back where all the action was).   But now, being the only one who could look at a map in a moving car and not get sick, I got to be co-pilot and sit in front! Yea!!  So glad that mini-vans have been invented with that 3rd row seating....saved a lot of complaining.   We all had a great time, I hope we can do it again.
When is your trip?  Hope it's soon for your sake...one can only take so much anticipation.

Time to move the whole family!!!  You're the matriarch, right?  You can do that.  Ha!
I don't need to live there full-time...just a month or two out of the year.  But I probably should wait until my son gets out of high school, at the very least, only 3 more years to go.  (Daughter just graduated HS)
It's great to have a hubby supportive of your travel addiction.  I got me one of them, myself.  I've travelled with my parents a few times, to England and Ireland, and he's willingly and gladly stayed home so I could go.  But he's so much fun to travel with, that where ever I've been with the folks, I always want to go back with him.  I guess I could have much bigger problems than having a good husband.
I'll try to get a report written.  We did a big circle around the perimeter of island, didn't see much of the middle.  Not sure how you feel about the Ring of Kerry, but it wasn't our cup of tea. We did the Dingle penn. the day before and really liked that.  Maybe too much sitting in the car looking at beautiful scenery? 
I hope your trip is as enjoyable as ours was.

Bit,
I'm laughing right now just thinking about the sheep in the road.  It was so goofy...the sheep was running along side us for a bit, then it decided to go in front of us, so it looks like we're chasing it.  Then a car comes from the opposite direction and the silly thing just didn't know what to do with itself.  So we stop and the other car stops and the sheep is in between us looking back and forth trying to figure out what to do.  And its answer is to turn around and run back up the road, which is now in front of the other car, so now it looks like that car is chasing it.  That was one confused sheep!  On the video, you can hear it bleating...probably saying " #*@! tourists, go home!!" 
We didn't mind the sheep at all.  They provided much needed comic relief during the mind numbing ride around the Ring of Kerry.  I think we missed a critical piece of what makes the Ring enjoyable.  So the sheep were our salvation that day.
I think that Judy/Dude will have to get a really big suitcase, I've invited myself to go with her, too.  Maybe a trunk is required.
Maybe Michelle should put together a IrelandYes! junkie tour.  Of course it might be hard to get accommodations set for several hundred people.  I bet it'd be fun!!

Judy,

Smuggle is such an ugly word, lets say relocate.  LOL 

As for sleeping in the car, as long as I was in Ireland I would sleep anywhere!

Jerilyn,

The sheep was probaby saying "so much for being a traffic director!" I have quite a visual just from your descriptive writing. When I caution folk to watch out for sheep, they thing I am joking. Then they come back with tales of sitting and waiting for the flocks to cross the road or of having an "irish standoff" with a large ram in the middle of a road where backing up is close to impossible.

Slan Beo,

Bit

Judy,
Does your "slan go foille" mean you're "still a healthy person"?  I looked slan and foille up in my handy dandy Irish to English dictionary and that's pretty much what I got.  See?  I really do need a good translation site.

Jerilyn,

Slan Go Foil(l) means "so long for now". You might find these sites interesting:

http://www.iol.ie/~scphadr/gaeilge.html
http://members.cox.net/bphowe2/gaeilge.html
http://www.rootsweb.com/~fianna/fun/gaelic.html
http://www.gaillimh.cnag.ie/seanfhocail1.htm
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irelandlist/phrases.html

I am not too sure about cozying up to sheep. They smell horrid, especially when wet! However, I have slept in plenty of barns.

Slan Beo (Take Care),

Bit

Bit,
Thanks for the language sites.  They're very helpful. My daughter and I want to take an Irish class...in Ireland, of course.  I might have to dig deep to get the gutteral thing going, but I'm sure willing to try.
So, Michelle, what do you think about putting together a trip for us forum junkies?  We could have quite a lot of fun.  Bob, aka Itallian Chauffeur, could be our driver.  I wonder if he can drive a big bus.  :) 
When telling my sheep stories to non-Ireland travellers, they just don't seem to get how hilarious it is to watch sheep run along side the car.  Go figure.  How can a fluffy animal with skinny little stick legs going bleat, bleat, bleat not be funny?

Judy, what are some of your destinations, other than Bunratty?  If you go to the Cliffs of Moher, keep your fingers crossed for clear weather.  The day we went it was so foggy.  We couldn't see 50 feet beyond us.  The new visitors center is awesome, so we felt it was worth the time to go anyway.
I'm going to go get my journal so I can start that report.  Don't hold your breath, tho.

We did the N. Ireland drive and just happened to end up on the road to Torr Head.  It was serendipity that got us there.  And we were all glad we did.  It was on day 2 and was fun to get on a typical Irish road so soon.  We just about lost the car when we stopped at the Head.  Himself forgot to put the car in park and it went rolling down the road, towards the dropoff into a field.  His cat-like agility saved the day, he jumped in and put the brake on.  Whew!  That was too close to having to use the super CDW insurance (or whatever it's called). 
If you've never been to Giant's Causeway, you're in for a treat.  It is sooooo amazing!  My folks saw it in 1980 and my dad went on and on about it.  I thought, big deal.  But to actually see it, WOW!  My kids wanted to stay for hours.  The first time I saw the Causeway was on the windiest day I've ever felt.  There was seafoam blowing all over, even on the roads a mile inland!  That wind made it an almost mystical experience.   There were very few people there that day, so we were free to climb all over the stones.  I hope your experience will be as rewarding. 
My kids and I enjoyed the rope bridge...Himself has had vertigo in the past and was weary that it'd kick in while on the bridge, but it didn't and he made it across.  It's quite a hike from the parking lot to the bridge, but it's a nice path.
I have fond memories of Clonmacnoise.  It was the first place we stopped after arriving on the trip with my folks and sisters.   Maybe it was lack of sleep, but seeing the High Crosses felt magical.  Let me know if you have that experience.
Your itinerary sounds like a good one. 

Judy,

If you are in Co. Donegal, I hope that you will take the time to do the Slieve League Cliffs. I found them much more entrancing than the Cliffs of Moher and less crowded. I hope that you are successful in booking the Viking Cruise, as it is tremendous fun. I am still searching for my Vikings & Cowboys Picture that we took. It was quite amusing, American Cowboys & Nordic Vikings.

I have found that speaking sheep is advantageous to getting good sheep pictures, just as speaking donkey gains excellent donkey pictures. Yes, that means that you can regularly find me "baaa'ng" to the sheep and braying to the donkeys. It works though! I am not sure but I think they must be thinking "That is the funniest sheep/donkey I have ever seen! Let's go closer and check it out!"

Jeri,

On Inis Mor, they have a two-week course, Irish immersion, during the summer. That is one of the best. There is also a summer course in Galway.


Michele,

Of course if you had someone to take over some of the load...................
I think late spring would be a fabulous time for Goldilocks Tour.
Slan Beo,

Bit

Unless I win the lottery (I know, you have to buy a ticket) I'm afraid next year is out for me--I'll be recovering from this upcoming trip and saving up to take the grandsons in '09. Now if I do come into some unexpected money (not counting the Social Security I'll start getting next April), sign me up for the Goldilocks Tour!

It's nice to dream about making the trip, but I can't imagine a way I could go next year either...wishful thinking. 
Younger Herself got the pics onto my computer.  Now I just have to figure out how to get them into here.  Michelle, can I put a few with my trip report?  (whenever that gets done!)  I'd like to try to put the little video clip of the sheep/car race, is that possible?  And you all do know it's much funnier to me than it will be to anyone else?
Thanks for this forum and an outlet for my Irish mental wanderings.  It's a great connection.

Speaking of Bunratty Lodge, I now have a story. The more we looked at the cost of Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, and how far off from our loop itinerary we would have to drive just to spend one night, we have decided to cancel the reservations there and stay at Bunratty Lodge that night, giving us that extra day to explore the Shannon/Bunratty/Ennis/Limerick area. Mary had someone booked in the family room that night, but they had changed to the night following our departure so it was like it was meant to be. My sisters wanted to call Mary and see if we could add the night, until I reminded them that it was 3 a.m. in Ireland and not a time when I'd be calling someone to ask a favor! An e-mail worked just as well. Perhaps after one of us wins that elusive lottery we can stay in Ballynahinch long enough to do it justice.