Good Morning Meredith,

Welcome to Michele's forum. We are pleased that you found your way here.

Over all, your itinerary looks doable.

For Days 3 & 4, I know of two excellent lodgings in Ballinamore:

Hamill's, which is in town centre, is very comfortable and the hosts are truly delightful. The homebaked breakfast breads will have you salivating every time you recall them upon your return home.

Riversdale Farm, which is on the edge of town, is a treasure, as well. Violet is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. You will not walk away from her breakfast table hungry, that is for sure! It is close enough in to take in some of the great pubs that they have to offer.

Onward we go! With three nights devoted to Derry, I hope that you will take advantage of Michael Cooper's walking tour. It is the most thorough and entertaining of all the guided walking tours on which I have been.

On Day 10, I would more likely head from Sligo to Westport and give Westport its due with two nights instead of one. Westport is a blast of a town.

Hazel Breeze is a wonderful B&B set just outside of town but not too far as to enjoy the pubs. It is well set for visiting Achill Island, which you would have time for if you stayed the two nights. Achill island is a fantastic slice of history and the forces of nature.

Westport to Roundstone is a short hop. Unlesss you have reason for staying in Roundstone, it might be better to make this a lunch stop and press on to Cong for your overnight at Ashford. Ashford is definitely an indulgence and well worth it. I have other favorite Castles, but this one is along your travel route. To note, if you are a fan of the Quiet Man movie, Pat Cohan's Pub is rumored to have finally opened.

I would use the night from roundstone & one from Doolin to explore Galway and its environs. St. Martin's is my home away from home when I am in Galway. They treat you like family, the beds are comfortable and the breakfast delicious and plentiful. It is a short walk to City Centre, five minutes, with its pedestrian friendly shopping area and Traditional music to be found in its pubs. If you like Fish 'n Chips, make sure you stop at McDonagh's for a bite. You can eat out at the picnic tables and people watch.

On to Doolin! Is there a reason for the two days in Doolin? I am a huge fan of Doolin and have spent two or three nights there, myself. However, being a musician, I am more into the night time pub activity. Doolin is easily experienced with a stroll down Fisher street and lunch in one of the pubs. One night here to break up the drive to Dingle would be perfect.

On to Dingle! In between Doolin and Dingle, you can stop to visit the Cliffs of Moher, then continue down the coast road to the Tarbert Ferry. It is a great way to break up the drive and the twenty or so minutes gives you time to stretch your legs and enjoy the sea air. It is good to see that you have devoted so much time to Dingle. There is plenty there to occupy your days. If you are looking for lodgings within Dingle proper, I would suggest The Blooming Wildflower Cottage. It is right on the harbour and at Town centre. The rooms are comfortable and the food is marvelous. You will have time to experience one of the Sciuird Archaeological Tours, which is like a time machine taking you back through the history of the peninsula and then bringing you forward.

On to Kenmare! I would break this up and do two nights in Kenmare and two nights in Kinsale, if you want to see both the ring of Kerry and the Beara Peninsula without wearing yourself out. Each is a full day in and of itself. Unless you are planning on using one of your Dinngle days to explore Killarney and its National Park, You would probably want to spend some time in Killarney, as well. Having just come off the Dingle peninsula, I would probably forgo Beara and devote the time to the Killarney area. One of my favorite lodgings in Kenmare is Shelburne Lodge. The rooms are quite comfortable and breakfast is delicious.

On to Cashel! This could very well be a stop enroute to Kilkenny, as the entire trip between Kenmare & Kilkenny, including the Cashel stop, is about 4 hours. Add in a few hours to tour the Rock of Cashel and it rounds out to a nice leisurely day's driving.

On to Kilkenny. I am glad to see that you have included this phenomenal town in your itinerary. It is oft overlooked. If you are looking to stay in town, I know that Michele has some lodging suggestions here on her site. I usally stay just outside of town at Lawcus Farm Guesthouse. I am including the link but be aware that it is not working at the moment as they have the site down for updates.

As to turning in your rental, I would suggest that you turn it in at the airport and take a taxi in to your lodgings, as navigating through Dublin can be a trial. If you need lodgings, I, being a creature of habit, stay at Abberley House B&B, which is well situated close to Temple Bar & The Botanical Gardens and only a short, leisurely 15 minute stroll to City Centre.

This will get you started. I am sure that Michele and the others will chime in soon.

Slan Beo (Take Care), Bit

Meredith,

I am just back from 32 days in Ireland and I want to thank all the other forum members for helping out with my forum while I was away. You have a good long trip planned too and I think Bit's suggestions are good ones. However, in order to get two nights in Kinsale I think I would pull one day from Dingle and one from Kenmare. I just stayed at a fabulous B&B about 4 miles from Kinsale overlooking the river. Wonderful views and very quiet. The house and host cannot be beat: Rivermount House. It was a real highlight of my trip.

I recommend Trim Castle Hotel in Trim. Highfield House was not to my taste. You may be able to get a two-night special rate at the hotel if you click on Special Offers.

Take a look at my Lodgings page for more great places to stay.

Let us know if you have more questions.

Michele

Meredith,

Thanks for the "welcome home". I'm glad you are getting some good ideas from the forum and the wonderful members here. Don't forget to take a quick look at my Lodgings page too. My favorite in Kenmare is Sallyport House. I have many others all over Ireland. Have fun choosing your accommodations. And if you need feedback let us know.

Michele

Meredith,

Glad that I could offer you some help. If it is music you are looking for, then Westport would be a great place for that, as they have a great music scene there. Perhaps you might consider using the extra day here. Will your husband be taking his guitar along? If so, he might be able to play-in on some of the seissuns.

Doolin has some excellent music but it is limited to its three pubs, which makes it quite crowded at any of the three. The crowds may have lessened a bit in September. Your best bet for good Trad is McGann's which is in the upper end of the village. Gus O'Connor's, the most well known of the three, also as great music but due to its lay-out, you will be hard pressed to find seating in with the musicians. The last time we tried to get in some music at Gus', we ended up in the front room, listening to the music over the speakers. McGann's is much smaller and requires strategic planning: go early for dinner and stake your claim to a table. However, the advantage is that you actually get to interact with the musicians.

As to the Burrens, If you take the coast road down from Galway to Doolin, you can spend as much time in the Burren as you wish. A straight through drive would have you in Doolin in a little over two hours. By making a day of it, you can have a relaxing time going through the Burren and then arrive in Doolin in the early to mid afternoon. Within the Burren, you will find a lot of must stops such as the Poulnabrone Dolmen, Aillwee Cave, Black Head lighthouse and several other dolamens and ring forts. You could stop in Kilfenora and visit the Burren centre. It is a small village but I love its High crosses and the tiny cathedral dedicated to St. Fachtnan. The High Crosses are fantastic. My Favorite being  Doorty's Cross.

Slan Beo, Bit

Meredith,

Kinsale is much nicer and more lively than Cobh, which is a bit "faded". You can easily visit Cobh from Kinsale (just did it myself). There is a ferry across the river that avoids Cork City traffic.

Michele

Michele and Bit

Many thanks once again. You have certainly given us lots to think about. Now what we need to do is to sit down with pen and paper and fine tune our itinerary taking everything into account. Joan's idea of "slow travel" is very appealing so hopefully we can achieve that to a certain extent by spending more than one night in different places. We are very conscious of trying to do too much and seeing Ireland through a car windscreen, even though we have a month. With this in mind, we have let go of the south east. I must admit I am having trouble letting go of Ennis/Limerick/Adare in order to take the Killimer/Tarbert ferry. In all fairness to my husband who will be doing most of the driving, the ferry does give the driver a break as you say.

Kind regards, Meredith

Michele

Your sound advice has made me more confident about making a final decision instead of continuing to try for the perfect itinerary.
Thankyou!

Meredith

Merle

We can only hope that will be the case! This is likely to be our only trip, but as I have heard from so many people that once Ireland takes hold of you, one trip will never be enough, we will probably be planning our next visit on the plane on the way home!

Michele

I have ordered your book and look forward to receiving it!

Regards, Meredith