Dublin to Shannon

bluejay2fly · Member

Dublin to Shannon

bluejay2fly · Member

I forgot to mention that this trip will be in mid-October... looks like short daylight from what I have been reading here.

Michele Erdvig · Host

bluejay,

Welcome to my forum! I suppose it all depends on your itnerests. Have you read anything about Ireland? What seems to be "callilng to you"? Are you more interested in green rolling hills or the ocean? Castles, cathedrals, gardens, museums, historic houses, archaeology? What time will you arrive in Dublin?

To make best use of your time renting a car makes the most sense.

The days are getting short in mid-October. You can read sunrise/sunset times on my Weather page.

Michele

bluejay2fly · Member

We land in Dublin at about 3:00 in the afternoon and leave Shannon at 8:00 am. I think for Dublin we would be satisfied with a sightseeing tour that gives us an overview of the city... and then off to the country to see the landscape. I would like to see some medieval castles and my wife is interested in the shoreline, either the west side or the north side, though I do not imagine the beach will be a priority in October. ;)

Neither of us is opposed to driving, though the driving on left side will be new to us... if we can avoid the rotaries which I understand turn in the opposite direction we should be fine LOL!

Since we will be spending 6 days before our Ireland trip relaxing in a formal atmosphere, we don't mind picking up the pace a little bit to see as much as we can.

Let me start by asking this.... would it make more sense to do our westward journey via the north through Belfast and Donegal, or the south way through Waterford and Limerick? Or should we just do a straight cut due west across the island?

Finally, I noticed a thread about Carrigeen Castle but the information is not very recent. I ask because I work in the NY prison system and find the idea of staying in an old jail to be intriguing.

I know we definitely should spend the first night in Dublin and the last night in or near Shannon. The two nights in between are the wild cards right now.

Michele Erdvig · Host

bluejay,

Please forgive the typos in my last post. hmm

I think the week has finally caught up with me. First, you cannot avoid roundabouts. They are everywhere in Ireland. Just think left. They go in a clockwise pattern.

Carrigeen Castle always gets mixed reviews. Some people like it and others don't. I suppose it depends on your expectations. If I were staying in that area I would stay in Cashel either right in town or a couple of miles outside on a sheep farm.

So you have one night in Dublin, one near Shannon and two in the middle? You could certainly spend one night in the middle of the country, one on the coast and your last near Shannon. I want to caution you about trying to see everything. That will be impossible. If I were you I would cut straight across the country. You would need much more time to go either north or south. Perhaps another time.

Michele

Michele Erdvig · Host

bluejay,

Another option if you wanted multiple-night stays would be two in Dublin and two near Shannon, doing day trips from Shannon.

Michele

bluejay2fly · Member

Well call me daft because I didn't notice any typos!

Ok here is a tentative plan....

Arrive in Dublin Wednesday, stay till Friday morning.

Then Friday we can pick up a rental car and drive to Cahir, stopping at Rock of Cashel and whatever else might be on the way.

Stay Friday overnight in Cahir then head for the west coast Saturday morning, driving through Tipperary and seeing just how much of a "long way" it really is ;)

Saturday on the west coast, we can see the Cliffs of Moher and anything else that might be near Shannon before checking into a hotel there for the night.

If there is anything else we can do or see on this particular route please let me know. I am just going by what we have read about.... there is a day tour that leaves from Limerick and goes to the Cliffs of Moher as well as other places which we would like to do on that Saturday, but they do not yet have an October schedule made out yet.

I know there is much more to see, but as you say we will have to plan a more extensive trip in the future to do so.

-- Edited by bluejay2fly at 19:31, 2008-07-26

Michele Erdvig · Host

bluejay,

I would not count on tours from Limerick in October. Even if they have a schedule posted I would be leary of it as many places will be closed then.

Be sure to see Cahir Castle & Swiss Cottage (if open).

Bunratty Castle is also an excellent castle. They do banquets there. Might be fun on your last night in the country. Reserve ahead as it fills quickly.

Michele

bluejay2fly · Member

Michele,

Funny you should mention Bunratty.... my wife booked our last night at Bunratty Castle Hotel. I understand that is not in a castle itself but very close to it as well as covenient to the airport. We have an early flight so we didn't want to be too far away plus we have to unload our rental car. Shannon Airport does not seem very big..... do they require you to be two hours early like the bigger airports or can we give it an hour?

I figured the Cliffs of Moher tour might not be an option that late in the season. There is a boat tour that is run until Oct. 31 but I have a feeling that even for us mountain people living near Canada, that might be a bit chilly!

I really appreciate all of the help you have given us and I thank you for your assistance.

Michele Erdvig · Host

bluejay,

You are correct that Bunratty Castle Hotel is not a castle. It is across the street from Bunratty Castle. The drive to the airport will take about 10 to 15 minutes. You need a 2-hour check in at Shannon. At Dublin it is more like 3 hours.

Have fun in Ireland. We will look forward to hearing back from you after your trip.

Michele