ok....so I'm finally getting around to this

Our trip was for two weeks this past November (3rd - 16th).  First a few general things. We had the pleasuer to stay in 5 wonderful B&Bs.  We chose those with a little more affordable rates between 30-37 euro per person. They were all wonderful , great hospitality,  and locations, with tasty and very filling breakfasts.  We chose B&Bs that were aleast within easy walking distance to town, since the days were kind of short going this time of year, and we didnt really want to be doing  a lot of night driving.  So heres the list of where we stayed.  If you have any specific questions about them just let me know.
Kilkenny- Pinecrest B&B
Killarney- Algret House
Dingle- Cill Bhreac House (with bad weather....just a little too far to walk to town...but a beautiful view of the bay...and wonderful banana pancakes yummmm)
Galway-Petra House
Dublin- Kincora Lodge (actually in Clontarf....10-15- min bus ride...very convenient bus stop close to house)

A few observasions....  in all but one of our B&Bs the bathroom sink was equipped with two separate spigots...one for hot and one for cold, making it kind of difficult to spalsh WARM water on your face  lol The Moen company could make a killing over there.  Also unless the bathroom was in the center of the house , and therefore no window, there was no fan for venting....just had the crack the window open a little.

Also, on the driving (here we go!!  )  It is pretty much what everyone warns about, the roads are very narrow compared to ours here, what they would consider a "state highway" could even not be as big as one of our residential streets....and with a speed limit of 80-100 kmh!  Being on the right hand side of the car takes a little getting used to (I seemed to find myself looking where I was at instead of up ahead on the road)  And YOU WILL GET LOST ...best piece of advice that we got.  If you assume that ahead of time, ehhh no problem mon....its part of the adventure!  Yes, my hat is off to those of you who have the courage to rent a manual car...I know how to drive one here, but I dont think I'm brave enough to even try it on the wrong side!  But overall, I would highly recommend driving yourself.  Numerous times, we were pulled off to the side of a road admiring yet another spectacular view, and watched as a tour bus rolled by and all the flashes from the cameras  headed toward the next stop.  I understand that its the only option for some people, and if thats the case, by all means thats what you have to do.  But , if you debating, definitely go on your own.  Your own schedule, your own time...its all fun!

We planned our trip out like this.  Flew into Dublin..immediately set out for Kilkenny (two nights there) on to Killarney for 3 nights, then Dingle for 2 nights, next Galway for 3 nights, and then back to Dublin for our final 3 nights.   Drawback of going in November...only about 8-9 hrs of daylight ( it seriously started getting dark about 4:30). Its a little chilly (low to mid 50s), a few things were closed or had limited hours. But the advantage is there are basically no crowds.  I havent been in the Summer, so Im not sure what its like.  The biggest crowd that we were around was about 150 people at the Cliffs of Moher.  It seems that most B&Bs cut their rates this time of year also. And actually some parts of Ireland are BROWN!! yes...i said it    It all worked out grand for us though....I will post more later on our day to day stuff

Scott