Thanks mv4men,

Now I won't have to ask that question among a crowd of tourists and locals who already knew the answer.

Dennis

mv4men,

I knew the Irish weren't condescending by nature (They're not French!).  Just wanted a head start to go with the differences in our English - Trunk is boot, hood is bonnet, etc.

Rather than posting my half-finished itinerary again, look for my post "New here...."

After landing in Dublin, with 2 nights there, we head up to Armagh by way of Dundalk, for the Markethill Fest and possibly the Victorian Fest at Moy before heading to our hotel in Antrim.  (Taking advantage of our free nights with Holiday Inn's Priority Club.

The Giant's Causeway in #1 on our "must see" list, followed by the Cliffs of Moher and the Belleek factory.  Really intested in meeting the people and seeing landscapes and formal gardens.

Castles, palaces, and mansions aren't high on our list - We toured several ruins and complete castles in Germany during my 3 year tour there over 3 decades ago.

We hope this is the first of at least two trips to Ireland, with some focus on the North and Midlands this time.  Second time, we'll try more in the South.  Eight days is too short to see much if you try top cover the island from North to South.

We did an 8 state, self-drive, self-built tour on New England two years ago, and covered 2002 miles in 10 days.  Even with Interstate and 55 to 60 mph speed limits for part of the time, we spent too many hours in the car.  Hopefully, I learned my lesson that time and won't repeat it in Ireland.

Dennis

Bob,

I could not agree with you more - take time if you want to get to know Ireland and do not try and cover the island in 10 days as many people do. I just thnk in the US you have a different perspective on distance than we Irish have. I mean the size of Northern Ireland would allow you to go from end to end in less that two hours - either horiizontally or vertically. But you need time to appreciate the differences. Going to the north will be a very different experience than visiting the deep south of Ireland.

We have different origins, differing cultural roots, different perspectives. The people, the accents, the food etc all change as you move around. We might be a small country but as a geographical area we are extremely diverse.

You say that the Giant's Causeway is on your priority list. Then do not stop there but drive round the whole Antrim coast and I promise you will be amazed at the natural beauty. I have lived most of my life outside Northern Ireland (in Europe) but whenever I take friends back with me they are always stunned by the beauty of Ireland.

As I said, I run a blog which focuses on Northern Ireland vacations and I invite you to join. It is only a few months old but I am determined to make vacations in Ireland one of the best blogs around on Northern Ireland and what it has to offer tourists.

Regards,

mv4men